Matchbox

Matchbox

Matchbox is a chain of American restaurants that I have had the great pleasure of dining at in Washington D. C. , and I hope that you will be able to dine there one day too.

This restaurant is becoming quite famous in Washington D. C. - in fact, three different people recommended it to me. When I finally went, I discovered that they were all so right to recommend it, and it has now become one of my favourite restaurants, so I hope that it becomes one of yours too!

The branch in Capitol Hill has two floors, a large bar that you can sit at, and lots of tables distributed throughout the entire restaurant (some with regular chairs, others with stools, and others with sofas). The tables are mainly made of wood, and although the restaurant has a back kitchen, the pizza oven is out in the main dining area, so you can see how they make them.

Menu

The menu at Matchbox is quite comprehensive, but the types of food that prevail here are pizza, salads and sandwiches.

The menu is split up into the following sections:

Entrées

I don't know why they call them "entrées" because these are main courses... maybe it's just to differentiate them from the sandwiches and the pizzas. In this section of the menu, you can find meat, salmon, fish skewers, etc. Personally, I have tried the salmon and I assure you that it's very good. The prices of these dishes range from $19 to $31.



Aperitifs

Amongst the aperitifs, there are mini burgers, mussels, meatballs, cream of crab soup, etc. The prices of these dishes are $10 or more.

Salads

There are several types of salad available at Matchbox: simple, tuna, apple and pear, chicken, etc. In terms of price, the cheapest you will find costs $7, and the most expensive, $18.

Pizzas

The pizzas on the menu are divided into "original" and the "chef's suggestions". There are pizzas of all varieties, but the ones that I like the most are those that have pepperoni on them - the "Pepperoni" or the "Matchbox Meat". The pizzas are available in two sizes, small and large. Although, I must assure you that even the small one is too big for just one person, so you can easily share it between two people. The prices range from $13 for the small pizzas to $23 for the large ones.



You can also personalise your own pizza, which comes at a cost of $12 for the small size and $18 for the large, with each extra ingredient costing $2 on the small and $3 on the large.

Sandwiches

In this section, there are both sandwiches and burgers, and I assure you that they look fantastic. Some of them come with fries and onion rings, and the prices are around $12 for the sandwiches, whereas the burgers are around $15.

Desserts

The desserts are simply divine - a piece of heaven. The best items would have to be the brownies and the doughnuts. Although they are a little bit on the expensive side ($8 per dessert or $12 for a trio of the brownie, doughnuts and sorbet), I would recommend that you order one. Mind you, I wouldn't ever order both a main course and a dessert again, as it is simply too much food, so next time, I will choose one or the other (you could order dessert for a sweet snack like I did one time).



Drinks

On the drinks menu, you will find a selection of wine, cocktails, soft drinks and beers, etc. Water is free.

In general, everything that I have tried here was delicious, but, as you can see, the prices are somewhat inflated, and that's before you've added on tax and tips. However, I would say that it's worth dining at Matchbox if you are meeting up with friends, but let's just say that it is not somewhere that you should go on a daily basis.

Service, reservations and opening hours

The service is also really good - the waiting staff are friendly and kind, serving you water every time that it looks like your glass is almost empty, and asking if you need anything during your meal. In addition to this, when they bring you the bill, they don't specify that you have to give them a tip (although you do have to do so).

Something that we didn't know until we saw the pizza boxes with people's names on them is that you can order takeaway from here, so I don't doubt that one day I will have a Matchbox pizza at home whilst watching a film.

The best thing to do before going to Matchbox in Capitol Hill is reserve a table, that's if you're not going mid-week or at a time that's not considered "normal" to be eating. However, even still, it's always better to be on the safe side, as they will be able to immediately seat you if you have made a reservation, meaning that you won't have to be put in a "queue" that end up being hours long. You can make a reservation either online or over the phone by calling the restaurant directly. With regards to other restaurants, it's better to make a reservation in person because there are lots more people trying to find somewhere to eat, like in Chinatown, for example.

You can also hire out the restaurant for a party or a private function.

They currently have six restaurants open under the Matchbox brand, all of which are located within the United States. However, seeing the success that it is having, it wouldn't surprise me if they continued expanding, even internationally! There are four restaurants currently open in Washington D. C. (Capitol Hill, Chinatown, 14th Street and Merrifield), another in California (Palm Springs), and one in Maryland (Rockeville).

The opening hours are as follows:

• Monday to Thursday: 11am to 10:30pm
• Friday: 11am to 11:30pm
• Saturday: 10am to 11:30pm
• Sunday: 10am to 10:30pm

How to get there

To get to the branch that I have been to (the one in Capitol Hill), you have to head to Eastern Market, which is accessible by bus or by metro. The closest metro stop is called "Eastern Market", and is served by the orange, silver and blue lines. From the metro, you have to turn right onto 8th Street, and you will find the restaurant half-way down it.