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Where to Dine Outside for DC Summer Restaurant Week - Washingtonian
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Food

Where to Dine Outside for DC Summer Restaurant Week

Pretty patios, breezy rooftops, and more al fresco options for restaurant week.

Photograph of All-Purpose Capitol Riverfront by Maggie Dougherty

Summer Restaurant Week returns on Monday, August 9 through Sunday, August 15. Over 200 restaurants across the DC area are participating, offering dinner menus for $35 and/or $55 per-person, as well as $22 lunches and brunches. Given reinstated mask mandates—and hopefully pleasant summer weather—patios may be the best seats in the house. Here are 20 options with  garden patios, breezy terraces, and other nice outdoor amenities.

All-Purpose Capitol Riverfront
79 Potomac Ave., SE
Relax near water with a slice of Jersey-style pizza and cold glass of local beer on AP’s riverfront patio, or head up to the second floor roof deck to take in the view. Dinner 

Ambar DC and Ambar Clarendon 
523 8th St., SE; 2901 Wilson Boulevard 
Enjoy Balkan cuisine al fresco at restaurateur Ivan Iricanin’s twin restaurants. Ambar on Capitol Hill recently underwent a revamp and boasts multiple outdoor areas, including a rooftop patio with fans. In Claredon you can perch on a corner patio.  Lunch, dinner

Saturday is Peru's National Pisco Sour Day. Celebrate with  pisco sours at China Chilcano. Photograph courtesy of China Chilcano.
Pisco sours at China Chilcano. Photograph courtesy of China Chilcano.

China Chilcano
418 7th St., NW
Dine on Peruvian bites paired with summery cocktails on the pisco patio, named after the classic Peruvian brandy. Latin dishes combine flavors of Japanese and Chinese influnece in Peru—perfect for breezy patio weather. Lunch, dinner 

Chloe
1331 4th St. SE
Feast on chef Haidar Karoum’s contemporary American cuisine on Chloe’s outdoor patio in Navy Yard. Dinner

Convival 
801 O St., NW
Head to Shaw for chef Cedric Maupillier’s brassiere fare on this umbrella-covered patio. Choose from a large variety of items like croque monsieur and beef bourguignon. Dinner 

Cuba Libre 
801 9th St., NW
Old Havana or DC? Try tasty Cuban food and drinks from the rum bar on Cuba Libre’s tropical streetery outfitted with plants, flowers, and umbrellas. Dinner

District Winery
385 Water St., SE
Sip a glass of wine, included with your Restaurant Week meal,  on this pretty waterfront patio in Navy Yard. The winery makes grape-to-glass bottles—often using grapes imported from Virginia or the West Coast—which you can match with New American dishes at the restaurant. Dinner

District Winery
Photograph courtesy of District Winery

Farmers Fishers Bakers
3000 K Street, NW
Sample a wide range of dishes from the menu at this crowd-pleasing restaurant, which serves everything from fried chicken to pastas and sushi. The patio overlooks the fountain at the Georgetown waterfront. Lunch, dinner

Glover Park Grill
2505 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Relax with all-American cooking on this large “grill terrace,” where there’s often live music on the weekends. Dinner

Laos in Town
250 K St., NE 
Enjoy bright, fiery Laotian flavors—both omnivore and vegan—on the expansive corner patio. Try one of the many fruit and herb-infused cocktails at the indoor/outdoor bar. Lunch, dinner

Mintwood Place
1813 Columbia Rd., NW
Mintwood’s streetery, which boasts an airy covered section lined with plants, is open for Restaurant Week. Choose from a large selection of appetizers and entrees like their wood-roasted chicken or mussels Provençal. Finish your meal with your choice of matcha crusted creme brulee or black magic cake. Dinner

Mi Vida
98 District Sq.,, SW
There are plenty of outdoor spots to choose from on Mi Vida’s waterfront patio, where you can dine on colorful Mexican plates with margaritas overlooking the Potomac River. Lunch, dinner

Nick’s Riverside Grill
3050 K St., NW
Enjoy people watching and the Georgetown waterfront scene from the big waterfront patio. For lunch, choose between mahi mahi tacos, a surf-n-turf burger, or margarita pizza. Dinner includes options like Atlantic salmon or jerk chicken from the grill. Lunch, dinner 

Officina 
1120 Maine Ave., SW
Go for upscale Italian fare during Restaurant Week on Officina’s rooftop patio, designed with warm wood and decorated with vibrant greenery. There’s also terrace seating. Diners can catch a view of the sunset overlooking the Potomac River. Dinner 

Osteria Morini
301 Water St., SE
Dine on homemade pastas and wood-grilled Italian dishes by the river on this large patio in Navy Yard. Dinner 

Ser
1110 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington
Try Spanish dishes on this patio, located in front of the restaurant, in Ballston. During Restaurant week, Ser will offer a wine pairing for $25 per guest to compliment dishes like grilled hanger steak with chimichurri sauce and fingerling potatoes. Lunch, dinner 

Shilling Canning Company
360 Water St., SE
Your Restaurant Week meal may include herbs from chef Reid Shilling’s culinary garden surrounding the patio. Sit among the plants while you enjoy a three-course meal highlighting ingredients from the Chesapeake region. Brunch, dinner

The Grill 
99 Market Square, SW
Dine on wood-fired meat and seafood on the Grill’s Potomac riverfront patio, which serves a $55 dinner menu for Restaurant Week. In the mood for a fun drink? The house punch topped with a grilled mango is the way to go. Lunch, dinner 

TTT
2900 Wilson Blvd Suite 103, Arlington
Eat Mexican-inspired street food on this colorful rooftop in Clarendon. Choose from a wide variety of Restaurant Week menu items like birria ramen and tacos. Note there’s also a Silver Spring location offering restaurant week (minus the rooftop views). Lunch, dinner

Zaytinya 
701 9th St NW
Chef Jose Andres’s Mediterranean classic in Penn Quarter still feels like an escape—especially on the tree-shaded patio out front. Lunch, dinner 

Editorial Fellow

Anne Tate, originally from Annapolis, MD, joined Washingtonian in July 2021. She is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she studied journalism and psychology.