Rice Bar Market Place — Restaurant in Washington

Rice Bar Market Place — The Real D.C., One Bowl at a Time

You’re standing a few blocks from the National Mall — tourists taking selfies, school kids eating beige sandwiches on the grass, the hum of history and hypocrisy in the air. Washington, D.C. loves its symbols. Power. Monuments. Polished facades. But walk a little further, and you find a narrow space that cuts through all the noise. Rice Bar Market Place.

It smells like garlic, soy, and purpose. A line of regulars snakes toward the counter, each one with the look of someone who’s been here before — government workers, museum staff, maybe a few lost souls who just need something good to eat that won’t insult their intelligence. There’s no pretense here, no influencer lighting, no forced smiles. Just bowls. Steam. Heat.

You pick your rice, your protein, your sauce. It’s a ritual. I go with the spicy pork — thinly sliced, seared hard, sweet and angry all at once. The gochujang hits with slow precision, like a jazz riff that sneaks up on you. Kimchi on top for crunch and soul. You eat standing if you have to, and you don’t care — it’s that good.

This is food with a pulse. The kind of food that could only come from someone who’s cooked for people who actually eat to live, not to pose. The kind of place that thrives in the cracks of a city obsessed with ceremony.

You finish your bowl, wipe the sweat from your forehead, and step back into the D.C. daylight — the monuments gleaming, the flags waving, the same old machine grinding on. But for a moment, in that little space filled with the smell of rice and chili, you got a taste of something real.

Rice Bar Market Place isn’t trying to change the world. It’s just feeding it. And...

I had dinner at Rice Bar Market Place in Washington D.C. with my wife and unfortunately, it was a very disappointing experience.

We ordered the Galbi Bibimbap and the Poke Signature. As a Korean, I can say the food was decent — the gochujang sauce had a nice flavor — but that was about the only positive part.

(1) Serious hygiene issue: We found a piece of plastic in the bibimbap (see photo). When we showed it to the staff and asked for a replacement, the employee simply snatched the bowl away without a single word. She later brought a new one and said “Sorry about that,” then walked away without any explanation or genuine apology. It completely ruined the meal. The staff member involved is the same one mentioned below for her rude behavior.

(2) Extremely rude service: One Asian female employee was shockingly rude. I’ve rarely encountered customer service like this in the U.S. — or anywhere. She spoke in a very curt and unpleasant way, almost as if she was irritated with us just for ordering. When it took us a few extra seconds to decide, she slammed the rice cooker shut in frustration. The entire interaction felt hostile and made us very uncomfortable.

I really wanted to enjoy this place, but the lack of basic hygiene and courtesy makes it hard...

My husband and I are visiting DC and we were at the Botanical garden. We wanted a quick lunch and found this place on Google. We were pleased with the choice. You order at the counter and you can pick one amongst bowls on the menu or make your own. They have cards with all the ingredients where you can mark your choices and then give the card to the person at the counter and they'll make your bowl super quickly or you can just go straight to the counter and tell them how you want it. The black rice is delicious and so are the vegetables and tuna (albeit a bit spicy). They have a large choice of ingredients and they all looked delicious so much so it was hard to choose! The service is quick even when there is a line. Prices are not too bad (we paid 30$ for 2 bowls) The seating is limited considering how busy it gets but it's a quick bite place so you'll probably always find a seat. There are tables of 2, communal tables, and high tops along the windows. It's a good choice for a quick, light, and healthy meal while being taste and satisfying. They have multiple stores in DC but make sure that they are open in the weekends because some of them they are only open...