Union Market in the Morning
Spend the morning eating and shopping at Union Market in Northeast, then cross town to the Southwest waterfront for crabs, oysters and an evening by the water.
Both places have deep market roots. Union Terminal Market opened at 4th Street and Florida Avenue NE in February 1931 with indoor stalls for 700 vendors. The building that holds today's Market hall went up in 1967 and reopened in 2012 as a marketplace for local makers. Down on the Washington Channel, the Municipal Fish Market opened in 1805 and calls itself the oldest continuously operating open-air fish market in the United States. The Wharf grew up beside it, with its first phase opening in October 2017.
Morning: Bread and the Market Hall
Come early for Bread Alley, a 100-square-foot bakery on Morse Street NE (listed at 1250 5th St NE) that supplies Le Diplomate's bread. It sells baguettes, levain boules and cranberry walnut loaves, plus local jams, butter, honey and salts, daily from 9am to 5pm.
The Market hall (1309 5th St NE) is the center of the district. Most stalls open at 11am, or 10am on weekends. Mondepice has more than 150 loose-leaf teas, matcha, flavored salts and spice blends to smell and buy by weight. Harvey's by Soko is the longtime butcher counter, now run by Brad Feickert of Soko Butcher, for dry-aged steaks and meaty sandwiches. Almaala Farms serves shawarma and baklava and sells spices and olive oils to take home. Konfektori scoops Swedish candy out of a pink vintage truck.
District Cutlery began here in 2012 as DC Sharp. Brothers Derek and Ryan Swanson sell premium kitchen knives and sharpen and repair blades for DC restaurants; bring your own knives. Krewe, the New Orleans eyewear brand, sells sunglasses and optical frames from a small "Tiny House" shop. Jungle & Loom is a woman-owned plant shop with houseplants, macrame, dried florals and vintage glassware.
Midday: The Makers on 4th and 5th Streets
On 4th Street NE, Salt & Sundry (1301 4th St NE) is the original branch of the local home shop, opened here in 2012, with kitchenware, ceramics, paper goods and gifts from independent makers. Le Labo (1260 4th St NE) is set up as an open fragrance lab. Framebridge (1262 4th St NE) does custom framing in person, and Herman Miller (1268 4th St NE) lets you try its office chairs before you buy. Chela Mitchell Gallery (1285 4th St NE) shows contemporary art and design, Tuesday to Sunday from noon to 6pm.
La Cosecha, the 20,000-square-foot Latin American market that opened in fall 2019, is at 1280 4th St NE. At the same address, ArtTepuy sells handmade jewelry, woven baskets and art from Venezuelan artisans, and Grand Cata stocks Latin American wines and artisanal foods, open until 10pm Tuesday to Saturday.
On 5th Street, Byrdland Records (1264 5th St NE) has more than 5,000 new and used LPs from the team behind Songbyrd Music House; it is closed Mondays and opens at noon midweek. At District Candle Lab (1325 5th St NE, Suite F) you pick a scent and pour your own candle. Book ahead.
Lunch: Stellina Pizzeria (399 Morse St NE) holds a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand for its neo-Neapolitan pizzas, which come whole for you to cut at the table. Or graze at La Jambe, the Market hall's French wine bar, with charcuterie and cheese boards; happy hour runs weekdays 3pm to 5pm.
The Fish Market and The Wharf
Afternoon: The Municipal Fish Market
Take the Red Line from NoMa-Gallaudet U to Gallery Place, change to the Green Line, and ride to Waterfront. The fish market sits at the Maine Avenue end of The Wharf, at 1100 Maine Ave SW. Expect blue crab by the bushel, oysters, clams, shrimp and fresh fish.
Jessie Taylor Seafood (1100 Maine Ave SW) has sold here since 1939, run by the Evans family of Smith Island, Maryland. Buy live crabs and they will steam and season them on the spot; carry them to a Wharf plaza or the Tidal Basin for a picnic. Also at the market, Rappahannock Oyster Bar (1150 Maine Ave SW) sits in a restored oyster shed from around 1912 and serves Rappahannock Oyster Co. shellfish. At the south end of the market, Potomac Distilling Company (1130 Maine Ave SW) makes Todd Thrasher's rums. Tours run Tuesday to Saturday, and a tasting with a cocktail is $18.
Late Afternoon: Shops on the Water
Then walk along the water to the shops on Water Street and District Square. Politics and Prose at The Wharf (610 Water St SW) is the waterfront branch of the independent bookstore, with books, stationery, gifts and author events, open until 8pm. Shop Made in DC (10 District Square SW) sells only goods made by DC artisans: apothecary, apparel, art, jewelry, home decor and DC-themed gifts. Lip Lab (20 District Square SW) mixes custom vegan lipsticks and glosses to order, and Cordial Craft Wine, Beer & Spirits (70 District Square SW) focuses on local and small-producer bottles, with regular tastings. Georgetown Optician (699 Water St SW) carries designer frames from Jacques Marie Mage, Cartier and Garrett Leight.
For dinner, Del Mar de Fabio Trabocchi (791 Wharf St SW) is the Trabocchis' two-level Spanish seafood restaurant, known for paella, and Hank's Oyster Bar (701 Wharf St SW) has a waterfront patio. End with fudge or ice cream at Kilwins (663 Water St SW), open until 10pm or later every night.
Tip: On Saturdays from April through November, flip the day. Start at Farmers Market SW (608 Wharf St SW, 9am to 1pm) with coffee from Colada Shop (10 Pearl St SW), which opens at 8:30am, then head to Union Market for the afternoon.
Metro, Garages and the SW Shuttle
Union Market: Take the Red Line to NoMa-Gallaudet U, turn right on Florida Avenue NE, then left onto 4th or 5th Street NE. Most district garages and lots, including the surface lot in front of the Market off 6th Street and The Batley/La Cosecha garage at Morse and 4th, are free for three hours, then $10 an hour.
The Wharf: Waterfront station on the Green Line is a two-minute walk. The free SW Shuttle loops between The Wharf, L'Enfant Plaza Metro and the National Mall. Wharf Garages 1, 2 and 3 are open 24/7, from $6 for 30 minutes to $23 for two hours on weekdays. Buy anything at the fish market and Garage 1 costs $2 for the first hour; bring your ticket and receipt to the parking lobby in Market Square. Water taxis leave the Transit Pier for Georgetown, Old Town Alexandria and National Harbor.