Neighborhood Guide: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play in Navy Yard

Southeast DC’s Navy Yard was once an industrial hub powered by shipbuilding and arms manufacturing. That’s hard to imagine today. The arrival of Nats Park in 2008 helped spur redevelopment of the neighborhood, which has drawn young professionals due to its proximity to Capitol Hill, access to professional baseball and soccer (see Audi Field), and a plethora of luxury condos and apartments. The area’s rapid expansion has brought a spate of restaurants, bars, and shops. Here are some of the best new options worth a visit.

Eat and Drink

Any Day Now

Scallion-pancake sandwiches are a cornerstone of Any Day Now—a nod to the Asian-fusion culinary background of chef Tim Ma, who opened this stylish cafe in 2023. Morning visitors can order their sandwiches with bacon, sausage, or kimchi. For the evening crowd, options include burgers, fried Maryland catfish, and miso Buffalo chicken. During happy hour, start with a $10 al pastor–flavored margarita and $6 dumpling tacos.

Ama

Chef Johanna Hellrigl, who brought Ama, a charming Northern Italian restaurant, to Navy Yard last year, is serious about her sourcing. Find imported Italian ingredients throughout the menu, including the flours and olive oil used in the Ligurian focaccia. Or sample the wild-king-salmon tartare, courtesy of Lummi Island, off the coast of Washington state. And for dessert: a gluten-free tiramisu.

El Rey

The newest location of the taqueria El Rey boasts waterfront views to accompany its enticing menu: carne asada tacos topped with scallion salsa, gooey mushroom quesadillas, and a boozy weekend brunch menu complete with mimosa, margarita, and strawberry-Aperol-spritz pitchers.

Beresovsky’s Deli

When Los Angeles restaurateurs Jason Berry and Michael Reginbogin opened Beresovsky’s Deli across the street from Nats Park last spring, they hoped to fill a hole in the neighborhood: the absence of a good Jewish deli. Their lunch counter has delivered, with hearty latkes, New York–imported bagels, and overstuffed sandwiches.

Problem Child

Earlier this year, Duke’s Grocery at Navy Yard announced a major rebranding. In April, the owners reopened their space as Problem Child, a laid-back dive bar offering an afford­­able menu with select beers for $4, complimentary popcorn, and a signature PBBJ (peanut butter, bacon, and jelly) sandwich.

Maman

The SoHo-born bakery Maman opened its Navy Yard location early last year, adding to its growing empire in the DC area. The chic storefront offers Parisian brunch mainstays—daily quiche specials, a croque madame with housemade béchamel sauce, and of course Maman’s famous chocolate-chip cookies.

Do and Shop

Luma Wellness Studio

Luma Wellness Studio, which launched in May, offers yoga and Pilates classes—and, for those in need of some extra color, spray tans. A couple blocks east of Nats Park, Luma combines red-light therapy and infrared heat in its strengthening and sculpting classes, which reportedly help enhance calorie burn—and recovery.

Barry’s

Luma isn’t the only place to work up a sweat. Visit Barry’s beloved Red Room for some high-intensity interval training, or HIIT. The Navy Yard location (300 Tingey St., SE) opened in February, just the third Barry’s outpost in the Washington area. Workouts often alternate between treadmill and floor, combining both cardio and strength training. Hungry after a class? Recover with a Green Glow or PB&J protein smoothie at the Fuel Bar.

Jungle & Loom

Last October, the plant shop Jungle & Loom opened its second DC location, in Navy Yard. Shop its monsteras, pots, and other accessories and decor, including vintage rugs. The store also offers private workshops on floral arrangement and plant care, as well as classes open to the public—recent workshops have included cake decorating and a watercolor tutorial focused on houseplants.

Capitol City Circus School

Looking to take to the skies without leaving the city? Capitol City Circus School launched in 2023 after its predecessor, Trapeze School New York, was sold. The circus school offers classes in flying trapeze, silk (a.k.a. aerial fabric), juggling, and trampoline. The cost per class ranges from $15 (juggling) to $70 (trapeze). Or you can sign up for a ten-week workshop. For young acrobats in training, the school has an eight-week gymnastics program, aerial-arts workshops, and circus summer camps—plus hosts birthday parties.

Steadfast Supply

University of Maryland graduate Virginia Blanca Arrisueño started Steadfast Supply, which spotlights independent brands and local artists and designers, as a pop-up in 2016. Now a brick-and-mortar mainstay in Navy Yard, the shop is hosting a DIY clay-earring tutorial on June 8 in honor of Pride, led by Arlington artist Brianna Kumar, founder of Abloom Earrings.

Somewhere

At Somewhere, you can shop for progressive streetwear while sipping on a blue-matcha latte or Vietnamese iced coffee from the in-store cafe. The fashion outpost recently collaborated with Ben’s Chili Bowl to host an Air Jordan drop. And it designed an exclusive T-shirt with Clarks Originals to celebrate the shoe brand’s latest version of the Wallabee. Follow Somewhere’s Instagram for future events.

Pacers

Join Pacers, a neighborhood institution, every Tuesday at 6:30 pm for a social run. Geared toward a variety of running levels, each group has options ranging from three to six miles. (Walkers tackle a two-mile loop.) Runs are followed by happy hour—the store is conveniently located next to Bluejacket, a microbrewery with a host of original beers on tap.

What’s Selling

Tucked along the Anacostia River, Navy Yard blends past and present, with historic rowhouses alongside newer luxury condos and townhouses that have sprouted as the neighborhood has boomed. Here’s a sample of recent sales.

This article appears in the June 2025 issue of Washingtonian.