Where to Eat in October: Rose’s Luxury, La Tejana, The Dabney, and More

The Nationals may not see October baseball this year, but Navy Yard is still a hot spot, especially for fall concerts and outdoor events that bring throngs of people to the neighborhood. Takoda’s newest location is a great place to enjoy happy hour or a meal with friends. The bar and restaurant opened earlier this year with an expansive rooftop and tiki-style cocktails, plus bottomless brunch. It’s also open late for dance parties on weekends (until 2 a.m.) and plays host to private parties.

La Tejana opened this summer to so much fanfare, the line for these breakfast tacos is known to stretch for blocks in Mount Pleasant. It’s a pop-up turned brick-and-mortar that makes handmade tortillas for Tex-Mex style tacos like one with scrambled eggs, refried beans, fried potatoes, bacon, and queso. Salsas come with each order and include a spicy habanero, cilantro crema, and charred tomato.

Walk-ins welcome. Find more info here.

This Middle Eastern cocktail bar is a popular place to drink in Adams Morgan, whether you’re enjoying a Lebanese Fig & Wine Cobbler alfresco at their streetery or the Rohan Smash, a riff on a gin basil smash, at the bar. You’ll find a wide range of classic cocktails and traditional Arabic street food and mezze, plus Latin and Reggae music.

The Dabney recently got a glow-up thanks to a renovation and a new menu that gives this Michelin-starred beauty some exciting new features. Chef Jeremiah Langhorne is still diving deep into mid-Atlantic cuisine but with expanded dinner service, including a six-course tasting menu featuring shared and individual dishes. In addition, the refreshed atmosphere for the restaurant creates a new and refined look for the dining room. And as always, walk-in diners can grab a seat at the bar or high-top tables for casual, a la carte ordering.

This Capitol Hill fixture takes a “choose-your-own” adventure approach to updating its chef’s menu for fall. This latest menu includes mainstay dishes like the pork and lychee salad, as well as new and exciting dishes such as the fried jerk chicken sandwich. The way dinner service works is simple: each guest chooses two dishes from the prix-fixe menu, and whatever you pick, just remember dishes are shared family-style.

At the end of Metro’s red line, this humble suburban outpost with a food truck offers up some of the best birria tacos and antojitos in the DMV. The custom-built food truck is accompanied by picnic tables, ideal for sitting down for a bite in the Glenmont shopping center. The truck is open for walk-up business from Tuesday to Sunday, so you can order tacos by the dozen.

Walk-ups welcome. Find more info here.

Chef Yuan Tang calls his fall menu the best offering yet. With it comes fresh flavors and offerings running from the Japan to Central America. Dishes include cucumber spirals, deconstructed and served in a garlic oil and soy-tahini dressing; yucca tots seasoned with togarashi, a Japanese seven-spice blend; as well as chirashi hand rolls.

Bread lovers will want to book it to Riverdale Park for a bakery that specializes in sourdough bread with a rotating selection of sweet and savory pastries. Manifest bread is a handmade product from start to finish. The menu also includes sandwiches like a muffuletta, jambon-beurre, and pork rillette, as well as pastries like a pissaladiere, a flatbread with savory toppings.

Walk-ins welcome. Find more info here.

Seafood lovers will want to head straight to Robert Wiedmaier’s Belgian-inspired Arlington brasserie serving fresh mussels in four sauces: white wine, mushroom and bacon, Mediterranean, and Thai curry. Pair this with local oysters on the half-shell or pan-roasted sea bass and you’ll have yourself a seafood feast for the fall season.

Cassey Patten has served up Philadelphia-style hoagies at the Wharf and now turns his attention to pizza at the new Midtown Center development. He is joined by Michelin-starred chef Gerald Addison (known for his work at Maydan and Bammy’s). The pizzas here are inspired by regional pie styles from places like New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. There is also an outdoor pizza garden and bar serving up a trio of Negronis — order the classic rendition or opt for white or Sbagliato style.