The Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian-American holiday tradition, stars seafood feasts on Christmas Eve. Restaurants around DC are creating special menus for Saturday, December 24—and some are offering seafaring specials before and after.
L’Ardente
200 Massachusetts Ave., NW
The glam Italian restaurant is serving a Christmas Eve dinner for two, kicking off with glasses of bubbly. Peruse a seafood platter with shrimp cocktail, oysters, hamachi crudo, and caviar, and then dive into squid ink pasta with lobster and whole grilled branzino. Details: December 17 to 24; $250 for two people.
Centrolina
974 Parker Aly., NW
The downtown Italian spot is putting together four courses of seafood, starting with anchovy-laden focaccia. There’s also house-made spaghetti with crabmeat and uni butter, as well as a swordfish eggplant parmesan. Wine pairings are also available for an additional $75 per person. Details: December 24; $150 per person.
Roberto’s Ristorante Italiano
144 Church St. NW, Vienna
Chef Roberto Donna’s Vienna restaurant is serving an eight-course dinner with mussels swimming in saffron soup, stuffed calamari, and lobster ravioli topped with crab ragu. Finish the meal with a pudding version of the Italian holiday treat, panettone. Details: December 24; $110 per person.
RPM Italian
650 K St., NW
Four courses of coastal plates are on the menu at the downtown DC Italian restaurant. Dine on prawns, Maryland crab, and lemon-spiked pasta with clams. Add on wine pairings for an additional $65 per person. Details: December 24; $95 per person.
Lupo Verde
1401 T St., NW
This 14th Street spot is serving two pasta dishes during the eight-course feast: A carbonara with salmon, and long tonarelli noodles in a branzino and red snapper ragu. Pair the pastas with creamy lobster risotto and grilled octopus. Details: December 24; $85 per person.
Hank’s Oyster Bar
1624 Q S t., NW; 818 N. St. Asaph St., Alexandria; 701 Wharf St., SW
All three locations of the New England-style seafood restaurant are serving a three-course menu leading up to Christmas Eve. Dine on cod blinis topped with caviar and creme fraiche, as well as a tomato stew with little neck clams, shrimp, and mussels. Details: December 1 to 24; $80 per person.
Fiola
601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Chef Fabio Trabocchi’s elegant flagship is offering a seafood spread with sea urchin risotto and Mediterranean sea bass dressed with lemon and lentils. Add on an optional wine pairing for $210. Details: December 23 to 24; $350 per person.
Lupo Verde Osteria
4814 MacArthur Blvd., NW
Dive into a seven-course meal featuring crab-and-fennel toast, squid ink pasta, and mussels in white wine sauce. You can also pick up a last-minute gift at the restaurant’s in-house Italian market for the next day’s festivities. Details: December 24; $95 per person.
Nina May
1337 11th St., NW
Head to the locavore restaurant in Shaw for a family-style feast of smoked trout rilettes spread on Parker House rolls and black sea bass with mushroom escabeche. The sweet finish: puffy chocolate-pistachio profiteroles. Details: December 24; $120 per person.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
