Image: Veggies
Last Updated: January 2024
Overview:
The setting at Villa Yara is so well done with warmth and color that it seems ready made for diners to take pictures to post. Flowery ornaments overhead and a bar as you enter, give way to a long dining room with faded pink pastel accents, that leads to a romantic patio with a fountain in the back. It is almost so well constructed and IG-friendly that it may make you suspect the food is secondary. Fear not, the food is also well-conceived and executed.
The plates are made for sharing, with many meze options from Lebanon. Rice, lentils, nuts form the base of many of the dishes, so those on restricted diets (gluten free, vegetarian, pescatarian) can do well, though those with nut allergies must be alert. Mujadara is rice, lentils and crispy onions. Fattet batinjan is chunky eggplant over a crisped pita with yoghurt tahini sauce and slivered almonds. On a visit last fall, the shrimp came on a bed of fried chickpeas heavily seasoned with nuts for additional crunch. The salads are piled high, with two different takes on tabouleh. This is not to say meat is missing from the menu. It is Halal, with dishes like beef dumplings, lamb chops and a mixed grill. A very good take on hummus is topped with lamb, caramelized onions, and pine nuts. You can also get it without the adornment, and with vegetables for dipping instead of bread. The chicken kabob with garlicy toum sauce retained its moisture with only light charring.
Desserts are made in-house and have roots in Tripoli, emphasizing doughs of semolina, nuts, sweet cheese, and cream. Ice cream options are orange blossom or tahini with halva crumble.
Sensing the zeitgeist, they take special care in their non-alcoholic options. One is a very tangy lemon and basil option, another strawberry centered, and the last ginger beer and pineapple. The wine list focuses on bottles from Lebanon. They also carry multiple versions of arak.
Villa Yara does not try to be all things to all people, but it does answer many dining questions like where to go in Georgetown that is not crazy expensive or too stodgy? Where to go with a group? Outdoor dining? Romantic spot? Healthy options for different kinds of diners that still does good meat options? A restaurant that addresses all these needs and puts out good food is a handy thing to have in your back pocket and a nice place to go just on a random night out.
Other Guidance: The main dining room and entrance is located at street level with no stairs and a bathroom on that floor. There is additional seating upstairs, and part of the patio requires stairs to access. It is not a formal setting, though some may be dressed up for a nice night out.
Summary:
Cuisine: Eastern Mediterranean
Neighborhood: Georgetown
Address: 2815 M St NW, Washington, DC 20007
Website: https://villayaradc.com/
Reservations: 7 Rooms on Website
Other Critics/Voices:
Washington Post: No coverage yet
Washingtonian: No coverage yet
The Georgetowner: Preview
The Infatuation: This place seems made to overlap with the Chase-sponsored site’s target audience, though they disagree on the food (“the food here isn’t great”).
GW Hatchet: Fell for it, “As we walked out into the summer night, bellies full and hearts happy, we could not help but plan our next visit to the establishment, giddy at the possibility of trying more of their Lebanese bites.”