GW is an urban campus, so everything here until the last section is a walk. Its shopping runs along I Street, Pennsylvania Avenue and the numbered streets from 21st to 24th, with the West End just north across Washington Circle.
I Street. Start at 21st and I. The GW Campus Store (2125 I St NW) holds the corner, with Bodega Taqueria (2127 I St NW) next door. Walk west and Whole Foods Market Foggy Bottom (2201 I St NW) and Sweetgreen (2221 I St NW) share the block. On Wednesday afternoons the FRESHFARM Foggy Bottom Market (901 23rd St NW) sets up on I Street between 23rd and 24th, steps from the Metro.
Pennsylvania Avenue. The block at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW is the campus food court in all but name. It holds the Western Market food hall, a dozen GW Dining partners and a CVS. Just Salad (1919 Pennsylvania Ave NW) and Founding Farmers (1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW) are across 20th. Walk east and you reach the White House History Shop (1700 Pennsylvania Ave NW), a few blocks from campus.
21st to 24th Streets. G Street is the campus main street. GW Deli (2133 G St NW), Tonic (2036 G St NW) and Uptowner Cafe (2023 G St NW) feed it. At 21st and G, the Artisans Gallery inside the GW Museum and The Textile Museum (701 21st St NW) is the most interesting shop on campus.
West End. North of Washington Circle, Trader Joe's (1101 25th St NW) anchors the grocery run, and L Street and Pennsylvania Avenue carry small restaurants.
The GW Campus Store (2125 I St NW) is the university's official store, run in partnership with Follett. It moved out of the University Student Center basement into a street-level space in early 2024, as the retail anchor of the building at 2100 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
Come here for official GW gear: sweatshirts, hoodies, tees, pajamas, mugs, tableware and stuffed animals, plus a DC collection with GW cherry blossom items. GW Today's 2025 gift guide also lists electronics, athleisure, beauty and self-care, kitchen gear and GW ornaments. Textbooks can be ordered online, and the store carries school supplies, bestsellers, books by GW faculty, and Apple and Dell computers with service. Hours are posted at bkstr.com/georgewashingtonstore, or call 202-992-6566.
Start with the GW Campus Store for school supplies, a laptop or a kettle. For groceries, Whole Foods Market Foggy Bottom (2201 I St NW) is two blocks west, open daily 7am to 10pm, with hot food, a coffee bar, beer and wine, and an Amazon Returns kiosk. Trader Joe's (1101 25th St NW), open daily 9am to 9pm, is the budget run for snacks and frozen meals.
The FRESHFARM Foggy Bottom Market runs year-round on Wednesdays, 3pm to 7pm (2pm to 6pm from December through March). Vendors include Barajas Produce, Quaker Valley Orchards and Roggenart, and GW students can pay with their GWorld cards. For toiletries and a first-aid kit, the CVS at 2000 Penn is the closest stop.
Foggy Bottom is not a clothing neighborhood. Close to campus, the Campus Store covers hoodies and athleisure, and the Artisans Gallery (701 21st St NW) sells textile clothing, scarves and accessories made by artisans from Peru, India, Mali, Uzbekistan and other countries. It is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm, and the museum itself is free.
For used books and comics, walk north up 20th Street to P Street, seven blocks above I Street. Second Story Books (2000 P St NW) is a large used and rare bookstore with sidewalk carts, open daily 10am to 10pm. Next door, Fantom Comics (2010 P St NW, 2nd Floor) is open daily 11am to 6pm. For vintage, sneakers and new clothes, see the last section: that means Georgetown.
- GW Campus Store (2125 I St NW): official GW sweatshirts, tableware, ornaments and cherry blossom items for the family back home.
- Artisans Gallery (701 21st St NW): handmade textiles, home goods and books such as Textile Treasures. Museum members get 10 percent off.
- White House History Shop (1700 Pennsylvania Ave NW): the annual ornament, each one honoring a president or a White House anniversary. Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
- DAR Museum Shop (1776 D St NW): a shop inside the free DAR Museum, open weekdays 10am to 4pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm.
- The Phillips Collection Museum Shop (1600 21st St NW): art books, prints, cards and jewelry, a straight walk up 21st Street. Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
- Tiny Jewel Box (1155 Connecticut Ave NW): the serious graduation gift. It is an official Rolex retailer, open Monday to Saturday 10am to 5:30pm.
- Western Market (2000 Pennsylvania Ave NW): a gift card that works at most of its vendors, for the student who lives on campus.
GW Dining's partner list is the best map of cheap eats.
Coffee. Peet's Coffee & Tea (2121 H St NW) and Starbucks (2130 H St NW) face each other on H Street. Point Chaud Cafe & Crepes is in Duques Hall (2201 G St NW), Uptowner Cafe is on G Street, and Maman and Bullfrog Bagels are at 2000 Penn.
Cheap eats. GW Deli (2133 G St NW) is the long-running student pick. Bodega Taqueria is next to the campus store, &pizza is at 2224 F St NW, and Panera Bread is inside the University Student Center (800 21st St NW). At 2000 Penn, District Bao, Duke's Grocery, Gigi's Pasta, Mason's Famous Lobster Rolls and Onkei cover lunch, and Captain Cookie and the Milk Man and D/Lai Ice Cream cover dessert. In the West End, Charmthai (2514 L St NW) and Flavors of India (2524 L St NW) are a few doors apart, and One Fish Two Fish is at 2423 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
When parents are paying. Founding Farmers (1924 Pennsylvania Ave NW) is the easy pick. For something bigger, three MICHELIN-listed rooms are in the West End: Blue Duck Tavern in the Park Hyatt (1201 24th St NW), The Saga (1190 22nd St NW), next to The Ritz-Carlton, for Spanish tapas and rice, and Imperfecto: The Chef's Table (1124 23rd St NW), a one-star counter with only a few seats. Book ahead for graduation weekend.
The Foggy Bottom–GWU Metro station (2301 I St NW) is on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines, next to the main entrance of GW Hospital. The GW Museum says it is four blocks from the station. Farragut West, on the same three lines, is about four blocks from the Law School at 2000 H St NW, and it is also the stop for the DAR Museum: exit at 17th or 18th Street and walk south.
Driving in for move-in or a visit? The University Parking Garage is entered from H Street between 22nd and 23rd, under Science and Engineering Hall, and is open 24/7. The University Student Center garage (800 21st St NW, entrance on H Street between 21st and 22nd) is open Monday to Friday 7am to midnight. On-campus street parking is limited to two hours. GW lists visitor parking at $23 per day, subject to change.
Georgetown is the clothing trip. It has no Metro stop; our Georgetown page puts M Street roughly a 15-minute walk west from Foggy Bottom–GWU. Uniqlo Georgetown (3262 M St NW) handles basics and winter layers, Apple Georgetown (1229 Wisconsin Ave NW) takes Genius Bar appointments, and Current Boutique Georgetown (1068 31st St NW) sells pre-owned designer clothing.
CityCenterDC is straight east along I Street, around 9th to 11th Streets, with a garage underneath and Metro at Mount Vernon Square and Gallery Place–Chinatown. It is mostly luxury, but Arc'teryx DC CityCenter (1099 H St NW) and Allen Edmonds (1071 H St NW) are useful for a rain shell or interview shoes.