Next-Level Home Dining Experiences in D.C.

These days, the hottest table in town is in your own dining room. With restaurants operating at reduced capacities and varying comfort levels of being in an indoor environment, locals are looking to enhance their dining experience at home. Whether you’re scoring hot ticket meals or preparing restaurant-quality food in your own kitchen, check out these ways to further elevate at-home experiences. 

ABC Pony
Take burger night up a notch with the ABC Guys Burgers & Fries pop-up from ABC Pony owner Erik Bruner-Yang and executive chef Armani Johnson. Start with a blank burger canvas and layer on the free toppings, or opt for one of two signature stacks eponymously named after the chef-creators: The EBY featuring char siu thick-cut bacon, grilled onions, jalapeños and smoked aioli and the The AJ with crab dip, Old Bay onions and shrettuce (shredded iceberg lettuce). Since launching the concept on New Year’s Eve, they’ve developed quite a following, frequently selling out of burgers and fries. Thankfully, the team has recently expanded service, with the pop-up now open Tuesday through Saturday. www.abcpony.com // @abcpony on Instagram

Ama Ami
A two-person operation, co-owners Zach Ramos and Amy Phan of Sushi Taro offer Edomae-style sushi in the form of beautifully packaged chirashi boxes to-go and their in-home sushi counter experience, dubbed homakase. “The most important factor for us in designing our services is to be approachable and ‘human-like’ as much as possible,” says Phan of Ama Ami’s concept. “Being able to say ‘Hello’ or share some laughs is our way of providing elevated dining experiences in peoples’ lives.” Their chirashi flash sales are announced on Instagram and sell out quickly (at times, in under 30 minutes) and the homakase experiences are also in high demand. Pro tip: Bookmark their website and have your information ready to submit once they open online ordering each week. www.amaami.com // @amaamidc on Instagram

Fat Choi Hot Pot
Chef Will Fung of Capitol Hill-based Fat Choi Hot Pot launched his DIY hot pot kits in January. They feature all of the necessary accoutrements to replicate the experience at home, but without the burden of wrangling specialty ingredients. “It’s a hassle to gather up all the stuff you’d need to do hot pot at home, so hopefully this can make it easy so you can focus on just having a fun time,” Fung says. He offers a mixed set with seafood, meat, vegetables, noodles, the choice of two broths and all of the fixings, in addition to a pescatarian version. Kits serve two to three people for $75 and come with the option to rent equipment. There’s also a cooking guide and hot pot hotline (Fung is available by text to answer any questions) for hot pot newbies. “A lot of times, a takeout transaction ends when the food gets handed over to the customer. I personally think the transaction ends when a guest has finished their meal, hopefully to their satisfaction. A way to provide that extra service was to set up the hot pot hotline.” Weekend orders go live on Mondays at 3 p.m., with Friday and Saturday slots typically selling out in 30 minutes or less. www.fatchoihotpot.com // @fatchoihotpot on Instagram

Feast by Nina May
From the Nina May team in Logan Circle, Feast is a locally sourced meal delivery service offering three-course meals for brunch and dinner. Each meal is portioned for two people and comes with detailed instructions for reheating dishes, along with plating suggestions. “The number one goal with Feast was for a guest to be able to create restaurant-quality meals at home,” says co-owner and executive chef Colin McClimans on the importance of ingredient quality in guest experience. “We want to make sure they are getting the greatest seasonal ingredients, and that we have prepared them so they taste the best possible way.” www.feast-dc.com // @feastdc on Instagram

La Tejana
Raise the breakfast bar with next-level tacos from La Tejana. A roaming pop-up, the nomadic taqueria has legions of fans following wherever they set up shop. There are a handful of tacos to choose from, with simple ingredients that shine. Think scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and fried potatoes, all bundled up in house-made flour tortillas. Find them at La Cosecha, right by Union Market, on Saturdays and Sundays (preorders only), and follow them on Instagram for other pop-up announcements. Be sure to act fast for pop-ups, as they’ve been known to sell out quickly. As the saying goes, the early bird catches the breakfast taco. www.latejanadc.com // @latejanadc on Instagram

Le Diplomate
The 14th Street brasserie’s signature Burger Américain has landed on many a roundup and listicle of best burgers in D.C. And now, fans can prepare them in the comfort of their own homes. The kits go for $90 and come equipped with all of the ingredients and instructions to compose four cheeseburgers, along with dilly potato salad. www.lediplomatedc.com // @lediplomatedc on Instagram

Lucky Danger
You’d be lucky indeed to score a takeout order from ghost concept Lucky Danger, located at Prather’s on the Alley downtown. From Chef Tim Ma, the pop-up’s Chinese-American dishes have been a hit, featuring a mix of takeout classics and traditional offerings. You’ll find crab rangoon and chicken lo mein alongside flounder with pickled greens and pig ear salad. To accommodate for the pop-up’s success and popularity (they’ve experienced daily sell-outs, sometimes by noon, with fans staying up until midnight jockeying for preorder slots), the team recently expanded ordering times and hours of operation. Arlingtonians can also rejoice: There’s a second location coming soon to National Landing. www.luckydanger.co // @_luckydanger on Instagram

Martha Dear
Be a pizza night hero by snagging hot commodity pies from neighborhood gem Martha Dear. The sourdough pizzas have been in high demand since the Mount Pleasant pizzeria opened, with a menu featuring Mediterranean components like Greek cheeses, herbs and ‘Nduja. Expect to find specialty pizzas in the rotation based on ingredient availability. Same day preorders start at noon, Wednesday to Sunday (and quickly sell out) for pickup only. www.marthadear.com // @marthadeardc on Instagram

Rose Ave Bakery
Fans of Rose Ave Bakery downtown know that to score Asian-inspired pastries and confections from pastry chef Rose Nguyen, they need to act fast once preorders are live. Sweet and savory options in the form of donuts, rolls, cake slices, buns and croissants are offered on a menu that includes flavors such as ube, pandan, passionfruit, black sesame, matcha and Sichuan cacio e pepe. “I wanted to bring something new, unique and special that represented the palate of a modern-day Asian American,” says Nguyen of her offerings. Although walk-in service is offered Thursday through Saturday, preorder is the way to go. They go live on Sunday at 5 p.m., and items often sell out within three minutes. www.roseavebakery.com // @roseavebakery on Instagram

Seoulspice
Love Korean barbecue but don’t feel comfortable dining in? Local chain Seoulspice has you covered. The healthy Korean comfort food concept offers an at-home barbecue experience complete with tabletop grill, thinly sliced brisket, rice, and a spread of pickled accoutrements and sauces. A la carte options are also available to add on. “In these socially distant times, we want to offer an option that provides a fun and social dining experience in the safety of the home,” says owner Eric Shin of the barbecue experience. “It’s not a one-trick pony, either. We provide great recipes for leftovers and a la carte refills for the kit can be ordered online with curbside pickup.” www.seoulspice.com // @seoulspice on Instagram

Seven Reasons
Guests get to literally play with their food as part of Seven Reasons’ at-home dining experience, PLA(Y)TE @ Home. The deconstructed, five-course meal from the Columbia Heights restaurant comes color-coded to correspond to a set of directions accessible by QR code, where guests take on the role of chef. Step-by-step instructions are provided on how to plate and present each dish. But of course, artistic flair and personal touches are highly encouraged. www.sevenreasonsdc.com // @sevenreasonsdc on Instagram

Tabla
Prepare a Georgian feast at home, courtesy of Park View-based Tabla’s new Sunday supper DIY meal kits. The restaurant’s popular khachapuri and khinkali are the stars of the menu, and also come with an appetizer of choice and optional wine pairing. “We wanted to do three things as a means of introducing some people to Tabla and our take on the amazing Georgian cuisine,” says co-owner Jonathan Nelms of the holistic approach to the new, at-home experience. “[We] provide a range of dishes, let our friends experience the fun of cooking and give the option of adding some wine.” www.tabladc.com // @tabladc on Instagram

Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.