Washington is a city of people from somewhere else. Come late November, half of Dupont is packing a carry-on for Ohio, Texas or Seoul, and the other half is staying put. Before everybody scatters, there is one dinner worth getting right. If you are hunting for Thanksgiving dishes Dupont Circle friends can share before the airport rush, Boqueria at 1837 M Street sets that table in Spanish: paella where the turkey would sit, crispy potatoes for the mash, dates wrapped in bacon for the cranberry, and churros standing in for pie.
Think of it as the holiday spread, translated. Every role on a Thanksgiving table has a counterpart on our Dupont menu, and every plate lands in the middle for passing. Nobody carves, and nobody borrows folding chairs from a roommate.
Below: a dish-by-dish translation, orders for two up to an office crew, a Friendsgiving countdown, and honest notes on Thanksgiving Day itself.
Key Takeaways
- Boqueria Dupont Circle is at 1837 M Street NW, a short walk from the Dupont Circle Metro and the park’s fountain.
- Each classic holiday role maps to a real dish here: paella or Roasted Chicken as the centerpiece, Patatas Bravas for the potatoes, Bacon-Wrapped Dates for the sweet-savory bite, Crema Catalana or churros for dessert.
- For a table that wants the decisions made, the Chef’s Menu comes as “The Classics” (with a paella) or “The Boqueria Experience” (with hand-carved Jamón Ibérico de Bellota).
- The best window is the weeks around the holiday: a Friendsgiving the weekend before, a team dinner during the short week, or a catch-up with visiting relatives after.
- Holiday hours aren’t posted yet, so check the location page or call before planning around Thanksgiving Day itself.
1. Why a Spanish Table Works for Friendsgiving in DC
Friendsgiving has become a proper Washington tradition, and it makes sense here more than most places. Interns, Hill staffers, embassy staff and grad students arrive from all over, build a circle of friends, and then spend the actual holiday on planes and highways. The dinner with the people you see every week often lands on a Saturday in mid-November instead.
Spanish dining happens to fit that gathering beautifully. In Barcelona, a good meal with friends is a parade of small plates that land one after another in the center of the table. You reach, you pass, you argue about which croqueta was better. That is basically what a Thanksgiving table already is, minus the three days of cooking.
Then there is logistics. A Dupont rowhouse apartment has one oven and a tiny counter. On M Street the kitchen handles timing, and the only negotiation left is who gets the last bite of socarrat.
2. Thanksgiving Dishes Dupont Circle Guests Can Translate Into Spanish
Here is the heart of it. Every familiar role on the holiday table, matched with a plate on the Dupont dinner menu, with a plain-English note on what you are getting.
| Holiday role | At Boqueria Dupont Circle | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| The centerpiece | Short Rib Paella, Seafood Paella or Vegetable Paella | Saffron bomba rice cooked in a wide pan, with a crunchy caramelized layer on the bottom |
| The other centerpiece | Roasted Chicken (half or whole) or Secreto de Ibérico | Chicken with lemon, herbs and salsa verde; or a richly marbled Ibérico pork cut with sherry-honey reduction |
| Mashed potatoes | Patatas Bravas or Tortilla Española | Crispy potatoes with spicy brava sauce and garlic allioli; or a thick potato-and-onion omelet |
| Sweet potato casserole | Crispy Sweet Potatoes | Crisp sweet potatoes with “mojo verde” herb sauce and spicy yogurt |
| Green bean and veg sides | Grilled Broccolini, Espinacas a la Catalana, Escalivada | Broccolini with almond “ajo blanco”; spinach with chickpeas, pine nuts and golden raisins; fire-roasted eggplant, pepper and onion |
| The salad nobody skips | Fennel and Apple Salad or Market Salad | Fennel, apple, Mahón cheese and walnuts; or spring lettuces with sherry-lime vinaigrette |
| Stuffing and dinner rolls | Pan con Tomate, Croquetas de Jamón, Croquetas de Setas | Toast rubbed with tomato and garlic; creamy ham croquettes with quince purée; mushroom croquettes with truffle allioli |
| The cranberry moment | Bacon-Wrapped Dates, PX Chicken Wings | Dates stuffed with almonds and Valdeón blue cheese; wings with a sweet-sour Pedro Ximénez sherry reduction |
| Cheese and nibbles | Aged Manchego, Aged Mahón, Caña de Cabra, Jamón Serrano | Spanish sheep, cow and goat cheeses plus cured ham |
| The pie | Crema Catalana, Basque Chocolate Cheesecake, Orange Olive Oil Cake, Classic Churros | Custard with burnt sugar; chocolate cheesecake; citrusy cake; fried dough with a dipping sauce |
About that centerpiece. Boqueria doesn’t serve turkey, and honestly, a paella earns the spot. Paella is a rice dish built on saffron and short-grain bomba rice, cooked in a wide, shallow pan. The prize is the socarrat, the toasty, crackly crust that forms on the bottom where the rice meets the heat. At a Thanksgiving table, the socarrat is what the crispy turkey skin is at home: the bit everyone hovers over. If your group leans autumnal, the Short Rib Paella is the pick. Braised short rib, Turkish figs, Piparra peppers and roasted bone marrow give it a deep, sweet, almost holiday-roast richness.
For a bird on the table, the Roasted Chicken comes as a half or a whole with lemon, herbs and salsa verde. Order the whole one for six people and you get the carving moment without the carving.
The cranberry trick. What makes Thanksgiving taste like Thanksgiving is that little hit of sweet against salt. Our version comes in three forms: the quince purée alongside the Croquetas de Jamón, the sticky PX reduction on the chicken wings, and the Bacon-Wrapped Dates, which might be the single most Thanksgiving-feeling bite on the menu.
Several dishes are marked gluten-free on the menu, including the paellas and Patatas Bravas, so mention dietary needs to your server when you sit down. If you’d like to try paella at home before the big dinner, our older holiday paella de mariscos recipe walks through a seafood version.
3. Ordering for Your Crew: From Two Friends to the Whole Office
The menu suggests two to three tapas per person, plus a paella for the table if you want a proper centerpiece. Here is how that plays out for the kinds of groups that fill our dining room in November.
| Your group | Start with | Centerpiece | Sides | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two roommates who aren’t flying home | Pan con Tomate, Bacon-Wrapped Dates | Half Roasted Chicken | Patatas Bravas, Grilled Broccolini | Crema Catalana |
| Four friends, early Friendsgiving | Aged Manchego, Jamón Serrano, Croquetas de Jamón | Short Rib Paella | Crispy Sweet Potatoes, Espinacas a la Catalana | Classic Churros to share |
| Six coworkers, short-week dinner | Pan con Tomate, Croquetas de Setas, PX Chicken Wings | The Classics Chef’s Menu | Chosen by the kitchen | Included in the menu |
| Eight or more, the whole Friendsgiving | Cheese and charcuterie board, Bacon-Wrapped Dates | The Boqueria Experience | Chosen by the kitchen | Basque Chocolate Cheesecake and Orange Olive Oil Cake |
| Parents in town after the holiday | Fennel and Apple Salad, Gambas al Ajillo | Seafood Paella | Tortilla Española, Escalivada | Crema Catalana with a glass of sherry |
The Chef’s Menu is the easy button. For a big table where nobody wants to be the person ordering for eight, the Chef’s Menu takes the job off your hands. “The Classics” is a customized assortment of guest favorites with one of our paellas. “The Boqueria Experience” goes further with seasonal dishes, paella and a taste of hand-carved Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, Spain’s prized acorn-fed ham. Either one turns dinner into a steady flow of plates, which is exactly the rhythm of a holiday meal.
Raising a glass. For the toast, a pitcher of house sangrÃa (red, white or rosé) is the crowd-pleaser. A bottle of cava, Spain’s sparkling wine, brings the celebratory pop. Sherry lovers can finish with an Amontillado, Oloroso or a dark, raisiny Pedro Ximénez alongside dessert. And for a nod to cranberry sauce in a glass, the Lychee Cosmo on the cocktail list includes cranberry. Zero-proof friends have options too, like the Forget-Me-Not.
Looking for more on bringing a crowd? Our earlier guide to group dining in Dupont covers tables for every kind of occasion.
4. A Very Dupont Thanksgiving Week: The Circle, Embassy Row and M Street
What makes a Friendsgiving here feel different from one in any other city is the neighborhood around it. Dupont is walkable, a little grand and very much lived in, and a dinner on M Street slots right into a slow late-autumn day.
Start at the circle. The park at the center of the neighborhood, with its fountain and its rings of benches, is managed by the National Park Service. On a crisp November afternoon, it is where chess players, dog walkers and people on their phones booking flights all share the same sunshine. Meet your friends there, take the group photo, then walk down to M Street.
Shop the Sunday market, then let someone else cook. The FRESHFARM Dupont Circle market runs on Sunday mornings. Pick up apples for the family trip, then turn the errand into an occasion with a late lunch on M Street.
Embassy Row neighbors. At lunch, K Street dealmakers rub shoulders with Embassy Row diplomats here. Your table might include a colleague celebrating a first American Thanksgiving, and a Spanish menu is neutral ground where everybody tries something new.
The flight-home dinner. For transplants heading out midweek, a Monday dinner during holiday week makes a fine send-off. Toast the people you’ll be texting from the gate.
5. Your Friendsgiving Countdown
Holiday weekends in DC fill quickly, so a little planning goes a long way. Here is a simple timeline for a Friendsgiving at Boqueria Dupont Circle.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Late October | Pick a date in the weeks before or after Thanksgiving and get a rough headcount in the group chat |
| Early November | Reserve a table, or contact the events team for a large group or private event |
| Two weeks out | Decide between ordering à la carte or a Chef’s Menu, and collect dietary notes from guests |
| The week of | Confirm the final headcount; consider a gift card as a thank-you for whoever organized it |
| The night of | Arrive a little early for a sangrÃa at the bar, then let the plates start coming |
| Thanksgiving Day itself | Holiday hours aren’t posted yet, so check the location page or call before making plans |
Going bigger. For an office Friendsgiving or a full private party, our DC events team works with a personal event planner on cheese and meat boards, croquetas and canapés, seasonal specials, and sangrÃas and cocktails. Catering is available throughout the DC area too, which is handy if the celebration is happening at the office.
Bringing dishes home. If your Friendsgiving is a potluck in someone’s apartment, you can still put Boqueria on the table. Use the Order Online button on the location page to pick up tapas to-go, and arrive with the Patatas Bravas while someone else handles the pie.
6. Visit Us in Dupont
Boqueria Dupont Circle sits where local charm meets downtown buzz, at 1837 M Street NW, a few steps from the Dupont Circle Metro. Regulars gather around the expansive bar and the patio for happy hour and weekend brunch, and in the evening the dining room fills with friends sharing paella, tapas, Spanish wine and sangrÃa.
Getting here: Take the Red Line to Dupont Circle, or walk up from a K Street office after work.
Booking: Reserve a table online, or call the restaurant. For larger parties, book early in November.
Before you go: Menus and hours live on the Boqueria Dupont Circle location page, along with directions and the to-go link.
Conclusion
A Thanksgiving table doesn’t need a turkey to feel like one. It needs a centerpiece worth gathering around, potatoes, something green, a sweet-salty bite, a cheese board, a dessert people fight over, and a glass raised to the people around you. At Boqueria Dupont Circle, that translates into paella with a golden crust of socarrat, Patatas Bravas, Grilled Broccolini, Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Manchego and Jamón Serrano, Crema Catalana, and a pitcher of sangrÃa.
Gather the friends who became family after you moved to DC. Book your table for the weeks around the holiday, and check the Dupont Circle location page for menus and the latest details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Boqueria Dupont Circle open on Thanksgiving Day?
Holiday hours aren’t posted yet. Before planning anything around Thanksgiving Day itself, check the Dupont Circle location page or call the restaurant. The weeks around the holiday are a great time for a Friendsgiving or a dinner with visiting family.
Does Boqueria serve turkey?
No, turkey isn’t on the menu. For a centerpiece, most tables go with a paella, such as the Short Rib, Seafood or Vegetable, or the Roasted Chicken, served as a half or a whole bird with lemon, herbs and salsa verde.
What should a group of six order for Friendsgiving?
For six, the Chef’s Menu is the simplest route. “The Classics” includes a selection of guest favorites and a paella, while “The Boqueria Experience” adds seasonal dishes and hand-carved Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. For parties of 6 or more, a taxed 20% service charge will be added.
Are there gluten-free dishes for a holiday dinner?
Yes. Several dishes are marked gluten-free on the menu, including the paellas, Patatas Bravas, Crispy Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Broccolini and the Roasted Chicken. Tell your server about any allergies before ordering.
Can I order Boqueria dishes to-go for a Friendsgiving potluck?
Yes. Use the Order Online button on the Dupont Circle location page to place a to-go order and pick up tapas for your gathering. It is an easy way to bring a crowd-pleasing side without cooking.
Can Boqueria host a private office Friendsgiving in DC?
Yes. The DC events team can help plan a private event with a personal event planner, covering boards, croquetas, canapés, seasonal specials and drinks. Catering is also available throughout the DC area.