Passover and Easter overlap for one weekend this year. There will be plenty of other spring things to do that weekend — including your last chance to celebrate the cherry blossoms — but if you’re marking either holiday, D.C.-area restaurants have specials including brunch spreads, macaroons and matzo balls, fondue made from chocolate eggs, and takeout cocktails to fill your table. Here’s some of what they’re offering.
ALBI
The Navy Yard restaurant is offering Levantine Easter dishes for customers to enjoy from the comfort of home. Beiruti-style hummus and pita, fattoush tossed with pears, cucumbers, and harissa vinaigrette, Maryland crab labne, barbecued lamb shoulder, asparagus tabouli, and Levantine sweets come with serving instructions. The spread is available for pickup and delivery (at $95 per person) on April 17. Make reservations on Tock. (1346 Fourth St SE; April 17 for scheduled pickup)
ALL SET RESTAURANT & BAR
The team at Silver Spring’s All Set have created a takeout family-style feast for Easter that will serve four: chef Ed Reavis is cooking up short ribs, lemon rosemary chicken, and a garlic crusted lamb rack for the main course, followed by skillet cornbread, smashed potatoes, and chocolate whoopie pies ($150). Order by April 13 and pick up at the restaurant on April 16. Limited delivery is available. (Plaza 5, 8630 Fenton St., Silver Spring; carryout only on April 16)
BLEND 111
The Vienna restaurant with Latin roots is open for a prix fixe brunch menu on Easter Sunday. Brunch, which can be enjoyed in the dining room or on the patio, includes a three-course meal ($85) with two starters, one main, and one dessert. Try arepitas de maiz (corn fritters) with cheese and avocado butter, ceviche with passion fruit and quinoa, filet mignon in tamarind sauce, and French toast with fruit and Brazilian chestnuts. A children’s menu is also available. (111 Church St NW Suite 101, Vienna; April 17 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
BASTILLE
This Alexandria French restaurant is offering a Joyeuses Pâcques three-course, price fixe Easter brunch that will include salad or soup, choice of entree and a dessert for $49. Drinks are not included, and there will be a children’s menu available. Reservations are recommended. (606. N. Fayette St., Alexandria; April 17, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.)
BOURBON STEAK
Make Easter extra fancy with a visit to chef Robert Curtis’ take on steakhouse fare. Decadence comes in the form of a $110 three-course menu — Maine lobster pot pie, black truffle mac and cheese, wagyu steak and eggs, oysters, and a chocolate molten cake sundae are just a few of the options. Available Sunday, April 17. Reservations are suggested. (2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW; April 17 from 11 a.m.-1:45 p.m.)
CALL YOUR MOTHER
The growing deli empire is celebrating Passover with tacos instead of their usual bagels. Dinner kits with crispy rice and reheating instructions for pickup and delivery (within five miles) are available April 15 from the Park View and North Bethesda (Pike and Rose) locations. Choose between pastrami fried rice, brisket, or cauliflower and latke fillings, with accoutrements including pineapple salsa and matzo brittle. Kits serve four people, and the shops will take orders until April 12. Add chocolate-dipped macaroons to any order to round out the meal. (Multiple locations; pickup and delivery available April 15 from 3-5 p.m.)
COLADA SHOP
Don’t feel like venturing out? Cuban favorite Colada Shop has an Easter Day package ($70) ready for pickup. Preorders for two come with breakfast sandwiches, bunny-shaped guava pastelitos, croquetas, and sparkling wine and housemade orange-carrot-ginger juice to mix your own cocktails. Pickups are scheduled at the Wharf restaurant throughout Easter weekend; delivery is also available. (10 Pearl Street SW; April 15—17, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.)
EQUINOX RESTAURANT
The New American restaurant downtown is going all out with multi-course meals for Passover and Easter. Passover offerings are in-house for two weekends, though one date is already sold out, so book soon — with five courses ($75) including dishes such as Israeli-style tabbouleh, beef short ribs, and muhammara dip with za’atar-dusted matzoh — and include a complimentary bottle of Manischewitz wine. Chef Todd Gray also created an Easter Sunday brunch menu but, alas, reservations for that meal area already sold out. (818 Connecticut Ave. NW; Passover meal is available on April 15-16 and 20-23.)
IMMIGRANT FOOD(+)
On Easter Sunday, two of Immigrant Food’s locations will host brunch, featuring an “Empowered” Croque Madame with pastrami, mushrooms, and bechamel and Belgian fries. Reservations are available on Resy (for the Planet Word location) and Tock (for the White House location). (Multiple locations; April 17 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
LEBANESE TAVERNA
Two locations of the Lebanese restaurant will put an Eastern Mediterranean twist on the Easter feast. At brunch, both Tysons and Baltimore dining rooms will have breakfast favorites like eggs and mannek, as well as braised lamb, mammoul (fried cauliflower with tahini and pomegranate reduction), and traditional Lebanese Easter pastries (semolina short crust with assorted date, pistachio, and walnut fillings). Reservations are suggested. If you’d rather eat at home, an a la carte menu is available for pickup at the Arlington market, Tysons Corner, Baltimore, Rockville Town Square, and Woodley Park locations on April 17. Orders are due by 6 p.m. April 15. (Multiple locations; on April 17, Tysons is open from noon-8:30 p.m. and Baltimore is open from 11:30 a.m-9 p.m.)
LOST BOY CIDER
The cidery will host a “Kegs and (Easter) Eggs” event this coming weekend for kids. Face painting, egg decorating, a BYOB (bring your own basket) egg hunt, and apple juice are included in the cost of the tickets for kids ($18). Adults are complimentary. (317 Hooffs Run Drive, Alexandria; April 9 from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)
THE MELTING POT
The Melting Pot’s three local locations for fondue are upgrading to Easter-inspired concoctions for festive dipping. Four courses ($42 for adults, $24 for kids) spotlight cheese fondues, salad, entrees, and the holiday piece de resistance —marshmallow peeps and creme egg chocolate fondue. Reservations are recommended, whether you head to Arlington, Reston, and Gaithersburg. (Multiple locations; April 17 from 1-8 p.m.)
MONEY MUSCLE BBQ
Add a little smoke to your Passover dinner. A carryout meal for four from the Silver Spring barbecue spot means a choice of slow cooked beef brisket, blackened salmon, or roasted chicken, sides of matzo ball soup and sweet potato carrot mash, and toasted coconut macaroons for a sweet finish ($150). Place pre-orders by April 11. Pickup is at the restaurant on April 15 before 5 p.m. (8630 Fenton St., Plaza 5, Silver Spring, carryout only on April 15.)
PRESCRIPTION CHICKEN
Shaw soup storefront Prescription Chicken will run a pop-up called Breiz ‘n’ Shine! featuring matzo brei, a fried matzo dish that’s a breakfast favorite around the holiday. The shop will serve some of the Prescription team’s favorite breakfasts — from bagels and lox to huevos rancheros — in fried matzo form. The dishes will be available for in-person ordering and pickup from 8-11 a.m. daily during the pop-up, and also available on third-party delivery services. (1819 Seventh St. NW, carryout or delivery, 8-11 a.m., April 15-24)
SABABA
The Israeli restaurant in Cleveland Park will mark Passover during evening dinner service. The limited-time a la carte menu by executive chef Ryan Moore includes miso matzo ball soup, braised beef brisket and sweet potato tzimmes (a casserole), lamb loin with cherry almond muhammara and mint tabouli, and zucchini al ha’esh with harissa and preserved lemon. On Easter Sunday, brunch and dinner specials include lamb lyonnaise (pan-fried potatoes, lamb bacon, and sunny-side-up eggs) and braised beef brisket and eggs. Make reservations online or call (202) 244-6750. (3311 Connecticut Avenue NW; Passover meal from April 15 through 23 from 5-10 p.m., Easter meal on April 17 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.)
SANTE
Meet and take photos with the Easter Bunny while dining at the Pentagon City Ritz-Carlton’s in-house restaurant, which got a Mediterranean meze reboot last year. The brunch buffet stretches from a raw bar to a carving station to salads, eggs, and a dessert table. Mimosas and Bloody Marys are on optional add-on, and tickets are required ($110 for adults, $49 for children 4-12, free for children 3 and under). (1250 South Hayes St., Arlington; April 17 from 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m.)
SFOGLINA
Take your pick between lunch, dinner, or takeout for an Italian-themed Easter. The pasta house will have holiday dishes on Sunday in addition to their regular menu at the Rosslyn, Van Ness, and downtown locations. A rosemary lamb rack, ricotta cavatelli pasta tossed in pistachio pesto, and a strawberry ricotta torte are among the choices. Reservations for Easter lunch and dinner dining requires a $25 deposit per person. Takeout boxes for two ($195) include the holiday dishes and also come with warm bread and bibb salad. The meals are available for pickup between 12 to 6 p.m. (Multiple locations; dine-in hours on April 17 vary per restaurant.)
TRULUCK’S
If you’re in the mood for a dress code, the downtown restaurant known for seafood fine dining will have holiday specials throughout the weekend. Florida lobster thermidor in a creamy shellfish and mushroom sauce ($125) and carrot cake are among the specials, as well as an “Easter Bloom” cocktail of cognac, almond orgeat, and dried roses. (You can also find the cocktail recipe online.) Reservations are recommended through Open Table or by phone. (700 K St NW; available April 15 through 17 from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.)
TRUMMER’S
If you’re looking to add a scenic drive to the Easter activities, this Clifton bistro, which Northern Virginia Magazine named No. 4 on its 2021 Best Restaurants list, is around 40 minutes from D.C. proper. A three-course meal ($78 per adult, $27 for kids 12 and under) gives diners the chance to feast on feta and strawberry gazpacho, lamb and wild ramps, and an espresso buttercream black forest tarte for dessert. Make reservations on Tock. (7134 Main St., Clifton, Virginia; April 17 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.)
1310 KITCHEN & BAR
The heart of this kid-friendly Easter brunch in Georgetown are the bunny-shaped chocolate chip and banana pancakes. Adults can down smoked salmon flatbread, shakshuka, and an asparagus and goat cheese frittata. Make reservations on Resy. (1310 Wisconsin Ave NW; April 17 from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.)
This story has been updated with the correct name for Money Muscle BBQ.
