Sweet Nuthouse

The Sweet Nuthouse tent can be found at Eastern Market on weekends. It’s a family-​owned business that offers flavored nuts without using preservatives, artificial ingredients, dairy, butter, or gluten. They have Praline Glazed Pecans (my favorite out of the bunch with a very thin layer of crunch on the exterior), Toffee Cashew Clusters, Cinnamon Almond Crunch, and Nice & Spicy Almonds (with cumin and cardamom), coming in small or large ‘cone-​shaped’ bags. The hubs and I had a pleasant conversation with the co-​owner, Mr. Steve, who mentioned that his chef wife, Ms. Heidi, creates the flavors. Don’t be afraid to ask for samples, as Mr. Steve wants you to try them all to decide which flavor you’re a fan of. I just wished these were served hot, as the ones you find at the nut carts in NY!
+ask for Mr. Steve: D
+small or large-​sized cone bags
+preservatives/​artificial ingredients/​dairy/​butter/​gluten-​free nuts
+only available at Eastern Market on Sat & Sun

This is only a hop, skip & a jump away from the Eastern Market Metro Station. Being a real official Washingtonian I am careful about what I put in my mouth.
The Scene: So only as a spicy lady I had to get my strut going in my heels & graze on by the Capitol Hill area… Grazing, grazing. graaaazzzziin. hmmm… there’s a lot of families. OMG baby daddies… yes with man-​flops, baby daddies (all cultures and races) up in this mutha (the market). I’m like damn what are the women on the hill doing to get men to be seen with a (baby-​sling shots) baby-carrier’s around the neck (FYI: they come in Gucci). I digress…
Prior to Tasting: I get to this stand and all I can see is these, these nuts and rack of women were putting them in there mouth, all different shapes and sizes.
Personally nutz blahhh especially when they are salty… blah!!! thw. thw!!! but…
SERIOUSLY, the owner was very respectful, happy & business is booming… when he offered these nuts to me. «Would you like to try SOME candied almonds?.» So I was like wow. hmmm he didn’t say. SAY IT…
Well…just like the DC girl that I am. I said Nah, thanks for the offer… though…but
SERIOUSLY in ¹⁄₁₀^th of a second: (no joke) I almost got knocked over by a group of women.
(Sack chasers ahhh)! Let’s be real I can’t be seen falling down on The Hill, cause ash doesn’t look good on me and where can a sister find some real lotion up there. I digress again…
SERIOUSLY: The ladies bought all his sacks but one.
The District does attract some nutty women… anyways… I still wasn’t convinced. Then two men came up and stuffed as many nuts as possible in there mouths (samples) and thought they wouldn’t purchase… well…ah ha! They ended up buying 4 bags and got mad at each other for not stopping each other from buying…
These nuts
Hmm, my mind started changing but I’m really picky & hard to please. I spotted a foodie girlfriend from a far. She started running… Grab the nuts, grab the nuts! And I: «which ones?» And she: «the left one… The left one». And so I as every man covered his boy… I yield back as a sophisticated lady…“Oooo, these nuuuuts!!?“
SEROUSLY: she got the last bag of candied almonds.
Yeah she had to talk me into putting those round– brown– sugary almonds, in my mouth. We got to the car. I closed my eyes she held my hand and Geronimo, in went… these nuts. They weren’t anything like I thought they would taste.
I turned around and yelled back to the stand, from the car. You got some sweet, sweet nuts (in a sweet-​backs bad @ss kinda voice)!
SERIOUSLY: The candied almond taste amazing and you just have to taste them because… I for the first time can’t think of anything else that taste like this! FYI: and you can’t eat just one. If you do you’ll end up driving back to buy 1 or more bags and people purchase in bulk.
And every time I go on the hill ya girl be munching on these nuts, 4 real! I did go back and try to get the person at the stand to say it… but it didn’t work. And so I enjoyed the rest of my Saturday making up nuts jokes to everyone in passing and all the little grown-​up boys & girls joined in. And as we bust out laughing like dumb little elementary school kids, they let me toss my nuts right in there mouth. I guess it’s not everyday you see a fly lady with a mean strut and ahh… yes these nuts.
SUGGESTION: I am surprise Gale King (doesn’t know about this place yet). I would like to see a special of the candied almonds offered on top of a dessert (I can think of a few). The price is reasonable for the taste. Who can beat a happy & Friendly (and RESPECTFUL) man who knows his product?
FYI: Go early, by quickly and don’t make the mistake of thinking
you can eat just one cause you will come back.

The Sweet Nuthouse is a gem in Eastern Market. Local business, good customer service, and a delicious product!
If you don’t feel like hiking out to Biagio or forking over some change for candied nuts, this is a good spot. They package their nuts in cones (like icing piping bags) that are gift or eating ready. I especially like to hit Nuthouse early, then walk around the market munching on ‘em. A little pricier than I would like, but they usually have freshly made samples to give out too if you’re not ready to commit to a whole bag.
Don’t worry about the health nuts (pun!) and the ppl with allergies either (unless they have a nut allergy). Nuthouse claims they don’t use any of the following:
–preservatives
–sulfides
–oil
–butter
–transfats
–gluten
–wheat
–dairy
–eggs
–evil high fructose corn syrup
(FYI I don’t have a photographic memory, I’m just reading off the package).
They usually have 3 varieties of nuts:
*sweet pecans ($ 5/​small bag, $ 9/​large)
*sweet cinnamon almonds ($ 5/​small bag, $ 9/​large)
*spicy almonds ($ 9/​bag, $ 15 large. just more expensive because they’re THAT good)
Tip: If you buy multiple bags, they will give you a better deal. For example, I bought one small bag of each of the three varieties, and it came out to $ 16. They also sometimes have coupons on their facebook fan page.
What really makes me smile is their cheeky saying:
Q: «What’s the shelf life of your nuts?»
A: «From booth to car.»
I’ve actually seen people come back for a second bag after shopping the market because they finished their first bag. In actuality, I’d say it’s shelf life is about six weeks, but mine never last that long.
Location: They are usually north of the Market, closer to the Aquatic Center. Only there Sat/​Sun.