Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Van Ness

I’m always amazed at the consistency and high level experience at Zaytinya. We had the lunch tasting menu. Probably a total of 15 small plates. All were delicious and creative. Service and timing also impeccable.

Went for Christmas dinner. Foggy Bottom was one of the two locations that had the a’ la carte menu which was why I picked the location. It was a little crowded waiting for our reservation time and they were behind but we expected that and didn’t mind. There were three of us and we all were happy with our meals. We had wings and the corn bread skillet for appetizers. The wings were really good. I’m not a fan of corn in my cornbread but it still tasted good. I had fried shrimp with fries, coleslaw and corn bread. The shrimp and fries were really good. The coleslaw was a little blah. Our other two diners had a platter with ribs, cheeseburger sliders and fried chicken and coleslaw. They both loved theirs but also were not fans of the coleslaw. The staff was friendly and professional and fast. We enjoyed talking to them and the two different sets of patrons sitting beside us. We had a great Christmas dinner despite it not being an “traditional” Christmas dinner and would come back again.

Went for the Christmas Day Brunch and Dinner buffett as something different for achristmas this year. The food was great. Only complaint was that they needed to have larger plates of some of the featured meats so they didn't empty so quickly. They also had items from the kitchen that were walked around and offered by staff frequently. The wait staff and management team were incredibly attentive and friendly. The noise level was very loud, but that should be expected when a place is that busy, especially with a lot of families or groups of friends sitting around several tables. Overall, a great choice as a deviation from a normal Christmas breakfast.

The restaurant, bar and lounge areas spread out across multiple rooms / terraces / levels so it is a really intimate and fun layout. Excellent service and value. Price for classic drinks skewed a tad high in my opinion. I'll try and catch a happy hour sometime and the jazz performances.

Staff were attentive and welcoming. Food was very delicious. We ordered small plates and a side: Burrata, raw bar (half dozen), chickpea tortilla tacos, tuna meatballs, grilled octopus, grilled carrots. Our favorite was the tuna meatballs - definitely ordering that again! The only dish that was slightly off was the octopus - was a little overcooked. The staff graciously gave us our dessert to go (so we could properly thank the grandparent sitters). We’d gladly come back for cocktails and full entrees in the future!