Just walking through the neighborhood and decided to stop in for coffee. And I got the pleasure of…read moremeeting the coolest barista, ZOE! Zoe let me try a sample of their gumbo annd Maryland crab soup and talked me into trying Vietnamese coffee for the first time! I can tell everything here is made with love! I look forward to stopping by Union Kitchen more. The staff are friendly and welcoming!

This corner store sells a variety of local goods and brand names from grab-n-go food to wine to…read morechips. There's a cafe inside that sells coffee, sandwiches, and more. There are a few places to sit inside and outside. When I popped in for a snack, the man working was very kind.

Their friends must be writing the reviews because they're selling bad meat. Very bad as in rotten!!…read moreVery disappointed as I looked at the reviews and thought this would be a good place in dc to buy halal meat as I'm very interested in that now. When I got home, I realized the meat was bad, didn't even bother to take it back. Trash place on the inside btw, doesn't even look like somewhere you should be getting something that you're going to internally consume from there. Beware of the false comments and find another place to buy halal meat! Hope this helps someone!

I love this grocery store!!! It has everything that remind me of home and then some. If you are…read moreever looking for halal meat in the district this is your place!

Had takeout from here to get some quick shawarma wraps as a last-minute dinner. I did not realize…read morebefore placing the order that it was so close to their 7PM closing time, so I'll keep that in mind for the rest of the review. The interior is small, with a takeout counter and a little shop with packaged Mediterranean goods. The service was quick, the workers were friendly (despite us coming when they were about to close) and the order was ready when we arrived. The shawarma wrap was fine, not really matching my expectation for shawarma or the description on their website menu. This could have been an error, or could have been because they were at the end of their shift, but the chicken was seasoned very simply with what tasted like just salt and pepper and seemed to be grilled rather than cooked on a spit. The saving grace for the wrap was the garlic sauce and the pickled vegetables, which were able to partially make up for the lack of flavor from the chicken. Lastly, the Uber Eats special said that it was 2 shawarma wraps for the price of one (~$19). I was surprised to see this, because $19 feels like an absurd cost for a single shawarma wrap, though it was a reasonably good deal for two. After digging afterward, I found that this cost was inflated on Uber Eats and the price for takeout listed on their website is $10.99 for a single wrap. I was extremely disappointed to see this kind of deceptive marketing. Overall, the shawarma wrap was subpar and the marketing was misleading. I don't plan on going back to Shemali's anytime soon.

Such a hidden gem. Tucked away in a shopping center, no windows- I found it after an appointment…read more But Im glad I did. Delicious shawarma bowl! Chicken was flavorful and big portions. Quick service. Loved the grocery section with middle eastern products. Def will be returning before my next annual check up!

Very friendly but I can't stand the terrible smell in the store and the ridiculous prices. But…read moreconvenient and has wine and beer in a pinch.

Great local grocery ! Friendly and efficient. Have great fresh meats and good prices on wine.read more

The new owners of this market are making a great effort to incorporate events for the neighborhood…read more I have been to talks, and music events and enjoyed their food, warmth and comfortableness. I live in the neighborhood so this is a great, local spot to hang out, get good food. Oh, and did I mention it as also a wine store! Where else can you enjoy a bottle of wine with your meal for the cost of one glass of wine anywhere else!

Establishments such as Friendship Gourmet Market are the best of America. It is a small business,…read moreapparently run by a family of immigrants. What is special about it is nothing is special: it is exactly what it seems to be. That is meant as praise. It is a reliable, highly local, competently run, friendly shop, clean and with fair prices, offering beer, wine, items you'd find at a chain rival such as 7-Eleven, with a few fresh, hot food offerings for breakfast and lunch. They also have specialty dishes, of Ethiopian origin. I spend considerable time in the neighborhood. I live in New York City. But my elderly father is on his own in suburban DC. My wife and I stay right by this market. If we need something, such as a bottle of wine to with dinner, this is where we stop in. It's great to have it near, and not only for its convenience. I urge people to support Friendship Gourmet Market.

This is as neighborhood-small business as it gets. I specifically came to try the market's small…read moredeli in the back. They keep the menu small, but everything sounds amazing. I got one of the freshly made paninis - the Prosciutto Mozzarella Arugula Tomato and Pesto. While waiting for the order, I walked around the shop, a great option for shopping for a party or night-in or grabbing snack. The wine collection is small, but diverse. Big plus for a lot of Asian brands, too. The warm panini made it the 20-minute walk home warm and still fresh. The ingredients complimented each other well - think the strong flavor of the sun-dried tomato with the mozzarella and prosciutto. Really great option for lunch if you are in Georgetown and want to try something off M St. or Wisconsin!

Wasn't really sure what to expect when I came here, but I was very pleasantly surprised! I ordered…read morethe burrata and prosciutto salad and the burrata itself was great! It was also the perfect portion size. The staff was really nice and it was such a cool and unique environment. I just wish there were a few more seats for dine-in!

Delicious food and great customer service! The chicken over rice was perfect: spicy without being…read moretoo hot. We went back the next day for iced lattes which were also very good and made with fresh espresso. The market section is limited but curated and had a thorough selection of grains, spices, etc. The owners are incredibly warm and made us want to return.

A great little market and mom-and-pop! Mostly Ethiopian products, especially dry goods and packaged…read morefood, at solid prices. The couple who run it seem chill and friendly. I popped in today for a couple lentil sambusas, which were tasty, mildly spicy, and pretty cheap. This place is just one of those local, independent Ethiopian market-cafe establishments that DC is lucky enough to have many of.

I've lived in San Diego for twenty years, but in my youth, in the '80's, I lived and worked near…read moreDC's Eastern Market. I'd walk there most Sundays, buying breakfast from the man who made fried chicken and biscuits. Then I'd stop and visit with Mrs. Calomiris. I called her, "Mrs." because it wouldn't have occurred to me to call her "Maria," and "Mamma" never seemed to offer the respect I wished to convey. She was smart and funny, and entertaining to watch as she gently promoted her customers into buying her beautiful produce. But most notably, Mrs. Calomiris was kind. On more than one occasion, she held overripe tomatoes for me until she had a good basketful, then called me to pick them up. I'd blanch, peel and seed them, then make sauce. A cook herself, Mrs. Calomiris approved of this old-school approach, and so was happy to help. As she did for everyone, when I came to get my basket, she always handed me a banana or a nice apple, something for lagniappe. And once, as I stood in front of Mrs. Calomiris' stall eating an apple she'd just sold me, she asked how it was; I said it wasn't bad, but that it wasn't quite ready, and that tiny woman reached up and took the apple from my hand as I was biting into it, in order to swap it for one that I'd like more. My family is Arab, immigrants to the DC area in the late '50's, so the enthusiastic hospitality I always received from Mrs. Calomiris was familiar. Except for her accent, she might have been one of my aunts. Maria Calomiris died of cancer in 2015, working at the Market until a few weeks before her death, having seen her husband, Chris, pass, just a few years earlier. The community and the City are the worse for these losses. But even several thousand miles away, Mrs. Calomiris' memory endures.

Homemade spanikopita and baklava (it's better than Kostas' at Greek Deli, I know, blasphemous)!…read more Like it's counterpart, Capitol Hill/Paik Produce, Calomiris Fruit and Vegetables has been around forever and boasts a wide selection of fruits and veggies (and has a secret double life supplying authentic ethnic foods). This place is more veggie heavy than its counterpart up the aisle, and it is usually better stocked on the odder things (eg. parsnips, turnips and rutabagas recently), and if they're not out on display they might have some stuff stocked in the giant refrigerator behind them. It can be a little pricey here, but the quality is usually superb. I also just adore that giant old fashioned gold register they use :) They also have a wide selection of dried fruit and nuts. Right next to the picture of a praying Mary of course. Don't forget to pay tribute to the legendary Eastern Market matriarch Maria Calomiris; she will usually stick an extra piece of fruit into your bag if she recognizes you ...and maybe even if she doesn't. (I heart sweet old ladies! and she makes the baklava herself). Some of the best customer service in the District for sure! Read about her in the post! (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/23/AR2009062300775.html) Location: This is next to the flowershop in Eastern Market in the center of the South Hall.