Maydan
Middle Eastern restaurant · U Street
1346 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
Highlights
Hearth-driven Middle Eastern restaurant with bold flavors
Hearth-driven Middle Eastern restaurant with bold flavors
"There is just something about going family-style that takes a meal to another level. Maydan is all about sparking joy that comes through interactive eating at the table. Entering the restaurant through a glowing hearth to sharing the restaurant’s tawle menu (“table” in Arabic), which includes a generous spread of salads and dips, seasonal vegetables, grilled kebabs, a centerpiece dish like whole lamb shoulder, ribeye, or branzino, and freshly baked toné flatbread." - Claudia Rosenbaum
"A Michelin‑starred, Lebanese‑inflected restaurant in Washington, D.C. helmed by Rose Previte that helped establish her reputation and spurred plans for an expanded market concept on the West Coast." - Matthew Kang
"If you're looking to eat "family-style" with your actual family, take them to Maydan. The Middle Eastern restaurant in Cardozo has a shared tasting menu ($75 per guest) that includes plates of hummus and creamy labne alongside honeyed, harissa-roasted carrots and exquisitely charred lamb shish kebab. Instead of arguing over the menu, fight over something worthwhile like who gets the last piece of bread (the bread here is unlimited, but your brother doesn’t need to know that). Reservations are released 21 days in advance at 10am. If you’re not the planning-ahead type, they do release a limited number of tables a few hours before opening. You might end up sitting outside, away from the warmth of the restaurant’s open-fire hearth, but it’s worth a try." - omnia saed
"Cited as one of two high-end, wood-burning Middle Eastern restaurants that have attracted national notice in recent years, located just north of the U Street corridor." - Eater Staff
"It can take weeks, even months, to snag a table at Maydan, the hidden-down-an-alley restaurant and “it” spot on U Street Corridor. But why wait? We like to try our luck and walk in early to vie for seats at the bar, where you can order a la carte or do the full tawle menu, a $95 tasting experience meant to be shared. The restaurant’s small space inside a former carriage house revolves around the central open wood-fired hearth, and no matter where you sit, you’ll have a good view of bread cooking to crisp perfection in a matter of seconds. There’s something magical about having a casual meal at the bar here—with plates of oyster mushroom kebab, walnut casik, spiced lamb shoulder, and glass of Lebanese wine in hand—knowing you didn’t wait half a year for a table. Reservations are released 21 days in advance at 10am. If you’re not the planning-ahead type, they do release a limited number of tables a few hours before opening. You might end up sitting outside, away from the warmth of the restaurant’s open-fire hearth, but it’s worth a try." - madeline weinfield
