Washington DC > Food and Drink Experiences

Eastern Market Tour

Washington DC

From: $39

Item #: FDK-WAS-0067

(5 Reviews)

Explore the delicious foods of the Eastern Market, the oldest continuously running food market in DC!

Knowledgeable tour providers have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Sun and The Boston Globe
Enjoy 7-8 tastings which may include homemade kimchi and bulgogi, locally grown fruits, artisanal bread, DC's original half-smoke and more
Discover this legendary market that has been the center of life within Capitol Hill for over 200 years!

From: $39

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Overview

Explore the delicious foods of the Eastern Market, the oldest continuously running food market in DC!

Knowledgeable tour providers have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Sun and The Boston Globe
Enjoy 7-8 tastings which may include homemade kimchi and bulgogi, locally grown fruits, artisanal bread, DC's original half-smoke and more
Discover this legendary market that has been the center of life within Capitol Hill for over 200 years!

Full Description

Availability

When Do I Choose A Date?

If giving as a gift, your recipient can choose a date at their convenience; otherwise, you can choose one after checkout.

Year-Round:
Sundays - 3:30 PM

Important Details

Essential Information

Participants can expect to stand throughout this 1.5-hour tour
Tastings are included in the price
Up to 7-8 stops for tastings that will happily fill most stomachs
Notify Virgin Experience Gifts of any food allergies or dietary restrictions at the time of booking
Eastern Market is much smaller than traditional public markets such as Redding Terminal or Pike Place
Expect to stand up throughout the duration of the tour
Children under the age of 7 who will not be participating in food tastings do not require a ticket, please notify Virgin Experience Gifts at the time of booking if you will be bringing an infant or young child along with you

Duration

Tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours.

Experience Provider Info

Complete information for your Experience Provider, including contact information, will be included on your booking confirmation email once you or your gift recipient have scheduled the experience. Our Product Management team handpicks top-rated experience providers, removing the guesswork for you and ensuring your peace of mind.

Maximum Participants

Up to 6 people per tour.

Spectators

This experience is only for those on the tour.

Weather Dependent

This tour is not weather dependent and will run rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, you will be able to go inside most of the establishments on the tour.

What To Wear

Please dress appropriately for expected weather conditions. Comfortable shoes are recommended for this 1.5-hour walking tour.

FAQs

What types of foods are served on the tour?

You will try specialties from the majority of the vendors from eastern market, and vary from vendor to vendor. Some samples will include DC half smokes, homemade kimchi, local fruit, empenadas, baklava, Eastern European desserts, artisan breads, turkey jerky, French specialties, local and international cheeses.

How much food is served on the tour?

You will sample specialties from 7-8 vendors in the Market. For most people there is enough food that dinner afterwards will not be necessary.

What if I have dietary restrictions?

Most food allergies and dietary restrictions can be accommodated on this tour. Please notify Virgin Experience Gifts of any special requests at the time of booking.

What about taking children on the tour?

Children are welcome on the tour. Please note that the tour is 3.5 hours long with standing and walking.

If I am bringing an infant/very young child, do I need to purchase a ticket for them?

Children under the age of 7 that will not be participating in food tastings do not require a ticket. However, please notify Virgin Experience Gifts at the time of booking if you will be bringing an infant or young child along with you.

Is this tour wheelchair accessible?

This tour covers some uneven terrain. Please notify Virgin Experience Gifts at the time of booking if any guests in your party will need wheelchair assistance.

How much walking is involved? Is it a fast-paced tour?

You will be on your feet for the entire tour since there is nowhere to sit in the market. The tour is not fast paced and you'll walk less than a quarter mile total. Remember to wear comfortable shoes.

Is gratuity included in the price of this tour?

Gratuity is not included, but is appreciated if you enjoy the tour.

What happens if it rains or snows?

This tour is not weather dependent and will run rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, you will be able to go inside most of the establishments on the tour. Please dress appropriately for expected weather conditions.

Returns, Exchanges & Cancellations

Returns
Experience Vouchers that have not been redeemed can be returned hassle-free within 30 days. All refunds will be made to the original purchaser.
Exchanges
Experience Vouchers that have not been redeemed can be exchanged for anything else in our marketplace at any time. If you choose to exchange for an experience that costs more, you'll simply have to pay the difference. If you choose to exchange for an experience that costs less, you'll have a credit towards your next booking with Virgin Experience Gifts.

Cancellation Policy

Once you have received a booking confirmation, all bookings are final. No cancellations or rescheduling requests will be allowed. Failure to appear on your booked date or to cancel prior to your booked date will result in the loss of the value of your experience.

Other Washington DC Experiences

Customer Reviews

This experience has a customer rating of 5
based on 5 reviews.

View More Reviews:

I very much enjoyed the tour! I am already recommending it to friends!

— Kristen R | Nov 12, 2019

Response from Virgin Experience Gifts

Hi Kristen, I'm so excited to hear that this experience has your stamp of approval! Thank you so much for spreading the word about this tour, and I hope we can get you out on another adventure sooner rather than later! Cheers, Inah

This was so fun and so worth it! The food was amazing, our guide was so nice and knowledgeable. Would 1000% recommend it to anyone!

— Elena O | Sep 11, 2018

Response from Virgin Experience Gifts

That's so great to hear! I know our guides take a lot of pride in their work, so I'll make sure pass your compliments along. The food offered in the Eastern Market is definitely something special.

I really liked the intimate feel of this tour and getting to know the people. The food was delicious and we learned a lot. The tour guide showed up right at the scheduled time, but since the instructions say to meet 15 min early, some of us were wondering if we were in the right place... it helps to at least have a sign or something.

— Laura S | May 23, 2017

Our guide, Eric Olinsky, was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and good at herding a group of not-young people around Eastern Market on a hot day -- not easy given the small space and crowds. He did very well at relating to each of us individually, and smoothly switching from that to leading the group and giving us facts and history. We were given a lot of good food, though one of the group was vegetarian and many of our samples contained or were meat. The only thing we didn't get that I believed was going to be part of the tour was a half-smoke, though we did get some excellent roast beef. The cold water bottles distributed at the tour's beginning were appreciated. We two are 15-year residents of DC suburbs and learned a lot from the tour. It was given as a gift to us from one of our children, and it was a good combination of food (for my husband) and history and facts (for me).

— Stephanie K | Sep 01, 2015

We enjoyed the tour very much. Eric was very personable and knowledgeable and willing to help beyond the tour topics, with information about DC. I would suggest a few things. Introducing the group to each other would be nice because it is such a small group and you send time eating together. We were worried about finding the guide. It wasn't very clear how to find him or her and the meeting place was on a busy street corner. I'm not real worried about germs but if you were, not having individual servings of food or even toothpicks for some of it would definitely be a turn-off.

— Kristin D | Jul 28, 2015

Eastern Market Tour