Although there are enough restaurants in Union Market and La Cosecha to last you a lifetime, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wander onto the neighboring streets to try the range of full-service dining there. The spots surrounding the two markets provide varying levels of fine dining in a wide swath of cultural flavors.
A. Litteri: While not technically a restaurant, A. Litteri sells Italian wines and ingredients that have achieved cult status in DC. Its offerings of cheeses, cured meats and more sit behind a glass case, while the rest of the store is open for exploration. A catering menu for large parties is available on its website, and it dishes out Italian subs, pasta and salads.
- Hours: 11 am to 6 pm Sunday and Monday, 9 am to 6 pm Tuesday through Saturday.
- Address: 517 Morse St. NO.
Blue Bottle Coffee: The West Coast roastery opened its Union Market location in 2018 as one of four DC coffee shops. Its minimalist interior design highlights the coffee itself, which is also available by bag in-store and online.
- Hours: 6:30 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, 6:30 am to 7 pm Saturday and Sunday.
- Address: 1250 Fourth St. NO.
Bread Alley: Bread Alley is so named because of its location in the narrow Morse Street alley. The other half of its name comes from the fresh bread it bakes in-house and serves — its customers include DC restaurants Le Diplomate and St. Anselm.
- Post for tip: Bread Alley often sells out before its 5 pm closing time, so make sure to get there as early as possible (especially if you want a baguette).
- Hours: 9 am to 5 pm or until sold out daily.
- Address: 1250 Fifth St. NO.
Cotton and Reed: This distillery specializes in all varieties of rum, but its white rum has won multiple awards. In-house, it serves cocktails crafted exclusively with its own locally made spirits. It also happens to be the first combination bar and rum distillery in DC, and its unique liquor license means it encourages patrons to bring in outside food since it can’t serve its own.
- Post for tip: Cotton and Reed offers tours of its distillery, which includes a tasting, on Saturday afternoons.
- Hours: 4 pm to midnight Monday through Thursday, 4 pm to 2 am Friday, noon to 2 am Saturday, noon to 10 pm Sunday.
- Address: 1330 Fifth St. NO.
Crooked Run Fermentation: Crooked Run was born in Leesburg, Va., but this iteration of the brewery operates in partnership with Chris Morgan and Anthony Falco’s DC pizza spot Pizza Serata. Sit down for a pint and a slice — it also serves its own wines, ciders and hard seltzers.
- Post for tip: Bring a vinyl record that you’ve purchased at Byrdland Records down the street. If you show your Byrdland receipt, Crooked Run staff will play your record while you dine.
- Hours: 4 to 9 pm Monday through Wednesday, 11:30 am to 10 pm Thursday through Saturday, 11:30 am to 9 pm Sunday.
- Address: 550 Morse St. NO, Suite 120.
El Presidente: If you’re looking for a spot with a personality, meet El Presidente by chef Stephen Starr. This eclectic restaurant serves Mexican American lunch and dinner in quirky-cool fashion. Its retro bar adorned with eyeball-covered sea creatures serves unique mixed drinks. If you’d prefer to sit over by the mountain vista mural, you can try its raw bar, nachos and customizable tacos.
- Hours: 11:30 am to 3 pm and 5 to 10 pm Monday through Thursday, 11:30 am to 3 pm and 5 to 11 pm Friday, 10 am to 3 pm and 5 to 11 pm Saturday, 10:30 am to 5 pm Sunday .
- Address: 1255 Union St. NO.
Last Call Bar: Last Call is modeled after a casual dive, but don’t be fooled — it has high-quality cocktails as well as classic ice-cold beers on tap or in the can. Owner Gina Chersevani refers to herself as the “mixtress” of DC for a reason.
- Post for tip: Last Call has no official closing time listed online, but it typically closes around 3 am
- Hours: 5 pm to “last call” Monday through Friday, noon to “last call” Saturday and Sunday; happy hour 5 to 7 pm daily.
- Address: 1301-A Fourth St. NO.
Lunas de Buenos Aires: This Argentine spot on Fifth Street offers empanadas with jewel-tone dough that illuminate its menu of sandwiches, fugazzeta pizzas and drinks. It has a dedicated menu for spritzes, as well as a handful of Argentine desserts like alfajores (dulce de leche cookies) and flan.
- Hours: 5 to 10 pm Tuesday and Wednesday, 5 to 11 pm Thursday, noon to 3 pm and 5 pm to midnight Friday, noon to midnight Saturday, noon to 9 pm Sunday, closed Monday.
- Address: 1276 Fifth St. NO.
Mom: This New York-born, French-inspired restaurant opened its location in the Union Market district in early 2023. Its range of soups, salads, sandwiches and sweets is loved up and down the East Coast and in Canada. This location also functions as an event venue for up to 58 seated or 150 standing guests.
- Hours: 7:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, 8 am to 6 pm Saturday and Sunday.
- Address: 1300 Fourth St. NO.
Marcellino Pane and Vino: This Italian restaurant and its sister pastry shop, Annaré, are two sides of a rich coin. Marcellino offers salads, bruschetta and upscale entrees that serve multiple people. Annaré, which recently moved in with Marcellino, caters to your sweet tooth with cannoli, fruit tarts and tiramisu.
- Hours: 4 to 9 pm Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, 4 to 10 pm Friday and Saturday, closed Monday.
- Address: 300 Morse St. NO.
Masseria: Masseria is a hot spot for trendy dining in DC; its prix fixe Italian menu and chef’s tasting menu come in six or eight courses, or you can walk in and have dinner at the bar. Although it’s hard to imagine the Union Market district without its stately metal door and inviting garden space, it was among the first introductions of fine dining to the area at a time when all of Edens’ properties there were casual.
- Hours: 6 to 9:30 pm Tuesday through Friday, 5 to 9:30 pm Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday.
- Address: 1340 Fourth St. NO.
O-Ku: O-Ku is decked out in wood, from its tables to its walls, as if to represent its chic yet simple approach to sushi making that it’s established at its multiple restaurants across the southern United States. Its first floor is where the sushi is prepared and served, but venturing upstairs will land you at its bar, which is fully stocked with Japanese and American liquors.
- Hours: 5 to 10 pm daily; happy hour 5 to 7 pm Monday through Thursday.
- Address: 1274 Fifth St. NO.
Plume: Tom Wellings and Camila Arango of Bluebird Bakery bring a new spin to pastries at Pluma. Here, they pull out all the stops, from custom cakes and wholesale pastries to classic over-the-counter quiches and coffee.
- Hours: 7 am to 5 pm Tuesday through Thursday, 7 am to 7 pm Friday, 8 am to 7 pm Saturday and Sunday, closed Monday.
- Address: 391 Morse St. NO (inside the Edison).
Saladworks: Saladworks’ build-your-own salad and grain bowls serve up endless combinations for a nutritious and quick meal.
- Hours: 11 am to 9 pm Monday through Saturday, noon to 6 pm Sunday.
- Address: 320 Florida Ave. NO, Bay 2A.
St. Anselm: As its wood-and-leather interior would suggest, St. Anselm is dedicated to the classics. It specializes in all-American food done simply, including oysters, fluffy biscuits and steak. (Post food critic Tom Sietsema often refers to it as one of his favorite Washington steakhouses.) In addition, its 55-page wine menu has won multiple awards and the hearts of many wine enthusiasts.
- Hours: 5 to 10 pm Monday through Thursday, noon to 3 pm and 5 to 11 pm Friday, 10:30 am to 11 pm Saturday, 10:30 am to 10 pm Sunday.
- Address: 1250 Fifth St. NO.
Stellina Pizzeria: When Edens’ McLean doesn’t opt for Bidwell’s pizzas, she lands at Stellina. According to her, Stella’s pizzas are best eaten in the restaurant’s Morse Street space so they’re toasty and melty.
- Hours: 11 am to 9 pm Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, 11 am to 10 pm Friday and Saturday, closed Monday.
- Address: 399 Morse St. NO.
Toastie: Toastique’s healthy open-face sandwiches and juices have brightened franchises across the country with breakneck speed as founder Brianna Keefe was listed in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 for 2022.
- Hours: 7 am to 5 pm daily.
- Address: 325 Morse St. NO.
Union District Oyster Bar and Lounge: Although its fare comes from the sea, Union District’s ambiance is tech-y and earthy, with gearlike light fixtures hanging above its wooden vintage-style bar. The golden horse statue outside guards the lounge’s shellfish specialties and an array of mixed drinks, in addition to its lineup of events and concerts.
- Hours: 4 to 10 pm Monday and Tuesday, 4 pm to 2 am Wednesday through Saturday, 1 to 8 pm Sunday.
- Address: 501 Morse St. NO.
Van Leeuwen: Van Leeuwen’s motto, emblazoned on its wall and its website, reads, “A life without anything good is bad.” One such good thing is its ice cream, which comes in vegan and classic dairy options. Its mission is to create “good-good” treats made with high-quality ingredients without forsaking what makes ice cream delicious.
- Hours: Noon to 10 pm Monday through Thursday, noon to 11 pm Friday, 11 am to 11 pm Saturday, 11 am to 10 pm Sunday.
- Address: 418 Morse St. NO.
