This market—with a handful of locations in posh neighborhoods about the city—offers tantalizing eye candy to shoppers and onlookers alike. The Capitol Hill, Downtown, and Dupont locations are all built with large windows and tall shelves that maximize space for novelty granola, fresh juices, and other specialty baubles; the Georgetown location is somewhat more cavernous, but no less finely appointed.

First and foremost, we love the bakery. The chocolate chip cookies are thick, buttery and even a tad salty: they’re a spectacular complement to a cold glass of milk or hot tea. Other baked goods follow delicious suit, and a couple of locations offer fantastic fresh fruit pies.

Marvelous Market also sells an array of pre-packaged sandwiches, which remain surprisingly moist. We’re big fans of the private-label olive oils, which are sourced by the staff from a frantoio (olive-oil press) in Umbria, then sold in several versions: filtered, unfiltered, or infused with basil, garlic and pepper, porcini mushrooms, white truffle, or rosemary. The market also sources certain recognizable, but carefully chosen, outside brands.

As if all of this weren’t enough, they offer a well-pulled espresso, and a seating area in which to sip it—and enjoy a good cake or cookie. All of the locations, except Dupont, feature outdoor café-style seating. Marvelous indeed.