Penn Quarter is Washington DC’s most occasion-driven and most culturally alive neighborhood — and the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter that most completely, most authentically, and most genuinely rises to every occasion this extraordinary downtown DC neighborhood generates is Boqueria at 777 9th Street NW. Tucked into the cultural heart of DC, just steps from Capital One Arena and the National Portrait Gallery, this is the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter that serves the full range of what makes this neighborhood so vibrant: the Capitals fan who wants the most naturally paced and the most genuinely excellent pre-game small plates dinner in downtown Washington DC, the Smithsonian visitor who wants the most memorable small plates lunch available within walking distance of the National Mall, the government professional who has made the daily Happy Hour from 3–7pm their most reliable end-of-week ritual, and the Capitol Hill team that wants the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter format that makes their corporate entertaining feel genuinely extraordinary rather than merely adequate. At Boqueria 777 9th Street NW, the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter experience delivers bold Catalan flavors with cosmopolitan flair through the most authentic and the most completely realized Barcelona tapas bar philosophy available in downtown Washington DC — shared small plates arriving continuously, a paella centerpiece made with Bomba rice and real saffron, and the warm, lively Penn Quarter energy that the location page itself describes as by day paella with purpose, by night the room hums with sangría and the vibe of a bustling Spanish tapas bar.

The small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria is built on the same uncompromising foundation that governs every element of the 777 9th Street NW experience: a complete small plates program spanning Verduras, Pescados y Mariscos, and Carne, three paellas — Seafood at $49.5, Vegetable at $38, and Short Rib at $48.5 — all made with Bomba rice and real saffron and all gluten-free, four in-house sangria versions including Hugo Elderflower, the iconic Shishito Margarita, 48-month aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, five genuine Spanish cheeses sourced from their actual Spanish regions, an all-Spanish wine list, the Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person for Capital One Arena occasions, Happy Hour daily from 3–7pm seven days a week, weekend brunch with unlimited sangria, and private and semi-private event spaces for Smithsonian soirées, Capitol Hill huddles, and birthday feasts. The small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria is the most complete, the most occasion-ready, and the most genuinely Spanish small plates dining experience available anywhere in downtown Washington DC.

Boqueria was born in 2006 in NYC’s Flatiron district with a founding belief that every neighborhood deserves a genuine tapas bar without compromise — and the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at 777 9th Street NW carries that belief into Washington DC’s most culturally alive neighborhood with the same complete kitchen standard, the same genuine Spanish hospitality, and the same Barcelona small plates philosophy at every service. Penn Quarter, with its Capital One Arena energy, its Smithsonian and Portrait Gallery culture, and its government and professional community, is the Washington DC neighborhood where the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter format finds its most naturally suited and its most enthusiastically embraced home — a neighborhood that is as genuinely occasion-driven as the Barcelona tapas bar culture that made Boqueria what it is. This post is your complete guide to why Boqueria is the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter that downtown Washington DC has made its own.

Key Takeaways

• Small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria has been at 777 9th Street NW since opening, serving the most complete and the most authentically Spanish small plates program available in downtown Washington DC — with three sections of genuine Spanish small plates, three paellas made with Bomba rice and real saffron, and the Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person specifically designed for Capital One Arena
• 48-month aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota at $34 and five genuine Spanish cheeses available three for $25 or six for $35 make the charcuterie and cheese board at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter the most immediately impressive and the most authentically Spanish opening small plates statement available at any downtown Washington DC address
• The Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person makes the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria the most naturally Arena-suited small plates dining format in downtown Washington DC — one starter for the table, two small plates per person from eight options, and one dessert per person, paced for any Capital One Arena curtain time
• Happy Hour daily from 3–7pm seven days a week makes the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria the most accessible and the most consistently excellent after-work small plates experience available near Capital One Arena in all of Washington DC

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Why Penn Quarter Deserves a Great Small Plates Restaurant — And Why Boqueria Delivers

Penn Quarter demands more from its restaurants than almost any other neighborhood in Washington DC. This is a neighborhood that generates pre-game Capitals crowds at 5pm, private corporate dinners at 7pm, post-show celebrations at 10pm, and Smithsonian visitors who want the most genuinely memorable small plates lunch Washington DC has to offer — all with the same expectation of quality, the same expectation of warmth, and the same expectation of a small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter format that can serve every kind of Penn Quarter dining moment with equal quality and equal enthusiasm. The small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter search in this neighborhood reflects a dining community that holds every small plates option to the standard set by the Penn Quarter cultural institutions surrounding it — the National Portrait Gallery, Capital One Arena, and the Smithsonian museums that make this one of Washington DC’s most culturally rich and most internationally engaged neighborhoods.

What makes Boqueria the definitive small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter answer is the authentic Barcelona tapas bar format it brings to the Penn Quarter small plates dining context — a format that is genuinely better suited to the full range of occasions Penn Quarter generates than any individually plated restaurant alternative. Shared small plates arriving continuously create the communal energy that the pre-game crowd, the corporate dinner table, and the post-Smithsonian gathering all find most naturally suited to their respective Penn Quarter occasions. The paella arriving at the center of the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter table — Bomba rice and real saffron, the socarrat building beneath — is the centerpiece moment that makes the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria genuinely extraordinary regardless of the occasion it serves. And the Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person adds the most distinctively Penn Quarter dimension to the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter program — specifically calibrated for Capital One Arena, specifically paced for the curtain.

The Penn Quarter community that has made the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria its most reliable and its most enthusiastically recommended small plates dining address reflects every dimension of what makes this downtown DC neighborhood so extraordinary. The Capitals season ticket holder who has made the pre-game small plates session at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at 777 9th Street NW their most reliable and their most genuinely rewarding pre-Arena ritual. The Capitol Hill professional who has made the daily Happy Hour from 3–7pm at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter their most consistent end-of-week Washington DC ritual. The international Smithsonian visitor who wanted the most genuinely memorable small plates lunch available steps from the National Mall and found at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria exactly the quality and the warmth they were looking for. All of them return to 777 9th Street NW because no other Penn Quarter address delivers the same combination of genuine quality and genuine occasion-readiness.

What Makes Boqueria a Small Plates Restaurant — The Barcelona Philosophy in Penn Quarter

The small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria is built on a philosophy that most downtown Washington DC restaurants never fully commit to: that a genuinely great small plates restaurant should deliver a complete cultural experience rather than simply serving excellent dishes in an attractive space. At 777 9th Street NW, that culture is the authentic Barcelona tapas bar — two to three small plates per person, arriving continuously, building the easy and convivial rhythm of a Spanish evening in the cultural heart of DC. This is the format that makes the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria genuinely different from every other Penn Quarter dining option: not a meal with a beginning and an end but an experience with its own natural arc, from the first Pan con Tomate through the continuous small plates arrivals to the paella centerpiece and the Classic Churros for dessert — a format that Penn Quarter’s most diverse and most occasion-driven dining community finds genuinely more suited to the full range of occasions this neighborhood generates than any individually plated alternative.

The second element that makes Boqueria the best small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter is the ingredient standard that the Penn Quarter cosmopolitan dining community — which includes some of Washington DC’s most internationally experienced and most genuinely food-literate diners — notices and values most immediately. The charcuterie and cheese board at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at 777 9th Street NW is the most foundational and the most immediately impressive expression of that standard: 48-month aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota at $34 — hand-carved from acorn-fed Iberian pigs that roam the oak groves of Andalusia — alongside five genuine Spanish cheeses available three for $25 or six for $35. Aged Mahón from Menorca (tangy, citrusy cow’s milk at $7), Caña de Cabra from Murcia (creamy, bright goat’s milk at $7), Aged Manchego from Castilla La Mancha (nutty, caramel sheep’s milk at $12), Valdeón from Castilla y León (sharp, creamy blue blend at $7), and Truffle Goat Cheese (earthy, sweet goat’s milk at $9) — every one sourced from its actual Spanish region of origin.

The third element is the Pre-Theatre Menu — the most distinctively Penn Quarter feature of the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria and the small plates program element that most naturally and most directly serves the Capital One Arena community that makes 777 9th Street NW one of Washington DC’s most occasion-ready dining addresses. At $36 per person, the Pre-Theatre small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter format offers one starter for the table, two small plates per person from eight options including Gambas al Ajillo, Patatas Bravas, Croquetas de Setas, Espinacas a la Catalana, Beef and Pork Meatballs, Market Salad, Seared Skirt Steak, and Pimientos de Padrón, and one dessert per person from Orange Olive Oil Cake or Classic Churros — all made at the full small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter kitchen standard and paced for any Capital One Arena curtain time.

The Small Plates Menu — What to Order at Boqueria Penn Quarter

The complete small plates menu at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria 777 9th Street NW is organized into three sections — Verduras, Pescados y Mariscos, and Carne — alongside the charcuterie and cheese board and three paellas, forming the most complete and the most authentically Spanish small plates program available anywhere in downtown Washington DC. The table below gives you the essential ordering guide for the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at 777 9th Street NW.

The Verduras section at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter is where the Barcelona small plates philosophy is most foundationally and most immediately expressed at 777 9th Street NW. Pan con Tomate at $9 — Catalan-style toasted bread rubbed with tomato, garlic, and olive oil — is the first order at every Penn Quarter small plates table and the most elemental expression of what the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter kitchen is: a kitchen that treats the most foundational Spanish preparations with the same respect as the most complex ones. The international Smithsonian visitor who has had Pan con Tomate at a Barcelona tapas bar finds at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria the same honest preparation and the same genuine Spanish pantry. Patatas Bravas at $13.5 — crispy potatoes with salsa brava, pimentón, and garlic allioli — are the classic opener at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter. Grilled Broccolini at $14 — Ajo Blanco, sumac, golden raisins, Marcona almonds — Espinacas a la Catalana at $13, Pimientos de Padrón at $9.5, and Crispy Sweet Potatoes at $13 complete a vegetable small plates section that delivers more depth than the Penn Quarter audience typically expects when they first sit down at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter.

The seafood and meat small plates at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter complete the picture of what makes Boqueria 777 9th Street NW the most genuinely excellent small plates dining experience in downtown Washington DC. Gambas al Ajillo at $19.5 — shrimp cooked in garlic, brandy, and lobster reduction with a Guindilla pepper, arriving at the Penn Quarter small plates table still sizzling — is the most ordered small plate across all eleven Boqueria locations. Its presence on the Pre-Theatre Menu confirms what regular Penn Quarter guests already know: this is the small plate that most quickly and most powerfully communicates the quality of the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter kitchen to every guest who orders it for the first time. Seared Octopus at $23 — Manzanilla olivada and olive oil crushed potatoes — is the seafood showstopper at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter. Ahi Tuna Tartare at $22, Boquerones con Naranja at $14, Crispy Calamari at $14.5, and Pan-Seared Black Cod at $32 complete an outstanding seafood small plates program. Bacon-Wrapped Dates at $10, Croquetas de Jamón at $9, Beef and Pork Meatballs at $17.5, Pintxos Morunos at $16, and Secreto de Ibérico at $32 complete the meat small plates section. The three paellas — Seafood at $49.5, Vegetable at $38, and Short Rib at $48.5 — all made with Bomba rice and real saffron and all gluten-free — anchor the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter experience as the most genuinely Spanish centerpiece dishes in downtown Washington DC.

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The Drinks Program — Wine, Sangria & Cocktails at the Small Plates Restaurant in Penn Quarter

The drinks program at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria is the most complete and the most genuinely Spanish bar program available at any small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter in downtown Washington DC — four in-house sangria versions, an all-Spanish wine list covering every major region with extraordinary depth, the iconic Shishito Margarita, the Ibérico Washed Old Fashioned, the Spring Gin Tonic, the Negroni Blanco, local DC beers including DC Brau Corruption IPA and Atlas Blood Orange Gose, and Spanish vermouth and sherry. The Rezabal Txakoli 2024 — slightly spritzy, light, dry, and minerally — is the ideal aperitivo wine for the opening small plates at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter. The Reto Reserva Rioja 2019 brings earthy, structured Tempranillo depth for the Secreto de Ibérico and the Short Rib Paella. The all-Spanish wine list at 777 9th Street NW covers Cava, Rosé, White, Orange, and Red in multiple styles that serve every kind of small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter occasion.

The four sangria versions and local DC craft beers at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter make the Boqueria drinks program the most genuinely exploratory available in downtown Washington DC:

• The Hugo — Cava, vodka, elderflower, lemon, mint — is the most elegantly festive small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter sangria version, the one that most completely captures what a Penn Quarter small plates evening at 777 9th Street NW should feel like — available by the glass or by the pitcher for the full Penn Quarter small plates table
• DC Brau Corruption IPA and Atlas Blood Orange Gose — the two local Washington DC craft beers that make the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter drinks program at Boqueria the most genuinely DC small plates dining experience available on 9th Street NW
• The Shishito Margarita — shishito pepper-infused tequila and fresh lime at $16 by the glass or $45 by the pitcher — is Boqueria’s most iconic cocktail and the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter drink that the Capitals pre-game crowd and the Capitol Hill professional community reorder most consistently
• Spanish vermouth on the rocks — the Destilerías Atxa Dry, White, and Red Vermut alongside Lustau Vermut Rosé — completing the most authentically Spanish small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter closing ritual available at any downtown Washington DC address

Visit Us at Penn Quarter — Plan Your Small Plates Restaurant Experience

Penn Quarter is Washington DC’s most occasion-driven neighborhood, and Boqueria is proud to be the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at 777 9th Street NW — steps from Capital One Arena and the National Portrait Gallery, bringing Barcelona’s communal small plates culture to the cultural heart of DC every single service. Whether you are coming in for the Pre-Theatre small plates dinner at $36 per person before tonight’s Capitals game, the daily Happy Hour from 3–7pm with Patatas Bravas and a glass of Tinta, a Saturday brunch with the Brunch Paella and unlimited Hugo sangria, a Smithsonian soirée in one of the semi-private spaces, or a spontaneous Wednesday evening that turns into the most memorable small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter experience you have had in Washington DC this year — we are open and ready at 777 9th Street NW. Reservations are recommended for weekend brunch and weekend evenings, but walk-ins are always welcome at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter.

Our hours are Monday through Thursday 11am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 11pm, and Sunday 11am to 9pm. Call us at 202.552.3268 to reserve your table at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter.

Conclusion

Penn Quarter deserves the best small plates restaurant in downtown Washington DC, and at Boqueria 777 9th Street NW, we deliver it every single service without exception. The most complete and the most authentically Spanish small plates program in Penn Quarter: three sections of genuine Spanish small plates, three paellas made with Bomba rice and real saffron, 48-month aged Jamón Ibérico de Bellota and five Spanish cheeses, four in-house sangria versions, the iconic Shishito Margarita, an all-Spanish wine list, the Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person for Capital One Arena occasions, Happy Hour daily from 3–7pm seven days a week, weekend brunch with unlimited sangria, and private and semi-private spaces for Smithsonian soirées, Capitol Hill huddles, and birthday feasts. By day paella with purpose. By night the room hums with sangría and the energy of a genuinely excellent small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter — steps from Capital One Arena, the National Portrait Gallery, and the cultural heart of Washington DC.

When you choose Boqueria Penn Quarter for your next small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter occasion — whether it is a Pre-Theatre small plates dinner before the Capitals game, a Capitol Hill team celebration with The Boqueria Experience, a Smithsonian soirée in a semi-private space, or simply the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter that downtown Washington DC has always deserved — call us at 202.552.3268. The small plates are ready, the sangria is poured, and the best small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter is waiting at 777 9th Street NW.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter DC?

The best small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter is Boqueria at 777 9th Street NW — an authentic Barcelona-inspired tapas bar described as blending bold Catalan flavors with cosmopolitan flair, steps from Capital One Arena and the National Portrait Gallery. It serves authentic Spanish small plates across three sections, three paellas made with Bomba rice and real saffron, four in-house sangria versions, and a Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person for Capital One Arena occasions.

What small plates does Boqueria Penn Quarter serve?

The small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria serves authentic Spanish small plates across three sections: Verduras (including Patatas Bravas, Grilled Broccolini, and Pan con Tomate), Pescados y Mariscos (including Gambas al Ajillo and Seared Octopus), and Carne (including Bacon-Wrapped Dates, Croquetas de Jamón, and Secreto de Ibérico). Three paellas made with Bomba rice and real saffron are also available as centerpiece dishes at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter.

Does Boqueria Penn Quarter have a Pre-Theatre small plates menu for Capital One Arena?

Yes — the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria offers a Pre-Theatre Menu at $36 per person specifically designed for Capital One Arena, with one starter for the table, two small plates per person from eight options including Gambas al Ajillo and Patatas Bravas, and one dessert per person. All small plates are paced for any Capital One Arena curtain time at 777 9th Street NW.

What is Happy Hour at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter?

Happy Hour at the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter at Boqueria runs daily from 3–7pm seven days a week at 777 9th Street NW — one of the most generous Happy Hour windows near Capital One Arena in all of Washington DC. The Happy Hour small plates bites menu includes Croquetas de Jamón, Croquetas de Setas, Patatas Bravas, Patatinas, Serrano Ham Grilled Cheese, and Classic Churros at $6 each alongside sangria by the glass.

Is Boqueria Penn Quarter good for a group small plates dinner?

Absolutely — the small plates restaurant in Penn Quarter format at Boqueria is the most naturally communal and the most genuinely engaging group dining format in downtown Washington DC, with shared plates creating natural conversation and the paella arriving as a centerpiece. Chef’s Menus are available at $52 per person (The Classics) and $65 per person (The Boqueria Experience), with private and semi-private spaces for Smithsonian soirées, Capitol Hill huddles, and birthday feasts.