Washington, DC is one of my favorite cities. I completed an internship there during my last semester of undergrad. I love everything about the city; most areas are cleaner and quieter than NYC, it is generally more affordable, and there is always something going on. I have decided to move back there for a couple of months until I go back into the office.

The city has a robust food scene which I have explored and then explored again. I have been to tons of restaurants over the years and have compiled a list of perfect date night restaurants.

Fiola Mare

Neighborhood: Georgetown

This is definitely an anniversary, birthday, Valentine’s Day type of date night. Fiola Mare is an upscale Italian waterfront restaurant which serves delicious seafood and wine. With most dishes over $30.00 and cocktails almost $20.00, you would think it’s like many other upscale waterfront restaurants – you are paying for the view. That is not the case at Fiola Mare, you not only get a lovely view, but also romantic ambiance and delicious food.

I wound up splurging and getting the lobster ravioli. I was a bit hesitant because seafood pasta dishes usually contain 80% pasta and 20% seafood but not at Fiola Mare! The ravioli come with an extremely generous portion of succulent lobster both inside the ravioli and on the side. The dish only contains 3 ravioli but they are larger and you have plenty of lobster so you don’t leave hungry. My partner and I got the Riviera cocktails which were grapefruit and rosemary infused vodka, limoncello, campari granita, and sparkling rose. Not only was the drink beautiful, it was a perfect mixture of sweet and tart. 

 

Joselito

Neighborhood: Capitol Hill

I’m such a sucker for brunch dates – nothing beats day drinking and being home in your bed by 5 pm. Joselito is a bright Spanish bistro with granite tables and old family portraits on the wall. Their brunch menu includes everything from savory pork sandwiches to sweet French toast. For my entree, I ordered the the huevos con carne de crangrejo which is crab Benedict which had a ton of delicious fresh crab on top. My partner got the Iberian pork tenderloin sandwich and asked them to throw an egg on it because #brunch. I had a bite of his (obviously) and it was super rich yet delectable.

Joselito has mimosas, bellini, bloody Mary’s and sangria for $6.00 each or 2 hours of bottomless drinks for $20.00 so I obviously got the bottomless option. This is not your average brunch drink; they have the most beautiful, Instagram-able drinks where the berries are in the ice cubes. Their mimosas, bellini, and sangria have a very generous amount of alcohol in them, so be careful. Don’t ask me about the bloody Mary – I don’t drink iced ketchup. 

 

Lupo Verde

Neighborhood:Logan Circle

Lupo Verde is a small rustic restaurant lined with brick walls which specializes in all things Italian: meat, cheese, and vino! We started the meal with pasta pomodurri burrata which was burrata cheese on top of crispy spaghetti topped with mint. This was delicious because burrata is ALWAYS delicious. But actually, it was super savory and the touch of mint cut into all the richness of the dish.

For my main entree I chose scialatielli al nero which is their homemade squid ink pasta with a variety of seafood – basically an Italian paella with a slightly spicy tomato sauce.  The sauce was light and not overwhelming, allowing the squid ink flavor of the pasta to fully come out. There was also a lot of seafood in the pasta so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth. I paired it with a glass of white wine and it was perfect.

 

 

Roy Boys

Neighborhood: Pleasant Plains

I know a lot of women (including myself) enjoy fancy, romantic, date nights where the ambiance is dark and sultry. This is not your place. My partner is the type that prefers good food and chill vibes over romance and small portions, and I don’t blame him. Roy Boy’s is perfect for a date night your boyfriend will really enjoy. It is a smaller, dimly lit restaurant bumping old school hip hop through the speakers. There are pictures of Snoop Dog, Biggie, and Tupac on the walls.

If that’s not cool enough, let me move onto the food – fried chicken and oysters. We got the CCB under the “mini shares” to start which is fried chicken on a cheddar biscuit smothered with bacon apple onion jam and sausage gravy. They should really start bottling up that bacon apple onion jam. Although this was absolutely delicious, I was confused when it came out because it was under the “mini shares” section and there was only one sandwich/ slider. If you are not comfortable with whoever you are going with, it may be awkward to share this on a date. I’m not at the awkward, polite stage of the relationship so I dug right into the sandwich and gave my boyfriend the other half. To follow up with our chicken appetizer, we both had chicken sandwiches for our main meal. We both got the “In da Club” which was fried chicken, bacon, smoked gouda, cheddar, smashed avocado, slaw, pickled red onion, jalapeño green goddess on a buttery roll. This was one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve had in a while. They also have a variety of ice cream tacos, but after all that chicken, I was stuffed. Overall, Roy Boys serves delicious food, which is the most important part of date night.

 

Gypsy Kitchen

Gypsy Kitchen is a new tapas style restaurant and rooftop bar. The ambiance in darker and sultry, with Turkish style chandelier hanging from the sealing, it’s the perfect place for a date night. It is such an IG worthy spot, so bring a partner that doesn’t mind taking your photos with flash, if needed!

We ordered the charcuterie board, hummus, kibbeh, and mushroom toast for dinner. These are considered “small plates” so we went with that instead of a full entree, so we could try a bit of everything. The food was delicious, everything was seasoned perfectly and had bold flavors. For drinks we got the Isla de Moda which is bourbon, walnut, honey, banana, and spice bitters – it was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend got the Cerdo on a Vespa which is gin, amaero, cocchi americano, tonic and lemon. Of course I tried that, and it was pretty good. The food, drinks and service were all 10/10, I am definitely going back to check out their rooftop area!

 

 

xoxo,

Finding Francesca