The Saint Sophia Greek Festival is a pleasant little community experience. This event takes place…read moreacross 3 days and I recently attended during the day with the kids. It's pretty tiny but somehow we ended up spending about 4 hours here, mostly because of my kids. There is a small indoor portion in the church, where there are various vendors mostly selling women's jewelry. That is about 80% of the vendors at least when I visited in 2025. There was a stand selling great olive oil and olives (both of which I purchase) and a stand selling the delicious Greek desserts I basically ate every day while I lived in Astoria, Queens (one of the largest Greek communities in the US). The ladies at the bakery were so friendly, even offering my son a cookie for free (and of course he takes the entire box!). Outside, there is another bakery (with about 4 times the size of the line), and other food stalls. We got a lamb gyro with tzatziki and it was out of this world. There is a tent with music, where some people were dancing and an occasional singer or band would rotate in and out. Also in the tent was a drink vendor where my partner and I enjoyed a glass of white wine on a very hot day. The kids were drawn to the bouncy houses, which included some traditional ones and a blow up slide. It cost $10 per child for use all day. They certainly got their money's worth! There was a sign for face painting and pony rides but I did not see either and the ladies working the desk didn't know when or if they'd actually show up. Overall, a very relaxing spot. Don't expect a huge festival but a relaxed afternoon out or evening. There is also a lovely flower vendor that is a nice place to wander or buy flowers for the spring.

İ like Greek food and culture! Very close with Türkiye. One…read moreof my favorite place is Athens and the irelands... Every year we visit... Today We've been Greek Festival at St. Sophia Greek Festival. İt was good. İ was expected a bir more things but still İ enjoyed. Döner, Börek, Lokma, kurabiye... We bought all! Also some jewelry, art stuff and olives, olive oils tables was looks fun. There is also show from kids

When your BFF scores tix in a Yelp giveaway and you're the lucky guest invited to tag along and eat…read moreall kinds of gelato for a few hours what's not to like?! Having recently returned from Italy, the thought of having more gelato had my taste buds twerking. The options seemed endless. The servings were generous and very tasty. And before I knew it I was full. But that did not stop me from having each of the 12 contest entries plus 4 specialty flavors over the course of two hours! As it was my first time hearing of and experiencing this event, I don't know if the Gelato Festival made a DC stop before, but if the festival is back next year I would highly recommend it.

A gelato festival?! What in the world?! Who comes up with an idea to CELEBRATE Gelato?! I don't…read morecare WHO it was, but let me give them a handclap --insert loud clapping--!! I was blessed to score tickets to this wonderful world of yumminess that tantalized my taste buds and tickled my tummy! Who doesn't LOVE gelato?! Don't answer that, because I don't care!! LoL Okay let me stop it with the theatrics and get down to business. The festival was located at the City Market at O - formerly known to dc natives as the O Street Market - on 8th street (I believe, closed off) - just outside of Giant Food. We walked into the festival a bit overwhelmed to see so many long lines of gelato enthusiasts, waiting patiently to get their taste of all kinds of sweet goodness! The actual event was a contest to determine which flavor of gelato would advance to the next level of competition. Okay, what?! I was there to taste as much gelato as possible, so this worked well in my favor. I will make a long story short, the festival allowed for 15 or so different "tastes" or sometimes full cup treats of a variety of flavors of gelato. But my favorite?! Yep. Salted Carmel - coming in 2nd only to the All American, which boasted apple pie with a strong hint of salted caramel. TO. DIE. FOR. And yep, I had seconds of the All America before I cast my final vote! Awesomeness!! Thanks Yelp DC!

The most delicious food at a very affordable price, all made from scratch! Very hospitable hosts!…read moreGood music and dancing. Come and see it all!

Serbian Festival is truly a European affair. There are no hot dogs, hamburgers or fries that are…read moremost familiar to the American kids. Instead of that, kids get mesmerized by watching the lambs or pigs turn on the spit. Their mouth and eyes open wide on the sight of that spectacle. The entertainment band , lead by an accordion, provides background Serbian music while patrons choose their meal between the filo dough pies, lamb or piglet meat from the spite. There is must-to-have soup as well - to start the meal and plenty of desserts to finish it. The alcohol variety is very rich - from ethnic hard liquor, to wine and beer. There is a little school of teaching kids how to write the Cyrillic alphabet and large outdoor tents provide pleasant respite from heat or rain. Parking is free and there is no entrance fee or tip. This is the festival that stays to the true tradition of a good restaurant - be consistent with your food. I did file in a funny complaint that the Serbian ladies did not offer a Torta (multi layered cake) that I know for sure they know how to make. People/servers were super kind and giving food samples to the kids who did not know have any expectations or knowledge.

This was an overall treat for the neighborhood businesses and residents. There were live bands,…read moreamazing food trucks and an old fashioned parade, not to mention the vendors. The best part about the day was all of the rides and entertainment were FREE. Try Smok'n Rays BBQ. It was delicious.

The 56th Annual Danish Christmas Bazaar was predictive and good showing, as usual. Volunteers…read moreworked hard to keep 56-year-old tradition while Danish ambassador greeted everybody at the beginning. Food was traditional and made fresh. Perfectly salty salmon was melting in the mouth. My son said that fried fish was "even better than Irish." I also had shrimp salad and Danish meatballs that were equally satisfying. Ebleskiver - Danish doughnut was great with a bit strawberry jam. According to Eurostat, in Denmark there are 215 pigs per every 100 residents. This means that there are twice as many pigs as people. Great tradition in quality pork shows off as all meat was very tasty. Unfortunately, the beer was nixed few years ago, but there are plenty (food and Christmas decorations) to spend money on. This was my second visit and will not be the last. I wish there was some Danish music or dance in the national costumes. I was happy to support Danish diaspora in our region.

Christmas (Jul said like "Yule") is the biggest holiday in Danish culture (if you are the type of…read moreperson who likes a 24-hour party involving lots of beer -- try to get invited to a Christmas "lunch" in Denmark... but, I digress...). And this bazaar is the ONE chance every year for outsiders to join the Danes (in the greater Washington area) in a little Christmas cheer. It's in the basement... There are baked goods (you know, Danish), open-faced sandwiches, Danish beer (Tuborg) on tap, candles, Christmas decorations, wreathes, candy, delicacies (liver pate) and a raffle. Their are drawbacks to this bazaar: the traffic situation is aggravating (although there are Catholic Danes, it's strange to me that this bazaar is not at a Lutheran church). Also, much of the food is sold out by 1 p.m. (halfway through the bazaar) and to get really picky, the ketchup and mustard are not Danish brands (as I've said, don't get me started on Danish hotdogs!). Then, there are the prices. Four sandwiches cost over $20 and the Danish Danish (Kringle) was $12! Sure it's a lot of food and it would be pricey in Denmark... so, I take it back, that part of the experience is very much like Denmark... But, the signature dishes like the meatballs and the liver paste were a little weak. But, as the Danes would tell me, I'll stop kvetching now (to kvetch=at brokke sig), and say, "Merry Christmas!" (God Jul!)

St Mark's Eastern European Festival is a feast of food. So many layered cakes/tortas and so little…read moretime to eat. One person said to me that they come to this festival every year to buy a few slices of the lemon/coconut cake - you can see devotion there. There are vendors in three rooms but large and modern church kitchen is an excellent excuse for plenty of good food. It was even hard to choose platters so at the end Russian Platter and Beef Stroganoff platters were selected and you can see one after another item being loaded to the plate and you already start thinking how to transport that much food home because nobody can eat a platter by her/himself. Chicken Kiev was so good that it will be hard for me to go back to salty Barber Food frozen Chicken Kiev ever again. St. Mark's chicken Kiev make you feel good about eating healthy food - it was that tasty. It was washed down nicely with light Russian beer available for purchase. All the food was good but mischievous eye kept looking at the deserts tables. I refuse to use numbers in order to grade food so I will say that the deserts I purchased were all divine (lemon/coconut cake, Praline cake and raspberry torta). Three large pieces for only $10 was a steal. The church is (according to its members) defined as an "orthodox fusion" that gathers mostly 2nd and 3rd generation of the Eastern European immigrants. Due to its real estate configuration, the church still has the pews but when I asked if that feels weird or good considering that orthodox churches do not have pews they said that people stand entire time during the service so it does not matter to them but it is helpful to elderly. Parking is not an issue. I was happy to support St Mark's church. There are no taxes or tips for this food purchase, just plenty food to bring home.

Monday night was the 20th anniversary of this event to raise funds for a very worth while…read moreorganization - Food & Friends. Talk about kid in a candy store... Where to begin, where to begin... The food samplings by the DC area's top chefs were phenomenal. No matter what your taste in food is, you can't miss here. Even though many selections were meaty, vegetarians and pescatarians had plenty of choices. I loved the multi-colored cauliflower salad with tarragon mustard dressing sans the smoked duck breast (from the International Trade Center). Perry's served an avocado roulade on a petite rice cracker and Urbana was offering a morel mushroom soup that was very tasty too! It is a foodies paradise here. My mom is going to be so jealous of me!! Let's not forget dessert. The cupcake wars continue here with treats from Georgetown Cupcake and Hello Cupcake, amidst many other delectable choices for a final encore. Of course the important thing to remember is that the $250 ticket price and the proceeds from the silent and live auction are supporting an organization which provides more than a million nutritious meals to individuals battling HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses.

Attending the 19th Annual Chef's Best Dinner and Auction was a personal journey back to my days as…read morea young toxic tort associate in Dallas, Texas. During that particular time of my life, I would often find myself surrounded by a mesh of individuals either sophisticated or pretentious in a number of locations, including charity events. This particular auction served as a reminder of what had been lost, and why it is so important to get back to a place where I can make tangible, positive contributions to needy individuals through a polished event focused on a subjective love of mine. But you aren't here to read about my personal dilemma. You are probably here because you would like to know more about the Chef's Best Dinner. First and foremost, the event runs like a tasting menu. Approximately sixty of the best restaurants in the DC area provide one small tasting dish for individuals during a silent auction. Afterward, the auction takes on a new life in the form of a live auction where bidding is held on a number of items mostly involving exotic trips with a culinary focus. The proceeds benefit Foods & Friends, a charity that provides assistance to individuals facing life-challenging illnesses. Although the dinner is exceptionally expensive ($225/ticket), the tasting was absolutely exsquisite. Even the Little Inn at Washington, one of the most well known restaurants in North America, participated in this extravagant event. Their particular contribution involved the introduction of "Heaven's Kitchen", a concept booth where individuals were invited to slurp down oyster shooters provided to them by their divinely dressed staff. They even had a charming set-up where one would take the oyster wafers as communion. This inventive take to a sampling certainly won the atmosphere category, but it wasn't the best item I tried during the dinner. Let that sink in. The best item was NOT from the Little Inn at Washington, a restaurant at the time of this writing that was over 20 Yelp reviews none of which give a rating lower than the maximum five stars. The item that absolutely stole the show for me was from the humble Poste restaurant in Gallery Place. Poste's rendition of a rhubarb soda studded with a basil tapioca was superb. I've alway loved Poste for their truffle fries; this was so tasty it will make those heavenly truffle fries a mere afterthought on my next visit. The next best item I sampled were the lobster grits presented by Georgia Brown's. A stunning combination of black truffle, tomato, and smoked sausage masterfully complimented the corn grits. The lobster played the pivotal role in this exotic take on a humble Southern classic. I could continue regarding the food, but let's just say that the sheer selection of different cuisines, although obviously not perfectly matched given the number of participating restaurants and the utter lack of ability to serve complimenting dishes, presented like a 60 course tasting menu. Take that minibar and Komi! It should go without saying that the items provided by the auction were exciting and memorable (I ended up purchasing an item at the silent auction, and I was happy to not only increase my own enjoyment, but to know that the proceeds are going towards an exceptional cause). So why not 5 stars? A recurring issue I had at this event was dealing with a level of pretention that is absolutely unnecessary at a charity event. I mean, I get it. I wasn't dressed to the nines, and I had loosened my tie. Still, I felt with some of the participating restaurants (most of which I have already been to on a number of occasions) that my requests for simple information were quickly trivialized in an unbecoming manner. Given that I should never be made to feel uncomfortable during an expensive dinner, especially one for charity, I must withhold a star. Having said that, this is an excellent charitable event, and Food and Friends should be commended for yet another year of providing a stellar, one-of-a-kind event to the DC community.

For decades, the Lebanese are having the great festival and I am almost feeling guilty for not…read moreknowing about it, as if I missed something very important. For a half price of the restaurant cost you can experience the Lebanese delicacies and maybe try something new - like a Jallab ( It's made by diluting the syrup made of grape molasses, dates and rose water with water) The host (Lebanon men and women) were gracious and welcoming. Music over speakers was great, food and drinks even better. I felt like I had something very healthy. Vegetables and meats were savory; falafel (poor men burger) was made right there at that moment and it was extremely light, crispy with great taste. Actually, there was nothing to complain except about the size of my stomach that could not try more delicious food. I am sorry that I did not witness any dances or national costumes, or any cultural program with live music at the time I was there. If there was a program with times I would have timed it better. There was a section for the kids and parking was available at this fee free festival. I was happy to support Lebanese-American community.