Union Meat Company

Service is a hit or miss. I know it’s a beautiful Saturday but please. there’s 10 people behind the counter and we had to wait 10 minutes for slice cheese. On a happier note, they sell butcher quality grounded beef for a steal! The highest included all the best cuts of meats and was only around $ 6/​lb. That’s a very sweet deal, sadly they don’t’ sell the cuts of meats in small portion for you to grind at home, but since we made our burger yesterday I don’t question their cuts. I also saw the coveted Japanese Wagyu for $ 100/​lb. It beats buying a ticket to japan and eating it…

When I used to live in DC seven years ago, I would come here for a half smoke every time I was at Eastern Market. Was back in the neighborhood this past weekend and had to grab one. The hot natural casing half smoke is so good — spicy flavor combined with a uniquely firm texture. Still the best half smoke I’ve ever had, even better than Ben’s — and all for $ 2.25.

Not really a butcher shop. They do sell nice meat, but will not cut portions. I asked for a 5 lb brisket. They had packages of a 4 and a 6 to offer. I buy the 4 and when I unwrap at home I find it is actually 2 different pieces (1 very fatty untrimmed 2^nd cut piece, and 1 lean 1rst cut). The meat is tasty, but this is like buying from a supermarket.

The best meat you can buy! Prime and choice steaks! I purchased for our Memorial Day cookout and kept getting compliments «these are the best steaks we have ever had.» I seasoned them just with salt and pepper and grilled them. The taste on these steaks were amazing! Melt in your mouth! The service was great, super knowledgeable and helpful staff. This place is top quality and if you are in the area it’s a must go to!

I’ve had it. After four years of consistently crappy customer service from Union Meat Company, if their neighbors in the market have it, then I’m buying it someplace else. The meat I’ve gotten from these guys has always been first rate. But after being continually treated like an #$%@&*$ for bothering them with my business, it’s just not worth it. And it’s not, like, New-​England-​all-​business-​type terseness; they’ve actually been inattentive, unyielding, and impatient. There are other counters inside Eastern Market that also sell first rate butchery and are happy to do so. Visit them.

I’ve been looking for a long time for a place to get my knives sharpened in DC. I read several reviews on Chowhound suggesting that this is one of the best places to go in DC that’s also much cheaper than other places, so decided to give it a try.
Knives cost $ 3.50/blade to sharpen here. You just drop them off at the counter and a few days later they’re ready. The knives came back sharp! It’s been a long time since I’ve had them sharpened and it’s amazing how much better my knives are able to cut now! I’m definitely bringing my knives back here next time.

This place is a foodie’s paradise. They have everything: brain, heart, kidney, whole suckling pig, bone marrow, and even the standard prime cuts.

I have been going to the Eastern Market for more than 30 years and I always purchased my meats from Union. I don’t shop at Union Meat any longer. They have the worst customer service in the Market. The people behind the counter think they are doing you a favor to service you. I ask for a pound of meat, I got a half pound and when I corrected the employee he treated me like shit.
I go to Canales and recommend them to all my students and customers. If you are looking for people that love what they are do, Canales is the place.

OK, so I didn’t buy any meat, but I did bring my knives in for sharpening. The staff was helpful and the price and turnaround time were great. $ 15 for 6 knives. 2 days later I had my knives back, good as new.

Authentic DC half-​smokes smack dab in the middle of Eastern Market (they didn’t drum down their recipe for mass production like some other unmentionables).
What is a half smoke you ask? A sausage that is half beef, half pork, smoked, and less finely textured than a hot dog native to DC. Definitely a treat! Pick one up if you’re not able to wait in line for the Market Lunch.
I also go to Union for their **divine** bacon @ least once a week. Will I most likely have to stop this habit by 30? Yes. But until then, medium-​cut skin off smoked bacon is my pig portion of choice. **AND** it’s the kind of bacon grease that my chef roommate begs me to keep for cooking. ($ 3.49/lb I believe) Their pepper bacon is also super tasty if a bit pricey ($ 3.89/lb) The grease is great for breakfast potatoes, pancakes, or making eggs. Toaster oven @ 350 degrees for 15 minutes, and you get perfect bacon! (I am a klutz and will burn it on the stovetop… or burn myself)
Breakfast sausage is sweet and savory, and perfect with syrup for pancakes. Their other sausages are also good, but a little on the big side for me, which leads me to…
**Loose country sausage** THIS is the big moneysaver folks. You can get it loose, just brown it and add whatever you do for red sauce and veggies in pasta. Or brown it with breakfast potatoes to make some awesome hash. ($ 2 something /​lb) Eventually I’ll make enough money to buy some nice cuts of meat here.
Also, Union meat will sharpen your knives! ($ 3/​knife or $ ¹⁰⁄₄ knives)
The only con: I’m short (5’2″) and sometimes it’s hard to flag down a guy behind the counter.

This review is for the sausages sold from the hotdog-​roller machine. I have no experience purchasing meat here since I live in VA and have a butcher shop by my home — I buy sausages here to eat before/​during/​after work. That being said, all their meat looks great and I endorse it based on the quality of the sausages.
There are a number of butchers inside Eastern Market. But only one of them sells hot dogs to eat on the spot, and if you’re like me, looking at raw meat makes you hungry :-) Problem solved. They have a couple kinds of sausage, but my favorite is the ‘hot half smoke’. This is a coarsly-​ground, skin-​on sausage that is spicy, half beef half pork, and smoked. They also have mild half smoke sausages and polish keilbasa, both skin on. The skin-​on sausages are scored before being cooked and look like they are bursting at the seams. Which they are. With deliciousness. And at $ 2, these dogs are a steal.
They also have skinless hotdogs, which have a smooth forcemeat texture. They are good too, but I only ever get them if the skin on sausages are gone.