Uptown Cafe

This is a great place for lunch. I work in the building, and absolutely love that this place is here. It’s affordable, and the food is good.
The Korean food is by leaps and bounds better than anything else they have on the menu. Really good bulgogi, the bimbimbap is really good as well.
I haven’t loved the American food, other than the fries, which are always crispy and plentiful. But they’re Korean inspired wraps and sandwiches are really good. Definitely worth a try, and on average you’ll spend $ 7 – 8

Great food. Everything on the menu is amazing. I love the sandwiches and the korean bibimbap!

If you’re looking for a quick meal during the work week this is a good spot to head. They have the classic sandwich types (turkey, Reuben, cheesesteak) but also offer a bunch of Korean-​inspired dishes.
The sandwiches seem like the thing to get, as they’re fairly sized for $ 6 – 7, but I went with a kimchi spicy pork bowl, which had decently spiced pork (asked for extra spicy and they mostly delivered), undercooked onions, tame tasting kimchi, and some brown rice. It was a solid portion and had decent flavor, but definitely won’t appease those looking for an authentic Korean meal and wasn’t as great a value at $ 7.90
For a quick weekday meal, I would definitely have this as a fallback option if I worked close.

Just ate breakfast here the first time and its incredible. Best french toast I’ve ever had, breakfast potatoes are delicious, and the breakfast burrito is amazing (although small)

For what they offer, they give you great quality… AND INEXPENSIVE TOO!
I got a steak and cheese sub and fries. It was my first time there so I didn’t want to experiment yet. The food melted in my mouth, it was sooo good!
The customer service was great too. Very attentive and big smiles.
Will be back soon!

eh, doubt i’d return
bibimbap was decent, but for $ 11, they forgot my egg, and it’s a pretty abysmal portion of bulgogi and kimchi for the extra cost. quality is nothing better than a chipotle, so I would expect them to be priced similarly.
my friend got his egg which was cooked thoroughly — best part of bibimbap for me is the wet egg on top

A hidden café near the Arlington Courthouse between office and apartment buildings lies Uptown Café, a Korean owned deli aimed towards breakfast and lunch goers (they close at 4pm). I was pleasantly surprised to find this gem since there are absolutely no Korean restaurants along the Arlington orange line. They serve a variety of sandwiches, traditional and some with an Asian flare. They also serve some Korean dishes such as bimbibap, bulgolgi rice bowls, and udon. I’m definitely a fan of their bimbibap ($ 7). You have the option of white or brown rice and whatever protein you desire and sauce. My usual is the beef ($ 2 extra) and kimchi ($ 1 extra) with the traditional korean spicy sauce. The vegetables are nice and crunchy, beef is tender with excellent flavor, and the sauce comes on the side. Also it’s very filling. The only thing is that the entire entrée is not hot enough for my liking. I wish they would serve the rice, beef, and egg hot but everything is just a tad warmer than room temperature. Regardless, for the location and convenience it definitely satisfies my korean craving. The staff is nice and service is pretty quick. And although the bimbibap is $ 7 on the menu since I add beef and kimchi my total comes to $ 11 which is pretty pricey for lunch. However, it beats the drive to Annandale if I want a quick fix so I’ll take it.

Owner is always trying to pull one over you if you order a turkey sandwich… by giving you the nasty shredded version, heated, instead of regular sliced turkey. When you tell her «that’s not what I ordered… I wanted sliced turkey», she pretends she doesn’t understand English. Just be honest and not so cheap and give us more than one napkin! A bit expensive too… no thanks.

quick service, friendly staff, good food, and good prices. the only reason it’s not a 5 star is because I wouldn’t say it’s AMAZING food.
I come here from the 5^th floor of the building when I need some lunch and I always like to try their daily specials to try something new on the menu each time.

Easy and fast service. Yummy breakfast but the lunch is where it’s at. I always get the beef bulgogi or the bibimbap. This is a classic deli hot bar combo place. It’s really nice if you want a simple lunch without breaking the bank. Only thing I wish they had were a bigger korean food menu and longer hours.

If you’re in Arlington, you have a craving for Korean food but dont feel like driving far and appreciate friendly service, excellent prices and cleanliness, then come here.
I actually came here for breakfast and it was extremely cheap and delicious and not greasy at all. The service was also excellent and they were extremely friendly.
I don’t understand any of the reviewers on here complaining about the authenticity of the korean food selections. This is one of two places in all of Arlington to get any kind of Korean food. If you want «authentic» Korean food, you go to Annandale. I don’t go to Silver Spring for «authentic» Vietnamese food, I go to Falls Church.

Clean and cheap! I would give it a 3.75.
I had kimchi bulgogi bowl, and I wouldn’t say they serve authentic Korean food. It’s not spicy at all, and a little sweet! I think the food is definitely targeting the non-​Korean crowd. :)
I would definitely this place for sandwich lovers though… for $ 6, you can get a pretty generous size wrap or sandwich. All the ingredients looked fresh and decent.
Also, this place is really super clean.

I normally get the bibimbap which is pretty good. It does seem like they have a variety of food but I’ve only ever had the bibimbap.

Excellent bibimbap. I get it with tofu and their spicy sauce (which isn’t that spicy)

If it’s walking distance from your house or office, do it up, if not, eh. Bulgogi was pretty good, but the sushi, salad, and soup that came with the $ 9 lunch box were pretty meh. Beef bibimbap by itself is 9 bucks now, too. If I’m sitting in this cafeteria environment, I want a 6 dollar meal.

Pleasantly surprised! I ordered the bibimbap with beef & kimchi and it was great (IMO better than the pink Seoul Food truck). They had some good looking lunch specials like udon soup with California roll, and a bulgogi box… along with normal hot/​cold deli sandwiches and breakfast choices. Actually, their breakfast choices looked pretty extensive. Good bottled beverage selection, but no beer and not a lot of packaged food or treats. The place was very clean and the service was friendly. I’ll be back.

Friendly fast service with good prices. I ate breakfast here everyday when I was in Arlington.

Nice spot for a quick little lunch and the bibimbap is tasty! They also offer sandwiches and a little buffet. Service is pretty quick and friendly and the prices are SO reasonable! Lots of seating available. Haven’t been here for breakfast but will definitely try to stop in at some point.

Not the best of the omnipresent Asian-​run-​and-​owned everything cafes, but still quite good. Most people compare these deli/​cafes to New York establishments, but I have a special place in my heart for East (typically Korean) meets West cafes, thanks to Friends Café in Williamsburg, VA where I went to college. I simply love places where you can get a great breakfast sandwich one day, bulgogi the next, and a smoked salmon sandwich the next.
Than being said, this café doesn’t even touch Friends Café, or other similar establishments, but while the food warrants only three stars, I give it four total for great prices and reliability/​consistency. Definitely worth a try. I’ll definitely be back for the Bibimbap.

This place recently opened up — I think this might be the beginning of their second week, and I don’t think they could have had worse luck. They’ve opened up amid one gigantic snowstorm that caused them to close, and now there’s now another impending storm that will probably cause them to lose midweek business.
Just like a lot of delis in DC, they’re open for breakfast and lunch. It looks like no expense was spared in building this place — they serve Illy coffee and Boar’s Head meat, and seem to stock only the finest in drinks and snacks. The prices are incredible — the most expensive thing in there is 6.99 for a beef bibimbap and their lunch sandwiches are less than 6 bucks.
I myself came for breakfast, and had an uptown omelet — chicken, tomato, scallion, cheese, and avocado — served with home fries and whole wheat toast. The whole freakin’ thing was $ 4.29. That’s right, $ 4.29. Everything was made to order and it was just a lot of hot fun times in my mouth.
I would five star this place, but I really do need to see what it’s like for lunch. I would also say that they need to expand their breakfast/​lunch hot bar, as it’s a measly 8 things right now. I think they’re a bit constricted by space, but I would like to see more items. Additionally, I think it’s so new that no one knows about it — and as such, there was almost no one in there, which made it all kind of sad. Come on people, try this place out and let’s support the local deli that’s obviously trying really hard!