American Red Cross Cafeteria

In 2011, the Red Cross Cafeteria was the place to be on Friday at lunchtime; the chef made these fabulous pudding shots – so delicious!
Fast forward a few years: no more pudding shots at Friday lunch time. Instead, an irregular assortment of hot bars and a salad bar, with very wilted salads, is there for you. Ditto on the fruit cups: last time I went, the fruit cup I selected had gone bad. Turned it back in: my replacement cup was full of rotten fruit. At that point, I gave up.
For your money, go elsewhere. There’s a lot going on in the neighborhood that is better.

I work here and it’s the only place that I can go to fast to get food but it is really horrible. The same stuff everyday, for instance everyday is Thanksgiven at the Red Cross Cafeteria. Turkey and stuffing everyday and General Chows Chicken, friend rice, edd rolls and chicken wings. The other things are better but the bufet is the same everyday and those fried scallops have to be some fake imitation scallops. They were created in a lap somewhere and they have never seen the ocean ever. Man made seafood that has never seen the ocean and fish that do not know how to swim.
Like I said the other things like the bowls are not that bad but nothing to write home about. Some person on here said the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki Bown and said it was shockingly good. I say that review is shocking in the fact that it calsl this bowl good in a shocking way. Has this person ever eating real teriyaki chicken is a shockingly good question. Then he adds better then most food trucks well I hope so because it made in an actual cafeteria and not in the back of a van.
What is it with food trucks. Do people actualy think there good. It’s street meat and on the same level as the hot dog guy on the corner in Manhatten. Wow better then the van food with bald tires so let me give it three stars. You gotta laugh.

(3.5 stars) The cafeteria has great variety, affordability and food quality. I came here for the first time earlier this week and was shocked by the array of different options (phở, sushi, grill, teriyaki, wraps, etc.)
I ordered the spicy chicken teriyaki bowl and not only was it shockingly good, but it was only $ 7! It came with an abundance of food and was better than most food trucks I’ve tried in the area. The spicy chicken was served atop a bed of rice with grilled vegetables and dressed with teriyaki and hot sauces. The chicken had a nice char, some good kick and was well-​grilled. As a whole, the combination worked really well. I definitely plan on getting lunch here more often.

I’ve been here about ten or so times now and food is generally consistent. I’d vote this as one of the best grab, weigh, and go places in the general area. Food selection is great, always evenly cooked and well prepared.
I’ve been going after 2 pm more recently because of the 50% discount they offer up to closing. There’s always plenty of food left and it is always still warm.

It’s a cafeteria — so nothing that is going to WOW you… but the food is consistently good and the staff (mostly) friendly. I was happy to find this place because the cafeteria in my federal building is terrible and before the food trucks hit the scene there were few decent lunch options close by.
There are a number of «stations» offered at the Red Cross Café. Soup /​Salad, Pizza /​Calzone, Sautee Station (usually pastas and stir frys), Grill (burgers/​hot sandwiches), and a Sandwich Station (wraps and cold sandwiches).
A few standouts:
The salad bar is great! Lot’s of good selections and fresh ingredients to include a selection of muffins and breads. Soups are offered with a small sample cup so that you can «try before you buy».
The guy who usually works the sautee station is a machine and a marvel to watch work. He cranks out flavorful dishes lightening fast and is a model of efficiency. The usual grill guy on the other hand is usually surly, slow, and seems incapable of cooking more than one thing at a time (and that’s if he will acknowledge you and take your order in the first place).
Mabel (mentioned elsewhere) is the usual sandwich lady and she is a joy to interact with. She calls everyone «sweetie» and once you have been coming in for awhile learns your order and your name and whips up sandwiches two at a time with amazing speed and accuracy.

3.5 stars! It’s a cafeteria so you aren’t going to get anything amazing but i enjoyed it.
Before starting an adventure to view all of the sights, my gf and I were in dyer need of food (mainly me). This place was closest to the monuments and at first I was thinking to myself I can’t believe I’m eating in the Red Cross Cafeteria… but I was very surprised.
Prices are based on the weight of your food.
Lots of healthy choices as you would expect, so I went with the tuna salad, which was very good, and perfect amount of celery to give it a nice crunch. Th fruit was fresh and there was surprising a blackberry in the fruit cup (rare). Also I chose the soba noodles (cold), which had a healthy feel without lacking the flavor.
My gf and I both had salads and it’s the build your own variety. All you can ask for is fresh ingredients and they provided that. This with a carton of orange juice was our lunch. Pretty satisfying and a great choice for the long walk ahead of us.
This place far exceeded my expectations, and if in the area in the same situation I would come here again. Decent prices, lots of places to eat, friendly workers, and the food is fresh.

I work the next block over so it’s a convenient choice for me, especially when the weather is rough. Yeah it’s a typical cafeteria but there are some hidden gems. My favorites are the soups and cous cous salad. The grill is great but there is always a long line. Long story short, a nice inexpensive place for a lunchtime bite.

Good cafeteria oasis southeast of George Washington University in the American Red Cross building.
This is just the breakfast review…
Had a great overstuffed custom omelet chock full of peppers, onion, shrooms, ham, spinach, spinach, tomatoes and feta cheese for the measly sum of just under six bucks. Tasty sausage and biscuit for under three.
People behind the counters were very helpful. Plenty of choices healthy and not at the cooking stations and breakfast bar.
This is just a solid little place to get tasty, reasonable frilly food for a good price.
This is definitely a four star cafeteria.

Cafeteria-​style, complete with revolving tray return. Hidden away in the Red Cross building, so it’s mostly employees. Open to everyone, though.
Nice hot breakfast bar, lots of seating, unbelievably CHEAP! Cup of grits or oatmeal, a biscuit with marmalade, fruit, and coffee for under $ 2.50. Wow! It’s Aramark, but it’s the cheapest meal around and it’ll fill you right up.

Well, it’s a canteen, so what do you expect? But, Mabel the Sandwich Lady is awesome! She’s a sweetie! Always cheerful, always stuffing as much goodness into the bursting bread. Admittedly, the burger lady is also nice but she’s not as much fun to banter with. The chicken salad is great. The dining room is a cafeteria but there are lots of tables, and TVs if you don’t have anyone to talk to. I used to eat here every day. I ate far too many of their chicken philly cheese steak sandwiches… fried onions, fried peppers, fried bread… fried…ahhhh.
The only thing is that the doors may be locked so you need to go in through the main door on E street. Then just go in to the left.

I am hesitant to tell the world about this; I have breakfast and lunch here at least 4 times a week. The homemade, morning oatmeal (or Cream of Wheat if you so choose) bar, with fixins’, at $.85 is the best deal in town — especially if you steal the apples from the biscuit bar. For lunch, the salad bar is great (with jicama and Real bacon bits); their dressing selection is tops; I always go for the sesame ginger. Love their chicken salad too — though it’s too filling. They are sauce-​conscious and even give you extra pizza sauce on the side. It’s the best deal around. And, supports a good cause.