Rappahannock Oyster Bar

Well, from the tables reserved for only costumers of this restaurant to the service at the table this is amazing, oysters fresh and exactly what I wanted to the wine and the non alcoholic drinks for my daughter I think this is the best place to come for oysters… I am happy enough to drive from Maryland for this… just such a happy place love union market

Super fresh and delicious oysters. It took a little while to finally get an open seat, but it was worth it. Tried the grilled oysters with jalapeño butter too. Read more at

Rappahannock river empties into Chesapeake Bay. Rappahannock is an oyster that is farmed where the Rappahannock river and Chesapeake Bay meet. Rappahannock Oyster Co is the name of a company that farms Rappahannock, Stingray, Olde Salts and Barcat Oysters. Rappahannock Oyster Bar is a company owned restaurant located in Union Market. Don’t let the $$ symbol fool you. A nomal appetite would be $$$ while a large appetite could be $$$$. The oysters are unbelievably fresh. If you sit at the bar you can watch them shucking oysters as each order is received. I had the small sampler plate with 6 oyster and 3 clams (i.e. 2 Rappahannock, 2 Stingray, 2 Olde Salts and 3 Olde Salts Clams. It came with cocktail sauce, horseradish to mix with the cocktail sauce and a sweet vinegar sauce. The oysters with the sweet vinegar sauce was perfect. I instantly regretted not ordering the large sampler platter.
I was still hungry so I ordered the crab cake. It was the biggest crab cake on this trip. At least a cup of crab cake with very little binder and the perfect matching remoulade. There are some small shells in the crab cake. The reason this review is four and not five stars is because they only offered three non-​alcoholic beverages. No ice teas or lemonades.

We have been here a couple of times. The staff is super friendly and the grilled oysters with jalapeño butter are to die for. Definitely a place to
check out in DC

Splurge. That was what the voice in my head said last Saturday as I walked around the Union Market in DC for the first time. It was also telling me I was crazy for walking through the neighborhood around this place but hey it was broad daylight so the odds were on my side and the walk from the Metro station was not all that long.
It was a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed with people. People surging here and there like tides washing up on shore. OK. That’s it for the poetic rhetoric. There is a great selection of food stalls in this market serving just about everything but what attracted me to the Rappahannock Oyster bar was that there was an open seat available at the bar so I could take a load off. Luckily it was right in front of the bar tender to my left and the oyster shucker to my right. Cold draft beer and an oyster sampler? Sold! I got the small sampler which came with six oysters and two clams. Two each of the Rappahannock River oysters, the Stingray oysters and the Olde Salt oysters. My favorite were the Olde Salts. They were a bit smaller and had a great fresh, briny flavor to them. The raw clams were large and fresh. The sampler came with cocktail sauce and horseradish so you could mix it as strong as you liked. My complements to the guy shucking the oysters as I know what a difficult task this is and there were almost no shell fragments in mine. I noticed when he pried them open he was making a po9jnt to check for these shell fragments. Next up a half pound of peel and eat shrimp spiced up with Old Bay seasoning. These were large and came out steaming hot. I singed my fingers a bit in my eagerness to dig into them.
Service was attentive and friendly. The food was fresh and tasty. A bit of a splurge for lunch but would definitely do it again.

Got a sampler platter for a quick taste. East coast oysters had a clean taste-​less briny than Hog Island or (now closed) Drakes Bay ones from Marin coast in West. Nice contrast.

Good service. Great food. I like this spot because I can meet all types of people. I spoke to a lady at the bar that was writing a book about counterintelligence. Only in DC!

Weekend brunch with friends at Rappahannock is a win!
Starting off with an oyster shooter is definitely the way to start your experience. The Rappahannock with mignonette did not disappoint. I love peel and eat shrimp and their shrimp was spot on that day. My friends who normally don’t like peel and eat shrimp said they were finding themselves wanting more. The tuna tartare was a crowd pleaser while the tuna tataki was nothing special. The Olde Salts are our favorites and they were perfect. With great service and a fun atmosphere, Rappahannock Oyster Bar has to be on my DC Top 10 list for restaurants and cocktails.

Usually I have pretty detailed reviews. But honestly, here is what I want to tell you — if you like oysters you MUST visit Rappahannock! They offer a small, yet tasty selection of oysters. Last time I went I tried the grilled oysters with jalapeño butter — DELISH!
OMG! I just remembered, the crab cake is delish, too! It’s about the size of a small grapefruit, and packed with pure lump meat. They top it with remoulade and serve it on a bed of slaw. You won’t be disappointed! They also have a yummy salmon dish and a Brussels sprouts dish with farro. Please, stop reading and just go. I’m serious. Go!

My cousin took me to Union Market for a delightful afternoon during one of my visits to DC. Being from Philadelphia, it reminds me of a newer, shinier, trendier Reading Terminal Market — an iconic indoor foodie marketplace. It was hard not to try everything but we had our hearts set on Rappahannock oysters.
We started with some rosé and fresh raw oysters. (When in Rome…) Then we decided on the red snapper tartare, with its citrus-​y herb tiradito sauce, it’s one of my favorite seafood dishes — ever. It’s so fresh and packs a punch of flavor!

Found them at Union market and got a small platter (6 raw oysters and 2 clams) and a Bloody Mary. The oysters were delicious and the mignonette was very good. Clams were interesting as well. I enjoyed the Bloody Mary and I would’ve liked to order some more food but it was a bit pricey. Friendly and helpful service even in the crowded small Union market location.

My friend and I stopped here on a whim while we were perusing Union Market and I’m so happy we did! We had been lightly snacking all day and we were looking for something else. My friend had never tried oysters and I still wasn’t sure how much I liked them, so we decided to stop and try some.
The waitress we had was so friendly and was not bothered at all that all we ordered was a small tray and two beers even though it was dinner time. We told her we were newbies so she was great with putting together a tray for us to try. We both found that we liked the saltier ones and they had what seemed to be a variety of options!
We then sat there and enjoyed our beers for a long while and the waitress didn’t keep coming over and bothering us for just loitering for a bit. Definitely a great place that is fine with you taking your time while having some oysters and drinks with an old friend!

I can say with confidence that Rappahannock Oyster bar is the best place to grub in Union Market. Came on a Friday for lunch and took advance of their special $ 4 cocktail that was refreshing and delicious, and enough to give me a lovely-​but-​appropriate– for-​daytime buzz. The oysters were delicious, tried the sampler. The papaya salad with shrimp and the wagyu tartare were amazing. Also loved the peel and eat shrimp. Can’t wait to go back.

I tried oyster chowder for the first time at Rappahannock oyster bar in Noma’s Union Market! This food stand /​pop-​up restaurant knows how to do oysters the right way! Clam chowder is one of my favorite things (and I’ve been fortunate enough to have traditional clam chowder in Boston’s very own Faneuil Hall Marketplace), and I’ve also had some amazing experiences with oysters (at Boston’s quaint Union Oyster House and two of DC’s Hank’s Oyster Bar locations), but this was my first time experiencing oysters in chowder! I ordered a bowl and it was a tasty soup! My major qualms were: not enough oysters and not worth the price of nearly $ 9 for that small a portion of soup. I really liked everything else about Rappahannock oyster bar — the service was friendly and quick and I loved the atmosphere of oyster oyster bar. If I visit again in the future, I might stick with their oysters on the half shell.

Extra yummy food, friendly quick service, beautiful counter but annoyingly expensive. For lunch I tried their lambs and clams dish, $ 16 for seven small clams, a sprinkling of ground merguez sausage, another sprinkling of peas and all in a super rich tomato sauce called sofrito. More than an appetizer, less than a meal, I could eat that sauce all day! A beer sure went down well with it, and in the end my lunch was $ 30 with tax & tip. The Rappahannock oyster bar is definitely one of the highest-​and choices in Union Uarket. So yeah I like it, but at that price point I can’t be a fan.

I’ve never had really meaty oysters. This place has three of the best oysters I’ve ever eaten!
The grilled oysters was really different. I loved the buttery cream that went with it. It was so delicious. The whole thing kind of just, melted in my mouth.
The Olde Salt Oysters was probably my favorite. So MEATY with the right amount of salt. It was so good!
The Stingray Oysters were a close second for me. Almost just as good as the Olde Salt. Less meaty.
The Rappahannock was sweet. It was good but it didn’t compare to Olde Salt.
That Wagyu Steak Tartare was so delicious.
The oyster chowder was really fulfilling.

Fresh seafood and wine. What more can a human being ask for? Every time you glance at this restaurant in the center of Union Market, you wonder how long the wait is. I mean, everyone is having a blast and you’re sitting on the outside looking in hoping you can score a seat to get in with the cool kids.
Shucked oysters and clams await your tastebuds and they’re always fresh. Wine by the bottle is a bit more than I would like to pay but they got me at gunpoint because I still pay for it.
If you’re looking for a full meal, this isn’t the place. It’s an oyster bar and a few non-​seafood options as well. We had the wagyu beef tartare and I felt there was a bit too much cream which was too sweet for me.

When the sun is shining on a Sunday morning it’s great to come here and enjoy a platter of raw oysters! For me it’s a refreshing treat on a hot summer day. Got there a little before their opening time of 11am but the staff was friendly and said we could grab a seat at the bar or tables while we waited for them to open. We got the large platter and enjoyed four types of oysters arranged from sweet to briny. I liked that evolution in flavor and the freshness of the oysters served to highlight them. The platter also included raw clams which I’ve never had before and were a very briny burst to pair well with a golden ale. I could do this every Sunday, or any day for that matter!
If you have your DC Passport this summer, you can get a 2-​for-​1 sparkling wine. This time I forgot about it but that means I can come back for it next time!

Oysters are terrific. Perhaps the best crab cake I’ve had in the DMV, too. Also their white gazpacho is inventive and very smooth; perfect for warmer weather.
Menu is ambitious but the portions are on the smaller side.
Not sure I like «looking in» at the small kitchen/​prep area when seated at the bar.
The pricing is steep. An oyster sampler runs $ 27.00. No bread comes free; asked for some, and paid $ 1.50 for two thin slices of baguette – not exactly what I had in mind…
Pretty good service.
It’s high end food with an accompanying bill. I like it, but it’s only for special occasions for my family.

All of the stars! I don’t think I’ve eaten anywhere in recent memory where every single dish ordered was so delicious, and I’ve never re-​ordered the same dish during a meal because I like it that much. So props to you, Rapphannock.
We ordered the ¼ pound peel and eat shrimp (really large shrimp, perfectly cooked and seasoned with old bay), the grilled romaine ceasar (fun presentation and very good portion size when the lettuce was cut), the crab cake (100% crab, no filler!) and the tuna tataki. Twice. There were three of us and six perfectly seared and seasoned pieces of tuna (on a tasty blend of quinoa and grains), and two pieces per person would just not be enough!
There was only one waitress for the fairly full restaurant area but she did a good job of checking in on us throughout our dinner. We also appreciated how she made sure to mention we were catching the last ten minutes of happy hour and get our drink orders in during that time.
Can’t wait to go back!