The Resy Guide to Summer Fridays in D.C.

For the loveliest lunches in the city…

River Club’s dazzling dining room just opened for lunch, and their mid-day deal is quite the steal: For $35, choose a mezze and an entrée, with options including a fattoush salad piled high with freshly fried pita croutons, branzino crudo, tagliolini smothered in a fresh pomodoro sauce, and more. For a Parisian bistro lunch, make a Friday reservation at Minetta Tavern. Don’t have to go back to work? Stay for martini hour from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The spacious, ornate dining room at Karizma sets the stage for quite the luxurious summer Friday lunch. Kick things off with with the legendary 37-ingredient Nirvana Salad — a crunchy, savory-sweet flavor bomb — and then go all in with the paneer pasada, a stuffed cottage cheese swimming in a saffron sauce, and be sure to get multiple orders of garlic naan to mop up all the sauces and curries.

Rosselli, the newest restaurant from the same group behind Rasika and Annabelle, is full of showstoppers. Think golden lemon- and thyme-infused arancini, pillowy gnocchi, and — because Fridays always require dessert — a chocolate tiramisù. For pure opulence, Barbouzard is exactly what a summer Friday calls for: Splurge on lobster, oysters and caviar (with a glass of Champagne, of course) if you want to make an afternoon of it. But if you’re on a time crunch, there’s also the special express lunch, priced at $38 for two courses, or three courses for $6 more.

For an ideal post-work happy hour…

Charming pizzeria, Alfreda, has some of the best pies in town and at happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m., any pizza order includes one free plain pizza (we love them all but the plain is the best way to taste chef Russell Smith’s celebrated sourdough crust). Even better, all the summer spritzes on the menu are $8 during happy hour.

L’Ardente also boasts a happy hour menu featuring $12 pizzas and $8 drinks from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Their pizza selection includes all four pizzas on the dinner menu and four cocktails, including the summery Glam Spritz. The specials are only available at the bar, which doesn’t take reservations so, once again, leave the office as early as possible.

Inside Bully Spanish Steakhouse‘s, the restaurant’s bar, named Torito, opens at 4 p.m for happy hour with items like mini-skillet paellas for $15. Deals are available until 9:30 p.m. and it should be noted that reservations are not available for the bar, so arrive early to secure a seat.

On Fridays at The Pub & The People, happy hour at this casual Bloomingdale corner pub starts at 3 p.m., so find a way to cut out of work early and head over for $6 rail drinks, $6 drafts, and $8 wines by the glass. And take note: Make a patio reservation — happy hour outside is the best way to do it.

This summer, Dirty Habit has transformed their patio into a tiki bar. Picture cocktails served in pineapples along with snacks like fluffy Hawaiian rolls with orange marmalade butter. With its thatched umbrellas and palm leaves, the patio is drinks and snacks only and is first-come first-serve, so make a dinner reservation for the dining room post-happy hour, and continue dining and imbibing into the night.

For a supremely satisfying 5 p.m. dinner…

At Daru, the food is exceptional and the space is intimate, which means it’s not always easy to get a reservation. Your best move? Book the 5 p.m. spot right when they open. The early time means you’ll get a great table that will serve as your launch pad for a spectacular Friday night. Start off with a Chai-Tea-Ni cocktail and see where the night takes you.

The Fountain Inn, Georgetown’s newest restaurant, opens at 4 p.m on Fridays, so you can actually start your weekend even earlier than 5 p.m. There’s a five-course tasting menu, or go à la carte with pimento cheese gougères, poached Virginia trout, and a chocolate affogato. The small dining room at Ceibo‘s in Adams Morgan is one of the coziest and most charming dining venues in the city — with extraordinary food to boot. Grab one of their highly coveted Friday evening spots this summer by making an early reservation.

And for the notoriously difficult to get into Lutèce, your best chance for scoring a reservation at this Georgetown neobistro on a Friday is to book a 5 p.m. slot. You won’t regret making the effort — every bite of Michelin-starred modern French fare from chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy is a dream.

For more tips and tricks on securing some of the toughest reservations in town, head here.

For basking in golden hour…

With a focus on sustainable seafood, Fish Shop picked just the right location for their massive bar and restaurant — D.C.’s southwest waterfront. Request a patio seat when you arrive for your reservation so you can melt away the evening as the sun sets before you.

There is no spot as picturesque as Fiola Mare’s patio, where you can sip on an Aperol spritz, indulge in a platter of oysters, and watch the sun set over the Potomac River. Choose “outdoor” when making your reservation so that you snag one of the coveted patio seats. Mi Vida at the Wharf boasts waterfront views that won’t disappoint, whether you soak them in from the patio or through the soaring floor-to-ceiling windows inside. The only thing that will make the views even better is a pitcher of margaritas. Patio seats are available first come, first serve, to those with reservations, so arrive early if you want an outdoor seat.

For when you’ve got to be outdoors…

Ala’s spacious streetside patio, adorned with greenery and sparkling lights, is the place where you want to see and be seen this summer. Levant cuisine is designed for lingering over with wine, so settle into your patio perch and order away. Remember to select the outdoor dining option when you make your reservation, although the indoor seats in the elegant, newly renovated space also make for a divine evening.

The Georgetown waterfront is lovely on a summer Friday when you spend it at Sequoia DC, with stunning sunset views of the Potomac from their garden patio. Don’t forget to order yourself a three-tiered seafood tower.

At Tari Trattoria, outdoor seating is limited but well worth it, so definitely select “patio” when booking a table. Once you’ve arrive, this alfresco meal will almost feel like you are on Italy’s Amalfi coast, complete with fresh seafood on your plate and a cold spritz in your glass. And for a verdant, plant-filled patio meal in Capitol Hill, look no further than Pascual, D.C.’s favorite hearth-focused Mexican restaurant. Book a patio reservation online and begin your meal with a Mole Old Fashioned as you take in the garden vibes and get ready for an epic meal.

For when you’ve got to get out of town…

Located on the Chesapeake Bay, St. Michaels, Md., is an idyllic seaside town, just two hours from D.C., offering the quintessential summer getaway spot. When you are there, look no further than Ruse to sample the seafood for which the town is so renowned. The raw bar is the way to start your meal as you make your way through chef Michael Correll’s deft cooking.

If you’re taking a staycation or a long weekend, head to Elyse in Fairfax, Va., a food-centric speakeasy. Once inside and with cocktail in hand, you’ll be presented with an array of dishes that the kitchen newly conceives of and cooks up every single day. For history, sailing, and great dining plan, for a trip to Maryland’s capital, Annapolis and dine at Preserve, where (surprise, surprise) the kitchen pickles, ferments, and smokes all sorts of food.

One of the most historical towns in D.C.’s backyard, Virginia, is Fredericksburg, located just two hours south the capitol. It also happens to be home to a great dining scene. For a meal with locally sourced — some even foraged — ingredients, check out Locavore. The seasonal menu has all kinds of rotating summer gems like gazpacho with strawberries and soft-shell crab with ramps that are pickled in house.

Priya Konings is a food and travel writer and photographer residing in the Washington, D.C. area. Her passions include writing and photography, traveling the world, and eating delicious vegetarian fare both locally and globally. Her work has been published in Resy, Northern Virginia Magazine, Washington City Paper, The Dining Traveler, District Fray, and Brightest Young Things in addition to other publications. You can follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.