Cormac C.
Yelp
Quite possibly the best food on the Woodley Park-Cleveland Park corridor. If there is another restaurant better, please inform me.
Tragically poorly lit and signed from the exterior, many a driver and pedestrian has likely passed by Sofra without knowing it is open, or even exists. I among them until this restaurant's (well deserved) five star rating lured me inside. (Even then, I had trouble finding it.)
This is a tragedy. The food is scrumptious, well beyond what you'd expect from a $20-$30 price range. The tea is also fantastic.
The first time we showed up ae got the Sofra experience, which was just outstanding. Among the best meals I've gotten for that price in DC.
We ordered two appetizers, and two entres, splitting both. The appetizers were both eggplant based dipsand came with recently baked loaves of bread. One was merely good, the other gobsmackingly good. One entree was beef, and the other a chicken dish. Both taste and presentation were that of much more expensive food.
While the taste and presentation is bougie beyond belief, the aesthetics of the place were more hole-in-the-wall. Like it's not bad, but you get the sense that perhaps the owner is far more keen on good food and plating than creating an accompanying atmosphere. Like the restaurant was only halfway done before he got impatient and started cooking up a storm. Thus the lack of signage.
This is too bad, because as a good food enjoyer this place MUST survive. Which is why I'm writing this review. All you Northwest DC residents better get in there and start enjoying brilliantly spiced eggplant dips and exquisitely cooked meat too, because if you don't then I can't. And you guys can't take this away from me. If this place closes its doors it'll because you never knew, but I did. And I'll be so, so sad.
Sorry for rambling.
tl;dr you all should go here, it's really really good.