Hanukkah. Chanukah. No matter how you spell it, the Festival of Lights is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight nights with evening menorah-lighting, games of dreidel and eating foods fried in oil—especially latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts). The food preparation symbolizes the miracle of an oil lamp burning for eight days when its oil supply should have run out after only one day. This year, Hanukkah is Dec. 7-15. So, nu? Where are you going to get your holiday goodies? Here are a few options.
Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken
All of Astro’s locations—Shirlington, Falls Church and D.C.—are offering special Hanukkah doughnuts throughout the month of December. The Hanukkah Mini Box ($35) includes three Hanukkah cookie doughnuts, four jelly-filled, two creme brulee and three vanilla-glazed. All orders require 24 hours’ notice and can be placed online. // 4001 Campbell Ave., Arlington (Shirlington) and 7511 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church
Baked by Yael
Give the gift of sweets this Hanukkah with a treat from the nut-free, kosher bakery of Yael Krigman, a lawyer-turned-baker who specializes in bagels, black-and-white cookies, cake pops, rugelach and more. For the holiday, she’s offering her signature cake pops in birthday, red velvet and chocolate flavors with Hanukkah-themed decorations ($3.50 each, or get a gift box for $47.95) and a menorah-decorated jumbo pop in birthday or chocolate flavors that can be vegan or gluten-free ($6.95 each; $5.95 each for orders of a dozen or more). Note that the bakery will be open on Christmas Day for any bagel or sugar fixes. // 3000 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
Brooklyn Bagel Bakery
Get latkes and homemade noodle kugel from this 23-year-old bagel establishment. Order two days ahead through the online catering menu, and get 20 latkes for $70 and Grandma Iris’ Sweet Noodle Kugel ($48), made with sweet noodles, raisins and cream cheese. // 2055 Wilson Blvd., Arlington (Courthouse)
Call Your Mother
Good news: The beacon of bagels also serves latkes. Get three with apple jam and sour cream for $7.50, or, heck, put them on a bagel. The Mountain View sandwich comes with an egg, latke, American and cheddar cheeses, and mashed avocado on a plain bagel ($10), while the Valencia del Sol has a latke, caramelized onions, cheddar cheese and chimichurri on a cheddar bagel ($8). Place an order and then call your mother. Note that these are available only at D.C. and Maryland locations, not in McLean.
Celebrity Delly
Get all your Jewish food fixes in one fell swoop at this family-owned Falls Church deli. Feast on brisket ($26 per pound) or stuffed cabbage ($10) made with ground beef and marinara sauce. Don’t forget the star of the Hanukkah table: latkes, served with applesauce and sour cream for $3.75 per pancake. Dessert is rugelach ($3 for three pieces). // 7263A Arlington Blvd., Falls Church
Chutzpah Deli
This self-described real New York deli has potato latkes ($8) on the menu year-round. Pair them with a steaming bowl of matzoh ball soup ($8.50) or stuffed cabbage ($7), or get them open-faced with pastrami or corned beef and melted Swiss cheese, pulled barbecue chicken with melted cheddar, or brisket and gravy ($24). Alternatively, put your latke in a sandwich: The #2 is filled with hot corned beef, pastrami, Swiss cheese and a latke topped with creamy, spicy mustard ($20). And, proving that there is no one way to eat a latke, try the Corned Beef Hash Benedict, a plate of house-made corned beef hash served on latkes with two poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce ($19). // 12214 Fairfax Towne Center, Fairfax
Good Company Doughnuts & Cafe
December doughnuts have arrived at Good Company, a Ballston go-to since 2019 that recently expanded with additional storefronts in National Landing. The lineup includes sufganiyot, plus other festive flavors such as peppermint hot chocolate, Bourbon berry basil and Almondous Joyous. Get six sufganiyot for $24 (order early because they sell out, according to the website). Place an order by 4 p.m. and get the goods the next day. // 672 N. Glebe Road, Arlington (Ballston), 1350 S. Eads St., Ste. 80, Arlington (National Landing), and Coffee Bar, 510 14th St. S, Arlington (National Landing)
Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe
Churning out sugary treats for all occasions since 1975, this bakery offers sufganiyot—here they are called Berliners—for $19.20 per dozen or $9.60 for six. Mix up your Jewish pastries with an assortment of rugelach, pastry filled with chocolate or fruit ($50 for 2 pounds or $80 for 4 pounds). Also, find Star of David cookies and chocolate gold coins called gelt. // 2150 N. Culpeper St., Arlington (Langston Boulevard)
Jake’s Ice Cream
Hankering for Hanukkah sweets? The Falls Church ice cream shop, which employs people with disabilities, is serving sufganiyot ice cream made with fritter doughnuts and either strawberry or raspberry jam. Hanukkah cake pops and ice cream cake are also available. // 6353 Columbia Pike, Falls Church
Hanukkah gelt at Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery (Facebook photo)
Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery
From Dec. 7-15, the National Landing outpost of this New York bakery is offering sufganiyot made with buttery brioche dough that’s filled with raspberry jam and rolled in vanilla bean sugar ($6). You can also order a bag of gelt—10 gold-wrapped chocolate coins, each handmade using single-origin milk and dark varietals from Valrhona, a French chocolatier ($15). // 1550 Crystal Drive, Arlington (National Landing)
Pastries by Randolph
This certified kosher bakery is cooking up some Hanukkah-themed treats, including Star of David cookies ($22.50 per pound), hand-decorated novelty cookies ($6.50 each) and sufganiyot with black raspberry jam ($2.75 each or $15 for six). Other fun goodies include a Hanukkah gingerbread house that comes pre-built and decorated ($75), Hanukkah cupcakes ($2.50-$6.50), and decorate-your-own cookies ($50.50-$52.50). // 4500 Cherry Hill Road, Arlington (Lee Heights Shops)
Ruthie’s All-Day
Balance your latke carbs with protein in the form of brisket from Matt Hill’s ever-popular “meat and three” in Arlington Heights. Get it for lunch or dinner in sandwich form with slaw ($11) or on its own with one or two sides, such as braised greens and smoked tomato ($21-$24 at lunch, $22-$25 at dinner) or by the half-pound ($17). // 3411 5th St. S, Arlington (Arlington Heights)
Sababa
This Israeli eatery in D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood is offering Hanukkah specialties. From Dec. 7-14, guests can get brisket with braised red cabbage, dates and citrus ($28) and a Sufganiyot cocktail, made with raspberry liqueur, leavened syrup, vodka and lemon juice ($14). Each night of Hanukkah, the restaurant will unveil a different specially flavored latke ($12), such as a harissa lamb latke on Dec. 9, dill labneh with sumac onion and smoked salmon on Dec. 10, and smoke trout rillette latke on Dec. 12. // 3311 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, D.C.
Sloppy Mama’s BBQ
If you’re a meat-and-potatoes (in the form of latkes) person, pick up some Central Texas-style beef brisket from this barbecue joint. It’s available in quantities ranging from a quarter-pound ($9) to a full pound ($34)—or more, depending on your needs—or as part of a sandwich kit that serves four ($65). // 5731 Langston Blvd., Arlington