Cosi

Mediocre at best. I had strong interest in this place, especially after a recommendation from a friend who said that Cosi was better than Panera. Being a fan of panera, my interest was definitely heightened. Went with my wife one night to try it out. The inside tried to mimic a Panera, but lacked a more comfortable feeling to it. Felt very «cafeteria-​esque», with an attempt at feeling cozy (no pun intended).
I ordered a thanksgiving sandwich (one of their highlighted sandwiches) and my wife a chicken Caesar variety. Neither were memorable. The signature bread was tough and overcooked, the stuffing was akin to a sub-​stouffers, and some jellied cranberry. It was definitely less than memorable… as was my wife’s chicken caesar something or other.
Cosi was a less than memorable experience at this place. To top it off, as we left, we were cleaning up and they went «we’re closing. just leave and we’ll get it.» Sorry we were keeping them. With that kind of service, it’s no surprise that THEY ARE NOW CLOSED IN THE KENTLANDS. I don’t think it will be missed. Between the two, I’ll take Panera. Hopefully something better will move in the already gutted out spaces.

Stopped by here for breakfast at 8:30 this morning. They must not get a big breakfast crowd because I was the only customer and the three employees were busy with prep work.
Ordered an egg & steak wrap to go, Just OK, would not go back for breakfast in any case.

The service and staff was very quick and professional. The food came out quick it was very fresh. This particular shop was very well-​kept and clean and the food supplies behind the counter looked fresh. I had the chicken Parm melt which was made fantastic. The fountain soda machine used to have crushed ice which I thought was awesome now it’s cubed which I know is picky but just throwing it out there. Overall it’s a fantastic experience and I will definitely keep going to cosi.

Very satisfied with the service (host: Cody) and quality of food. We ordered the tandoori chicken with provolone cheese (75 cents extra) melted and pesto chicken melt with a side tomato basil soup. The sandwiches were warm and yummy, as was the soup. Inside is spacious and clean, which is a plus.
Highly recommended restaurant.

3.5 stars
Many years ago I spent too much money on morning coffee at the Cosi that was in Dupont, and spent quite a bit of time in the Friendship Heights Cosi because some friends worked there while in grad school. I had not set foot in Cosi in at least a year, and had not even considered their food menu for a longer period of time. I remember them being very bread-​based — sandwiched, pizza, definitely not appropriate fare for someone keeping a gluten-​free diet. Thus, I was super pleasantly surprised to see that they now have three «bowls» prepared with jasmine rice and quinoa. Two of them are gluten-​free, and it seemed that any applicable menu items were marked as gf or vegetarian. The bowl I chose could have used more seasoning, but that isn’t surprising in a place like this, but overall I was pleased with it.

I can’t say anything about the food because I’ve never eaten here, but you have to try their s’mores. Personalized kit of a mini stove burner, marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers is to die for!
When we went, the place was quiet (I mean, who eats lunch at 3:30 in the afternoon?). The supervisor/​manager was super friendly and helpful.
Furniture is a bit broken and patched up. Minus 1 star for the cashier who took forever to ring up the order and the hot chocolate that tasted like water and powder.

The food here is always top quality and the service matches it. The clam chowder is especially good, as is the Turkey and Brie. Get it warmed! Portion sizes are nice and you can opt for carrots or multigrain bread instead of the white stuff.
They have free wifi and plenty of tables, and the place can get busy, but I have always been able to find a seat.
The only downsides are that it is a little dark because of the window locations and it takes awhile to get your food.

I ordered oatmeal and it was way too runny/​watered down. They only put four pieces of strawberry in. Very disappointing — I will not be back.

I expected a great sandwich spot. But I was wrong. This place was terrible… but had some fantastic Mojito Lemonade. It was fantastic. Got the pastrami sandwich and it was not good at all. The sauce was terrible. the Kraut was not good. Bread was hard. Just not what I expected.

The food is the same as any other Cosi but the service is really lacking here and the restaurant needs updating. The person who posted about the weird seating arrangement is correct. I sat by the food bar to start but one of the cooks was staring at me and it made me uncomfortable so I moved to the more private area by the bathroom and kitchen entrance. I was the only one in here but they still managed to screw up two things with my order. Also, the cashier person was a little pushy when I wanted to take a moment to figure out my order despite the fact that there was no one else waiting behind me. The décor is typical Cosi but very shoddy. Torn seat cushions on the couch and the chairs and tables are scratched up and just overly worn. Won’t be going back to this Cosi.

Prompt service and freshly made meals. One of our salads was spot on, the other had almost no chicken added. We were given a replacement that was just fine. Be aware that this establishment is on an elevated side of the building, the main entrance is a long trip up the ramp. Parking was fine, also a lot of other places near by just in case you change your mind.

I LOVE The smore’s with the marshmellows and grahman crackers oreo’s. My first experience @ cosi when it was XandO
Great for lunch or meeting friends. My favorite is the TBM — tomato, basil, mozzarella on their famous flatbread (reminds me of pizza from Frosinone Italy). Pretty large salad portions, be warned the turkey on the turkey club tastes like genric sliced turkey from Giant or Safeway.
My favorite salad is their signature salad: grapes, pears, pistachios, dried cranberries, but I don’t get the Gorgonzola cheese (who wants to eat cheese that smells like feet?!) with a sherry vinaigrette dressing… yummmmyy grapes n pearsn cranberries dancing in my head!
Chai — not so great. Panera makes better chai lattes but Cosi has the better sandwiches.
Staff was friendly but slow… at times I think they need more staff…

Friendly staff. This is one of the best locations I have been too. I wish they had free coffee refills as I would visit more often.

This Cosi is very similar to the Rockville one. Maybe they’re all like this now too? I wish they were all the way the Bethesda one used to be (still is?). The food and drinks are good, the atmosphere leaves much to be desired. Regular tables and chairs, not cozy at all. I still love the veggie sandwich with hummus instead of cheese, and it’s nice to be able to get carrots as my side, but… yeah. :/

Just came back from a lunch at Cosi’s and must say they have awesome service… The food was hot and yummy, The smoothie was perfect, and the service staff went out of the way to make our lunch experience memorable.
The service went way beyond expected… The cashier was peppy and funny. I ordered a smoothie that was delivered to my table with a straw. The manager walked by after some time and offered to to-​go the remaining food and in general the staff was friendly and cheerful.
I will go back here for sure!

Set-​Up: All the tables are lined up so you’re facing the brick oven/​cashier/​employees. The only seats that you somewhat get a little privacy are those awkward tables by the bathroom, and nobody likes to sit by the stinky bathroom!
SERVICE: You know how awkward it is when you’re on a date and the young cashier isn’t friendly. Yeah… that. Cashier definitely could have been happier. Also the set up for this Cosi is so weird.
But the pizza/​sandwich makers are super nice! I got the smores set (for 2~$ 7) and they only gave me eight marshmallows which I definitely did not feel was enough. But after the nice gentleman pizza chef saw how much fun I was having, he gave me 8 more marshmallows for free and even relight my mini hibachi fire! It was a fun-​filled night of practicing to roast the perfect marshmallow.
I love nice people who make my night.

In general, I’ve found Cosi to have fairly poor service. The food is ok. The smores platter is very clever and I’m surprised that other coffee shops haven’t done the same, but that’s not good enough for me.
Whatever you do, don’t order an espresso drink. The cashiers are forced to also act as baristas. I’ve twice had to badger for an espresso drink that I paid for, taking 40 minutes the first time and 20 minutes the second time (perhaps a little shorter because I was more assertive on my lunch hour; the barista asked me how she was supposed to also work her lunch line).
If I’m in the area, I’ll head to the local Starbucks for the espresso or leave the Kentlands for food.

I really like Cosi’s sesame ginger chicken sandwich and I’ve ordered it here 3 times. The first time it was delicious — 5 stars. The second and third it didn’t have enough sauce and was cold so I’ll average it out to a 3. I guess if it’s crowded and they make fresh, warm bread more frequently you’ll get a better sandwich.
But it’s convenient and the staff seem to be pretty quick at this location.

The Kentlands location is pretty small and its wi-​fi internet does not work. I dislike it when a venue advertises something that does not exist. This particular location advertises free wi-​fi internet on signs and table displays, but the internet doesn’t work! — the Unilocal rating is for this location only.
The Cosi franchise has improved a lot though. A few years ago, Cosi was inconvenient and had slow service from sometimes inattentive servers. It was a hassle getting coffee refills since you were dependent on the servers, who were sometimes slow. Now, Cosi has registers in the front and milk and coffee supplies stands. The new self-​service pay-​up-​front operation is far more efficient and convenient and also makes everything much faster and easier on customers. I definitely prefer the self-​service operation.
As far as coffee’s concerned, I love their strong and intensely-​caffeinated coffee. Cosi also gives Starbucks some competition with it’s free complementary refills and by making an attempt at providing free wi-​fi. Although Cosi claims free wi-​fi at select locations, the internet doesn’t seem to work… or at least it really sucks. Panera beats both Cosi and Starbucks by providing free coffee refills and reliable working free internet. Cosi’s food is merely okay and severely overpriced.

So how does Cosi’s rank for the veggie lover?
For me, the best choice is the Veggie Mufaletta Sandwich. It’s kind of tangy and packs a lot of taste! Really like the banana peppers. The only issue is that some restaurants are annoying about the olives. Olives are not a universally loved vegetable: generally you like them or you don’t. The Cosi’s I went to in Alexandria took out those icky things– so why did the Cosi staff insist on the olives here? Boo to olives.
We also have the standard bland block of mozarella and tomato sandwich, unfortunately. They also have a hummus sandwich, which was decent, but really onion-​y. Plus it was kind of a plain hummus spread. I like hummus spreads with veggies or spices in them. Other choices include two salads and pizza (not very enticing– no veggies on the meat-​free pizzas).
More generally: the flatbread is very tasty and they make it right in front of you (I love that). Cosi’s gives you the option of carrots or chips as a side which is pretty nice. The ambiance of Cosi’s is always tres chique, po-​mo. Don’t skimp on the tasty smoothies and definitely try the s’mores for desert. I don’t know anywhere else you can make those, but they’re really fun.
Update! New veggie sandwich! I had to inform. The new roasted veggie sandwich is pretty good. I like the spread and the veggies. It would taste a little better if it was heated. Decent though, especially if they give you the right amount of cheesy spread.