2Fifty Texas BBQ
4700 Riverdale Rd., Riverdale Park
There’s nothing like a barbecue feast for feeding a crowd, and this Salvadoran-influenced outfit smokes some of the area’s best meat. Pre-ordered meals can be picked up from 10 AM to 4 PM on Thanksgiving at the Riverdale Park smokehouse. Brisket, lamb ribs, and whole smoked ducks come with trays of mac and cheese, cole slaw, sweet potatoes, and fried plantains. The combos include sauces and pickles, and range in price from $80 to $320.
Centrolina
974 Palmer Alley, NW
Lovely Italian ingredients and techniques meet classic American holiday dishes on this CityCenterDC Italian dining room’s Thanksgiving takeout menu. Start with antipasti platters of burrata with roasted pumpkin or prosciutto with poached pears. Prices for the a la carte menu vary, with an brined, ready-to-cook organic turkeys going for $9 per pound and sides for four like mushroom farro and pumpkin raviolini in the $37-$90 range. Desserts such as pumpkin and apple crumb pies and a chocolate/ricotta tart are $50. You can reserve your meal through Tock here and pick it up Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.
Chang Chang
1200 19th St., NW
Masterfully cooked Peking duck can be quite a level-up from turkey, and that’s what the $148 Thanksgiving package from chef Peter Chang’s downtown DC restaurant buys you. Pick up your meal, which also includes dry pot spicy potatoes, green beans with preserved mustard greens, and shiitake mushrooms with eggplant, on Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving— Chang Chang is closed on Thanksgiving day. Order via Tock.
The Duck and the Peach
300 Seventh St., SE
Hollis Silverman’s Capitol Hill dining room puts its namesake duck aside for Thanksgiving and goes for traditional turkey, shaped into za’atar-stuffed roulades. With the full $300 package, pick up roulades for six, plus gravy, Brussels sprouts with candied lemon and mint, creamy garlic-dressed kale salad, cranberry bread, and more (a sides-only package is $175). Order here, and consider add-ons like a pumpkin-pecan-toffee cake ($55) or a liter of mulled wine ($50).
Elle
3221 Mount Pleasant St., NW
Not serving a big crowd? Thanksgiving at Mount Pleasant’s all-day eatery involves a wealth of modestly sized take-home options like house-made breads, herb crusted turkey breast and dark meat (one pound for $31), sides for two like sourdough stuffing with mis0-roasted veggies ($19) and Comte mac’ and cheese ($22). For dessert, there are are pumpkin ($36), apple ($38), and chocolate-bourbon-pecan ($42) pies, plus the restaurant’s hit honey goat-cheese cake ($40). Order on Elle’s website and pick up your meal on Wednesday.
Gravitas
1401 Okie St., NE
If you’re dining out on Thanksgiving, you might consider Gravitas, where Chef Matt Baker’s team is serving a refined four-course feast from noon to 8:30 PM. The $125 meal starts with options like a fig-and-arugula salad and moves onto courses like squash agnolotti and butter-poached lobster tail. Roast turkey with mushroom-sage bread pudding is one of three meat choices. Wine pairings and other add-ons are available at an additional cost.
Inn at Little Washington
309 Middle St., Washington, VA
If you’re looking for a Thanksgiving getaway and have $348 per person to spare, this rural gastronomic destination still has reservations available for its traditional Thanksgiving feast.
Lapis
1847 Columbia Rd., NW
The team at this handsome Adams Morgan spot loves to put an Afghan spin on cocktails and American holiday traditions. From November 17 through 22, Chef Shamim Popal will whip up a dine-in Thanksgiving menu of turkey kofta with roasted sweet potatoes, and a dessert of pumpkin halwa, for $45 per person.
L’Ardente
200 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Reserve a seat here for the a la carte Thanksgiving Day dinner at one of DC’s most glamorous restaurants. Specials include roasted Koginut squash with gorgonzola and pickled cherry ($18), a Thanksgiving feast plate that includes agrodolce turkey, mushroom-sage stuffing, and gnocchi gratin ($36), and a sweet- potato mousse with toasted meringue ($14).
L’Auberge Chez Francois
332 Springvale Rd., Great Falls
Thanksgiving dinner comes in two forms at this pleasantly old-fashioned Alsatian cottage. Sit down to a seven-course dinner ($122-$132) centered on a Whiffletree Farm organic turkey (seatings range from 11 AM to 6 PM), or order a take-home prix fixe dinner for eight ($495) that includes dessert and all the sides.
Le Diplomate
1601 14th St., NW
DC’s hit French brasserie will offer a prix fixe Thanksgiving Day menu (details to be determined), and whole pies will be available for pick-up in the run-up to the holiday.
La Bise
800 Connecticut Ave., NW
A French-y interpretation of the holiday is available at Ashok Bajaj’s jazzy modern bistro near the White House from noon to 8 PM on Thursday. The three-course set meal ($80 per person) involves dishes like ginger/honeynut-squash soup, beef tartare, heritage turkey roulade with sage stuffing and cranberry gelée, wild mushroom risotto, and boeuf bourguignon. Reserve here.
Marcel’s by Robert Wiedmaier
2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Take home an elaborate Thanksgiving meal ($320) for four to six people from this refined French-Belgian dining room. Turkey comes in roasted roulade form or braised in red wine, and side dishes include Robuchon potatoes, meringue-topped sweet potatoes, and green bean and wild mushroom casserole. Apple-almond gâteau and honeynut-squash/gingerbread tart are some of your dessert options, and the meal comes with a baguette. Pick-up is the day before Thanksgiving— find details and reservation information here.
Nina May and Opal
1337 11th St., NW; 5534 Connecticut Ave., NW
The farm-to-table Shaw restaurant and its newer Chevy Chase sibling Opal are open Thursday from 1 to 6 PM, and will serve a family style menu for $75 per person. The best part? Kids under 12 eat free. Dishes include Waldorf salad, sage-and-orange-brined turkey, caramelized brussels sprouts with bacon and maple-sherry gastrique, and parker house rolls with cultured chive butter. During the afternoon, both restaurants will also host outdoor oyster roasts (with sides like hush puppies and cabbage slaw) for $29 per person.
Rasika
633 D St., NW; 1190 New Hampshire Ave., NW
Some of the city’s more inventive Thanksgiving fusion offerings this year come from Ashok Bajaj’s elegant Indian spots. Rasika West End’s three-course dine-in prix fixe ($60 per person) features a Hyderabadi turkey biryani and a warm sweet-potato/pecan halwa, while South Indian-inspired highlights at the Penn Quarter location include a Brussels sprout dosa and turkey Chettinad. Both locations are open for lunch and dinner on Thanksgiving Day.
Ruthie’s All Day
3411 Fifth St. S., Arlington
Arlington’s charming neighborhood cafe is dishing out a range of southern-inspired takeout options, from a $300 package dinner with enough smoked turkey, milk bread rolls, and classic sides for eight to 10 people to a la carte items like smoked brisket and ribs, deviled eggs, pimento cheese, and salads.
Silver & Sons Barbecue
Multiple locations
This Thanksgiving, Chef Jarrad Silver’s Jewish-inspired smokehouse truck offerings include a $360 dinner for eight with a 10- to 12-pound turkey, sides like duck confit stuffing, and challah rolls with maple butter. Or go a la carte, and add on appetizers like smoked brisket and gruyere bourekas or spicy lamb meatballs. Find out more here.
St. Anselm
1250 Fifth St., NE
Along with its usual menu, Stephen Starr’s rugged Americana-inspired tavern near Union Market will offer a set of dine-in specials like turkey, stuffing, and sweet potato pie until 9 PM on Thursday.
Unconventional Diner
1207 Ninth St., NW
The modern all-day American eatery is whipping up both takeout and dine-in options for Thanksgiving, with options like an autumn harvest soup, roast turkey, cornbread muffins, mushroom-sage stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Make reservations for the dine-in meal ($50 per person) here and pre-order your takeout meals ($90 for two) here for pickup Tuesday, November 21 through Thursday, November 23.
Xiquet
2404 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Chef Danny Lledó’s Glover Park Valencian restaurant is offering a Thanksgiving dine-in meal for the first time, with his usual seafood paella joined by fire-roasted turkey with cranberry-ginger compote, and sides like saffron biscuits and creamed spinach with manchego. Make your reservation here for the $250-per-person dinner.
