Market Lunch

Just had a ‘Sausage Brick’ breakfast sandwich here and it was quite good. Real eggs, rosemary seasoned potatoes, a slightly spicy sausage patty and a slice of cheese made for a killer breakfast sandwich. I’m gonna be back again for sure.

This place is special. The type of place locals won’t tell you about because they want to keep it to themselves. Prepare to wait in line if you’re wanting brunch on a weekend… But it’s well worth the wait.
Buckwheat blueberry pancakes with Vermont maple syrup will give you a run for your money on being the best pancakes you’ve ever had. Crispy, light, rich, with incredible depth of flavor coming from the buckwheat.
Being in DC I had to have the crab cakes Benedict. An east coast take on the classic breakfast dish, I would go back just for the cakes let alone! Awesome awesome dish that is a refined local take on a classic breakfast dish.

This is a must see. Without a doubt. I’ve been here 100x in last 4 years and have introduced at least 20 people to this amazingness. Bluebux pancakes are a staple as are the grits and turkey bacon (not regular, always always order turkey bacon)! Crabcake Benedict is great if you’re into seafood or visiting the area. Everything is locally sourced and fresh.

After living on Capitol Hill for 5 years it was about time that I tried this place. After running errands in the area I decided to stop by for lunch period although I couldn’t try their famous buckwheat blueberry pancakes I knew I would find something yummy. I decided to go with the crab cake and oyster fried platter. I got the fried green tomatoes which were perfectly fried in corn meal. Be sure to try it with their pink sauce. Nice and firm and well seasoned. I was going to get the baked beans but the woman behind the counter suggested that I try something that they made so I went with the coleslaw which was very good! The crab cake was very meaty and didn’t have a lot of filler. The oysters were fresh and perfectly fried. I had a great lunch and would definitely recommend.

They have one of the best breakfast sandmiches around! «the brick» will put u back a whopping $ 5.50, but it comes with what looks like house made sausage, freshly baked bread, and potatoes. The perfect on the go complete breakfast. If you arrive after 8:30, expect to wait in line for at least 15 mins. After that it looks like the wait can be 30ish. Their pancakes looks amazing every time we’re there. can’t wait to try them.

My first reaction to market lunch was that it is very overrated and overpriced.
After standing in line for 35 minutes on a Sunday I ordered the oyster po boy, and was served with 2 fried oysters on a plain roll. Nothing special at all. I did come back during the middle of the week and didn’t have to stand in line. I ordered the crabcake breakfast, which was definitely overpriced but very delicious and filling.
Overall I would recommend this place if you don’t have to wait in line and are looking for fresh seafood for breakfast.

I stopped in for lunch and I ordered a bacon cheeseburger, fries, and sweet tea. I got just a cheeseburger (no bacon). How do you manage to mess that up? Bacon is the key ingredient in a bacon cheeseburger! The fries were greasy and soggy. The sweet tea was really good though.
The burger was OK once I got past the missing bacon. It was nothing special, but definitely not a bad burger. It was made fresh and other than the disappointment of expecting bacon and getting no bacon I can’t say anything bad about the burger.
Other negatives or things to be aware of:
No kids menu — my daughter is picky and didn’t find anything she would eat here except for fries since they had stopped serving breakfast.
They are cash only.
The place kind of smells like fish.
Limited seating — we ended up eating on some benches outside, because the picnic tables out front were full too.
They seem to be known for their breakfast and seafood, so if you get there too late for breakfast and don’t want seafood you’ll probably be disappointed.

Worth a return? Nope
Worth a 30 minute drive? Probably not
Worth a flight? Never
This place has the buzz of someplace far more legendary. There is a long line of patient customers, a system of seating (don’t sit until you have your order completed – thank you!), an eccentric loud order taker, and many great sounding specials.
Blueberry Pancakes: not fluffy. tough. Heard the same from many a customer at the tables. maybe the plain pancakes may work a bit better? But the overall feeling is the batter was overworked as the proteins were tough and the leavening may have been spent.
Blueberry buckwheat pancake: same as regular pancakes but heavier and tougher. In both cases, as mentioned by another reviewer, the blueberries did not seem to add anything positive to the pancakes.
Crab benedict: Nothing special. To be honest, the best crabcakes are still in Maryland or in San Francisco (Hayes Valley Grill farmers market stand).
Shrimp with spicy grits: Pretty good. There are bits of bacon in it which don’t seem to add to the taste of the dish. But the grits are indeed with a mild touch of spicy and the shrimps are good – not dry. The overall dish has the flavor or shrimp – which really worked.
I did see someone eating the cod or haddock – and that locked pretty nice if you like golden fried fish as part of your breakfast.
With a cup of large coffee, this enough food for three and came out to $ 40. I’d say this was one of the more disappointing breakfasts, considering they are so proud of their pancakes. It left me feeling depressed really – with so many other places to eat in Washington, DC.

Ordered blue bucks (blueberry buckwheat pancakes) with a side of turkey bacon. Pancakes were delicious just wish there had been more blueberries! I did not know turkey bacon could taste this good! Very pleased with this meal!

Very crowded and hectic, especially on weekends. Expect to stand in a long line, as I did. It’s located conveniently in the indoor neighborhood of Eastern Market. I visited just to try one fried green tomato. There was hardly any room to sit so I ended up standing in a less crowded area of the indoor market to eat my food. The food was tasty, though a bit bland and the sauce didn’t help too much. With so many great brunch places around Eastern Market, I’d recommend skipping this place and trying a sitdown. In my opinion it’s not worth the hassle of the line or crowds…

Blueberry buckwheat pancakes. Get ‘em.
My dad also ordered the cheesy grits, and he loved them, so I guess those are good, too.
But seriously. The blueberry bucks. With maple syrup.
Prepare yourself to stand in line for a really long time, as this place is super popular. Or get there early.

They get a five star in my eyes! Funny my co-​worker asked me if I wanted lunch from here and I said «oh I saw them featured on a show on the food network» I just devoured the crab and fish platter with coleslaw and potatoe salad. I would slap my momma for a free lunch lol «Just playing Ma»

These place has serious buzz and a serious line.
For brunch on a Saturday, we waited about a half hour to order. We then waited an additional 15 – 20 minutes for our food. The staff felt bad for how long our food took and offered a free side, which we declined.
The blueberry buckwheat pancakes were meh. They did not have very much flavor. The blueberries also seemed like ones that could be found from a can. I would not order these again. The regular blueberry pancakes were sweeter, and I enjoyed them more, but I still could make them at home. The bacon was greasy and overpriced.
The staff is super friendly, and I appreciate how much care they put into the food. I just wish it had more flavor.

Oh man! So good! Split the bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwich (which I would get everyday if I could) and the blueberry short stack :) to die for! Plus fresh squeezed OJ?! YES PLEASE. Hidden little place if you’re not familiar with the area :)

I could’ve sworn I did a review here before. But, minor details aside, The Market Square cooks your food to order, it’s at an actual market (Eastern Market, to be exact) so the seafood is always fresh and really good! Today I tried the 14 hour slow roast North Carolina BBQ. Here’s the thing, my Dad is from North Carolina, I’ve spent a lot of time there, and have had my fair share of North Carolina pulled pork. My parents make a great pulled pork sandwich, and while The Market Square’s isn’t quite the same as what I get from Dad’s smoker and Mom’s spice rack, it was surprisingly pretty good! I also had their Fried Green Tomatoes, which I always love! I gave The Market Square 4 stars because twice they’ve made mistakes to my order but as far as the food and service goes, they’ve always been consistent, and is one of my favorite places to visit for lunch.

I lived in DC 12 years ago and crave breakfast at Market Lunch all the time. They are known for their buckwheat blueberry pancakes, but I’m not a huge fan of blueberries so I have never had it. I was in town for work today and was thrilled to spot in for breakfast. One of the specials was French Toast with fresh whipped cream and berries.
They make their own bread and it is by far the best French toast I have ever had. The whipped cream melted perfectly over the bread and the berry mix was wonderful (mango, strawberry and blueberry). I devoured my meal in just a few minutes.
To note: this is a cash only place. I got there at 8am on Saturday and had to wait about 15 minutes in line. This place has always been packed so it didn’t seem like the wait was that bad.
This is a must stop if you are in the area. Even if you’re note close, take the metro to Eastern Market and it’s a one minute walk away. It’s in the restored Eastern Market building at the end.

I have always loved this place and was so happy they came back after the Eastern Market fire some years ago. My Capitol Hill friends all know I always want to come here for a crab cake sandwich whenever I am in town.
On my last visit, I had the Crab Cake Benedict, which was equally delicious.

Market Lunch is great. The owner is super friendly and chatty which kinda holds the line up a bit, but I love it anyway. Today I had a crab cake platter with green beans and slaw. I don’t normally get crab cakes because I like crab meat straight from a crab — maybe that’s partly cuz I grew up in Murlind. Who knows.
Anyway, this crab cake was delicious. The crab was sweet with very little filler and a really thin tasty crust. It came with a huge roll which was good enough. The coleslaw was fresh without too much mayo and the green beans were surprisingly tasty and seasoned well. They understand seasoning here. I also tried my friend’s fried green tomatoes and it also had a nice thin crispy cornmeal crust which was super tasty. If you’re in the market, it’s a good bet for lunch. I’ve clearly gotta try the breakfasts here.

yum yum yum! market lunch is open for weekend bfast from 9a-​3p.
go for brunch and come early to skip the lines (if that’s possible)…or not and enjoy
standing in line for 15 minutes.
the musts?
–that buckwheat blueberry pancake (highly touted by washingtonian magazine)
–the brick sandwich: some kind of amazing dough used for the fluffy and light bread and with a spread of butter. amazing. did i say amazing twice? yes. oh, and make sure to add bacon and cheese… egg… ham… mcd’s has got nothing on this!
skip the scrapple if you’ve tried before. we hadn’t so we dug in. it tastes like fried sweetmeats, interesting. aka not ordering that ever again!
anyway… you get your meal at the pick up line and sit yourself on their huge communal table and start making new friends. :)
how does simple, ordinary food taste sooo good??? :) perfect way to spend the sunday morning right? and go shopping outside right after? yes, of course.
ps– the couple across from us raved about the yellow grits. we exchanged notes on our respective foods, and after hearing them rave. i need to get myself back there to try!
pps– cash only methinks
ppps — select benedicts (crab) are avaliable on weekends only. i tried to convince the hubs to get it so i can snag a bite, but he insisted on SCRAPPLE. *sigh*!!! at least the brick was a GREAT choice! :)

About a year later and the blue bucks are just as outrageously delicious as I remember. The green chile grits are a great accompaniment and people seemed to be going crazy for their Big Ben crab cake; I’ll have to try it next time.
This time around I discovered that «the mix» drink is also really addictive. I come here every time I am in the area and is strongly encourage every visitor to do the same. The long line was worth it!