When people find out what I do, the question I get the most is about food. Where should I eat? Where should I go on a date? Where should I take my parents? Where should I take my friends and their kids? Before the pandemic, I had different answers for all of these questions. Since the pandemic is not over, I have a blanket answer for all of these questions. But the best answer is for family dining.

The best places for family dining are Union Market and La Cosecha.

Before the pandemic, the food and drink offerings were the main reason I recommended restaurants. Now, it’s definitely important, but it doesn’t drive the recommendation. Safety is key and these two places offer the most safe dining options, both in terms of Covid and allergies.

Union Market offers over a dozen food related businesses that allows everyone to get what they want. If you’re comfortable eating indoors, you can do so at a few stands (kiosks? not-exactly-a-full-restaurant-but-there-are-a-few-seats?) and at an actual restaurant. The main reason it’s the best place for family dining in D.C. is the outdoor seating. There’s a lot of it in front and, new for 2021, a whole lot more on the roof, the Hi-Lawn.

Located around the corner from Union Market, La Cosecha is a newer, Latin American focused version of a partial food hall. Extremely similar to Union Market, it offers fewer options but what’s available is also ideal for all ages. For example, my toddler had no interest in the food I enjoyed from La Casita Pupuseria but adored the paletas from Jarabe Gourmet Pops.

If anyone in your party doesn’t like any of the hundreds of different options these two locations offer, walk over to A. Littteri for the best Italian sandwiches in D.C.

If the picky kid in your party doesn’t like good food, walk over to Trader Joe’s and get a bag of Bombas.

If the kid has a peanut allergy, get them literally anything they want because Trader Joe’s is a grocery store.

If the kid in your party won’t sit down, that’s fine. The good thing about eating at public, outdoor tables is you can leave whenever. Let the kid wander over to Shouk’s moped with a sidecar or let them watch the outdoor SoulCycle class or walk over to long shuttered Capital City Diner and explain to the kid that diners used to be a thing in D.C..

In addition to the safety and food reasons, the location of Union Market and La Cosecha is pretty good. It’s really easy to find free parking, very close to a Metro and located in part of the city that’s somewhat bike friendly. 

As cases go up, indoor dining should go down. As a parent of a kid under 12, I am not comfortable dining indoors. But I realize it’s not healthy to just shut everything down. Dining at Union Market and La Cosecha is the happy medium.

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