They are fast and friendly. Would recommend. I will be going back. They also have a good selection of knives folding and kitchen.

Bought five knives from this place. Recommend this place to my friends for a great knives. First time I ever have an issue and I asked for help and get brushed off. I spent nearly $300 on this knife and it breaks on the first use. Get it that the knife cut a lemon, onion and shallot. So unless that is a fancy chemical combination this place refuses to address a broken knife. A place that advertises as a premier cutlery place, heavily lacks in the customer service department. They actually imply it was user error! First time I ever had an issue with a knife from here. Last time I will have an issue as this place lost a customer. read more

District Cutlery - $300 for a broken knife on the first use. - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I needed my beautiful Japanese knife repaired after an accident (dropped on blade, tip snapped off), and District Cutlery did an excellent job. Faster than quoted (1.25 hours), reasonable pricing, and it cuts beautifully. Thank you, District Cutlery! read more

District Cutlery - Left side: Pre-Fix. Right side: Post-Fix. - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Absolutely love this place. Located inside Union market, they have an incredible selection of knives from all over that I have rarely seen in person. The staff is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful, walking you through their selection and allowing you to handle them to see what you prefer. In addition, before purchase they make sure to sharpen your knife to a razors edge. Something else that is extremely helpful is that their website matches up with their in store inventory so you can have a look before you go in. Their prices are also very fair for the products. I would highly recommend checking this place out, and though I have already made a purchase I will definitely be returning to check out their selection and perhaps make some additional purchases. read more

Came on Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving around 5PM to get 2 of my knives sharpened. Originally staff said it would take about 45 minutes, so I took a walk to REI to check out some gear and then got a text about 20 minutes after I left that the knives are ready. That was really fast! Tried the sharpened knives at home and loving my honed tools. It cost $14 per knife for a long 9 inch chefs knife and a 6 inch paring knife. Felt kind of expensive, but the only other time I had knives professionally sharpened is at the Williams Sonoma in San Francisco Union Square that did professional hand sharpening for $6 a knife ... 5 years ago. First time visiting Union Market, I can imagine in normal times it would be a bustling place with lots of people and good food, but sadly in Covid times, it's pretty empty and many of the food stalls are closed. read more

Awesome in all respects ! Fast, fair pricing, superb workmanship. So, a couple days before Thanksgiving a chef on the Today Show had a quick tip for turkey day: get your knives sharpened ! Will make for a safer Thanksgiving, plus 'no one likes shredded turkey.' Since we always do what Al Roker says we should, we rush on down to District Cutlery with every kitchen knife we own. Two hours later: perfection ! What a difference on Thanksgiving and the month since then. Thank you District Cutlery, and thank you Today Show--we will make this a twice a year habit ! read more

We came across this spot when at union market one day and decided to come back with one of our knives that could use sharpening. Definitely worth the $15 they charge!! The knife is now razor sharp and they finished it very quickly. There are a ton of options for buying knives as well, and the staff was super helpful with showing us different options within a certain price point. I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quality knife or just some sharpening of their existing knives! read more

I took a knife sharpening class at District Cutlery that was gifted to me as a surprise. During the class, Ryan walked me through the theory and practice of sharpening a knife on a whetstone. Ryan was extremely patient and kind as I massacred his nice whetstones till I started to understand my very many mistakes. I own and have used a whetstone before and tried to teach this to myself from youtube etc. I now know why despite my attempts, I was failing to take proper care of the knives. I had so many blind spots and Ryan indeed showed me the light. I would strongly recommend this class or any information on knives you could get from this really cool shop as I myself will be visiting it again soon. read more

District Cutlery - My Tojiro sharpened at the end of the class - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This place is AWESOME !! Brought my dull knives in for sharpening. Called ahead to make sure they weren't busy & they were able to take care of me right away! Derek & his colleague are very helpful & extremely knowledgeable about care-taking of knives. I also treated myself to a new Japanese chef's knife & it is the best knife I've ever used ! DISTRICT CUTLERY is definitely the place to go to get your knives sharp again, plus they clean the blades nicely & package it for you in a safely manner for pickup. My cuts in the kitchen are so much more beautiful now, thank you DISTRICT CUTLERY for making work fun again! I've been telling everyone I know about this place & will definitely keep coming back! Cheers ! read more

District Cutlery - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Man I remember when they went by DC Sharp. The name may have changed but honestly the only place you should get kitchen knives around here. One knife from these guys will be worth more than an entire knife block set, depending on the fit. There's really not that many cutlers/knives specialists in the US to the point where they know each other's names, and for DC or even DMV these guys are it. There's a whole spectrum of options for chefs and home cooks alike. Sure you can jump for the Carter knives that reach into 4 digits, but they're pretty up front about how the most expensive knife isn't necessarily the best knife. They'll let you open any of the cases, so you can see whether carbon or stainless steel, the weight of the blade or the feel of the handle gives you the Cinderella fit. I think their suggested range is you can get something solid at $80, and your options are a lot wider up to $200 based on producers and variety within a knife style. They also do custom orders for handles and sayas as well, about a week turnaround. Some of the materials they have for that are ridiculously aesthetic, and wouldn't question a custom job for a chef or a santoku as a really nice gift for an occasion. And as you'd expect, you can get your knives sharpened here as well. Union Market's already pretty stacked when it comes to food, but honestly the kitchen nerd in me has made the drive just for these guys. Kid in a candy store for sure. read more

I like the corks of this place and the people! Great knife selection was amazingly surprised by the variety of knifes available. Love the Japanese knife I purchased here. Brought 10 knifes in for sharpening and they did amazing work. Will be a loyal customer from now on. Give them a try!!!! read more

I've been back twice since my first visit and review. Both visits and service were completely different and exceptional. I had two pocket knives sharpened today, quick turnaround, friendly and hooked me up adjusting my knife pocket clip. Thank you, Derek and Dylan. read more

DC Sharp, you're the BEST! Owned by brothers Ryan and Derek Swanson, this Japanese kitchen knife boutique (the one and only) has been around since '12 and offers an extensive collection of beautiful Japanese knives (such as MCUSTA, Takayuki, Tojiro, Fujiwara, Masakage, Takamura, Anryu, etc.), as well as sharpening services (kitchen knives (by the in), scissors, folding/field knives, and garden tools), and blade repair/thinning. All the sharpening and repairing is done by hand, using centuries-old techniques on Japanese waterstones - this ensures that only a minimal amount of metal is removed and that your fear of getting back a mini metal toothpick won't happen :P I remember picking out what I thought was a beautifully-designed and the most aesthetically-pleasing knife (honestly, it was also the most expensive) for the wedding registry and thought it was such a great choice! Boy, was I wrong! The hubs and I stopped by and we spoke with BRIAN, the awesome knife expert/owners' friend that was available that day. He totally schooled me on the 101 of Japanese knives, the characteristics you look for, as well as pointing out some of the details on the knife that I've never noticed, all in a super professional way. I felt super sad that it wasn't a 'top tier' knife that I was led to believe all these years, but at least I know now! Brian told us that it would be about an hour, and he got our contact information where he stated he would text us when the knife is ready. Since this location is inside Union Market, you can roam around, grab some bites, and the time passes by quickly. I did receive a text, and Brian demonstrated just how beautifully sharpened the knife was, cutting through paper like it was nothing, and had me inspect the knife to make sure that everything was satisfying and that it looked good. The knife looked even better when we first received it years ago - super sharp, shinier, polished, and looking even more sleek! It probably raised its value just with its visit to this place :P DC Sharp has 2 'locations' - the Union Market location takes 'walk-ins,' and a hardware store in Petworth is a drop-off only (where you can expect a return within 5 days). I highly recommend DC Sharp - this place is totally legit and the prices were super competitive and even if you just wanted to stop by to look at their cases filled with beautiful glorious knives and/or ask a bunch of questions, do it! THANKS, DC SHARP! +ask for Brian :D +takes walk-ins +about 1-hour wait for sharpening services +beautiful selection of Japanese knives +great competitive/reasonable prices! +located inside Union Market +drop-off location (hardware store) located in Petworth read more

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I have just a pair of basic starter Japanese Tojiro DP knives. The spine was sharp and sort of cut into my hands. Out of the box, I thought the edge could be a little better. So off I went to District Cutlery...I asked them to sharpen and round off the spine a bit. They didn't charge me for a repair, just a sharpening! How awesome. That saved me $30+! Great edge on the knife, and thanks for the good job on the spine! Thanks y'all! read more

District Cutlery - Look at the spine where the bolster meets it. Used to be squared off. Now rounded, and looks like it came from the factory that way! - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The only place in NOVA that I know of that can sharpen Japanese culinary knives. I have been going here for years and they are the best I have tried. They charge by the inch which is standard practice for all hand sharpening services I know of. They sharpen with whetstones, which is a skill that has to be learned and should be paid accordingly. Like any fine tool, a higher quality knife usually means more care from you and maintenance by a professional. I have a couple of inexpensive knives that keep around so I can drop my good ones off to be sharpened and then pick them up the next week. The Knife shop is fantastic. If you are looking to up your cooking knives past the $100 or $200 mark (A very worthwhile investment in a tool you will use forever), you want to be able to hold them. You are going to use it almost everyday, you want to try several options and you cannot do that on-line. read more

With a japanese "Global" brand knife priced at $100, why would I let it sit in my drawers or use it dull? No. Pure heresy, not to mention waste of money! Thank goodness I don't have to learn how to sharpen a knife by watching YouTube videos and buying another piece of kitchen junk (the whetstone) that I honestly will lose since it would only get used once in a while. Drop your blunt knives off with the experts at D.C. Sharp, relax and chill, and come back in an hour or so to pick them up sharpened like better than brand new. (They will text you when ready. I've also had immediate service, but it depends how busy they are). I'm a big fan of this shop located on the back aisles of Union Market. The sharp guys there will make your cooking tip-top chipper with their blade- sharpening skills. read more

District Cutlery - Super sharp proof is in the tomato - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

District Cutlery is my favorite place to buy gifts, especially for people who already have everything. Everyone appreciates a cool Japanese chef's knife. Customer service is top-notch. Thanks Derek and team! read more

So glad I found this place! There is something about a dull knife that just offends my sensibilities. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me. I discovered this place during my first visit to Union Market. I've been meaning to come back and get my chef's knife sharpened, and a few days ago I finally had the chance. It took a little longer than anticipated (I was told about 45 minutes, and it was over 2 hours), but it was well worth the wait. I got home and cut a few pieces of fruit to check out their handy work and I was amazed. My knife didn't cut that well, or that smoothly, when I first bought it. I barely have to put any pressure on the knife, and it drops through whatever I cut (veggies, fish, thick cuts of meat, etc.), like the proverbial hot knife through butter. The price was way less than I anticipated and the results exceeded my expectations. Highly recommend! read more

These folks are terrific. I drop by and leave my knives with the staff, do a little shopping, maybe pick up a sandwich at Literi's, and District Cutlery sends me a text to say my knives are ready to go. They also have a great selection of all kinds of knives from perfecly reasonable to very high end. When I was ready to put my toe into Japanese cutlery, they were knowledgable and I felt they were interested in educating and encouraging me, not ripping me off. I keep a good whetstone at home, but I drop in and see the folks at District Cutlery every six months or so, just to keep the edges sharp. read more

Ryan and Derek Me and my Japanese knifes miss you so much!!! I have move to Philly and I can't find a place to sharpen my knifes wetstone like you guys do. Next time I go DC will bring my love ones to you.... Muchas Gracias!!! read more

District Cutlery - My Damascus Japanese knife!! - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm living in Washington.i have many kinds of handmade unique material knives And customised knives with free safety sheath. for hunting, house needed, folding knives and other kinds of knives. if you need you contact me 3477889302 read more

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Excellent job! I love that you can buy sharpening online and then simply drop it off. They gave us an estimate of 45 minutes to sharpen a knife, but it was markedly less. These guys are friendly and efficient and my knife is so sharp it sliced an avocado clean through (pit included!) with no effort. read more

The fellas here were super friendly and helpful and didn't hesitate to let me test drive some of their knives. I settled on a super affordable western style 8" chefs knife with a Damascus finish. They even sharpened it before I paid (took about 10 mins). I'll def be making a few more purchases here! read more

District Cutlery - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

These guys are awesome, I came in looking for my first chefs knife to use in a professional kitchen. They immediately brought out multiple options within my price range and I was able to give them all a good feel, and ultimately went with a bit more expensive one than I had planned. they threw in sheaths for the knife as well as a paring knife sheath, and they sharpened it and had it packaged up beautifully with care instructions. These are definitely the guys to go to. read more

District Cutlery - Damascus knife - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I rely on a Wusthof Santoku and paring knife for my kitchen needs. While I have a handheld knife sharpener that I use on occasion, my knives were in desperate need of some professional care. I had remembered seeing DC Sharp in Union Market, and once I managed to get a free few hours, I took my knives here. I think I dealt with Kevin (he hails from Boston's North Shore, just like yours truly). He was friendly and easy-going, and had both knives ready within an hour. The ease of paying with Square and receiving a text once the work was complete is fantastic. As are my super sharp knives, though I might let my knife-aficionado boyfriend handle them until they dull slightly, because sometimes my chopping hand moves faster than my holding hand. read more

Rude staff. My interaction as follows: Me: Hi. Do you have deba knives? Them: Are you left handed? Me: Uh, no. Them: Then, no. Me: Okay, thanks... Why pay significantly more than internet prices to deal with jerks? read more

What a great experience. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. I got an amazing knife at a very fair price. They honed the blade of my purchase while we walked around and snacked at some of the places near by. They even told us about a great place to eat that night... highly recommended read more

I am visiting DC and have been wanting a new knife for some time so I wanted to go to district cutlery and check out their selection as it turns out they have an Amazing selection and even better customer service they are super nice and helpful. They even sharpened my knife for me before they boxed it up. read more

My brother is delightfully impossible to shop for. Delightfully so, because I never buy him anything (I know, I'm an awful sister), but my husband is constantly trying to find that "perfect gift" for him. Probably because my brother always gets us amazingly fantastic presents. What can I say, he's amazing, and I'm just lame. Ha. My brother loves to cook, and my husband came up with the brilliant idea to get my brother a professional level knife. So we came down to DC Sharp. Clearly, we had no idea what we were doing (my knifes come from Ikea, so...) but no worries. The guys at DC Sharp proceeds to ask us a series of questions - what does my brother like to cook, how pro was he, and even his arm length (evidently this affects the length of the blade?). And VOILA, a perfect and gorgeous knife with a pedigree and a name and a story. Don't ask me about it though, because I wasn't paying attention. HA! But my brother LOVES that knife, and the husband loves that he found something that my brother doesn't have. read more

I have been coming here to purchase and sharpen my knives for over 2 years. The people who work there are very nice and since it usually takes about an hour to get your knife sharpened, it's always a great excuse to walk around Union Station and NoMa. read more

A lot can be said when the owner cares enough to follow up on your comments and not let it get lost in the sea of yelp reviews. Derek, the owner, personally reached out to me in hopes to correct the poor experience I received. That alone, I feel, speaks volumes as to the people standing behind the service and their products. read more

We were in the market for a quality knife to use in the kitchen. I didn't want an entire knife block; I just wanted the one great knife that I can use almost universally. I have seen this little booth several times, but I finally told myself that spending up to $200 would be worth it for this one knife and I will take care of it and it will last me a long time, and $200 is not that bad if I can make it last. Anyways, I came over and told the salesman what I wanted and my budget, he asked me to return in a week or two because he had the perfect knife for my situation coming back in stock. I waited, and I returned. He remembered us and showed us the knife, let us test it on a cucumber (NBD but it sliced it like a hot knife through butter). We brought it home, and it cut through uncooked sweet potatoes relatively easy (our old knife couldn't hack through a sweet potato at all). It's now been three years, and I have returned twice for a resharpen (first one was free), and we could not be happier. In the end, the knife cost $165+tax which was under my budget, and each sharpening made it feel brand new again. Could not be more pleased with these guys. read more

I was so excited to find these guys. They were recommended to me by the gentleman who'd sold me a gift (straight razor) for my boyfriend as a resource to maintain the edge - and sharpen our kitchen knives. We brought in 5 blades and a little folding knife I'd had since 1992 that had great sentimental value and was no longer manufactured. They were able do the knives while we wandered Union Market and ate lunch. We even added to our collection and bought a new kitchen knife. As they were unable to get to the little folder that day, I was fine with them mailing it back. This is where it all went wrong. The knife was mailed in a paper envelope, like what you mail a letter in. Not a priority mail cardboard envelope. Not a padded CD mailer. So I received an empty envelope. No knife. I called immediately. Ryan agreed he'd talk to the post office and call me back on Monday. He suggested he could replace the knife, promised to try and solve the problem. I waited. No call. Called them back the following Thursday. Spoke to Ryan who said the post office wasn't helpful. He offered no solution at that point. I mentioned I'd been waiting for a call. I'd just started an email to Derek after speaking to Ryan when he called me back. About all they could do was reimburse me what I'd spent on sharpening. So while they do lovely work and deserve 5 stars for that, their operational processes leave me with a little folding knife shaped hole in my heart. read more

Their knife selection is amazing. If you are a chef or use s knife daily, or just like high quality knives check this place out. The employees are very friendly and knowledgeable. They also have deals that they don't advertise so ask about it. read more

Looking around for the best place to get my kitchen knives sharpened, I decided to ask a good friend who is also a private chef. She immediately and ecstatically responded with "District Cutlery!" I am so happy with the service they provided, my knives are sharper than they've ever been, and they sharpened them while I waited. They even came out to the car to pick them up, since I had my infant son with me and we're in the middle of the earth-shattering and life-changing Covid-19 pandemic. I will only be taking my knives to them and recommend them to everyone. read more

As a cook at a top-25 restaurant, sharp knives are of utmost importance. Not only were my knives razor sharp when I picked them up, their turnaround time was wonderful: I dropped them off Sunday afternoon and they were ready first thing Tuesday morning, and I was on my merry way to work. Worth every penny! read more

This is a fantastic shop for Japanese knives! I bought a Gyuto knife there and they were super patient and helpful in showing me the options and explaining how to hold the knife properly and not damage the blade. They also did a great job sharpening (by hand, as it should be done) and repairing a Santoku with a broken tip (I dropped it accidentally) - it took like 20 minutes and looks like nothing ever happened! Will definitely be back here. read more

District Cutlery - This knife had a broken tip - DC sharp made it look like new again! - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I have met arrogant people, and then there're these guys.. They are as pleasant as a kick in the nuts at (around) 4:30 am on a Monday... I won't say they did a lousy job---let's face it, if they only sharpen knife at some point you have to learn how to do the job. But the service is a pain in the neck. Forget about asking for advises on how to take care of your knifes, and don't even dream about asking how to preserve the edge. I'll tell you exactly what they would say and save you the condescending face looking down to you: "just don't do it, bring them here, we are simply the best in town".. So I guess the second best in town is not that bad after all.. Not to mention that overpriced.. That's the problem when things are "in", and there is a hipster that knows how to do it.. read more

Not sure what kind of magic they got over there but they managed to fix my fuck up, and on a weird compound grind too! Mirrored edge finish is beautiful! read more

District Cutlery - Beautiful edge work - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

My knife tip was slightly broken and they took care of it for a great price. Will definitely go back. Great selection of knives as well!