What started as a festive dining experience last year is expanding into a way to safeguard pods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dining bubbles, igloos, greenhouses, yurts – whatever you want to call them – are popping up outside restaurants around the District to help keep restaurants open during the health crisis. Each bubble can’t contain more than six people, and they must be ventilated, according to D.C.’s Streatery Winter Ready guide.
Here’s a rundown of a few restaurants where you can eat inside an igloo this winter:
Del Mar
This restaurant is offering several options to dine in one of its igloos, which overlook The Wharf on the restaurant’s second floor. You can book an igloo for brunch, lunch, dinner, New Year’s Eve or Christmas Eve, and each reservation ranges between $150 and $200. Be sure to check the weather before you make a reservation – Del Mar does not open igloos in inclement weather.
791 Wharf St. SW, Tuesday through Thursday 5 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Ted’s Bulletin
If you’re not thinking in advance to make a reservation, you can check out Ted’s Bulletin, which offers dining in one of its “snow globes” on a first-come, first-serve basis. The restaurant is opening up these plastic bubbles at its 14th Street and Barracks Row locations, and you don’t need to pay extra to eat there.
1818 14th St. NW, open daily 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Fiola Mare
Book a reservation to eat seafood in an igloo while you overlook the Georgetown Waterfront. Brunch and lunch reservations are cheaper – about $150 – while a dinner reservation charges $200. All of the igloos are heated, but the restaurant advises customers to dress warm anyway.
Georgetown Waterfront, 3100 K St. NW, Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday & Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday 4:30 to 9 p.m.
The Watergate Hotel
For an upscale dining experience, head to The Watergate Hotel’s winter igloos. Rental fees range from $150 to $300, depending on the date and time, and the restaurant requests that guests spend a minimum between $50 and $70 on food and drink. The igloos are located on the Next Whisky Bar’s heated patio, according to the hotel’s website. Reservations are only required on the weekends.
2650 Virginia Ave. NW, 90 minute seatings starting at 4:30 p.m.
Bresca
This Michelin starred restaurant on 14th Street has six two-person “lodges ” in their outdoor seating area. Instead of being dome-shaped, these lodges are built with green metal poles in the shape of a small house and are wrapped in clear plastic much like those at Del Mar. But a reservation for one of these private lodges will cost you a $20 deposit each. Their menu is equally steep. They offer a la carte but also a $75 pre-fixe menu and $65 brunch menu.
1906 14th St. NW, Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.
