The region’s biggest dining deal is back. The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) will host Summer Restaurant Week from Aug. 24 to 30, 2026, giving diners across the Capital Region a week of discounted prix fixe menus at some of the area’s most sought-after tables.
Hundreds of restaurants across Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, and the surrounding Maryland suburbs are taking part. That means everything from neighborhood favorites to award-winning kitchens will open their reservation books with special multi-course menus built for the occasion.
Here’s how it works. Brunch and lunch menus are priced at $25 or $35 per person, while dinner menus run $40, $55, or $65 per person. Those price points give diners a low-risk way to sample spots they’ve been eyeing all year without committing to a full-tab splurge. Keep in mind that pricing can vary by restaurant, so check individual menus before you book.
Want more than the standard three courses? Some participating restaurants sweeten the deal with promotional add-ons, including drink and cocktail pairings designed to match their menus. These extras vary by location, so it pays to scan the fine print when you’re deciding where to go.
The official window runs Aug. 24 through 30, but don’t panic if your calendar is packed that week. A number of restaurants extend the promotion beyond the official dates, offering the same deals for an additional stretch of time. If your first-choice spot is booked solid, it may still be honoring Restaurant Week pricing after the weekend wraps.
Restaurant Week has long served two purposes. For diners, it’s a chance to explore the region’s deep and diverse food scene at a friendlier price. For restaurants, it’s a reliable way to fill dining rooms during the slower late-summer stretch and win over new regulars. RAMW’s twice-yearly event has become a fixture on the local calendar, drawing crowds every winter and summer.
Here are a few participating restaurants we particularly recommend checking out:
- Pappe: Chef Sanjay Mandhaiya’s 14th Street restaurant is known for its Northern Indian cuisine, creative cocktails, and richly textured interior. Restaurant Week brings a three-course dinner for $40 per person, with standouts like the signature butter chicken.
- The Grace: Chef Mandhaiya’s modern American saloon in Shaw offers a three-course brunch for $35 per person or dinner for $40 per person. Highlights include chicken and waffles, a brown-butter lobster scramble, grilled oysters, burger, and an English club.
- Techo Palma: This Tulum-inspired, music-filled rooftop oasis brings a three-course menu with dishes like jalapeño relleno with Mexican chorizo, aguachile de dorada, and churros with dulce de leche and chocolate sauce.
- Press Club: Michelin-starred Chef Ryan Ratino’s lounge offers a three-course menu for $35 per person, featuring a hamachi roll with crispy seaweed, a chicken katsu sandwich, and a creative riff on the Klondike Bar with whiskey, buckwheat, and chocolate.
- CUT D.C. by Wolfgang Puck: Chef Wolfgang Puck’s upscale steakhouse offers a three-course lunch for $25 to $35 per person and a three-course dinner for $65 per person. Highlights include wagyu beef bolognese, grilled Amish chicken, and a dark chocolate soufflé.
- SLY Rooftop: Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s rooftop bar joins Restaurant Week for the first time with a three-course menu for $40 per person. Expect menu options such as blue cornbread madeleines, roasted half chicken, shrimp bucatini, grilled salmon, and a vanilla coconut custard to finish.
Reservations tend to go fast, especially at the buzziest names, so book early. Browse participating restaurants and preview menus through RAMW’s official Restaurant Week page, then come hungry. A week of good eating starts Aug. 24.
