A nice establishment to stop past and have a nice meal... Thing is this place is pricey for what I consider more of a bar or grab-and-go restaurant. For an oyster lover, when I paid literally $70 for a dozen of nice sized oysters... I was kind of taken aback ( I've dined at 5-star restaurants that don't charge nearly this much... a dozen of top of the line oysters normally run between $48-$56 ) On the other hand, the crab cake and fries hit the spot. The highlight of the meal was actually the fries ( delicious ) The service at the Cowbell was friendly and accommodating for sure... just not sure if doing anything outside of the platters makes financial sense. Union Market has a very vibrant atmosphere and the Cowbell lends its own unique taste to the overall ambiance. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Ring the bell !! - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Reporting live from this dumpster fire of a place because that's how pissed I am. This is a "wait until the waiter comes and takes your order" kind of place, and that's fine. Our waiter was...not great. His demeanor was cool, but that's was the only positive. We ordered a soft shell crab po boy, a catfish platter, and 3 waters. I asked for a side salad instead of the coleslaw. For the other entree, we added a side salad as well. Took about 8 mins for the food to come out so that was cool. The first thing we noticed was the salad. Go look at the pictures. This isn't something that should be served to humans...maybe a rabbit would eat it. The server walked about 3 feet away and was talking to someone else. Took his time coming back when I gave him the nod but whatever. Told him that the salad was atrocious and shouldn't be served to patrons. He was indifferent, but asked if we wanted anything else. I asked for the baked beans, and she asked for fries. I also asked for hot sauce. After some time, he brought the pitiful kids sized sample of hot sauce. I then asked for ketchup. Bout 10 minutes goes by. We're watching our server and he's meandering around, behind the bar talking. Cool. I go and stand at the countertop hoping someone will come over and give me the ketchup. Nope, nothing. I see our server talk to one lady, she shakes her head. Then the lady talks to another dude. He then shakes his head. I'm still standing there, no one comes over. I walked away. Dude came back with a new set of fries and ketchup on that, but no hot sauce, no baked beans, no ketchup. At this point I'm completely through. My lady went and talked to the male about the salad, and he agreed that it shouldn't have come out at all. She asked if something could be done to adjust the bill, he said okay and walked away. He comes over with a new receipt and he removed the side salad. She started talking to him about the charges and when he started responding in a manner that let me know he wasn't going to back down and would continue to argue, I just said thanks and signed the receipt. The initial bill was 74.82. After adjustment it was 68.88. Neither of these prices were worth paying. Save your money folks, there's a reason this place only has 3 stars. Oh, the catfish and the bottled water were good, but that's it. read more

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Cowbell doesn't get better, they stay great. Food, service, ambiance... it's perfect. read more

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Best fish sandwich spot! Their sandwiches are huge and flavorful, and their chowder fries are to die for! read more

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I would not recommend this place. It was one of the only seafood stores inside Union market, and the only one that sold crab cakes. The portions were sooo small, not only was the crab cake small they barely gave me any fries at all. Also service was bad, I waited forever to put in my order & there were only 1 or 2 other customers. Staff would just ignore you. read more

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The oyster selection is quite pricey, but certainly fresh. I also tried the crab cake sandwich which was not as big and I wished it had less fillers. I would probably try the fish or other seafood dishes next time. I was hoping the crab cake sandwiches would have more lump crab meat and more taste. The space is quite large and comfy compared to the other spaces which can be tight. read more

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First and foremost, our server was a sweet girl from the West Coast! I didn't get her name but she was truly the sweetest! So we ordered fried shrimp ($16) and the catfish sandwich. The fried catfish ($16) literally tasted like water. I had to make sure I didn't have covid and lost my taste, so I had my gf try it. It definitely was flavorless! If you've ever been to London and had fish and chips, it reminded me of that texture and taste. It was as underwhelming as that. Zero salt. As a southern girl, fried catfish is supposed to have seasoning. So we ended up upgrading the meal for the crab cake sandwich ($26). When I say delicious! No filling, lump crab seasoned to perfection. It was so juicy and the remoulade ... they did an impeccable job with crafting that housemade. Will absolutely return for this gem. We sat at the high top tables, but you can sit anywhere near the restaurant as it's located in the market. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - The star of the show. The Crab cake sandwich. - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Cowbell is inside of Union Market in NE DC. We ordered a dozen Oysters ,Crab cake sandwiches with Ocean City Fries. Oysters were perfectly Shucked and delicious. Crab cake sandwiches was excellent. Fries wasn't that good and after we mentioned it , they replaced them with newly made ones right away. Service is superb . There is bar seating and some standard seating and it's all friendly and inviting . read more

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Went in for lunch on Tuesday to grab a late lunch before picking up the kid from camp and had the catfish platter. I've been meaning to try the place out for while now, but today was my first time having anything from there. I'll just say there's nothing to draw me back into the restaurant, especially with so many other options that have exceeded or met my expectations. The catfish batter was a complete fail for me. It was extremely greasy and the batter had zero flavor. If I see some other meals or a friend wants to dine here, maybe I'll try something else. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been twice and the service can be a bit slow. The first time it took well over 5 minutes to even acknowledge me at mostly empty bar. Second visit, they got busy and it was very difficult to get a server's attention to order or pay. Might be a result of the setup and chaos of a busy Union Market. The crab cake is small for the price, but delicious. The slaw and hushpuppies are also really good. The fries are not bad, just nothing special. However, the chicken tenders were very average. No noticeable seasoning and very gristly--I spat out several pieces of gristle. A bit surprising with that being the chef's "speciality". As you see my reviews, I have no issue paying for good food. Also, understand they have limitations in this space and don't expect the best seafood in the city. Overall, the food was good, a bit pricey on a few items, but an addition needed in the market. I am sure they will improve on these first weeks issues. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Located in Union Market in Washington DC, Cowbell Seafood and Oysters opens today They sell Land and sea They want you to always ask for more kind of like SNL so that's why it's called Cowbell It is a 100 percent woman owned business -That is Ingredient driven hospitality so the chef knows the people bringing the products -Green circle all vegetarian fed no antibiotic restaurant vegetable scraps is given to the chicken -They share love for food and hospitality The food is amazing and I highly recommend the scallop crudo read more

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Good food but rude customer service. I finished my cowbell meal, walked over to get an ice cream, then noticed a couple of my friends had sat down at a cowbell table. Walked back over and placed the ice cream on the tabletop just to have a conversation with the two friends. A cowbell employee proficient in ASL, obviously targeting gallaudet students, unaware that I am not a gallaudet student but instead of visiting business person that had just eaten at their restaurant, came over and said I must ask you to leave because you're not eating. I was standing there chatting with two people leaning against the table. The table was otherwise completely empty, two customers, plenty of extra spaces. The error here was mistaking two business people for gallaudet students and treating them like they would disrespectfully treat young gallaudet students who might be erroneously occupying their table. Much the same as a security guard chasing someone out of a store, the employee actually stood there making eye contact until my friend and I walked away. read more

I have gone a couple times now since they re-opened after the short lived fried chicken concept. In person, service was nice but food was not very good. Had a beer and the fried catfish platter in person. Catfish was lukewarm and cooked just barely but not very tasty or flavorful. Was really looking forward to trying the tender platter given that the fried chicken was so good. Went tonight and got takeout so understand that it was probably going to be a bit mushy given it was in the takeout box for a few minutes. It was horrendously awful. Very low quality chicken, lots of uneditable gristle, horrible tempura like coating. Couldn't even finish it. Also I selected two sauces while checking out and they gave me one. Also paid the $1 up charge for OC fries and got plain fries. So be careful, they are likely to cheat you with takeout. Never again. Too bad. Nice countertop and was friendly in person service but food is not good. read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. HORRIBLE SERVICE. I don't usually write reviews, but what happened today was very disheartening. This was my first time trying Cowbell Seafood & Oyster Co. at Union Market. My family and I stopped by around 4pm to grab a quick bite before shopping. I ordered hush puppies. While waiting, I asked an employee (who turned out to be the owner of the restaurant) for a knife since I already had a fork from another vendor. She asked if I had dined with them. I said yes. As she handed me the knife, she said, "I've never heard of anyone using a knife for hush puppies." I was honestly taken aback. It felt unnecessary and embarrassing. A man dining nearby heard it too and gave me a look like, did that really just happen? I went back to my table and tried to let it go. When my food was ready, I thought I'd calmly let her know the comment rubbed me the wrong way so I asked one for girls at the counter to speak to the manager. However, what I thought would be a pleasant conversation turned into a confrontation. Instead of hearing me out, she started explaining how they have to ask people if they're customers before giving utensils. I told her I understood that. That wasn't my issue. The comment was. Then she looked down at my food and said, "See, you didn't really need the knife. You used it for something else because you just got your hush puppies." I couldn't believe this was turned into an argument over a knife. I asked if there was another manager I could speak with. That's when she told me she was the owner. I asked for her name, and she refused to give it to me and walked away. The faces of the employees nearby looked just as uncomfortable as I felt. I know we all have bad days, and I truly try to give grace whenever I can. But this felt rude, dismissive, and completely unnecessary, especially as a first-time customer. And to top it off, the hush puppies weren't even good either. I left feeling mistreated, embarrassed and unwelcome. I would not recommend this place at all. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Picture of establishment - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Hidden 8% service charge that does not go to the staff. Won't be back. Just tell me what the price is, I'd have paid it

The fantastic Chef Reid Shilling and his wife Sara Quinteros have recently opened Cowbell in Union Market, and I am 100% sure it will be my mainstay stop for satisfying all my seafood cravings, not only for their convenient location but also because they serve up some of the freshest and tastiest seafood I've had yet! I went on the early side to beat the lunchtime rush - and the staff was already off to a busy start. I ordered a fizzy drink from their bevvie menu of beers , spritzers, Champagne , and crisp wines. The Seafood Tower ... is a thing of beauty! I ate the whole dang thang in one seating (burp ). What's on it? Freshly shucked Oysters on the half shell with mignonette, cocktail sauce, and lemon, a delicate and tangy Scallop crudo with leche de Tigre, chili oil, and benne, peel and eat Shrimp ( I'm addicted), lump Crab, and of course the star of the show, chilled Baltimore Canyon Lobster . What I love about their seafood is that it is super fresh and high quality -- and I can eat quite a lot of it without it feeling heavy. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Delicious crab cakes, slaw and skinny crisp fries. Also tried the fried shrimp-just as good! Helpful friendly service. I had never been to Union Market and having such a positive experience with this option made me want to return again. A little noisy but on a nice day, you can sit outside. read more

This was a great oyster bar to sit at with amazing food and even better customer service! Crab cake was a true good Maryland crab cake read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Best food value around! People are always going to complain that restaurants are too loud and too expensive, but quality, sourcing and execution matter. Are there cheaper crab crakes? Sure. And as long as you are good with eating pasteurized blue swimmer crab from god knows where, go for it. But, if want to eat thoughtfully sourced seafood and even chicken, this is the place. Oh, and one of the most underrated chefs in the country is there, shucking oysters for you? Deal. read more

I ate there while on business and the food was exquisite especially the fresh oysters in the half shell service is very good

I'm going to give 3 stars for the excellent waiters . Very friendly and helpful. The food was very fresh. Where is the seasoning? I literally didn't taste a grain of salt on the fried fish. The crudo was refreshing. Love that the seafood was fresh but the cooked food needs work. The owner and or head chef seemed standoff-ish until a white man sat down. He enthusiastically greeted him. He then told the waiter to ring him up. He didn't bat an eyelid when we sat down. read more

Cowbell Seafood & Oyster - Crudo - Seafood Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

This restaurant is in my neighborhood and I enjoy eating here. The manager is rude. Not surprisingly, after reading other reviews, I've also noticed other people comment on the poor customer service here. The young hostess is very sweet, and I have a positive experience when I have to interact with her. The manager seems to think she's doing people a favor when they choose to dine there. I'll be choosing a different restaurant when eating in Union market if I have to interact with this manager again. read more

The staff was super friendly. The food was delicious. My cousin had their shrimp po'boy sandwich and she loved it. I had the fish sandwich and the crunch was just right. We both really loved the fries! It was our first time so finding them was an adventure but well worth the search. read more

The food is always amazing. Actually this review has nothing to do to with the food. My only complaint is that if a pre-authorization on your card is going to be over $10. Then you should be notified of that. I put my card on file once I ordered my meal which is fine. That's normal procedure in a restaurant, especially at a bar like scene, but I then informed the server that my guest was paying for my food so my card then should've been removed altogether. My friend then paid on Apple Pay with the toast machine and I was still charged $50 for the pre-authorization which is insane without being notified prior to. I am not saying that you should not charge money for a pre-authorization but $50 is a little steep maybe the cheapest menu item like $25 even would've been more acceptable. But the fact that my card was still on there and someone else paid is me saying that this was the mistake of the server my card should've been removed altogether because what do you need a $50 pre-authorization hold for in addition to someone paying. And it's not as though the payment reversed immediately it will not be on my card for two business days. If you're going to be charging someone $50 for a pre-authorization it should at least be closer to what the cost of their meal was because I don't even think my total was $50. But regardless a pre-authorization of $50 should be communicated because had been communicated. None of this would be an issue. I understand the restaurant looking out for themselves, but in order to look out for the guest also things like this should not happen because thinking about it if I would've paid with my card does that mean that I would've been over charged altogether my bill plus the pre-authorization because the pre-authorization was actually taken off my card. I dine at restaurants quite often so I totally understand but this should be worked on. read more

Stopped in for lunch. The first thing I noticed is that there was hardly anyone there. We sat down and ordered. I ordered the chicken tenders and asked if they had anything other than bbq sauce. Someone appearing to be the owner just said no. Stone-faced, no smile. Okay. So the food came and I asked for remoulade instead of the bbq. The woman looked at me like I was being difficult. She gave me half a little paper tub of remoulade like it was beluga caviar and they were rationing. Nothing for the fries even offered. Again, no smile. This would have been fine if the food had been good. The preparation was good but it had no flavor. I've not eaten anything so tasteless. My spouse ordered a crab cake and remarked that he wished the fries had not been fried in the same oil. The house wine for which they charge $10 was plonk. Utterly tasteless. If you're going to serve such flavorless fare, treat your customers better and don't be so miserly with the condiments! Won't be returning and I expect this place won't last. And for reference, we eat out a lot at all sorts of places and across the world. read more

I was sad when Rappahannock closed at this location so I was very happy to see Cowbell but I was very disappointed by my overall experience when i stopped by for lunch today. I was excited to see peel & eat shrimp, but they were literally just 5 chilled shrimp cocktail for $20 with no seasoning.. I love a good shrimp cocktail! But they are not advertised as such, I also paid $13 for a cup (the bowl os $18) of probably the worst clam chowder ive ever had that literally came out with the consistency of water and was filled with just celery.. i do not think that I got one bite of any clam and only a couple of pieces of potato.. the prepackaged clam chowder at the grocery store is even better than this, and then the waitress recommended the hushpuppies which she said had cheddar & chives, and while I did like the texture & the fact that they came out piping hot, they had absolutely no flavor or seasoning. after spending $50 at this point and being totally disappointed, i want to reach for a drink of water and then realized they never even offered me water or drink drink at all.. and I literally was the only customer there.. and the staff just stood to the side chatting.. at this point I just asked to pay and then ended up leaving the rest of my uneaten food on the counter .. they did not even ask me if I wanted to take it with me.. they seemed very uninterested in having any business at all... they should probably start with the service, and then the actual taste of the food which had no seasoning read more

Nice spot, friendly people. The chicken sandwich was very good, the side salad was interesting and good also. Tried it because I liked the Amish fried chicken at their earlier pop up (now that was awesome and I'll miss it). read more

Stopped there in a snowstorm and had some fantastic chowder and incredible crab cakes. Service was great and food was very good.