“We wanted to be as colorful as a peacock, proud as a peacock,” Shahab Farivar, owner of Peacock Café, said when asked about the restaurant’s origin.
Like its namesake bird, Peacock Café doesn’t hide from the limelight—it struts, asking to be seen as it showcases its bold flavors, memorable service, and colorful atmosphere.
Maybe it was the fact that my beloved parents were in town. Maybe it was because my boyfriend took a rain check on his organic chemistry date for the night to be there. Or maybe, just maybe, Peacock Café is the best dinner spot on this side of the Potomac. Either way, I left happy, satisfied, and confident Peacock Café had something to do with it.
Dressed to the nines after a long week of practice, I strolled down to my stomach’s new best friend, Peacock Café. Located just west of Wisconsin Avenue, the restaurant’s proximity to Georgetown is arguably perfect—short enough that no Uber or sweat is necessary, yet just long enough to contribute to a daily step goal or kickstart digestion on the way home. When I entered the tastefully decorated restaurant, I felt like I had been transported to New York Fashion Week.
By the time I arrived at Peacock, the dining room was already humming. Glasses clinked as gossip was spilled, the symphony of sounds swelling as I stepped into the restaurant. The staff greeted me as though I had arrived at my own fashion show, and the menu—vast and decadent—waited patiently to be admired like a well-curated wardrobe.
With a warm smile and tastefully implemented jokes, our waiter knew exactly what we wanted—not a 5-minute menu tour, but bread on the table, and that’s exactly what we got. As someone who usually has no trouble knowing what she wants, I was surprised at the level of difficulty I had in narrowing down my appetizer and entrée order. The hot, crispy calamari and fresh tomato mozzarella nearly stole the show, but the entrée had this review sealed before I even finished my last bite—and believe me, I did finish. Every. Last. Bite. The garlic aioli dressed the chicken better than Tom Ford can dress Gigi Hadid. Please take my word for it and order the Grilled Chicken with the Peacock Fries of my dreams.
I didn’t think I could love the restaurant more until I spoke to Shahab Farivar, one of the owners, to learn more about the values of the business. “My brother and I, we started Peacock in 1991… It was a very humble start,” Farivar said. Peacock was originally a deli with hand-tossed salads and sandwiches served on paper plates. In fact, it wasn’t until after the first anniversary of the restaurant’s opening that Peacock even invested in real plates.
Peacock combines two of my favorite things: food and fashion. Beautiful photographs of New York Fashion week line the walls, shot by Oracle’s Walter Grio. The best part? Grio was a regular! “Walter, an amazing photographer, had done a lot of work with the Washington Ballet… so he was invited to all of these shows,” Farivar said. That’s the magic of Peacock Café—their star guests could dine anywhere and still choose to go to Peacock. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in Peacock Café.
While Grio’s NYFW pieces stay put, the other art pieces, Peacock’s feathers, if you will, rotate a couple times a year. Since its founding, Peacock’s focus on supporting local artists is just one way that they keep the sentiment of community support alive today.
The work of a Georgetown student and proud artist is set to decorate the walls of Peacock Café in the coming weeks. I will certainly be making another reservation to check out a fellow Hoya’s art and enjoy all that Peacock Café has to offer, and you should, too!
