For District diners who aren’t comfortable eating inside a restaurant just yet, try a do-it-yourself meal kit from one of your favorite D.C. joints.

For a restaurant quality meal from the comfort of your own home, The Hatchet rounded up a variety of meal kits from some classic District spots. Some kits are family style and can serve a group while others pack individual servings if you’re looking to treat yourself or fuel a study session.

Some restaurants require advance notice to order a meal kit, so be sure to plan ahead.

Here are some of the D.C. restaurant scene’s make-at-home offerings to fulfill your cravings. 

Muchas Gracias

At Muchas Gracias, Chef Christian Irabien is serving up authentic Chihuahuan food, to raise funds for Tables without Borders, a nonprofit that provides refugees with chef training. Order the “Family Taco Night” kit for $49 to share with family or friends. Whether you opt for vegetarian, fish (+$8) or meat tacos you can expect all the sides (beans, rice, salsa verde, chips and salsa), and tres leche cake to close out the night. Throw in a take-out cocktail pitcher ($40) and eat happily knowing that your food is helping a philanthropic organization.

5029 Connecticut Ave. NW. Order between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. through DoorDash, Grubhub or ChowNow, or pick up in store.

Stellina Pizzeria 

Light a candle, pull out a tablecloth, pour some wine and transport yourself to the streets of Naples where chef Matteo Venini grew up. Stellina Pizzeria’s grocery shop, Stellina Bottega, is basically the choose-your-own-adventure of Italian food. Serve two for $18 with the pesto pasta kit complete with sauce, cheese and homemade noodles. Serve four for $45 with pizza dough, sauce and toppings as well as cannoli shells and fresh ricotta filling. Feed a crowd with two frozen pizzas, two frozen lasagnes, two pasta kits, a cannoli kit and a bottle of wine for $150. Cook with the restaurant’s Instagram Live tutorials, or if you prefer, put on some Frank Sinatra to set the mood while you cook.

399 Morse St. NE. Kits require two to four hours advance ordering notice. Order through its website. 

Republic Cantina 

If you can’t make it into Republic Cantina’s first-come-first-serve outdoor seating or limited indoor seating, whip up the restaurant’s sizzling fajitas in your own kitchen. Choose between either vegetable fajitas for $32 or chicken and steak fajitas for $35 to finish off in your own oven and feed yourself and a friend. Assemble with traditional fajita toppings including homemade guacamole and homemade flour tortillas. If fajitas aren’t your thing, try the EZ Bake enchilada platter that just requires a hot oven and hungry mouth. Add margs ($36) or queso ($6), and finish the night with either mesquite sopapillas ($8), tres leche cake ($7) or both. 

43 N St. NW. Available Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday. Order through Tock. 

Farmers Fishers Bakers

The Georgetown staple is whipping up both finish-at-home brunch and cocktail kits. For $50, choose a sweet bread like cinnamon rolls or skillet cornbread, salad or fruit, banana bread pudding or buttermilk pancake mix (+$7). Choose from dips like cauliflower hummus or crab and artichoke, eggs in quiche or breakfast burrito form, pasta, something from the carving board and dessert that bakes while you feast. The kit is marketed as “Brunch for Two,” but you can purchase add-ons for an additional price to feed a few more mouths. Try the shareable seven-cheese macaroni ($5), mashed potatoes ($4) or roasted veggies ($4). Explore your baking skills with the buttermilk biscuit mix or indulge in the ice cream sundae kit, complete with warm fudge and waffle cones. Enjoy brunch with a $35 mimosa kit that includes brut (champagne) and your choice of orange or grapefruit juice, or start happy hour early with the $45 spruce spritz complete with brut, spruce mixer with gin, spruce and lemonade. 

3000 K St. NW. Preorder for Saturday brunch on Thursday and Sunday brunch on Friday. Order through its website. 

Uzu

Through Uzu’s specialty pantry ingredients and full ramen kits, your ramen craving can easily be satisfied from the comfort of your pajamas and couch. Make Japanese street food-inspired savory pancakes with the $43 okonomiyaki kit that includes a full bottle of Kewpie mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce, spices and tempura crisps. If dining solo, the $11 veggie or shoyu ramen kits hit the spot, only requiring your own bowl. Add ramen broth ($6), frozen udon noodles ($2.50) and kimchi ($7) to your pantry for ramen on demand. 

Located in Union Market. Place orders on its website. 

Sushi Taro 

For a steep $230, Sushi Taro’s wagyu sukiyaki set is perfect for an at-home date night. The set includes a butane stove, iron plate and spoons that need to be returned following your cook-off and sukiyaki for two that only requires raw eggs and bowls from your own kitchen. Sushi Taro provides sukiyaki sauce, udon noodles, beef, cabbage, tofu, shitake and other ingredients that would probably chalk up to a similar price at the grocery store. 

1503 17 St. NW. Order two days in advance. Order by emailing sushitaroTOGO@gmail.com.

This article appeared in the April 26, 2021 issue of the Hatchet.