La fête nationale (French national day) is Wednesday, July 14. Plenty of French restaurants and bars around DC are celebrating with food and wine specials, live entertainment, and all the Champagne you can drink. Some events go beyond the holiday and span the week.
Bastille Brasserie & Bar
606 N. Fayette St., Alexandria
No surprise, Alexandria’s aptly named restaurant is celebrating with a special three-course meal, complete with specialty “Coq-tails,” July 14 through 17 ($49 per person). Dishes include classics like escargot, French onion soup, steak frites, and chocolate profiteroles with homemade ice cream for dessert.
Bistro Sancerre
1725 Duke St., Alexandria
This French bistro in the heart of Old Town is serving a $29 three-course menu featuring French onion soup and shrimp andouille pasta.
BRABO
1600 King St., Alexandria
For a splurge, try the French brasserie’s $95 five-course prix-fixe. The tasting menu starts with local oysters before courses of roasted pork belly, veal sweetbreads, beef short rib, and more. Local distillery Catoctin Creek is behind cocktail pairings. Reservations (6 to 9 PM) are available via Tock.
La Vie
88 District Sq., SW
Mimes will perform at this glitzy Wharf restaurant for the fête nationale, which is throwing a ticketed event ($49 per person). Guests can sip French wines, Champagne, and specialty cocktails like a French Eight-Eight made with cognac, Prosecco, and apple bitters while hors d’oeuvres make the rounds. Tickets are available on Tock.
Le Diplomate
1604 14th St., NW
Stephen Starr’s buzzy French brasserie is celebrating with live accordion music and complimentary caricatures by a roaming sketch artist. The regular dinner menu will be served alongside specialty French cocktails.
Mintwood Place
1813 Columbia Rd., NW
The French-American brasserie in Adams Morgan offers three dine-in specials only available on Bastille Day. Try a $13 pissaldiere, a puff pastry with caramelized onion, roasted garlic and anchovy; a $15 Parisian ham baguette with chive butter, dijon mustard, cornichon and frisee salad; or a $9 brioche bread pudding with bittersweet chocolate and creme anglaise.
Opaline Bar & Brasserie
806 15th St., NW
Get a taste of Paris in Downtown DC at the Sofitel Lafayette Square restaurant, which is hosting a celebration on its patio from 5:30 to 8:30 with a sculpture exhibit and live jazz. A special Bastille Day menu features items like a salmon rillettes crèpes, beef carpaccio, and pâté de campagne ($ to $14) alongside mini bottles of Moet Brut ($25) or snow cones spiked with rum, tequila or vodka ($9). Admission is free and open to all.
The Rectory on Princess Street
711 Princess St., Alexandria
The Old Town venue is hosting a savory soiree in honor of Bastille Day. Each $149 ticket includes live performances of French songs and opera arias, and a three-course feast paired with Champagne and French wine. Seatings are at 4 PM and 7 PM.
