Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge

I really like the upstairs at Union District. The decor and ambiance are awesome. There was no live entertainment the night I went and my lamb chops were lukewarm 😔

Despite the fact that we made reservations for a Date Night, which were confirmed earlier the day I’d dinning, the establishment had no record of our request for Date Night seating. It took the owner to get us seats later that evening. Jazz...dead on! Food not so. Drinks...outstanding! On site service...great, after correcting our situation!

My friend and I sat upstairs, which looks more like a lounge atmosphere. The staff was amazing, the waitress was knowledgeable and sweet. We had ordered mussels, crab cakes and a side of broccolini. I must say I was impressed, the food was great quality and I definitely will return. The menu is a tad pricey

Everything we order was delicious and service was great

Great experience. The hostess was able to get my party and I to our table quickly she was very pleasant and sweet. The waitress was attentive and pleasant as well. I would definetly have brunch here again

Nice bar, great food and good drinks. A tad bit pricey but the atmosphere was chill and the service was ok. Our server was the only one taking care of all the tables upstairs. The vibe was good and I would go back

This was my second time at the restaurant. The service has improved, but they still need some more improvement. The servers tend to be hard to find when you need something. Even with a reservation through open table, we had to wait for about an hour for a table. I will try again in a few months.

My 3rd time here, they have UPPED their service in an incredible way. The space is beautiful as always.

I had very high hopes for this place. I chose to celebrate my 31st Birthday here and unfortunately i regret it. The host is rude, unprofessional and needs training. The manager on duty called me a monster after my friends requested to speak to him as my entire party of 9 had been served except for me the 8 month pregnant birthday girl. He proceeded to suggest that i would turn hangery so he would see where my food was. Never once had i spoken to him and after hearing his comment multiple people corrected him and he still never apologized. My food eventually came out 30 minutes after he went to “check” on it and was not fully cooked. Again i raved about this place but will not recommend it to anyone. Staff and management need serious training. As for the food it is average, i feel it’s a little overpriced but wouldn’t be as bothered had the service been better... DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME.

The service was incredible, food and ambience were nice and very cosy, but things were a little overpriced.

Very nice atmosphere. The food was good! Staff very nice and accommodating

This place is amazing! I highly recommended this hidden gem.

It just wasn't a good experience!

Great food and service.

Food was amazing! But my waitress could’ve been a little more attentive to our table instead of so short. However, she did recommend a WONDERFUL selection of Cherry Red Wine. Delicious!

The food was amazing, didn't have space for dessert but managed to squeeze in some bread pudding and I definitely do not regret it! Cant wait to go back!!

Food was great and service was great. I wish that it was a bit less noisy. I could not hear the person that I was with because the atmosphere upstairs turned into a bit of a party with some guests. I think that one of those folks was one of the managers, but do not hold me to that.

Food was amazing and good portion size. Price point was a tad higher than comparable restaurants. Waitstaff very attentive. Music playlist lively and loud.

I went on a Monday to check out the band. I’m so glad I went. The band was awesome food good but a lil pricey!!! I really enjoy the band and beautiful artwork throughout the place.

I love union oyster bar! We go at least a couple of times a month. The foood is great, the live music never disappoints and the people have old DC vibes!

Food was great. Waitress was pleasant and on point. Very professional.

My only complaint is the bartender took 20mins to tell the waitress that the drink I request was not in stock.

I have eaten there before and the lobster pizza was on point, perfect balance. However, this time it lacked sauce and was over cooked and the cauliflower app was flavorless . The other food we ordered was good. Also, it took a very long time to get consistent service. When we got a server she was really nice and consistent.

food was really good and it’s black owned #blackexcellence

I was their with a large party. We made reservations for 6:00and 615 and did not get seated till after 6:45due to the inconvenience of not being to trying to sit together. One of my guest waited over an hr to get a glass of wine. In which you guys didn’t have a lot of wine selection available.

First time visiting based on a recommendation. Enjoyed the upstairs lounge! My new fav! The service is awesome, drinks really good and the food is awesome. I had the salmon! And, did I mention decor! Will come again and again!

Food was great but the service was lackluster. Our waiter seemed overly busy but other’s were standing around lounging and enjoying the music. Overall I’d go back because the food was great as were the drinks but I know what to expect service wise!

I made an open table registration for 3 on 1/23 @8:15...I made the reservation on my phone about 45 minutes earlier, and received a confirmation immediately. When we got to the restaurant the lady at the front showed me her iPad and said sorry I don’t have anything. She questioned whether I had actually made a reservation so I her showed her my phone that I did. She said well this system doesn’t always work right and she could seat us in about 45 minutes. We left and went up the street to the Bidwell Restaurant which I can highly recommend...great food, atmosphere, and wait staff...we will be going back to Bidwell!!

Food is great but overpriced for overall experience.

I came here for a date night with my boyfriend and the Food was delicious! We will definitely be back to try out more of the dishes. Servers could be more polished when it comes to recommendations but this spot is definitely a VIBE! Great for date nights, Happy hours & private events. The fried lobster with Mac & Cheese and the Jerk Shrimp & Lobster pasta was AWESOME!

The service was very poor when it came to the waitress and the bald headed owner. We where seated 615pm and it took 35 mins for our drink order to arrive. The waitress took a party of 8 before us when we where there 20 mins before them. The waitress needs more training. Then the owner comes over with this attitude since it's his restaurant and did nothing but aggravated the situation. The two managers did apologize but the owner never did. Instead he went back to his couch with his female company. One thing the female manager was very pleasant and I do appreciate her trying to address and calm the situation down. She was very professional and helpful. If it wasn't for her I would never come back again to support this business. This experience was like night and day from my first experience which was very unfortunate. Also, we wasn't the only table that night that had an issue. The food was okay but the price is not worth it due to the service and inconsistentcy.

Way to expensive for street food. It was good but definitely trendy tryout but not long term goto place. A lot of fried food and half the items on the menu were not available. I would never drop that kind of money there again. It’s like a little jazz club vibe not 5 star restaurant.

Naz is amazing!! Very friendly and professional. Her service was great.

Great food. Unique cocktails. Attentive wait staff.

The positives: ambience is great. Love the decor and the feel/vibe. Love that it is one of the few black-owned restaurants that are not traditional soul food and want to see it be a success. I really enjoyed my food. We shared the fried oysters, deviled eggs, brussel sprouts, salmon and jerk shrimp and lobster pasta as well as the brownie dessert. It was all delicious. I also loved my “Old Cuban” drink. Fruity, no strong taste of alcohol but packs a little punch.

Areas for improvement: the main area for improvement is customer service unfortunately. 1) Long wait to be seated despite an empty restaurant and being on time for our reservation. 2) Had to speak to a manager about honoring the happy hour drink special when I could have ordered it from the bar in the 15 minutes we were waiting to be seated and happy hour was not over. 3) Little attention from our waitress.

Ways to improve:
Write on your happy hour menu that it is for bar-service ONLY. Or honor your happy hour menu during the happy hour time regardless of bar vs table as most restaurants do. People sitting at a table are likely planning to order a full meal.

Another area of improvement. The salmon has crab on top. Yummy from my perspective but I’m also a medical professional and your menu should make it clear that it is a dish with crab as shellfish allergies are common.

My server Naz was very attentive and professional...loved her and Tracey the bartender makes a wonderful Long Island Iced Tea! Great place to visit.

Love this place. The ambience, lamb, drinks, and service was top notch!

Once we we settled in, everything went very smoothly; however upon arrival the receptionist had not secured a table as I had reserved, and kept insisting that there were people sitting there, offering no solution or suggestion. He initially inferred I’d not reserved one, until I insisted I had, online at Opentable, and that he himself had called me to confirm it, which I did. Eventually, we were seated. He was courteous and polite throughout, but a little better customer service training and reservation management would be beneficial. Also maybe Opentable and the Oyster Bar should check there communications concerning reservations.
Otherwise, we found the place to be a great happy hour spot, as that is the time we were there. I’ve already recommended it to others.

Awesome !! Great atmosphere!! Great service !!! Wonderful food !!

Union District Oyster Bar & Lounge is a hot spot full of beautiful people! A great place to see and be seen! The food was delicious! I treated my mom for her 65th birthday, we both enjoyed a Union District mule(good, flavorful, and strong), Mom has halibut with crab fried rice and I had salmon with jalapeño mashed potatoes and asparagus.
Simply delicious, piping hot and full of flavor. I can’t wait to go again!

Congrats on great new DC eatery gem! We loved the food options (especially lobster pizza, salads & Thai calamari) with outstanding cocktails! Bravo on creative dining, wonderful atmosphere. Union Market area now has thriving shops, new apt. developments & hotels, easy transportation from NOMA metro and New York/Florida Avenues.