Union Market: Where you could eat for days
While walking around Union Market in Washington, D.C. with my friends Amanda and Stefanie, I couldn’t help but think, “I want to eat all the foods.” And you would too.
Union Market is an indoor marketplace full of restaurants and food vendors. You can eat a sit-down meal or just munch your way from stall to stall. Or — no judgment here — both. ;-)
This is a great spot to brunch, lunch or happy hour. Plus, you can even grocery shop the farmers’ market. Now, that’s my kind of multitasking.
Beans for sale at Union Market (Photo by Erin Klema)
The girls and I — or the blue and white mafia as we dubbed our trio adorned in preppy navy and white outfits — started our Sunday Funday at Union Market with brunch at Bidwell.
Bidwell Restaurant at Union Market in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Erin Klema)
To begin our brunch, we each ordered oysters on the half shell. These New Jersey oysters were HUGE — and only $3 each. I topped mine with some onions and cocktail sauce and slurped it down off the shell. This little taste of the Atlantic is worth every penny.
This oyster was delicious. (Photo by Erin Klema)
For my entree, I ordered the strawberry salad of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrot ribbons, pecans, bleu cheese and shrimp. Many of the restaurant’s ingredients are grown in the rooftop garden and are otherwise locally sourced. Everything in this salad was fresh and crisp.
The strawberry salad with shrimp at Bidwell. Tasty and healthy! (Photo by Erin Klema)
Light and refreshing are the words that come to mind to describe my strawberry salad, and that was just perfect because I knew I’d want to eat food from at least one of the vendors inside Union Market. I had to leave some room for goodies to come.
Overall, we had a tasty, fresh and delightful brunch in Bidwell’s industrial-chic dining room with wonderful service to boot!
DC Empanadas at Union Market (Photo by Erin Klema)
When I stumbled upon DC Empanadas, I sure was glad I had ordered a salad at brunch rather than an omelet or breakfast burrito. See, when I lived in the D.C. area, I worked in a Maryland suburb, so I missed out on lunch breaks at the amazing food trucks my friends with jobs in the District just raved about ALL THE TIME. So, this was my chance to finally experience food truck food — even if it wasn’t cooked on a truck.
The Tio Shawn empanada from DC Empanadas at Union Market (Photo by Erin Klema)
I ordered the Tio Shawn empanada filled with black beans, rice, Monterrey Jack cheese, chipotle peppers, cilantro and green onions. This vegetarian empanada was so flavorful and had a little kick. My only complaint is that it was gone too soon.
If you are a vegetarian, DC Empanadas is definitely worth checking out. At Union Market, they had the Tio Shawn and the Speedy Gonzalez, which is filled with three varieties of mild cheeses. But, DC Empanadas also caters, and their menu includes 10 different vegetarian empanadas plus more with chicken, pork and beef for the carnivores.
Outside Union Market (Photo by Erin Klema)
While I obtained the tastiest veggie empanada, Amanda and Stephanie sought out delicious pork-filled sticky buns. We reunited outside to dine at one of the tables that line the building. Finding seating can be a challenge, but if you wander around for a bit, you’ll likely find a table or spot to sit.
There are so many vendors that you could literally eat here for days and not try everything. For a full list of the vendors, visit the Union Market website.
Have you been to Union Market? What are your favorite vendors/restaurants there?
Wish you were here,
Erin
