After weeks of weather better suited for poolside drinking than alfresco dining, patio weather is finally making a comeback. The timing couldn’t be better for Edera Italian Eatery (48 Maryland Plaza), where a relatively new weekday lunch service offers another reason to rediscover the restaurant, especially its secluded rear courtyard.
Lunch is served from 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Monday through Friday, with dine-in, carryout, and delivery available. The expanded midday menu features salads, sandwiches, and Neapolitan pizzas.
Here’s what to know before you go.
The Lunch Menu
Edera’s lunch menu strikes a balance between lighter fare and more substantial midday options.
There are three salads options available in half or whole portions, and chicken or salmon can be added to any of them:
- Kale with apple, candied hazelnuts, sweet potato, pecorino, and spicy maple vinaigrette
- Smoked Caesar with egg, breadcrumbs, pickled red onion, Parmesan, and lemon
- Chopped salad, combining arugula and romaine with capicola, olives, tomato, and toasted Grana vinaigrette
Chef Andrew Simon is especially proud of the lunch menu’s new lineup of sandwiches, which come with chips (though fries or a side salad can be substituted for $1.50):
- Chicken Parm with vodka sauce, basil, and caciocavallo
- Italian hero with prosciutto and capicola, as well as marinated peppers, provoleta, and Castelvetrano olives
- Grilled portobello with herb ricotta, spinach, Asiago, and pickled red onion
- Mortadella with greens, caramelized onions, and mustard
- Turkey with Calabrian chile aioli
- Ted “Street Sandwich”: The most elaborate sandwich, this $20 option includes pistachio-crusted chicken, prosciutto di Parma, Asiago, arugula, Castelvetrano olives, and lemon-garlic vinaigrette on brodetto bread.
Four pizzas round out the menu, with sides including hand-cut fries or Parmesan kale fries:
- Margherita
- Pepperoni
- Tomato and pancetta with heirloom tomato jam, Taleggio, and rosemary
- Salsiccia, topped with Italian sausage, kale, Calabrian chile, garlic, and mozzarella. (The restaurant’s suggested must-try.)
The Ambiance
The indoor dining room offers a more polished lunchtime alternative than the usual café or sandwich shop. Edera describes its approach as “simply refined Italian,” food and surroundings elevated enough to feel special but casual enough for an everyday visit.
When the weather cooperates, however, the courtyard is the draw. Hidden behind the Maryland Plaza building and buffered by the surrounding structures, the European-style space is secluded without feeling detached. A long wall covered in towering ivy provides the defining backdrop, augmented by abundant greenery and overhead string lights. Edera calls the courtyard a “hidden escape in the heart of the city.”
After the seemingly endless stretch of 90-degree days, Edera’s expanded lunch service seems particularly well-timed. With patio weather finally returning, so does one of the Central West End’s more inviting lunch options.
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