Reviews of The Market Lunch (Restaurant)

Ana Paola Sosa Schaerer

Great place!!

Susan Berndt

Great shrimp and grits

François Margarit

(Translated by Google) Huge pancakes you have to be very hungry! Very good for a lil dej american as we imagine (Original) Enormes pancakes il faut avoir très faim! Très bien pour un ptit dej americain comme on l'imagine

Chris Smith

Amazing breakfast hidden gem in the market a must if you in D.C.

Matthew Strickenberger

Great and simple crab cake sandwich!! Gotta come back for a weekend breakfast.

Allyson Terry

Come early or during the week if you have time. Weekends are super busy and rightly so. The food is fresh from the pancakes to the fish sandwiches!

ERIC KEYS

Great place, great fish breakfast. One of my favorites

Clara Kim

Tried it for the 1st time with my family, the breakfast sandwiches were delicious! BLT & Green Tomato

Jason Collins

They have handsdown the best breakfast food I've ever had in my life. Their bluebucks are awesome and their tea could float a boat.

Tyler Adams

Great food and fantastic service! Extremely friendly people, I felt right at home. The crab cakes and blue bucks were amazing, but I hardly think you can go wrong on their menu :)

David Whittingham

Bluebuck pancakes and chicken waffles were amazing

aud schim

Organic and delicious

Christian Mai

Awesome breakfast, great atmosphere. Inside or outside. Highly recommend the omelet and the orange juice!

P Hayes

Love this place! Really good food! Fresh meats of all sorts. Grillers..you gotta check it out You wont be disappointed!

Darlett Salley

Ecerything they serve is good!!!

shihyang lin

價格偏高，用餐環境差。

Ursula Lauriston

Was looking at a menu and it was literally snatched out of my hand by the person taking drink orders behind the counter. Was told I could not look at it but had to look at one directly next to it. Someone ahead of me had just put it down when I picked it up. I have been coming here for years and when it’s busy they always have some stupid dumb doesn’t matter rule that does nothing other than turn customers off. Still dreaming of a DC where food quality and service quality matches. Have never ever found it and this place is no exception.

Ashley Davis

Loved the blue buck pancakes! So goooooodddd! Great service as well.

Ming Zhang

This is a great market that sells a variety of produce, meat and fish. Everything looked incredibly fresh. Towards the back end of the market, there's a little diner/cafe. Great and affordable breakfast and lunch options. Best crab cakes in Maryland

Tamika Stanley

Poor customer service from cashier

Tim Dahms

Filling breakfast; the full stack (3 pancakes) is really like 6 normal pancakes. Very good! Nicely priced for DC.

Dan Cook

Get the crabcake!

Joseph Winters

I really want people to go to place and enjoy themselves. That's I recommend Market Lunch. Great and different atmosphere. It has been around for many years. Please enjoy.

William Knox

Yummy lunch, fresh and quick!

Majd Alkassem

I have been to this place a few times now. The pancakes are pretty good. They also have decent items on the menu. Two things that make this place miss the top choice on my list. 1- cash only, and in this time and age this sounds really odd. 2- service is a hit or miss. Some days service is amazing, and other times not so much.

Matt Plummer

My favorite breakfast in the District!

Meaghan Brown

Best fried chicken on Capitol Hill, but take advice at the counter about what's good. There's a well deserved line on Market days. Bring cash and don't expect frills, just fantastic food

Judge Lott

Great pancakes!!!! Excellent crab cakes!!!!

Renee Ma

The breakfast sandwiches are very good and the chicken sandwich surprised me.

Nathalie Reshard

The Blue-Buck pancakes were the best I've had in 20 years.

Khanh Do

Excellent place for a traditional/classic American breakfast, with a hint of Southern cuisine. Crab Cake breakfast at this time of the year is a must. Convenient location at Eastern market in Washington DC for a stroll.

Cherrard Odom

Every Sunday....! Best breakfast in town!

Lessie Connelly

Very good place to shop

Pedro David

I've had the worst experience being a consumer of the market lunch, mostly because of the manager that was very rude with me and my wife no letting us have a sit just because we also bought something in other store (no only at his store). He told us to sit outside the market, at the mid day sun, even we being his costumers. I don't recommend you spend not even a dollar in that place. Also, the food is not worth the problems.

Marlon S McNeill Sr

Great place to get good fresh food and desserts while visiting DC. Also, it has a vast amount of vendors who sell an array of crafts to paints and specialties. This is a must for anyone visiting the DC area, however they are closed on Mondays. I would recommend to family and friends to visit when they are in the area

James Cureton

Great food, prepared and uncooked, all over the place! Fish sandwiches(my friends' choices) and soft shell crab(my choice) are great lunch time choices. When I was younger, and fitter, I would jog along the grassy median strip on Pennsylvania Avenue on Capitol Hill to earn my Sunday breakfast here at the Eastern Market. It was great then, and still great today.

Alison Mayes

Delicious brunch! Blueberry pancakes and crab cakes are very good. Seating is limited when they are busy. Also be prepared, it's cash only.

A Seab

The Market lunch is not really a restaurant but more of a quick spot. There are no large tables but it's more of grab and go. It is a market place set up where there are several other to go vendors to eat from. The food was amazing, the service was outstanding! This compensated for crammed space.

Lauren Kessler

Found this place in the Washingtonian magazine and am so happy I did! What a rare find - no frills eatery inside Eastern Market offering wild-caught seafood, mostly local, and reasonably priced meals. Grab a spot at the community table or one of the few high tops in their section or take to-go. You won’t regret it. We got there around 10:30 am and within 10 minutes, the line had quadrupled so earlier the better on the weekends! Do not miss the blueberry buckwheat pancakes with real whipped butter and real maple syrup. The shrimp and grits were quite tasty too - huge difference in flavor between wild-caught shrimp and the alternative. Only suggestion to the restaurant would be to get tastier buns for the breakfast sandwiches!

Oliver Rapp

First off, the restaurant has a very interesting atmosphere, because it is located inside the market. The pancakes are very delicious and their breakfast sandwiches are quality. The food is made quick but the line is often long. I recommend The brick, with bacon.

Harold Maupin

Simply the best breakfast/lunch diner on Capitol Hill.

Tami Rodriguez

Lots of food choices. But crowded. Be prepared to wait in line.

Anthony Solorzano

Took a day trip out to Washington DC had an amazing breakfast, got a scrapple 2 egg sandwich, pretty damn good one of the best I've had in a while.

Debi Williams

I've been eating here since I arrived in DC back in the 80s. Market Lunch is a real taste of DC- fish and grits, blueberry pancakes, crabcakes, fresh oysters in season and amazing sides like potato salad, greens, and fresh cut fries...its the real deal and also one of the few places in town that serves scrapple.(I'm not a fan but remain amazed by how many people love it.)

Angela Rose

The food here is amazing

Daniel Estefano

Never go to Eastern Market without eating in this place. Excellent.

Mark Poremba

Excellent breakfast creations, definitely worth the trip! Usually a line but moves along quickly. They only accept cash.

Ben Bishop

Great place to grab breakfast on the weekends. The line can be long and seating is often hard to come by but the food is great. They are cash only so come prepared. I usually get the fried green tomato Benedict and spicey cheese grits.

FlavaJane The 1st

Omg. Simply Amazing from cashier to the food

Asier Antoranz

Great food and service. Oyster sandwich, scrambled eggs, pancakes and more!

Anthony Ramos

Breakfast and fish buying. Nice place if you're looking for that old dc feel.

Thuy Thi Phuong Duong

Interesting place! Should go!

Chad Kirk

Not the easiest place to find, but so glad we made the effort to find it. Great food for breakfast, lunch menu looks great too!

Ryan McWhorter

Fun place to visit and have a good breakfast. Make sure to show up early and line up properly(you could be made fun of it you dont) and chat up the owner. He will razz you and offer suggestions for breakfast. It’s a great experience in a historic location.

william lee

Enjoyed

Christine L

I went here and read all the reviews about the crab cake sandwich. So what else did I do? get it! It comes with bun, lettuce and tomato. With this few ingredients i am thinking cake cake must be amazing as they are essentally letting the crab cake speak for itself. When i got it, i was excited and took it outside to eat. As i unwrapped it, I was disappointment that I paid $10+ dollar for a crab cake smaller than a mason jar lid. The big bun made me think it was going to be bigger. No big deal, the crab cake will be amazing. After a bite, i was throughly disappointed for the all the hype it got. For the crab cake, i give it three stars. It was better than the one had at ikea, but not as good at the one I had a cantler's inn in Annapolis, and, it was cheaper. Cantler's also had some cole slaw that added to the freshness and amazingness of the crab cake. I would come back to try the breakfast...hope i am not dissapointed

Mello One

Limited seating and cash only mom and pops eatery in the market place. Food is fresh but depend on the time of day it can be a bit of a wait.

Emily Belcher

Not a great set up to sit and eat, not much space. Location has an off putting smell. Menu limited. Staff were inattentive

Jc P

Busy place morning or noon but of course their is a reason for it. Good breakfast selection here and tons of food to order breakfast/Lunch. It gets busy here so seating is very limited but hey if it was that easy it wouldn't be fun they say

Jonathan Miller

Consistently great b-fast. Great pancakes; great grits; great eggs & esp eggs Benedict (with crab). It's a must-visit when we have out of town friends staying with us. It always amazes me how seats appear at the communal table when your food is ready, too.

Donner Correia

Fresh cheap and most anything you need for a good meal.

Angela Drake

A trip to DC would be incomplete without a breakfast visit to Market Lunch. Crab Cake Benedict is a must on the weekend while the fried green tomato breakfast is a great summer choice. And if they are offering shrimp and grits, get it!

Benjamin Park

Sunday morning pancakes and crab cakes!!!

Cristian Chavez

The food is really good, kinda pricey and the employees are either rude or just weird, the seating is quite limited but other than that, not too bad

Heleen Raes

Came here on a Friday afternoon for lunch, there was almost no line and plenty of seating. I've passed it in the morning as well though and then it usually looks very busy. It's cash only but there's an ATM in the market. The food was tasty but not exceptional, but the owner is just a pleasure to interact with, quite the character!

Geoffrey Mikota

Great place and service! Would recommend out of anywhere in DC.

Austin Graff

Market Lunch is a Capitol Hill classic. Situated in the historic Eastern Market building right on Capitol Hill, it's always a local favorite. The man who owns it is a quirky guy who's provided great breakfast and lunch to Capitol Hill for years. He serves up some classic American items like french toast, fried green tomatoes, and pancakes (People LOVE the blueberry buckwheat pancakes). If you're not a local and used to the hustle and bustle of DC, you may be a little overwhelmed so prepare yourself. There is always a line (though it moves fast) and people crowd around you the entire time. Ordering (It's cash only) is always fast paced and seating is quick. There's one long table right where you order or picnic tables outside or tables in the back room of Eastern Market. All seating is first come first serve. If you want a unique local experience, come here! If you are easily overwhelmed, try getting a reservation at nearby Ted's Bulletin.

Renee Davis

Good food. Line is always super long though. Be prepared.

L Roberts

The staff is very pleasant

David Weller

Bluebuck pancakes and the Brick egg sandwich are both awesome

Kevin Allen

Good brunch option. Breakfast sandwiches were good and quite large. The stand out product is the crab cake, though - giant lumps of delicious crab! Be prepared to wait in a long line!

Chris Miller

It's name is the market lunch, but it should be called the market breakfast.

Scott Annis

Great food, especially the bar-b-que.

Teresa Stewart-Buck Buck

Enjoyed a great breakfast before multiple meetings today.

Big Zo

Hands down the best PANCAKES in DC AND REALLY good meaty whiting (fish)

Valeria Ward

Great place to eat. The food was delicious. We will eat there again while we are in town!

Jacquelyn Zimmermann

Always wonderful - good fish, pancakes and sandwiches, friendly, full of people, thus it,s lasted for decades.

Shawn Thompson

always good

Victoria Wilkins-Evans

Loved it

XAVIER AGNELLI

What’s the appeal to this place? I’m only going to give this place two stars because I feel like the food you get is so grossly overpriced for what it is. I got their seafood plate with a side order and a drink which ended up being like $27 and it was a paper plate with a few small pieces of fish, a bready-crab cake on it and a side and it was fairly lack luster. The grits were ok, the fried green formatives were ok, but everything was just.. well ok. If it was $10 or $12, I would say it’s a great deal. But almost $30? Are you kidding me? They have been written about in Tripadvosor, yelp, etc. and receive 4 Stars by many people. But the fact that they have four stars is exactly why I am often very skeptical of public reviews, rather than reviews from organizations like the Washingtonian, or the New Yorker with legitimate food critics. This place would go out of business in a month in NYC and only survives because some people think it’s ok and there isn’t anywhere near the competition that there is in NYC. I’m not saying that the food is terrible, it’s just ok, but for what they charge it’s totally not worth it.

Clarence Short

The crab cakes were good.

Jill Gallagher

Great food and great company! We loved it!

Steve Kusters

Excellent food, crab cakes are a must have, great atmosphere, fast service.

Corey Flath

I had the shrimp and grits and my wife had the blueberry buckwheat pancakes. This place is as good as advertised and I recommend stopping by. It was so good we went back again the next day! Had the fish breakfast with a crab cake and the fried green tomato benedict. Both of these items were also great, I think we'd go back again tomorrow but I'm headed home!

ivana gobbo

What a great experience. The gentlemen in the cashier is great! He is super funny and gives you the best suggestions, so you better listen to him :p We really enjoyed the atmosphere. The food is delicious: the crab cake Benedict it’s amazing... They are famous for the blueberry pancakes (delicious as well). The service is great, very nice staff, convenient location and good prices. FYI: This place is cash only, so be prepared :)

Jennifer Jolley

Fantastic brunch spot - I had the crab cake and soft shell crab combo with fried green tomatoes and cucumber salad. My friends loved the pancakes and breakfast (before 1pm on Sunday). One the best meals in D.C. Be prepared to wait in line, because it is well worth it.

Mandi Peach

The food here was phenomenal! I had the haddock platter, and everything was super fresh and fried to perfection. I got collard greens, which, having never tried before, I was a little unsure of, and they were super good. Definitely would eat here again.

Gospel Bearer

Best pancakes you'll ever have.

Marty Katz

Most DC crabcakes are just fake news. The Market Lunch crabcake is true Chesapeake Bay style with regional fresh crab; most use cheap pasteurized. Good cucumber salad and fresh-cut fries. Cash only, closes around 2.

Stuart Belote

Nice market and very good food

Jekica

Came for the blueberry pancakes as they are highly recommended and I will say I was not disappointed. Get the real maple syrup with the pancakes when you order. I'm not usually much of a syrup person but the one served here is just amazing.

William Battle

Good food, good atmosphere seafood is delicious and the owner is quite a character. Will be back!

Michael Farina

Great service and fantastic food! Definitely worth the wait on a Sunday morning.

Meg Coyne

Amazing casual breakfast, crab cake sandwich is probably my favorite in all of DC.

Edward Cotton

Always worth the stop to grab a bite. Nice to find something outside of the tourist dives.

Joe Ryan

Delicious food but very expensive.

Gary Middlemiss

Owner is a jerk. My kids sat at an empty table - there were lots of them - while I went to order food. He started yelling that he wanted them to go eat alone outside instead. Maybe the food is good. Who knows. Who cares.

Melvin Johnson

This place is one of the best places to go.

Benjamin Magdelaine

Beaucoup de monde, mais ça faut le détour , une brocante / marché jusqu'à côté.

Carole Tea

Best fish breakfast.

Al lopez

Good spot to go

Danielle Johnson

One of D.C.'s best breakfast/lunch spots!

JUANA ACOSTA

Mercado pequeño con buenos recursos. Hay sandwichs y ensaladas, tortas de cangrejo, desayunos y otras preparaciones más. Muy bonito, limpio y saludable.

kvlinden

My favorite breakfast spot in DC - The shrimp bacon and spicy grits is excellent. Alas, it's closed on Mondays.

Craig Schlozman

I can't believe that dude upsold me on a pancake I really didn't want, but man it was worth it. Perfectly airy, I though it would float away, the flapjacks here are better than mom used to make (sorry, ma). A great assortment of deliciously filled omelets, Market Lunch is just steps away from several vendors that will sell you what you need to cook your next meal. Fill up at Market Lunch before you shop with their waffles and pancakes--a house favorite. Be prepared to wait in line and fight for a table. This is an Eastern Market fave.

Vee March

Best crab cake EVER! A must visit.