Best Romantic Restaurants Close to Washington DC

Washington DC has many romantic restaurants, but sometimes you want a quick trip to the country. These 3 best romantic restaurants, including The Inn at Little Washington and Old Angler's Inn, are close enough for dinner but feel like a getaway.

Old Angler's Inn:

Old Angler's Inn is a scenic drive of less than an hour from Washington DC. Get an early start and you can visit Great Falls next door. The menu is mostly basic American dishes with main courses priced at about $30. Crab cakes and skate are usually excellent choices. The best seating is outdoors near the fountain, but it's cozy inside too with a real fireplace. If you love pine trees and waterfalls, don't be deterred from this best romantic restaurant by critics who say it's old fashioned. (10801 MacArthur Boulevard, Potomac, Maryland, 301.365.2425; Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner)

2941:

Unless you have a highway fetish, the drive to 2941 is not romantic, but everything else compensates for that. In less than an hour from Washington DC, you arrive at an ordinary office complex that houses an extraordinary romantic restaurant with a koi pond. The glass walls and tall ceilings provide a stunning lake view. The modern French American food is also fabulous under Chef Bertrand Chemel who previously worked with New York legend Daniel Boulud. Most main courses are about $30 to 40. The wine list features more than 5,000 choices, and won a Wine Spectator's Best of the Best award. (2941 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA; 703.270.1500; Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and weekends for dinner)

Inn at Little Washington:

This country drive takes a little over an hour from Washington DC to reach the Town of Washington full of 18th century buildings. The prices are high at this best romantic restaurant with a typical dinner for 2 costing about $500. The food is very good French and American classics, but the prices seem more related to the atmosphere and service eager to accommodate any special occasions. The outdoor seating is gorgeous and the dining rooms are lavishly decorated. The bar even serves popcorn with truffle shavings. Some people get a kick out of the cheese cart shaped like a cow that moos. This is a real inn so you can stay overnight. (Middle and Main Street, Washington, Virginia; 540.675.3800; Monday through Thursday 6 to 9, Friday and Saturday 5:30 to 9:30, and Sunday 4 to 8)

Some of the best romantic restaurants are right outside the city of Washington DC. The Inn at Little Washington, Old Angler's Inn and 2941 are excellent choices for romantic dining.