The 10 best food halls in DC

In recent years, food halls have become as much a part of the DC food scene as the restaurants themselves. Until recently, out-of-towners knew of Eastern Market and maybe Union Market, but weren’t necessarily excited to try a new food hall when they visited. Today, suburbs like Arlington, Chevy Chase, and Silver Spring have globally focused food halls conveniently located near subway stations, while newer ones in DC itself are just as regionally focused as their counterparts. These 10 food halls give you the best opportunity to try everything the DMV has to offer in one place.

La Cosecha focuses on the flavors of Latin America. The two-story main hall is the festive area where you will find vendors specializing in popular dishes such as pupusas, arepas and Brasa-flavored chickenIf you want to experience the main hall at its liveliest, come during a football game or the bi-monthly Salsa Social sessions.

While the main hall is where the action takes place, there are two restaurants with separate seating areas, each offering a completely different experience. Run by a Mexican-born couple who have worked in kitchens from Santiago de Chile to Copenhagen, Apapacho focuses on Mexican street food, including breakfast tacos and vegetarian options. In the main hall, Arcay Chocolates stands out with its artfully designed candies in flavors like churro, marzipan, and tamarind. But at El Cielo, you can wash your hands in chocolate without leaving your table. The first Colombian restaurant to earn the coveted Michelin star, it offers two tasting menus that emphasize presentation so much that your waiter will create mist at your table to mimic the experience of morning coffee in the Colombian mountains.

1280 4th Street NE

Chef Makoto Okuwa hails from Nagoya, Japan, and this food hall is his culinary love letter. In the main hall, you can order ramen bowls, curry rice, and soft serve ice cream from one of the touch menus. Donuts are made to order with Japanese flavors like matcha and yuzu.

For a more upscale meal, head to one of three standalone restaurants, each specializing in a different form of Japanese cuisine. Dear Sushi offers a fairly affordable omakase experience. At Hiya Izakaya, you can see (and taste) 10 different meats and vegetables cooked over binchotan charcoal. If you prefer to grill yourself, grab a table at Beloved BBQ, which has the best selection, where you can sample grilled meats as decadent as Wagyu A5 and sushi with a one-to-one fish-to-rice ratio (the truffle salmon sushi is also garnished with gold flakes). The plant-based soba salad with spicy sesame dressing is as delicious as any meat or fish dish you’re likely to try.

200 Massachusetts Ave NW

Luna Hall started in DC and has since branched out to Ellicott City and Wheaton, with locations in Rockville and Tyson’s Corner also in the pipeline. If you want to experience DC’s Chinatown in one place, this is your place. The best place to eat is Dumpling District, at the end of the food hall, so it’s best to try the stalls in reverse order. Try all of their rainbow soup dumplings if you don’t have any dietary restrictions, as each flavor is distinctly different (chicken and shrimp/zucchini are the two best non-pork options). The buns are also worth trying, which are pan-fried at the bottom. Luna Hall DC also has a large bar and ample seating, where you’ll see plenty of young professionals working on their laptops while sipping bubble tea from Kung Fu Tea. Other notable options include Taiwanese chicken and poke.

625 H St NW

If you only want to try one dish from one vendor at DC’s various food halls, it should be Fire Pit’s picanha steak at Solaire Social. Chef Gui Gonzalez grills the top sirloin cap on a gas-powered grill with a charcoal tray underneath. The southern Brazilian native seasons the meat only with salt to bring out its flavor—and that flavor is so pronounced, you don’t even need the green sauce that comes with it. There are nine other vendors, including Kati Roll Wala and Pau & Sophia’s Thai Kitchen. The latter is run by a Myanmar couple, so your best bet is to start with the Burmese noodle salad. It’s served warm with moderate heat and crispy onions that add some crunch.

Solaire isn’t the only indoor market on this list with an ice cream vendor, but it is the only indoor market in the Washington area that has an ice cream vendor specializing in West African flavors. Anyone who’s been to Lagos will recognize the toy danfo buses next to the bottles of malt beverage imported from Nigeria. Popular flavors at Shuga x Ice include Maltese-flavored Love Nwantinti as well as Gbas Gbos, a spicy chocolate ice cream. And it’s not just spicy by ice cream standards—it’s comparable to West African pepper soup in terms of spiciness.

8200 Dixon Avenue

The Heights is the kind of place you bring an out-of-town tourist to if you want to impress them. Vendors include South Indian DC Dosa and Middle Eastern Yasmine, one of the best food joints in the much larger Union Market. If you’re not drinking at the bar, try a Cuban coffee at Saoco, which gives you a taste of Miami’s Little Havana in the DC suburbs. And save room for dessert at Mimi’s, the first soft-serve ice cream shop. The flavors change and change, but they tend to be ones you’d find in Japan, like black sesame, ube and matcha.

5406 WisConsin Ave.

Unlike other DC dining rooms, The Roost focuses as much on drinks as it does on food, making it feel more like a neighborhood hangout than a typical food court. There are two bars, each with a different focus. Show of Hands offers more than 200 different whiskeys to choose from, while Shelter is The Roost’s beer bar with more than 50 beers on tap.

The pizza at Slice Joint is slightly oily on the bottom and has a thick, crispy crust. According to Roberta’s former student Rachael Marie, who is now part of the Roost team, the pizza was inspired by Prince Street Pizza in Lower Manhattan (it’s square and airier than Detroit-style). Hi/Fi Taco, on the other hand, seems less interested in recreating a Mexico City food truck, offering more of a handful of fun interpretations like Taco Night in America, which is served with the sometimes-derided crispy tortilla. But the soft-shell mojo chicken taco stands out the most, with its blend of smooth avocado cream and slightly spicy enchilada sauce.

1401 Pennsylvania Avenue SE

While you’ll find pizza and a sushi restaurant with a very affordable 30-minute omakase option at The Square, Spanish food is where it stands out the most. That’s mainly due to Casa Teresa, a sit-down restaurant with a tapas corner and an extensive Spanish wine list. Chef Rubén García’s other concepts at The Square include Jamón Jamón, Junge’s and Brasa, where you can enjoy grilled meats and vegetables to order.

Nativo Coffee opens four hours before the other vendors and serves breakfast dishes that reflect the owners’ Jamaican and Venezuelan heritage. The Cafe Bombom is their signature latte and the must-try drink. It’s as sweet as any dessert and as delicious as any Vietnamese iced coffee you’ve ever had. If fermented tea is more your thing, try Brindle Boxer Kombucha.

1850 K St NW

If you only have time to visit one food hall in DC, Union Market is it. An entire district has grown up around it, so the area is now a great base for anyone visiting the city. Old warehouses and national ice cream brands like Van Leeuwen mingle with high-rise apartments and new hotels like the Hotel Nell-Union Market. Pizza, ramen and ice cream stands share the space with vendors offering Korean tacos, Japanese omelets and classic British cuisine. There’s even a Ladurée stand near one of the entrances. Head up to the over-21 rooftop, where you can grab a drink and play lawn games behind the iconic Union Market letters.

1309 5th Street NE

Upside on Moore is conveniently located above the Rosslyn Metro station and is also within walking distance from Georgetown via the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge. Lili’s and Ghostburger tend to have the longest lines, while KAM & 46 has the most interesting menu items. Just imagine a 5,200-mile culinary bridge from Oahu to the Philippines. There, Spam and poke share space on the menu with Filipino-inspired dishes like crispy garlic calamansi wings and pancit, a traditional noodle dish.

1700 N Moore St

Western Market is not related to Eastern Market; it’s a covered market on the grounds of George Washington University. Standout vendors include Bandoola Bowl, the only Burmese eatery in a covered market in DC itself. My Cake Theory, known for an appearance on the Food Network, has a pop-up location here with limited seating. The cupcakes at Western Market aren’t build-your-own, but they taste (and look) the best of anything you’ll find in a covered market in DC.

2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW