It's a bit out of the way, but Union Market is definitely worth a visit. Make sure you bring an empty stomach and plan on spending a good part of the morning or afternoon.
Located in the Northeast of DC, Union Market is more of an upscale, specialty food and dining spot in the middle of a not so safe looking neighborhood. It boasts "local and artisanal" vendors which should be your queue to understand "expensive."
The market is divided into three different categories: dining options, specialty foods, and pantry goods/equipment (think Dean and Delucca).
Check out those nut butters! I definitely wanted to pick some up.
The pantry goods/kitchen+dining equipment section houses a good variety of locally made nut butters, honeys, spreads, condiments, and pickles, along with cute and eclectic serving dishes and utensils, kitchen decor, and cookbooks. I know where to go next time I need a prop to take my recipe pictures to "food blogger" status.
In the specialty food section, there were stalls selling some fresh fruits and vegetables, spices, pickles, and meats. To be honest, all the prices were ridiculously marked up with the exception of a few of the meats, but I really wouldn't want to drag raw meat with me halfway across town.
Finally, what I came for: food (or rather, dessert). Union Market offers a good range of food vendors, from a raw seafood bar, Korean tacos, and Indian dosa stand, sandwich places, coffee shops, and a Middle Eastern food vendor. I ended up buying a few pastries from a French pastry stand and splitting them with some friends. The final verdict? Good, but not great. They were substantial for the price I paid, but I wouldn't make the trek all the way out just for some dessert.
To be honest, I really don't think Union Market is a place I'd visit more than once or twice. While the first time is very exciting with much to see and do, it is a lot smaller and more expensive than advertised and for the money it takes to get there and eat, I don't think the experience is all to worth it after the second or third time (diminishing returns, anyone?)
But that being said, I still kind of want to go back and try some coffee and dosas. Hm...
Union Market
1309 5th St NEWashington, DC 20002
