Villa Yara
Mediterranean restaurant · Georgetown ·
Lebanese mezza classics, intimate setting, and a beautiful patio
Lebanese mezza classics, intimate setting, and a beautiful patio
"Eating at this gorgeous Georgetown townhouse—complete with a flower-filled courtyard circling a fountain like the ones Lebanese families gather around for hours-long meals—delivers the nostalgia hit it promises, thanks to executive chef Layla Iskandar’s nafas (spirit) that makes her sophisticated homespun fare feel deeply personal. Biting into Iskandar’s kibbeh nearly moved me to tears; I could swear my sita’s hands had mixed the spiced ground beef and bulgur and added extra pine nuts to the filling. With warm pita to scoop up velvety kibbeh nayyeh and playful mix-and-match bites (the zesty muhammara with makanek lamb sausage was a winner), I felt transported to Lebanon for an hour or two." - Layla Khoury-Hanold
"A dreamy Lebanese restaurant filled with flowers and ’70s-chic decor rose in Georgetown’s old Le Pain Quotidien space in 2023. The meze-style menu for M Street NW includes a parade of small plates like baba ghanoush, hummus, dips, kibbeh nayyeh, fattoush, and tabbouleh. Gorgeous desserts made in-house follow age-old recipes from the northern region of Lebanon and family-style weekend brunch is also not to miss." - Tierney Plumb
"The Georgetown spot has the requisite twinkly string lights and Lebanese dips for a date night when you want to sit in a courtyard in lighting that hides the hummus on your face. Get a bunch of things to share and spend at least ten minutes discussing the Arabic love poems etched on the plates before moving onto other important topics such as legacy television and your dead childhood poodle." - tristiana hinton, omnia saed
"Serving a special prix-fixe Ramadan menu daily from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for $55 per person, the spread includes a rotating soup, a choice of meze (fattoush salad, tabouleh, hummus, Lebanese spinach pies), one entree (mixed grill or stew of the day), and drinks such as mint lemonade." - Tierney Plumb
"The deal: $35 brunch and $35 lunch menus, $55 dinner menu At brunch and lunch, $35 will get you three mezze, with the option to spend another $20 for unlimited mimosas. (Well, technically unlimited—they’ll cap you at five refills). Dinner is a bit pricier at $55, but you'll get an extra mezze and the option to add a house bottle of wine for $30." - team infatuation