Wonder, the New York–born carryout/delivery startup with a food hall’s worth of menu options, opened its first area location, on 14th Street, in July. Since then, outposts have been popping up faster than you can say “Tatte.” There are now ten locations in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, with five more on the way.
The basic idea: You can order a meal from several different concepts, including partnerships with big-name chefs, all at once from the Wonder app, then get everything speedily delivered. (The platform acquired Grubhub last year.) So your to-go bag might contain a steak from Bobby Flay, satay from the NYC Thai destination SriPraPhai, and a tahini-and-beet salad from Jonathan Waxman.
Sounds good in theory, right? A few things to keep in mind: Everything starts in a central commissary kitchen and is finished off at each individual location. Also, all that choice can be overwhelming. I spent many a night sampling the various offerings. Here’s the best—and worst—of the things I tried.
What to Get
1.
Little Meatballs From Chios Taverna
Cleveland chef Michael Symon’s Mediterranean menu is hit-or-miss. But this quartet of Greek-style meatballs arrived warmly spiced, impressively crisp around the edges, and set in a thick, creamy tahini sauce.
2.
Penang Curry From SriPraPhai
The Queens original doesn’t skimp on chilies, and the Wonder version doesn’t either, at least with this velvety coconut-based curry. Other dishes here were skippable, though, especially the pad Thai and papaya salad.
3.
Pizza From Di Fara
Fans have been lining up outside this Brooklyn pizza institution for 60 years. Wonder’s travel versions of the pies are pretty great, too. Go for “the regular,” a simple pizza with bright sauce, fresh mozz, and plenty of basil.
4.
Pie From Four and Twenty Blackbirds
There are usually a couple flavors of tender-crusted pie from this beloved Brooklyn bakery in the dessert section. My favorites have been the custardy lemon chess and chocolate-pecan varieties.
5.
Steak Peperonata From Alanza
Wonder serves a lot of steak across its various menus. The only one I’d order again is this Italian American take, which showed up nicely medium rare and smothered in sweet and pickled peppers. Pretty good chicken parm and garlic bread here, too.
6.
Ribs From Tejas BBQ
The smoky, saucy pork ribs from this chocolate-and-barbecue operation based outside Houston were a win, as were sides like a fluffy carrot soufflé and long-cooked pinto beans.
What to Skip
The Fancier Stuff
Across the board, everything I tried from Marc Murphy’s bistro, the Mainstay; Jonathan Waxman’s mod-American spot, Walnut Lane; and Bobby Flay’s steakhouse fell into the category of something I’d be relatively okay with . . . if I were ordering off an airplane menu. Oily, soggy shishitos. An obscenely sour-cream-and-cheese-laden Southwestern baked potato. Oddly soft steak. There are many better places in town to blow $30 on a delivery entrée.
Wing Trip
A nice coating of lemon pepper couldn’t save the scrawniest, driest wings I’ve ever tasted.
This article appears in the March 2026 issue of Washingtonian.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
