Roof Terrace Restaurant

"It’s a night at the Kennedy Center, so why not go all out and have dinner there, too? While the food at the Roof Terrace isn’t spectacular, the rooftop restaurant will be jam-packed before showtime and it’s a fun way to mingle with people you’re getting ready to enjoy a show with. Sit in the bar area, which is covered in velvet and will remind you of a Kennedy Center where people didn’t show up in jeans and sneakers. The rest of the restaurant kind of looks like a high school cafeteria, except here it's full of septuagenarians on double dates. Grab cocktails before the show to add a little zhuzh to your evening." - tristiana hinton

"It’s a night at the Kennedy Center, so why not go all out and have dinner there, too? While the food at the Roof Terrace isn’t spectacular, the rooftop restaurant will be jam-packed before showtime and it’s a fun way to mingle with people you’re getting ready to enjoy a show with. Sit in the bar area, which is covered in velvet and will remind you of a Kennedy Center where people didn’t show up in jeans and sneakers. The rest of the restaurant kind of looks like a high school cafeteria, except here it's full of septuagenarians on double dates. Grab cocktails before the show to add a little zhuzh to your evening. photo credit: Scott Suchman" - Tristiaña Hinton

"The Frosé Terrace provides a patio that overlooks the Grandstand court." - Evan Caplan

"Kennedy Center patrons can dine on-site at this top-floor restaurant overlooking the Potomac and the National Mall. The upscale dining destination under executive chef Matt Shourds is fit to kick off a night of theater or music. Share a cheese and charcuterie board or an appetizer portion of fried lobster tails. For the main course, dig in to classics like Colorado lamb or beef tenderloin paired with roasted new potatoes and garlic green beans. Those who don’t want to sit down for a full meal can grab a small bite, such as oysters or truffle fries, from the bar." - Travis Mitchell

"The Kennedy Center’s Roof Terrace Restaurant is celebrating the run of “Hamilton” with specialty cocktails that pay homage to the cult Broadway musical. The specially designed “Ten Dollar Menu” — a nod to the currency that features the first Secretary of the Treasury right on its front — at the rooftop dining spot also doubles as a drinkable history lesson. The “Raise a Glass to Freedom” beer cocktail (Port City porter, Captain Morgan spiced rum, lime and brown sugar syrup) is a riff on a Colonial-era drink that draws on Hamilton’s Caribbean background. And a $10 dessert, a chocolate crunch choux puff with vanilla ice cream, was a known favorite of Hamilton’s when he dined at Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s award-winning musical opens on Tuesday, June 12 and runs through Sunday, September 16 here in D.C. Thousands of fans lined up in late March to try to score a ticket. The “Hamilton”-themed cocktails and desserts will only appear on the menu during its run. The restaurant serves dinner from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. before concert hall and opera house evening performances; there’s also a buffet brunch on Sunday. Its new executive chef Matt Shourds’ spring menu includes starters like Virginia asparagus soup with buttermilk yogurt, almonds, and biryani spice, as well as mains such as seared sea scallops with cherry pepper chorizo emulsion, cauliflower, and fennel puree." - Tierney Plumb