AHRA Cafe & Sandwich Bar

I went with my boyfriend to have drinks and apps before dinner on ²⁄₂. We sat at the bar where 2 other guests were sitting, greeted by the male, gave our orders, he then caught an attitude with my boyfriend over asking for a chilled mug, made our drinks then proceeded to leave the bar. The woman who was clearly intoxicated while on the clock was entertaining the 2 other gentlemen while falling and dropping things. We finished our drinks while waiting for him to return or her to acknowledge us at all. Finally he returns and starts talking to a woman who just sat down the female bartender then comes over and asks how we’re doing, we ask for the check she asked us twice did we want another round. She then turns to the guy and tells him we want our check while he carries on a 5 minute conversation with the woman makes her drink then comes over to ask if we want another round. We ask for the check yet again and when we finally get it and pay cash it takes another 5 minutes to get change because «my drawer, sorry». The manager who’s on the other side of the bar took his sweet time to finish his conversation with his employees rather than take care of a guest. Being in the service industry myself I was very shocked. Service was the worst I have ever had and because of that I will not walk back into your establishment not even for drinks and neither will anyone I know because I will not be recommending you to anyone.

Just like the other reviewers have mentioned, the chip selection is on point. I got the steak and cheese, which was pretty good. For the price, I expect a slightly bigger sandwich and it would have been nice if they asked me if I wanted other toppings, but other than that, service is great and food is good.

I’ve worked within the building for a couple of weeks and this is my first stop EVERY morning. The staff is very friendly and the sandwiches are delicious. I always get their BLT. All of their produce is fresh and their soups are delicious as well.

I was in the area, and saw that this business got 4 stars for a deli. Figured it must be pretty good. I got the brisket sandwich and must say it is probably the most heavenly sandwich I’ve ever had. It was full of flavor, and the meat was perfect. The bread was also very good which I think is key for the perfect sandwich. I can’t wait to go back and eat it again. The workers were also extremely friendly, I was very pleased with my decision to try out Ahra.

I think Ahra has the best quality sandwiches in the area. My faves are the cheesesteak sandwiches. They do not skimp on the ingredients and customer service is always great. Breakfast sandwiches are also awesome.

Before today, I’d only ever gotten iced coffee from this place – which, in itself, is a reason to go here, as they use iced coffee cubes in their iced coffee. Finish your iced latte faster than Usain Bolt can run the 500 meter? No problem, because you’ll have about a cup of ice-​cold coffee in about an hour, after the coffee ice cubes melt!
Today I finally tried their food. For lunch I ordered a roast beef sandwich that was cooked fresh in the café and carved right in front of me. Delicious. I’m not sure if I can ever go back to deli meat again! I can’t wait to try their freshly-​carved turkey, chicken breast, brisket, and ham sometime soon.

Second time I’ve gotten sick from eating the caprese sandwich. Beware.

Get the BLT. Trust me on this. The bacon to lettuce to tomato ratio has been carefully calibrated to cause maximum delight (and possible heart palpitations). So what if the massive amount of bacon shortens your life by 3 – 5 years? Without bacon, it’s not really life. Just tell yourself it’s not the years in your life but the life in your years.
However, if you still insist on increasing your time on this planet enough to forsake bacon (I’ve heard people like you exist), get one of the freshly carved sandwiches. You get to watch it being put together like at Subway but with far more flavor and considerably less shame. It may take a couple tries to figure out how to fit it in your mouth (because AHRA knows that awesomeness isn’t bite-​sized) but once you do, you’ll start to wonder just how good the BLT is if the second choice is this amazing.
Oh, and don’t forget to get a pickle.

I must say I was very impressed with Ahra Café! Great food, great service, great price! After hearing about Ahra through a friend, I had to try it out. When I walked in the café (located in WJLA Channel 8 news building) the first thing that I noticed was that it was a very clean place. I was immediately greeted and all the staff was very nice throughout.
What really caught my eye and what I think sets them apart from other sandwich spots around the area is that they have freshly cooked brisket, turkey, roast beef, ham, etc. available which they carve right in front of you when you order! That was worth the trip alone!
I believe they also have cold deli sandwiches, but I went with the hand carved brisket sandwich which was amazing. The brisket was soft, hot, juicy and very flavorful. I had the sandwich on a Brioche bun (they have a bunch of bread options) with whole grain mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and BBQ sauce (they have a ton of other veggie options too). I also got a cup of chicken and rice soup which had a lot of chicken, veggies, and rice and was really good too. My whole meal was actually very reasonably priced in my opinion especially for all I got.
Overall, it was great lunch, I will be coming back to try their other items, and I would recommend this place to a friend.

My wife & I stayed at the Hyatt a block up, due to the snowstorm. I came in the morning to grab 2Reubens for breakfast. It was filled with meat & cheese. It was missing some flavor, slightly bland but good at the same time. It wasn’t the best I ever tasted but it was decent. I would ONLY go back to try a different selection. They also have an array of chips. I got the sweet potato chips by «Dirty» they are good & my Lady got the «Dirty» sour cream&onion kettle chips. Those are a must try! I loved them.

This place makes great sandwiches. They slice the meat in front of you and use good quality meat. I usually come here for the hot sandwiches. I love their chicken and cheeses and Reuben sandwiches. They are located inside the ABC building on the bottom floor. The prices are reasonable and they have seating.

This unassuming café in a mall or large office building environment unexpectedly warmed my heart! It appeared to be family-​owned, and the sandwich assemblers seemed very flexible in making alterations to or substitutions in sandwiches. I split with the boy a veggie sandwich, with hummus substituted for the cheese. After a lot of greasy food dining out all the time during our vacation in DC, we both agreed that this clean tasting sandwich felt very satisfying. While sitting at a couple of stools in the corner of the café, it seemed that Ahra’s has multiple regulars, perhaps employees who work in the building, that come down and chat with one another during their lunch break. Ahra’s uses quality ingredients, and if I lived or worked in the area I would feel motivated to support their friendly business.

This place has the potential to be great. They have hand carved meats. The sandwiches I have had are good, great bread. The philly cheesesteak is ok– the best. But, if you get a specialty sandwich by the time you get to a table to sit down, the bread is completely soggy. NO GOOD.
And they are very overpriced. Good chip selection.

Good sandwiches since they have hand carved meat! However, way overpriced for a plain sandwich. Maybe I will attempt something from the grill to see if it is worth the money.
The chip selection is OUTTA CONTROL though! So many great «craft» chips :) and fun drinks, candies, etc.

I’ve been to AHRA a handful of times for breakfast and lunch. The sandwiches are solid with lots of meat and veggies packed inside. I usually go for the wraps and you get more fillings that way :) steak and cheese is good too but I don’t like how they use cheese bits instead of slices. Overall great place to eat with decent prices, expect to pay $ 7 and some change.

Stopped by this morning for the first time. Iced coffee with frozen coffee ice cubes? Awesome. Super nice cashier too.

They’ve gone downhill since first opening! Initially they were SOO nice, but recently went here last week for a bagel (bc they were advertising NY bagels) and they did a 180 on us-​stank attitude and abruptness. Disappointing :(I’ll stick to Rosslyn Café and Kay’s (1800 N. Kent).

Hey!!! Good coffee!!!
So far, Rosslyn Café and AHRA are the only places in Rosslyn to get a decent cup of dark roast. I have come by here the last 3 morning and I have been pleased every time.
One of these mornings, I ordered the Lox and bagel. It was VERY VERY good! The bagel was better than most of the bagels I had in New York on my last trip. They put plenty of salmon on and they dont skimp with the capers either. Very well made. Worth the $ 6.
Fun fact: I dont know what is going on with this place but every morning, they are listening to the Glee soundtrack. Its always the Glee cast singing some song. The first morning, i was just confused. The second morning, shocked. Third morning, terrified. Lets see what happens tomorrow.

I like their breakfast selections and also go there for lunch too.
My new favorite: Brisket sandwich !!! Nom nom…

I waited months for this place to open and they certainly made it look nice. It’s about three times as large as the previous shop with many more selections. They have breakfast options, coffee, cold sandwiches, hot sandwiches, even hand-​carved meat sandwiches (more on those in a moment). They also have many drink and chip options as well as some tasty-​looking cupcakes. I have yet to try a cupcake but they are so decorative they almost look fake. By the way, what’s up with this cupcake craze lately? Anyway…
So I love my sandwiches, right? And this is the best-​looking sandwich place in the area. I so wanted to five star this one that I visited it three times before rating it. But by now, I think I have a sense of the place so I’ll just lock it in.
On my first visit, I got a cheese steak sandwich on a baguette. It was very good and loaded with whatever you want. About a month later I came back and decided to try a hand-​carved sandwich. Reading the other reviews, the beef brisket seemed to be popular so I ordered that.
The kind server (and they are all very kind here) asked if I’d like mayo and mustard on it. I said yes. She began preparing the sandwich which comes LOADED with beef. They don’t short you on the meet. Not at all. When she finished, she wrapped it to go and I took it back to my office. Imagine my surprise when I opened up this huge sandwich and there was neither mayo nor mustard. Oh well, I guess she forgot. But it was kind of dry without it. The beef brisket was too salty for my taste as well.
But I wanted to give it just one more shot so I went back a few days later. As I approached the store a half hour before closing time, I noticed they had already wrapped up and were mopping the floor. I walked in and asked if I could order. The server said it depended on what I wanted. I ordered the roast beef sandwich and she went into the back to find some. Then she had to unwrap most of the toppings as they had been put away. There was no attitude included but it still took about 15 minutes. And a few others entered the shop after me so I wasn’t their last customer.
The roast beef on this sandwich was piled even higher than the beef brisket. I even had them pile on some jalapenos, lettuce, and tomato. No complaints. A well-​made sandwich. Oh and I should mention that all toppings are free, like Subway (and unlike Chop’t down the street where it’s two bucks if you want olives).
I still think this is the best place around to grab a quick sandwich. The service is friendly, the meat and toppings are always generous. I’d just recommend you avoid going within the last 45 minutes they’re open b/​c you’ll be looking at a limited menu. And watch out for the salty beef brisket.
Otherwise, this place is excellent. The finest sandwich spot in town.