Whether you like spicy or mild tastes, foreign or local cuisines, sit-down or food hall-style dining, the newly opened The Heights food hall is worth the visit. Any and every person who visits is sure to find something they love.
The Heights, Friendship Heights’ newest dining experience, is a food hall, serviced restaurant and bar with a mix of ethnic foods and conceptual stalls. Friendship Heights, an area with an infamously paltry selection of restaurants, finally welcomed the food hall after a multi-month delay in opening this past December.
The Heights has a modern, trendy layout and mode. For people who may not enjoy food halls, there is a full-service restaurant, Urbano, located in the back of the venue. Some aspects of the traditional food hall models did feel missing due to the uniform sign and decor of each stall, but the venue was photogenic and had amazing vibes all around.
One of the many benefits of this food hall is its accessibility, as the hall is located right above the Friendship Heights metro station. Along with this, the food hall has ample parking on the nearby side streets and parking garages. The Heights is stationed in the Wisconsin place redevelopment that was recently occupied by Anthropology.
The Heights has eight stalls of all different cuisines including deli, Thai, Japanese, Cuban, Indian, Middle Eastern, traditional American and more.
The highlight of my experience at the food hall was the sushi from the stall called “Doki Doki.” I ordered a salmon avocado roll ($8). The fish tasted fresh and the avocado was perfectly ripe. Along with this, customers can see the sushi being made right before them, a much appreciated feature of a sushi restaurant, reflected in the high-quality taste. The roll was perfectly assembled and you could taste the attention to flavor in each bite. The stall itself and the seating surrounding it were also nice, clean and comfortable.
Another favorite was the Lebanese-inspired food from the “Yasmin” stall. We got a small order of falafel ($6) and a hummus to-go ($7). The falafel was beautifully green and perfectly cooked. The Egyptian style hummus used fava beans instead of chickpeas, and was very creamy and flavorful with the toppings of oil and sumac. The food tasted authentic and vibrant, especially with the palatable sauces and seasonings.
From “DC Dosa,” I ordered a dosa, a south Indian savory crepe dish, with a yellow lentil base, masala potatoes and onion tamarind sauce ($15). The dosa was spicy, with a build-your-own type menu that is completely vegetarian and very unique. While I wouldn’t consider the dosa my favorite dish, traditional South Indian dosas are quite difficult to find in the D.C., so it’s nice to have an opportunity to try something new. The dosa could easily be shared among many and can be a unique dish to change up your regular meals.
Another interesting dish I tried was from the Thai stall, Sky Lantern. I got an order of the vegetable spring rolls ($8). The rolls had a fantastic crunch and were paired with the sweet dipping sauce that balanced perfectly with the savoriness of the vegetable spring rolls. While you can find many, perhaps better, spring rolls in and around the area, they are still quite good.
Overall, The Heights had a wide assortment of food that can appeal to any and all palates. All of the dishes were flavorful, unique and nearly everything was thoroughly enjoyed.
The Heights is an ideal dining experience. Even aside from the convenient location of the food hall, there was extensive seating capacity. There were comfortable and clean seating areas even during the busy midday rush on a Saturday.
For a fun and different meal experience, The Heights is a must-visit location with seemingly endless food options and a very photogenic, cool atmosphere.
