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There are dozens of theaters, and even more theater companies, in the Washington, DC, area. Here’s a roundup of the biggies, the usual suspects, with suggestions for nearby restaurants.
ANACOSTIA ARTS CENTER
1231 Good Hope Road SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-631-6291
anacostiaartscenter.com
Since summer 2013, a center with theater, boutique and gallery spaces. Theatre Prometheus performs here.
Restaurant at the theater:
Art-drenaline Cafe
202-306-5545
art-drenaline.com
Soups, salads, panini, flatbread pizza, all fresh and locally sourced.
Restaurant nearby:
Mama’s Pizza Kitchen
2028 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-678-6262
www.mamaspizzakitchen.com
Casual, pizza and wings.
Aims to develop and produce socially conscious and thought-provoking work.
Restaurant nearby:
Art-drenaline Cafe
1231 Good Hope Road SE
(in the Anacostia Arts Center)
Washington, DC 20020
Washington, DC 20020
202-306-5545
www.art-drenaline.com
Soups, salads, panini, flatbread pizza, all fresh and locally sourced.
www.art-drenaline.com
Soups, salads, panini, flatbread pizza, all fresh and locally sourced.
Mama’s Pizza Kitchen
2028 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-678-6262
www.mamaspizzakitchen.com
Casual, pizza and wings.
2028 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-678-6262
www.mamaspizzakitchen.com
Casual, pizza and wings.
ARENA STAGE
Mead Center for American Theater
1101 6th Street SW, at Maine Avenue
Washington, DC 20024
202-488-3300
www.arenastage.org
Specializing in great American plays.
Restaurant at the theater:
Catwalk Cafe, 3rd floor, Mead Center
Very casual.
Restaurants nearby:
Cantina Marina
600 Water Street SW
Washington, DC 20024
Casual—very casual—Gulf Coast and Cajun seafood and lotsa drinks, right on the water. The Cantina is closed every December, January and February (it’s cold out there on the water) and will reopen in March 2017. But sometime after that it will close for a year as part of Phase 2 of the Washington waterfront revival.
Masala Art
1101 4th Street SW
Washington, DC 20024
202-554-1101
An Indian restaurant with a three-course pre-theater special—it’s a spinoff of the Tenleytown place of the same name.
Station 4
1101 4th Street SW
Washington, DC 20024
202-488-0987
New American bistro.
Z-Burger
1101 4th Street SW
Washington, DC 20024
202-599-0400
The iconic retro burger joint sticks to its formula burgers and shakes, sure to fill you up fast before the show.
AVANT BARD
See listing for WSC Avant Bard.
CONSTELLATION THEATRE COMPANY
Performs at Source Theater:
1835 14th Street NW (at T Street)
Washington, DC 20009
202-204-7741
A small theater company tat aims to showcase international projects that have action, fantasy and dazzling visual effects in a very intimate setting.
Refreshments at the theater:
Snacks and drinks are available in the lobby, and drinks may be taken into the theater.
Restaurants nearby:
Busboys and Poets
2021 14th Street NW (V Street)
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-7638 (POET)
Washington, DC 20009
202-387-7638 (POET)
Panini, pastas, stir-fries and more at modest prices.
Masa 14
1825 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Latin and Asian small plates.
1ST STAGE TYSONS
1524 Spring Hill Road
McLean, Virginia 22102
A grass-roots collective that has grown into a theater group with national recognition.
Restaurants nearby:
härth (in the Hilton McLean)
7920 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102
7920 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102
703-847-5000
Farm-to-table American cooking.
Thai Pilin
8385 Leesburg Pike
Vienna, Virginia 22182
Thai favorites in a very simple setting.
703-556-9191
www.pilinthai.com
FORD’S THEATRE
511 10th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
The theater where President Lincoln was shot is a museum by day, a working theater by night, and presents plays and musicals on American cultural themes.
Restaurants nearby:
Hard Rock Cafe is next door, and there is “gourmet” pizza in several directions: Pi Pizzeria on F Street, &pizza on E, and Ella’s Wood Fired Pizza on 9th.
&pizza
1005 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-347-5056
andpizza.com
Modern pizza chain–dessert pizzas!
1005 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-347-5056
andpizza.com
Modern pizza chain–dessert pizzas!
Ella’s Wood Fired Pizza
610 9th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-638-3434
ellaspizza.com
Pasta and salads in addition to pizza. Plus house-made limoncello!
Hard Rock Cafe
999 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-737-7625
hardrock.com
The classic (and loud) rock-n-roll-centric burger joint.
Pi Pizzeria
910 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
202-393-5484
pi-pizza.com
Shares its deep-dish and thin-crust offerings in DC, St. Louis and Cincinnati. Plus cocktails.
GALA HISPANIC THEATRE
3333 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20010
Spanish and Latin American plays and other artforms in Spanish and English; also an extensive education program.
Restaurant at the theater:
There’s a bar in the lobby.
Restaurants nearby:
Z-Burger
3301 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20010
202-599-0404
The iconic retro burger joint sticks to its formula burgers and shakes, sure to fill you up fast before the show.
THE KEEGAN THEATRE
Church Street Theater
1742 Church Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
A small theater company in a 118-seat theater producing musicals and plays, sometimes with an Irish bent to them. (The company also tours Ireland every year with an American classic.)
All the great new restaurants on 14th Street are a bit of a hike. Better to stick to the 17th Street-area offerings:
Hank’s Oyster Bar
1624 Q Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-462-4265
“Urban Beach Food” is the claim, and the casual restaurant offers a three-course pre-theater menu from 5:30 to 6:30pm.
Sushi Taro
1503 17th Street NW
Washington, DC
1503 17th Street NW
Washington, DC
20036
202-462-8999
sushitaro.com
Considered one of the best sushi places in the country, with a thrill-a-minute Omakase counter.
202-462-8999
sushitaro.com
Considered one of the best sushi places in the country, with a thrill-a-minute Omakase counter.
JOHN F. KENNEDY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
2700 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20566
Home to the National Symphony Orchestra, the National Opera Company, and the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, the Center also hosts visiting ballet companies and musicals from Broadway and around the world. The Center offers (expensive) on-site parking.
Restaurant at the theater:
The Roof Terrace Restaurant for fine dining,
KC Cafe for casual fare.
Sandwiches and snacks at lobby concessions. Intermission drinks and snacks can be ordered before the show.
Restaurants nearby:
Campono
600 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-505-4000
Pizza, panini and lotsa gelato in a warm, casual setting.
Zeitoun
2554 Virginia Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20037
202-560-5372
Specialties from around the Mediterranean in a casual setting.
MOSAIC THEATER COMPANY
1333 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-399-7993
202-399-7993
Operating out of the Atlas Performing Arts Centre in the H Street Corridor, Mosaic produces socially relevant plays with an emphasis on the Middle East and social justice.
Restaurants nearby:
RedRocks Neapolitan Bistro
1348 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-621-7300
Contemporary pizza and bar across the street from the Atlas.
Maketto
1351 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-838-9972
maketto1351.com
Cambodian- and Taiwanese-inspired cooking.
1351 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-838-9972
maketto1351.com
Cambodian- and Taiwanese-inspired cooking.
Sally’s Middle Name
1320 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-750-6529
White-tiled bistro with farm-to-table New American small plates.
H Street Country Club
1335 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
Tacos, tequila and games.
202-399-4722
Beer, tacos, Mexican fare and a roof deck with covered bar.
Star & Shamrock Tavern & Deli
1341 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-388.3833
Irish bar meets Jewish deli—that’s what they say.
Biergarten Haus
1355 H Street NE
Washington, DC 20002
202-388-4053
biergartenhaus.com
Bavarian bar with heated patio, German pub grub.
Bavarian bar with heated patio, German pub grub.
OLNEY THEATRE CENTER
2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Road
Olney, Maryland 20832
301-924-3400
Olney’s four-theater campus is one of two Maryland state theaters, producing a variety of diverse productions and performances.
Restaurants nearby:
Cuba de Ayer
15446 Old Columbia Pike
Burtonsville, Maryland 20866
301-476-9222
Home-style Cuban cooking.
GrillmarX Steakhouse & Raw Bar
18149 Town Center Drive
Olney, Maryland 20832
301-570-1111
Steaks, burgers and oysters, of course, but also main-course salads and fish.
Mannequin Pis
18064 Georgia Avenue
Olney, Maryland 20832
301-570-4800
Mussels, Belgian beers, pomme frites and more. (Plus more than one replica of Brussels’s famous “peeing boy” statue!)
Olney Ale House
2000 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd
Olney, MD 20832
301-774-6708
Olney, MD 20832
301-774-6708
Big sandwiches, big salads, plus their signature beef stew and chill. Lotsa brews, local and international. Note: Probably the most convenient to the theater, but they don’t take reservations.
Ricciuti’s Restaurant
3308 Olney-Sandy Spring Road
Olney, Maryland 20832
Serious locavore menu, plus traditional (and non-traditional) wood-fired pizzas.
ROUND HOUSE THEATRE
4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
240-644-1100
www.roundhousetheatre.org
The theater’s goals are superior ensemble acting and theater education.
Restaurants nearby:
Chipotle Mexican Grill
7600 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-907-9077
301-907-9077
Sustainable burritos and other Mexican-style fare in a casual setting.
Daily Grill
1 Bethesda Metro Center
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-656-6100
Full, wide-ranging menu.
Food Wine & Co.
7272 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-652-8008
An American bistro with a wide-ranging menu of American classics, plus cheese and charcuterie platters.
Morton’s The Steak House
7400 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-657-2650
301-657-2650
Steak, serious steak.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House
7315 Wisconsin Avenue
7315 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-652-7877
Steak and more steak.
Tyber Bierhaus
7525 Old Georgetown Road
7525 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
240-821-6830
240-821-6830
Serves German-inflected food plus Belgian, German, Czech and American craft beers. Lots of communal tables, indoors and out, for that German biergarten feeling.
Yuzu Japanese Dining
7345 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland
301-656-5234
301-656-5234
A full range of Japanese sushi, sashimi, and noodle and other cooked dishes.
THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE COMPANY
Sidney Harman Hall
610 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
and
Lansburgh Theatre
450 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
Focuses on plays by Shakespeare and other classics of that caliber.
Restaurant at the theater:
Ridgewells provides sandwiches and snacks; intermission refreshments can be ordered in advance.
Restaurants nearby:
Dirty Habit
555 8th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
The DC version of the San Francisco original offers (fairly expensive) little plates, a glamorously dark interior and, when the temp hits 45 degrees Fahrenheit, a large interior patio with fire pits. Also, a major craft cocktail bar.
Also, more than a dozen cafés and restaurants are within blocks; the theater website lists names and addresses.
SIGNATURE THEATRE COMPANY
4200 Campbell Avenue
Arlington, Virginia ADD ZIP
An emphasis on contemporary musicals and plays, as well as reinventing classic musicals.
Restaurant at the theater:
Ali’s Bar, 2nd floor, Mead Lobby
Salads, sliders and other casual fare
Intermission drinks and snacks can be ordered before the show.
Restaurants nearby:
Shirlington’s Campbell Avenue has Thai, Mexican, modern American, Indian, Chinese and a branch of Busboys and Poets, the bookstore/cafe/art space; see villageatshirlington.com/eating for names and addresses.
SPOOKY ACTION THEATER
Performs at:
Universalist National Memorial Church
1810 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Restaurants nearby:
El Centro D.F.
1819 14th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
Tel. 202.328.3131
Washington, DC 20009
Tel. 202.328.3131
Creative Mexican eats and tequila.
Masa 14
1825 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-328-1414
Washington, DC 20009
202-328-1414
Latin-Asian small plates.
Ted’s Bulletin
1833 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-265-8337
Pot roast, chicken pot pie and other homey fare plus boozy milkshakes.
STUDIO THEATRE
1501 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Dedicated to provocative writing from around the world, performed in four intimate (225 seats or fewer) spaces.
Restaurant at the theater:
Some snacks available
Restaurants nearby:
Drafting Table
1529 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-621-7475
Styles itself an informal hangout with American and international bar food.
Estadio
1520 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
Innovative, contemporary Spanish; lots of little plates
Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
1612 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-319-1612
Fresh seafood and oysters
Rice
1608 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
Complete range of traditional and contemporary Thai cooking, including purple and other rice.
SYNETIC THEATER
Theater at Crystal City
1800 South Bell Street
Arlington, Virginia 22202
866-811-4111
Home to Wordless Shakespeare, Synetic produces drama through movement, music, visuals and technology.
Restaurants nearby:
Bell20 (in the Marriott hotel)
Crystal City Shops
1999 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Virginia 22202
Pub grub and American entrees.
Popular spots such as Jaleo (tapas), McCormick & Schmick’s (seafood and steak), Good Stuff Eatery (burgers and shakes) and Noodles & Company (global noodles) are within a few blocks.
THEATER ALLIANCE
Aims to develop and produce socially conscious and thought-provoking work.
Restaurant nearby:
Mama’s Pizza Kitchen
2028 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-678-6262
Casual, pizza and wings.
THEATER J
1529 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-518-9400
Offers plays that explore the nuances of both the Jewish experience and the universal human condition.
Restaurants nearby:
Hank’s Oyster Bar
1624 Q Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-462-4265
“Urban Beach Food” is the claim, and the casual restaurant offers a three-course pre-theater menu from 5:30 to 6:30pm.
Le Diplomate
1601 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009
202-332-3333
lediplomatedc.com
lediplomatedc.com
Onion soup, cheese platters, steak frites—French café culture is honored here.
THEATRE PROMETHEUS
Performs at the Anacostia Playhouse (see listing above)
email: theatreprometheus@gmail.com
Promotes women-focused narratives.
Restaurant nearby:
Mama’s Pizza Kitchen
2028 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-678-6262
www.mamaspizzakitchen.com
Casual, pizza and wings.
Mama’s Pizza Kitchen
2028 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue SE
Washington, DC 20020
202-678-6262
www.mamaspizzakitchen.com
Casual, pizza and wings.
WOOLLY MAMMOTH
641 D Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
Emphasizes edgy new plays.
Restaurants nearby:
Washington favorites Clyde’s, Hard Rock Cafe and Old Ebbitt Grill are within a block or two; Rasika (modern Indian) is virtually next door.
WSC AVANT BARD
Performs at:
Gunston Arts Center, Theatre Two
2700 South Lang Street
Arlington, Virginia 22206
and
Theatre on the Run
Arlington Cultural Affairs Building
3700 South Four Mile Run Drive
Arlington, Virginia 22206
703-418-4808
Edgy plays in small settings.
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Old Ebbitt is not a block or two from Ford’s Theatre, but six blocks away. And is there a Clyde’s a block from Ford’s? I think the closest Clyde’s remains in Georgetown, some 20 blocks distant. I wouldn’t suggest the Hard Rock Cafe as a pre or post dinner as it’s still a tourist trap restaurant serving high school science projects masquerading as food.
Thank you, Peggy! I don’t know what my fingers thought they were doing when I typed those names! I avoid Hard Rock too, but it is next door. I’ve added the three possibilities closest (that I know of)–all pizza! (And the Penn Quarter Clyde’s closed.)