Gatherings
Private Events
Cocktail hours, buffet dinners and seated affairs, for groups both large and small.
The space
Commissary can accommodate groups both large and small for cocktail hours, buffet dinners or seated affairs. Our dining room comfortably seats 90 and our full bar has ample standing room plus seating for an additional 15 guests. Our cozy patio has additional seating for 25.
Please note, our menus are fully customizable and we would be happy to work with you to meet menu, dietary and budgetary needs.
For large group reservations or private space rentals, please complete our special events inquiry form and our Events Coordinator will contact you.
Dining room
90 seated
The main room, seated comfortably at ninety for a full dinner service.
Bar & lounge
15 seated, plus standing
A full bar with ample standing room — the natural home for a cocktail reception.
Outside café
25 seated
The patio, weather permitting. Popular for spring and early autumn events.
Event formats that work here
The room has hosted most things. These are the formats it does particularly well.
- Seated dinners
- Up to 90 in the dining room. Set menus of two or three courses keep service tight for larger tables.
- Cocktail receptions
- The bar and lounge take standing groups comfortably. Passed small plates from the happy hour and share sections work best.
- Buffet service
- Useful for headcounts where people arrive across an hour rather than all at once. Common for office parties.
- Breakfast & brunch events
- An advantage of an 8 AM restaurant — morning events are genuinely possible here, not a special accommodation.
- Patio gatherings
- Twenty-five seats outside, weather permitting. Popular for spring and early autumn birthdays.
- Full buyouts
- The whole room, bar and patio together. Best booked well ahead, particularly for December.
Menus are built, not chosen
The standard approach elsewhere is to hand you three fixed packages. Here the starting point is a conversation about what the group eats, what it costs, and how long you have the room for.
Sample dinner and lunch/brunch menus are available as a reference point, and they are exactly that — a reference. Dietary requirements, budget ceilings and a request to keep a specific dish on the list are all normal parts of the process rather than exceptions to it.
Sample event menus
Reference documents from the archive. Current event menus are built with the coordinator to your requirements.
Booking an event
Send the enquiry
Date, headcount, rough budget and format. Flexible dates get better options, so say if yours is.
Talk to the coordinator
You will hear back with availability and a first proposal for space and timing.
Build the menu
Courses, dietary needs, drinks package or consumption bar. This is where most of the back and forth happens.
Confirm
Contract, deposit and final headcount deadline. Final numbers are usually needed a few days out.
Arrive
The room is set before you get there. A manager owns your event on the night.
Event enquiry
Tell us about your event and the coordinator will come back to you with availability and a proposal.
This form composes an email to the restaurant. Prefer to talk it through? Call 202-299-0018 and ask for the events team.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How many people can Commissary hold for a private event?
The dining room seats 90. The full bar adds standing room plus seating for 15, and the patio seats a further 25. A full buyout can therefore hold well over 100 across the three spaces.
Can I book the whole restaurant?
Yes, full buyouts are available. December books out early, so give as much notice as you can.
Are the event menus customizable?
Fully. Sample dinner and lunch/brunch menus exist as a starting point, and the team works from your menu, dietary and budget requirements from there.
Can you handle dietary restrictions for a group?
Yes. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options run through the regular menu already, and event menus are built with the group’s requirements in mind rather than adapted at the table.
Do you host breakfast or brunch events?
Yes, and this is one of the few rooms in the neighborhood genuinely set up for it — the kitchen is already running full breakfast service from 8 AM.
Is there a minimum spend?
Minimums depend on the space, the day and the time. The events coordinator will confirm when you enquire with your date and headcount.
How far in advance should I book?
Four to six weeks is comfortable for most events. December and the weeks around Valentine’s Day and Pride need considerably more notice.
Can we bring a cake?
Yes. Tell the coordinator in advance so the team can arrange plating, storage and timing.
Come and see us
1443 P St. NW, Washington, DC 20005 — open from 8 AM, seven days a week. Call 202-299-0018 to book a table, or start an order online.