The Resy Guide to Essential Cozy Locales in D.C.

This small but charming pizzeria has all the makings for a cozy dinner. Small tables, pendant lighting, and dynamite pizza — the ultimate comfort food — are the name of the game. Before jumping into the pizza consider sampling the restaurant’s famous garlic knots, which are fluffy, buttery clouds of bread smothered in garlic butter and served with a Parmesan fondue. Then, the pizza. The Standard is an obvious choice, the doughy, thick crust draped with melted cheese, tomatoes, and oregano, but the Vespa is equally as tempting, with mozzarella, wild mushrooms, and a fragrant black truffle sauce.

Bindaas offers Indian comfort food at its best. The small, picturesque dining room is filled with the aroma of fragrant Indian street food dishes, which include popcorn tossed with Indian herbs and spices like coriander and cumin; earthy pao bhaji, a chunky ginger and garam masala-infused veggie stew served on warm buttery rolls; and a paneer kathi roll, featuring hunks of cheese and sweet-and-spicy bell peppers stuffed inside a flaky paratha.

For a truly intimate meal with friends, book the Sunflower Coach at Compass Rose, which is a private dining room designed to look like an old European dining coach. The space holds six to eight people and offers a $75 prix fixe meal with all kinds of rib-sticking dishes from around the world, including patatas bravas from Spain, carrots roasted with garam masala from Syria, brown butter-soaked squash from Lebanon, and elotes locos, or grilled corn, from Mexico, smothered in a fiery red pepper crema.

What is the one dish which represents coziness above all else? That would be mac ‘n’ cheese. Elife serves a vegan version of the comfort food staple two ways: one baked with a sinful, silken cashew cream, and the other cooked with a chickpea milk. Both are earthy, garlicky, full of seasoning, and baked to excellence. You will want to eat it all winter long. Elife also serves plenty of other heavy, Southern-inspired dishes guaranteed to chase away the winter blues, including biscuits, collard greens, rice and beans, curried chicken, home fries, and grits.

Find more info here.

Malaysian fare pleases with spicy, earthy dishes, but undoubtedly the curry mee is tops on the menu at Makan. A giant bowl arrives brimming with a bold curry-infused broth, heaps of glass and curry egg noodles, chewy greens, a dollop of sambal, bean sprouts, and hunks of tofu. It is sweet, sour, and spicy all at once, a dreamy experience for your taste buds. Pro tip: Always start with an order of the paneer satay, which comes on skewers and is served with an exquisite peanut dipping sauce.

Reserve your own private chalet at D.C.’s only Swiss restaurant, Stable, for secluded dining complete with rustic wooden walls and adorable faux windows. The cuisine is as charming as the venue, with decadent cheese fondue, served with homemade bread, and Swiss specialties including rösti, spaetzle, and a Swiss cheese quiche. Spiked apple cider is served all winter if you need to warm up from the inside out! Don’t miss the raclette cheese experience, where the famed Swiss cheese is heated on a tableside grill, then scooped on to your plate when melted and served with potatoes, bread, and greens.

Don’t let the name of this chic Georgetown spot throw you off: The floors and paneling may be clean wood lines, but the banquettes are comfy and the locale in a historic townhouse exudes more than its share of cozy. Chef Gilles Epié turns out pleasantly tweaked versions of great brasserie dishes. This is the season for French comfort food, so settle in and get warm.

Nothing says nostalgia quite like a diner. And the diner fare at Sticky Fingers is like a warm hug from your childhood, with classic diner fare like sandwiches, burgers, subs, Reubens, and breakfast items like blueberry pancakes drenched in maple syrup. Bonus: the dishes are entirely vegan, if no less delicious than the classic versions.

Find more info here.

If you’ve never sampled a khachapuri, this is the time to do it. This hearty hallmark of Georgian cuisine features a boat-shaped bread smothered with heaps of melted cheese and herbs. It’s decadent, rich, and soothing. Supra offers a variety of khachapuri, including adjaruli, with the cheese bread topped with an egg, or sokos, where meaty mushrooms are baked into the cheese. Grilled veggies, cauliflower tossed in a walnut sauce, and mushroom soup dumplings also warrant sampling. Bring a group of friends to enjoy the warm and comfortable setting.

It’s small, relaxed, and features some of the best ramen in town. Piping-hot broth, chewy noodles, and a spice bomb flavor profile are all you need to get warmed up this winter. If you aren’t into ramen, Toki also offers delicious dishes including dan dan noodles; steamed buns stuffed with battered cauliflower and smothered in Japanese mayo; dumplings; and other small plates.

This neo-speakeasy fully exudes an intimate, low-key vibe, of the sort that will make you feel welcome. The doors close at the end of 2023 so the coming months are your chance to full enjoy.

We mentioned the charms of cozy French dining, yes? Le Dip has that in spades, too, with its many dining areas allowing you to choose your level of vibe. No matter where you settle in, the classic dishes are all here, from snails to steak au poivre.

The charming dining room sets the stage for marvelous seasonal creations like an Appalachian cheese tart; beets adorned with a fennel and basil crumble; hen of the woods mushrooms, grilled to perfection and served with a lemon and caper aioli; and for dessert, a chocolate budino with red wine-poached figs. The dishes are great for sharing, and a seasonal list of heartier wines only adds to the convivial glow.

Michael Friedman’s Italian spot on 1st Street is admittedly not the biggest secret when it comes to getting cozy in D.C. (As in, that info has made it to the president and beyond.) No matter: The Hen is where you get warm and relax for good reason. And that reason, or reasons, are the exceptional, rib-sticking pastas, including the famed rigatoni, although if you’re more a spaghetti or pappardelle person, all good. And of course there’s the pork chop Milanese, the main course of your red-sauce dreams.

This Adams Morgan stalwart exudes warmth, from the vibrant Afghan rugs on the floor to the ’70s R&B playing in the background. Order everything from dumplings to braised lamb shank, and share with as many people as possible — or with that one special person.

The chandeliers and candelabras set the scene, the on-point pizzas and pastas complete it. There’s something comforting, if not downright romantic, about a meal here.

The exceptional cooking at Rose’s has long spoken for itself, but might we remind you that the interior feels like an intimate dinner party, in the best way? Is it the lights strung overhead? The storefront windows? Any which way, this is a bright, well-lighted space you’ll want to be in come the colder days.

The somber tones and meaty focus of this transported Brooklyn tavern, courtesy of restaurateur Stephen Starr, are just the thing as colder weather arrives. The steaks are wood-fired, the deviled eggs come with blue crab, and, Pro tip: You’re going to want to cap your evening by getting warm from their remarkable collection of vintage Madeiras.

French vibes, encore une fois, this time for date night: The main courses here are as hearty as you’d want (boeuf Bourguignon, moules marinières), the crêpes Suzette gets flambéed tableside in case you need a bit of warmth, and you can always begin or end the evening upstairs in the wine lounge, sinking into the comfy sofas for a glass or two.

The Residents team has a solid relationship with comfort — from the blankets draped over seats to the heated patio. And they can finesse it all day long, namely at weekend brunch. Which is to say, you can transition from shakshuka to an espresso martini to the lavishness of lamb ragout and braised short ribs without missing a beat.

So, the hustle and vibrancy of El Prez might not immediately telegraph cozy, but perhaps you haven’t made your way to the sultry, velvet-covered theater room?  We can highly recommend for a cozy vibe. And besides, mezcal drinks are extra warming in the winter. (Try the Carajillo, their take on an espresso martini.)

Oh, you knew we’d have more recs for great, hearty cold-season pasta. The lasagna at this D.C. offshoot of the NYC original is its own heat-generating source (putting meatballs in lasagna is a very good way to say “I love you”), to say nothing of the rigatoni with a wild mushroom ragu. And, it being the season, the duck breast with a potato-artichoke gratin is just what you want when there’s a chill outside.