Restaurant Week in DC has always been a good reason to try somewhere new or finally book that reservation you’ve been talking about for months (or if you’re me, even years).
But this year, when it returns (January 19–25), it just feels… heavier. The city’s restaurants are navigating rising costs, slimmer margins, and all the uncertainty that comes with running a business right now. Showing up matters this time, and not just for the prix fixe menus.
“D.C. restaurants have always been resilient, and this moment is no different,” says Cindy Peete, Managing Partner and Director of Events at La Vie. “Restaurant Week gives us a chance to reconnect with our community, welcome new guests, and remind people why dining out in this city is so special.”
Mike McDonald, General Manager at dLeña, sees it the same way. “Restaurant Week is always an important moment for DC’s dining community, but this year it feels especially meaningful as guests continue to show up with curiosity and intention,” he says. “At dLeña, we see it as an opportunity to welcome both new and returning diners with a menu that reflects the energy of the city right now, bold, generous, and rooted in hospitality.”
Still not sure where to book (or simply just overwhelmed with options in a city that is known for their dining scene)? Here’s where to go.
Chef Pepe Moncayo is offering three different menus during Restaurant Week, which makes Arrels one of the more flexible (and quite frankly, generous) options on this list, with each one highlighting the modern Spanish flavors he grew up with in Catalonia. Dinner is five courses for $55—think dishes like Esqueixada, Arroz Meloso with seared scallop, braised short rib with wild mushrooms and Apple Basque Cheesecake. And if that didn’t get your mouth watering, brunch gets you unlimited plates for $35, so you can load up on Patatas Bravas, Lamb Skewers, Paella of the Day, and every egg dish on the menu. Lunch is $35 for four courses including oyster, your choice of Arroz Meloso or Vedella, and Basque cheesecake.
Hold up wait a minute, you thought Chef Pepe Moncayo was finished? His rooftop spot sits above Arlo Washington DC with clear views of the Capitol and a menu that pulls from Japanese flavors. The $40 dinner prix fixe starts with three snacks—Black Sesame Cone filled with tuna tartare, Savory Mini Cannoli with crab and shrimp, Tempura Nori Chip. Then comes Miso Soup with chicken tsukune, Mushroom Takikomi Rice with ginger-braised pork shoulder, and Chocolate Mochi Cake with vanilla and sake ice cream.
Chef Richard Sandoval’s wood-fired Mexican spot in Mount Vernon Triangle has been featured in the Michelin Guide for two years running, and the concept centers around “leña”—firewood, and the way smoke shows up in everything from the food to the mezcal and tequila program. The Restaurant Week menu leans into what Executive Chef Carlos Camacho does best here: wood-fired seafood, grilled steaks, homemade tortillas and salsas. Plus there’s the Roja mezcal lounge downstairs if you want to stick around (umm, I’ll drink to that).
Brandon Thordarson opened Moxies in Dupont Circle last month after spending over a decade with the company (first as their Executive Chef and Culinary Director, then deciding to become a franchise partner and move his whole family down here). The $55 Restaurant Week menu has options like Roasted Tomato Bruschetta, Chicken Madeira, Scottish Salmon, and Steak Frites. They do half-price wine bottles every Wednesday and Happy Hour runs daily from 3-6 PM, so there’s plenty of reasons to come back after Restaurant Week wraps.
If you want a steakhouse where there’s a DJ and people are actually having fun, STK is that (and then some more). It’s louder than most steakhouses, so keep that in mind, especially if the vibe you’re going for is more date night than business dinner (and the crowd tends to skew younger). For Restaurant Week they’re doing a $65 menu where you pick from each course—steaks, seafood, sides. It’s by the Convention Center which is convenient if you’re already downtown, too.
Cindy Peete and her team have built La Vie into one of those restaurants where everything feels considered, from the Mediterranean coastal cooking to the way the beautiful dining room makes you want to linger (and snap a few shots for the ‘gram). Their Restaurant Week participation is a good excuse to experience the kind of refined hospitality that’s become harder and harder to find nowadays. Oh, and get the seafood tower and thank me later.
Philippe Chow at The Wharf is where you go for tableside Peking duck, hand-pulled noodles, and lobster done the way it should be. Restaurant Week gets you three delicious courses for $55, and the dining room is basically a who’s who of the “it” D.C. crowd (even making its way to an episode of Real Housewives of Potomac this season). It’s a good spot when you’re trying to impress someone or mark an occasion that deserves more than your usual weeknight spot.
The team behind Balos opened Bar Angie in West End last spring, going for that old-school New York bistro vibe with some European touches. There’s live music a few nights a week (mostly jazz takes on pop songs) and the menu leans into crowd-pleasers like Wagyu French Dip and the Angie Chop Martini, which is basically a pounded pork chop that everyone orders. It’s open all day so you can come for brunch or stick around late with cocktails.
This French brasserie is doing prix fixe menus for brunch, lunch, and dinner all week. Brunch on weekends brings Soupe à l’Oignon, Eggs Benedict, Mushroom Ravioli. Lunch during the week has Croque Madame and Paillard de Poulet. Dinner gets you Poulet Rôti, Pan-Roasted Salmon, Prime Steak Frites, all finished with French desserts that actually taste like they came from a French kitchen.
Chef Danilo Galati’s Italian spot has always done a good job of making you feel like you’re eating somewhere in Italy instead of DC. The Restaurant Week menus run from 10 AM to 4 PM for brunch with dishes like burrata with apple and radicchio, orecchiette with broccoli and sausage, and pistachio panna cotta. Lunch and dinner keep that same Italian approach with seasonal starters, fresh handmade pastas, and desserts worth saving room for.