I cannot stress enough that if you are to choose a cutlery purveyor in the DMV area… District Cutlery is your best option!I’m SUPER picky about my knives and even more so about the steel that makes them as I work in a professional kitchen.When the knife I wanted wasn’t available, Derek Swanson, guided me to several lines of knives that all utilized the specific type of steel I wanted.Their knowledge is more than extensive and if you aren’t familiar with knives they offer a cheap consultation service to find the EXACT knife for you! They are PROFESSIONALS who live and breathe knives… to go elsewhere would be a mistake, check them out!

I went to District Cutlery to track down a very specific brand and model of Japanese knife after failing to find it at a few other high end knife vendors. DC had it listed as out of stock, but I got into contact with Derek Swanson, who said he would try to place an order for me, but to expect to wait up to several months because normally knives of this type and quality are made to order (understandably). Over the next several months Mr. Swanson kept in touch regularly to update me on the progress of the knives, always both friendly and professional. Yesterday they finally arrived and I have to say I could not be happier with both the product and service received with DC. Above and beyond on all counts.

Great experience, great knife. Chad was super helpful and informative. He was kind about educating me when I came in with misinformation as well. I got to look at and hold a variety of knives as we found the chefs knife for me. Great experience and looking forward to when I can go back!

The owners are professional and nicely answers all of our questions. Got a suehiro whet stone at $40 (~50 on Amazon). They got a good collection of tojiro knifes as well drop by if youre a fan

They do great work and really restore my knives to fully functioning status… Plus they don’t judge me for the horrific condition my knives are in

Brought a dull serrated bread knife to them for sharpening. Done quickly, with amazing craftsmanship and the knife is like a revelation! Better than new!

Excellent selection of high performance cutlery knives. By far the most knowledgeable and helpful staff to help you select the proper cutlery equipment based on its anticipated use. They also provide t knives sharpening services which is top notch. I would high recommend visiting the location to get premier cutlery equipment if visiting DC. We visit DC on a tri-annual basis and make this shop a required stop at every visit.Located within Union Market, an ideal location for all you shopping and eating needs.

Went to the the shop to get some of my knives sharpened, Which by the way Ryan did an amazing job...like new again! While I was waiting, being a chef,I was like a kid in a candy store with all the Japanese knives on display....well I bought three!!!

Wonderful all around. Custom made saya (sheath) fits great.

AMAZING shop! Very knowledgeable and helped me pick out a great chefs knife! Great variety too I will definitely go back again!

The guys at District Cutlery are the real deal. I’ve just purchased my 5th knife from them in the past year - Japanese knives are addicting! Service is top notch, and they bring your blades to a sharpness I didn’t even know was possible. Don’t waste your time at a chain kitchen store or online, give your business to the local guys at District Cutlery. You won’t regret it.

Beyond top notch! We are lucky to have District Cutlery as a local resource. Your kitchen knives will be chef grade sharp when you get them back. Which will be much sharper than when you got them new from the factory. They are ROCK STARS. I cant say enough good things and you should not hesitate to bring you knives to these guys.

Walked in knowing pretty much what I wanted, but still wanting to support local. Walked out after they talked me into a CHEAPER knife which I have been super happy with. Quality service, quality knives. I am very happy to have gone here and am pushing my friends to go too.

Great selection in a small space, good prices, really helpful and knowledge. Its nice being able to hold a knife before you buy it, you cant get that online.

My knives are amazingly sharp thanks to this place. Bring your knives to district cutlery for sharpening!

Bought a new gyuto and had an old santoku sharpened. Pleased with both. The santoku has been used almost daily for the past 14 years and had a chip at the heel from being dropped on a tile floor. They walked me through my sharpening options and gave a recommendation which was helpful. Staff is very knowledgeable. Nice selection of knives. Great quality and surprisingly affordable. It was hard to choose. Glad I could hold and evaluate in person before buying.This is a popular, and small, shop so you may need to wait for assistance. A knife that performs well is worth the wait.

Brian, who I believe is the owner, is extremely knowledgeable, he is obviously an expert and his prices seem to be right in line with other knife vendors. I did online searches and really didnt find anything significantly different from his cost. So his prices appear fair and his knowledge at the expert level. Just not the friendliest person in the world, his somewhat gruff, perhaps slightly abrasive bedside manner could use some improvements. However, with that said, no one is looking for a friend there, just a sharp (No pun intended) and skilled proprietor with fair prices and you definitely get that from Brian.

This place is great for their selection of knifes but perhaps dont use their sharpening service unless they have improved. I was super excited to find a knife place that seemed to know what they are doing. I brought my knife there to be sharpen and it was disappointing. My global was sharpened too steep so it dulled pretty quickly in a few months - worst than it was before. Hopefully the sharpening service has improved.

They repaired a very nice Japanese knife I bought in Kyoto and did a fantastic job. I was so happy with it I brought in two German knives for them to sharpen. They took time to teach me more about my knives and how to use them properly. I will definitely return.

Fast, professional and honest...i dropped them off and they were done in 30 minutes, saved me from having to make the trip down there again to pick them up. the owner did not try to sell me something i didnt need. the quality is high, its like having a brand new set of knives..

Found them via google when my Ryusen Hamono suffered a micro crack on the tip. They quoted below what I expected to pay; and repaired the blade while maintaining the original shape. I will definitely be coming back! See the before and after photos below.

Ive been a customer of District Cutlery since the beginning of their journey (DC Sharp days) and cannot say enough about their knife sharpening ability or their inventory of the very best in cutlery. Since moving to Seattle Ive been looking to find a new sharpening service, but after talking to Ryan and Derek they encouraged me to send my knives for sharpening. Im glad I did, the results are always great, they turned the knives around in record time. I dont trust just anyone with my expensive knives and this time I needed a repair as my 13 year old son thought it would be a good idea to remove an avocado pit with my $1,500 Carter Nakiri which resulted in a nice big chip which Ryan expertly fixed. Hes a true artisan and a great dude, pro tip: hes forging his own knives which are incredible so get one early as theyll be collectors pieces soon. If you live anywhere close, get there now.

Today i had the pleasure of having Brian Atlas serve me today. I did not understand why i was not greeted as a paying customer. all i needed was to tighten up my pocket knife. Brian acted as if he did not want to serve me. I was asking him questions an he completely ignored me. I honestly feel like this was a racial issue that he has. I would like for someone to please address this issue. I expect a great quality of customer service and did not get that quality.

Good prices on some really beautiful knives. Bought a Japanese vegetable knife and it is awesome. Their sharpening services looked top notch too.

Every year on my birthday, I get myself an addition to my collection of kitchen knives. A quality knife, is a dream to use and worth every penny. The knives and staff are all top quality. I bring in my set to get re-dressed and sharpen each year as well, great service.

I dropped off my heavily chipped Global chef knife (never let roommates use your knives) on Saturday morning. The knife was ready the same evening and is as good as new. Great service and great prices; you cant go wrong with DC Sharp.

District Cutlery is awesome! Had two of my Japanese chef knives sharpened here, they also have a great selection of Chef and kitchen knives. I recommend them to anyone looking for a great knife

Best Knife shop and sharpening in the DC Area. Ive been a culinary professional for more than 20 years, and these are the only people I trust with my knives.

Incredibly nice and knowledgeable people. They don’t try and oversell you. Highly recommend.

We were in the market for a quality knife to use in the kitchen. I didnt want an entire knife block; I just wanted the one great knife that I can use almost universally. I have seen this little booth several times, but I finally told myself that spending up to $200 would be worth it for this one knife and I will take care of it and it will last me a long time, and $200 is not that bad if I can make it last.Anyways, I came over and told the salesman what I wanted and my budget, he asked me to return in a week or two because he had the perfect knife for my situation coming back in stock. I waited, and I returned. He remembered us and showed us the knife, let us test it on a cucumber (NBD but it sliced it like a hot knife through butter). We brought it home, and it cut through uncooked sweet potatoes relatively easy (our old knife couldnt hack through a sweet potato at all).Its now been three years, and I have returned twice for a resharpen (first one was free), and we could not be happier. In the end, the knife cost $165+tax which was under my budget, and each sharpening made it feel brand new again. Could not be more pleased with these guys.

Great prices, knowledgeable, and overall great customer service. My new go to store for knives and sharpening in the d.c. area. Highly recommend if you are looking for quality japanese steel.

Great fast service. My old knives are better than new!

Brought in a chipped Japanese blade for repair and two others for sharpening, and all are now as good as new. I appreciate being able to pay online in advance and getting a text when ready for pick up.

These guys rock, knives come back sharp as a razor and my new Nishida Kuro RC Gyoto 210 is perfect.

My knife is amazing

Great shop with great people, keep up the sharpness.

Fixed my blades right up, and service was exceptional.

Theres some hard working folks here!