16 Best Restaurants for Group Dining in DC
Washington DC is an excellent city for hosting a group dining experience. It has an incredible restaurant scene, as well as diverse cuisine and price points to choose from. We’re breaking down the best group dining restaurants in DC by neighborhood, cuisine, price, and a suggestion of what kind of event we recommend it for.
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Best Restaurants for Group Dining DC
Here you’ll find detailed descriptions of the best restaurants for group dining in DC. Hand-picked by your DC private dining experts here at Avital.
1. Interactive Meal by Avital Experiences
If you want to take your private dining experience to the next level, book a Washington DC Interactive Meal! It’s a four-course meal, plus 3 beverage pairings at the restaurant of your choice (within our partner of incredible DC restaurant partners). In addition to your food and drinks, the experience also includes three interactive experiences all led by your Avital Host. You’ll get hands-on to shake your own cocktail, play with perspective with flavor experiments, plus an additional activity of your choice. We can accommodate groups of any size because the venue is flexible, making it perfect for all group dining events.
2. China Chilcano
China Chilcano is another superb restaurant from Chef José Andrés. This spot honors the diverse cuisine of Peru and highlights dishes from its native Criollo, Chinese Chifa, and Japanese Nikkei cuisine, which are underrepresented even at Peruvian restaurants in the States. The name pays homage to Peru’s most famous drink, the Chilcano, which on this menu is made with Carabao pisco (a Peruvian rum), lime, egg white, and Angostura bitters. When going with a group, we recommend trying one of the chefs’ cultivated tasting menus.
There’s the Chilcano menu, which gives you a tour of the most unique dishes on the menu, like the Causa Limeña (potato with chicken salad, avocado, and chimichurri) and Ceviche Clasico. Or you can try the Tatami menu that adds on José Andrés’ menu favorites like Jaladito Norteño (hamachi tiradito-style) and Pulpo al Olivo Rosita Yimura (octopus, with botija olive-mayo and avocado).
Best For: Family events and birthdays.
3. Causa / Amazonia
When you walk in the front door of this establishment, you are entering Causa, a one-star Michelin restaurant with a bold and innovative tasting menu from chef Carlos Delgado. When you walk upstairs, you are now inside Amazonia, a bar, dining room, and “rooftop hideaway, serving shareable plates of food from the same award-winning kitchen Causa operates out of.
This is one of our favorite DC restaurants with private rooms because it can accommodate 30-100 guests in their stunning private dining spaces. Particularly, the verdant Rooftop Patio for 75 is a fabulous space to rent out for a special group dinner. The Michelin Guide particularly praises their namesake dish, “causa, with its mashed potatoes hit with aji amarillo paste, then topped with cucumber, avocado, and tuna tartare.
Best For: Taking VIP clients out for a meal or celebrating an anniversary.
4. Kinship
Kinship is a Michelin one-star New American restaurant, where clientele dress to the nines to come and enjoy a meal crafted by Chef Eric Ziebold and his wife and partner Célia Laurent. Kinship offers both a tasting menu and an a la carte menu. The tasting menu is seasonal, so you may be trying dishes like Maine Lobster Toast with pruned plums and a sesame mousse or a peanut candy bar with caramel ganache and malted milk chantilly, or some other delightful and playful creation.
If you opt to dine a la carte, you’ll notice the food is broken up into unusual categories. Starting with “craft” which are dishes that highlight complex cooking techniques, then “history” which are playful takes on classic dishes, then “ingredients” which are dishes celebrating a certain ingredient, then “indulgence” (which is exactly what you think it is), and last but certainly not least “for the table” (which we will also let speak for itself.) As you can see, the menu is thoughtful and playful, as is the experience of dining at Kinship.
Best For: Impressing your foodie friends or taking out-of-town visitors.
5. Maydan
Maydan describes itself as “a celebration of culture through flavor and fire.” They offer a menu that is specifically for groups and made to be shared. It is called Tawle, meaning “table” in Arabic, and it “serves as an example of how we’d like groups to enjoy a full meal at Maydan—with flow & abundance.”
Much of the meal is meant to be spread on, or enjoyed with, their Tone Bread, which is made fresh on the hearth and served warm to your table. You start with mezze and spreads like honey-soaked dates, Halloumi with an eggplant dukkah, hummus, and muhamarra (a Lebanese dip made with walnuts, roasted red pepper, and pomegranate). And then you continue to a never-ending procession of vegetables, salads, kebabs, condiments, entrees, and desserts. The amount of food being brought out barely fitting on your table is the best problem you’ll ever have!
Best For: Family events and dinner with all your friends.
6. Oyster Oyster
Oyster Oyster is a one Michelin-star restaurant serving a Vegan and Vegetarian menu that has also won them a coveted Michelin green star for their sustainability practices. Nothing goes to waste on this menu. At Oyster Oyster bread scraps can become a rich-miso paste, and carrot scraps can become a drink garnish. Another way they practice sustainability is by serving a seasonal menu with produce from local farm partners.
When speaking of the value of serving food that is in season, they write that eating this way gives us “a true sense of time and place.” The tasting menu is served vegetarian or vegan, with the option of adding on an oyster course. You might be trying dishes like eggplant dumplings, confit honey squash, or foraged pear cake, but it all depends on what’s in season!
Best For: Bringing vegetarian and vegan friends, family or clients for the best meal of their year.
7. The Duck and The Peach
The Duck and The Peach is another restaurant on our list with sustainability at the heart of its ethos. If the price at Oyster Oyster is looking a little rich for your blood, but reducing your carbon footprint is on your bucket list this year, this might be the perfect spot for you. The Duck and the Peach sources locally and ethically, and a fun fact: there is a farm somewhere in Maryland that produces the special yellow tomato they proudly showcase on their menu.
The menu here is divided into three parts; the first is labeled after the season we’re in the midst of, and it offers seasonal appetizers. The second is simply labeled “rotisserie,” where you can choose between lamb, chicken, duck, and porterhouse steak cooked on a rotisserie and served simply with a vibrant sauce or garnish. The third section offers a “Duck Feast” for two, where you and your party will enjoy the signature Duck as well as seasonal accompaniments during a three-course menu experience.
Best For: Team-building dinners and family parties.
8. Cranes
Cranes was born when Chef Pepe Moncayo started to draw many parallels between the ingredients, techniques, and culinary viewpoints of Spanish and Japanese cuisine. His “Spanish Kaiseki” is a marriage made in heaven! Cranes is a large, chic, and modern restaurant with plenty of room for a big group and many options for seating and dining.
You can hang out at the sake bar and enjoy bites like oysters splashed with ponzu, miso-glazed tofu, and brown butter churros alongside an extensive sake selection. You can select to partake in a curated 4-course omakase experience in the dining room. Or you can dine a la carte at dinner time and enjoy tapas like catch of the day tartare and crab dumplings, and mains like pork shank with roasted pepper miso and unagi paella. This Spanish Japanese fusion restaurant is more than the best of both worlds; it’s created a whole new and improved world of unmatched creativity and flavor!
Best For: Business dinners and anniversary parties.
9. La Collina
La Collina brands itself as a “playful Italian(ish) Osteria: expect handmade pastas, a show-stopping Florentine steak, and an atmosphere that nods to Italy but carries our own spirit.” This is one of the best DC restaurants for large groups because it has a big, beautiful table for twenty at the center of their main dining room, called the Vicina Table, that is perfect for a lively group. They also offer two private dining spaces for groups of 20-30 that are great for corporate events that require more privacy.
If you’re having trouble choosing your entree off the Pasta Fresca menu, we recommend you order the Wagyu Lasagne, Lamb Bolognese, and Carbo “nada” for the table and share everything (to start at least)! If you’re a frequenter of Italian restaurants, you may already know that passing on the dessert menu is a crime, but in case you don’t, we’re warning you not to miss out on Zeppole Donuts dusted with powdered sugar and drowned in caramel syrup and polenta olive oil cake with lemon curd and blueberry compote!
Best For: Corporate dinners and family reunions.
10. Dauphine’s
Dauphine’s is a Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded restaurant serving up New Orleans dishes with their own signature flair. This restaurant has three levels, and it’s somehow almost always packed! Be sure to snag your big group a reservation far in advance of your event. You can book a table in the dining room, bar area with high tables, or on the covered outdoor patio.
Dauphine’s serves dinner every night and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. If you can snag a reservation for their live jazz brunch on Sundays, you are in for a real treat. Eating your fried trout poboy or smothered Chaurice sausage while sipping a Creole Bloody Mary (with your choice of vodka, gin, or tequila, and house-made pickles) and listening to sultry jazz music play is an experience usually only reserved for Jazz Fest in New Orleans. Turns out you can also get it right here in DC!
Best For: Brunch with the girls and corporate holiday parties.
11. Jaleo
Washington, DC, was the birthplace of José Andrés’ original Jaleo, which now has franchises in Las Vegas and Disney Springs. Jaleo is the restaurant that arguably started the tapas craze in the DC food scene and has remained a fixture since it opened in 1993.
This is a great place for a group birthday dinner DC because tapas-style dining is one of the best ways to eat with the people you love. Sharing everything is built into the experience, and the conversation will flow between bites of salmon tartare with trout roe, Rappahannock oysters with a traditional pickled relish, and Spanish “mini hamburgers” made from the meat of the black footed Ibérico Pigs of legend. The only fight you’ll have all night is over the last bite of Pan de Cristal con tomate, which the menu describes as “toasted slices of uniquely crispy and ethereal bread brushed with fresh tomato.”
Best For: Birthday parties and family celebrations.
12. Annabelle
Annabelle is a reflection of the neighborhood Kalorama; it is glamorous, upscale, and beautiful to look at. For a group of 14, you can book the stunning Garden Room filled with big hanging planters spilling over with greenery, and decorated with deep blue and walnut furniture. Bar Barlow, for up to 10 guests, is similarly stunning, and its namesake alludes to the poet Joel Barlow, who gave the Kalorama neighborhood its namesake (the word itself means “beautiful view” in Greek).
This is a Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant, and the guide emphasizes dishes like “the summer bean and peach salad makes a great start, while gnocchi with black trumpet mushrooms is an eternal favorite. The pastry program is strong, so dessert is a must. In fact, the gianduja ganache with cinnamon ice cream and blood orange gelée had us planning a return trip.” So if you find you’re struggling to order off this mouthwatering menu, we’d recommend you order that verbatim!
Best For: Treating your team, wedding rehearsal dinners, or chic birthday parties.
13. Ottoman Taverna
Ottoman Taverna was awarded Michelin Bib Gourmand status the year it opened (2017) and has kept that coveted title ever since. Michelin Bib Gourmand is awarded to restaurants that serve high-quality food at a reasonable price, and often service, ambiance, and design are taken into consideration as well.
When you’re at Ottoman Taverna, you’re a part of the family. They offer many ways to dine here, from à la carte to a four-course menu to bottomless brunch! The four-course menu called “Trip to Turkey” is a great way to dine with a big group because everyone gets a four-course meal for under $50, and they offer many choices for every course, so everyone can get exactly what they want.
Best For: Family events and team building dinners.
14. Supra
Supra is a noun that means “A Georgian feast featuring an abundance of food, wine, and toasts.” Georgian food in the States is best known for its Khachapuri, which is a boat-shaped bread with cheese that is topped with a raw egg yolk and butter. It’s a decadent and creamy delight which you have to order at least one of at Supra, but there are many other lesser-known dishes on the menu that also deserve to be on your table.
This restaurant is Michelin Guide recommended and besides the Ajaruli and Imeruli Khachapuri they highlight the White Pelamushi which is grape pudding, with red grapes, pomegranate, walnut crumble, and caramel sauce, and they also mention that ordering off the wine list is a must as Supra has an immense section of wines from Georgia, which is one of the oldest viticultural regions in the world.
Best For: Family reunions and birthday parties.
15. Rania
Rania is a Michelin one-star restaurant serving Contemporary Indian food, or in their words, “evolutionary cuisine.” They promise that you will be treated like royalty here, and the experience absolutely makes good on that guarantee. You can choose between a four-course prix-fixe menu or splurge on the Chef’s tasting menu, which is described as a “sumptuous seven-course affair.” Both menus can be enhanced by the wine pairing they offer.
Dishes like the Chana Masala Panisse with green garlic chutney, tomato tukku, and grilled spring onion, and the hay-aged Pork Vindaloo with crispy pork belly are certainly what won them the star. If you decide against the wine pairing, the cocktail list is not to be overlooked. Bold cocktails like the “Make Me Famous” with rye, aronia juice, tart cherry, rose hips, vermouth, and orange zest complement and lift the explosive flavors of your main meal.
Best For: VIP client dinners or anniversary celebrations.
16. Zaytinya
Zaytinya is another brainchild of chef José Andrés (who, if you can’t tell at this point, is the “It Boy” of the DC restaurant scene.) Like many of his restaurants, you have the option to dine a la carte and put together the selection of mezze-style dishes however you please, or if you’re looking for a little guidance on how to tackle this incredible menu, you can get the Chef’s Tasting Menu, where you’ll try the best dishes on the menu accompanied by delicious mezze. Dining at restaurants with mezze menus is perfect for big groups because you can order generously and try everything!
You’ll want at least one dish from every section of the menu, and there’s no reason you should have to limit yourself. To start, get the Baba Ghannouge off the Spreads menu, the Soujouk Pide (sausage, cheese, and egg bread) off the Flat Breads section, and the Lamb Kleftiko from the Meat & Poultry mezze. Now that will have only gotten you through less than half of the categories on the menu… But you have to start somewhere!
Best For: Dinner with all your friends, holiday parties. or end-of-the-quarter celebrations.
Group Dining Considerations
Not all restaurants are designed for group dining. They need to be able to provide varied menu options for different dietary needs, provide private dining spaces, and flexible payment options. Here are all of the things to consider when booking a group dinner.
- Varied options: The menu should accommodate different tastes and dietary needs.
- Private spaces: Having semi-private areas or separate private dining rooms is ideal for groups who want to be louder or more private.
- Flexible payment: The restaurant should be willing to accommodate splitting bills or other payment arrangements.
- Helpful staff: Staff should be trained and equipped to handle large groups, which includes efficient service and a friendly attitude.
- Customizations: If applicable, check that the restaurant can allow for personal touches like decorations, flowers, or banners.
Book Your DC Group Dining with Avital
If traditional private dining feels a bit boring, liven things up by booking an Interactive Meal with Avital. We have been cultivating memorable, seamless, private dining experiences since 2011 and would love to help you create the group dining event you’re dreaming of. Let us take the wheel so you can sit back and enjoy the experience!
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