The Best Restaurants in Northern Virginia for Thanksgiving Dinner

Chef and Owner Howard Foer invites you to the Manor House at Poplar Springs Inn for a delicious, traditional three-course a la carte dinner this Thanksgiving. Dine in comfort and luxury in this beautiful restaurant with its huge but cozy fireplaces and immense stone walls, overlooking the beautiful grounds.

1:00 PM to 6:00 PM
$65.00 for adults
$25.00 for children

Reservations: (540) 788-4600
Toll Free: (800) 490-7747
Fax: (540) 788-1273
innspa@poplarspringsinn.com
www.poplarspringsinn.com

Gadsby's Tavern
134 N. Royal Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

For an authentic 18th century experience, make reservations at Gadsby's Tavern this Thanksgiving. Choose from tons of food, from traditional fare to seafood and homemade bread and an extensive dessert menu, while dining under colonial gas lights in the same building where George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and the Marquis de Lafayette once ate. The servers even wear colonial period costumes!

Seatings at 12:00, 2:30, 5:00, and 7:30
$47.00 for adults
$23.50 for children 12 and under

Reservations: (703) 838-4242
gadsbys.tavern@alexandriava.gov
www.GadsbysTavern.org

2941 Restaurant
2941 Fairview Park Drive
Falls Church, VA 22042

This elegant restaurant in Falls Church offers a lake view to everyone who's lucky enough to have made reservations for their sumptuous Thanksgiving buffet. Enjoy traditional fare like turkey, ham and stuffing, as well as seafood, pasta, and even pizza and chicken fingers for the kids. A huge dessert menu accompanies the equally vast main buffet. If you want to treat your family to the very best this Thanksgiving, you can't go wrong with 2941. They've won numerous awards from the Washingtonian magazine, the Zagat Survey, and Wine Spectator magazine.

12:00 PM to 8:00 PM
$75.00 for adults, includes a glass of sparkling wine
$25.00 for children 12 and under
Kids under 5 free

Reservations: (703) 270-1500
Fax: (703) 270-1501
2941info@2941.com

Graves Mountain Lodge
Rt. 670
Syria, VA 22743

I saved this for last because it's my personal favorite, and it's where I'm having my dysfunctional family dinner this year. It saved us last year -- the warmth and coziness tempered everyone's nerves, and we actually stuck around after dinner to have some hot cider downstairs in front of the fire! It's farther out from DC than the other restaurants I've mentioned, but it's totally worth the drive and you can't beat the surroundings -- the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The buffet serves mainly traditional fare, like turkey, yams and stuffing, but there are extras here and there, like fresh oysters. Seating is "family style," meaning you're sitting at a long table with other people. It's a great argument deterrent - my family is much less likely to raise hell if there are other people around. The main banquet room is upstairs, so make sure any elderly guests in your party will be able to climb the stairs. After dinner, guests gather around one of the huge stone fireplaces downstairs to relax, digest and sip hot cider made from apples grown right there on the farm.

Seatings at 11:30, 2:00 and 5:30
$39.00 for adults
$19.50 for children 10 and under

Reservations: (540) 923-4231
Fax: (540) 923-4312
info@gravesmountain.com
www.gravesmountain.com