Late last year, a new food hall opened less than a mile from Jackson-Reed in Friendship Heights. With exactly ten “concept” restaurants, The Heights features cuisines from all around the globe. Recently, I visited The Heights with a couple of friends and embarked on, per their tagline, an “elevated culinary experience.”
When walking into The Heights, we were immediately struck with a very Instagram-worthy setting. The hall itself is not too large, with eight different smaller food stalls lining the walls, a Tex-Mex sit-down restaurant called Urbano, and a full bar simply named The Heights Bar.
The range of cuisines is equally exciting as it is overwhelming. Trying to hit as many places as possible, my friends and I split multiple dishes, which included: a BBQ sandwich and mac n’ cheese, a spicy crunchy tuna roll, a chicken empanada, shrimp dumplings, some mini yellow lentil dosas, and a plate of pita and hummus. Safe to say, we had our work cut out for us.
Starting with the entree from Supreme BBQ, we split a three-way pulled pork sandwich with a side of mac n’ cheese, and it was simply delicious. The pulled pork was accompanied by a sweet and sour sauce that perfectly complemented the flavor, while the mac n’ cheese was the ultimate comfort food. We then hopped over to Sky Lanterns Thai, where we had the most wonderful steamed shrimp dumplings. The bite-sized dumplings were the perfect addition to the meal, emphasizing it was a must to keep exploring the menu.
Next up was a sizzling hot chicken empanada from Saoco, a Cuban eatery. While the empanada was not revolutionary, it had a strong flavor with a subtle hint of spice and was accompanied by a solid but not too special green sauce. We then moved on to the spicy crunchy tuna roll from Doki Doki Sushi. With 8 substantial rolls included, we thoroughly enjoyed the taste, topped with cucumber eel sauce, spicy mayo, and crispy rice noodles. Though we were getting thoroughly full, the battle was not yet won.
Up next we had a nice platter of hummus and a tahini lavash from Yasmine, a Mediterranean stall. Though the humus was good, it was again not revolutionary. Furthermore, it was a very heavy additive to an already heavy meal, especially because it came with a lot of hummus. In our final endeavor, we ate some free sample yellow lentil dosa with a masala potato filling from DC Dosa, and it was quite yummy if I do say so myself.
After the killer meal, we sat and digested while taking in the surroundings of the hall. Many of the tables were filled with families and friends enjoying a variety of foods, just as we were. Staring at the demolished dishes before us, we had one thought: what about dessert?
Our final stop was Mimi’s Handmade Soft Serve, where we enjoyed chocolate, vanilla, and matcha soft serves that were the perfect way to end our “elevated culinary experience.” Upon reflection, the tagline perfectly sums up the wondrous experience that is The Heights food hall and we cannot wait to return for more. Once we are hungry again, of course, which may be a while from now.
