Au Bon Pain

The environment is an all white, incredibly bare layout — honing in on perhaps the «minimalist» aesthetic. That being said, it’s a quick plane to grab coffee, pastries, pre made snacks or a hot bagel. It’s not great but it isn’t bad either. Not much for seating, but perhaps this location (directly from the court house) isn’t trying to entertain long term guests.

I haven’t been to Au Bön Pain in a couple of years. Not sure if it’s the location but wow this was an awful sandwich. Like, I’d rather have eaten at Subway.
I got the «New» Chicken Avocado sandwich, comes with bacon and an aioli that I think was basil.
Anyway it was gross. The chicken itself tasted like it had been microwaved, very rubbery and flavorless. The bread was soaking in what I can only guess was chicken juice? The lettuce was wilted and equally unappetizing.
Considering this location has a Cosi across the street and a Jacks next door, you think they’d be a little more competitive but I’d much rather eat at one of those other options. This will be my first and last experience here.

So close to work, quick walk from Archives Metro, $ 1.99 iced coffees and lattes, choices of muffins, cookies or fruits and great salads, croissant treats or wheat croissants, soups… the list goes on. I’m a fan. Dining in may be a challenge, but it is offered as well as outside patio seating when the weather is nice.
P. s. ABP, you need a rewards club!

Horrible service. Not just once, but multiple times. First time it took forever to place the order, in spite of no one in line. The second time, again with no one in line, we could not even get anyone to acknowledge us. This time we left. Restaurant is poorly laid out, poorly managed, staff that could care less. Lots of other options in the area. Take your business elsewhere.

I work across the street and have been to this location numerous times. As time has progressed, I frequent this place less and less. The service isn’t the best; nor is the food. Now, I only go every other week for a latte – and that’s only if the right person is on duty. As another reviewer noted, this location desperately needs corporate attention.

I work across the street and only go there as a last resort or to get items that are at the register. The cashiers are great but literally everything else is slow and sloppy. Like other reviewers I think this store needs corporate attention

They seem to run out of pastries and desserts fairly quickly. Tried to get a choc chip cookie in between meetings today at 1:45 and they were out of almost everything in the cases.
Took forever to check out because only one person was working the register.
Line was long and people were kind of grossly coughing on some of the food.
Soup is tasty though. It’s a decent enough stop if you want quick lunch in the neighborhood. Beats the subway across the street.

Why the 2 stars today? Well, I am now convinced the registers are running on a 10 – 15 minute delay of what the actual time is. Besides checking my watch to see what time I left the Chinatown metro and just checking into WMATA’s website to see when I actually swiped out (6:56 pm), I looked on google to see how long it would take to walk over (about 7 minutes). Even though it was raining last night, I still had to stop at the traffic lights, make a decision, and reach the register.
Now how is it possible that on my receipt, it says 6:56 pm and I had to pay full price for everything? So much for the 7 — 8 pm bake sale on the weekdays. It seems like they really try to take advantage of you. Not cool, Au Bön Pain.

Disappointed that I flew in knowing the store closed at 7 only to find it closed at 6 p.m. If that is correct, your site should indicate so.

The food is just okay. The service is really bad. The nasty attitudes and inattentiveness of the staff is appalling. I waited for several monutes to get my order taken despite the fact that there were 5 employees standing around in the preparation area. After waiting so long to place the order, the employe did not get it right. A change in management could potentially turn the place around.

Really great prices for really tasty sandwiches. The service was a bit odd but I didn’t wait long. If you’re looking for a quick bite at a reasonable price, this place is it.

I’ve been here three times.
One time, they burnt my sandwich. like obviously burnt.
One time, they failed to put avocado on a chicken avocado sandwich.
One time, it took me 30 minutes to get an iced coffee.
In none of these instances did any of the staff smile or say thank you to me. They all just kind of scowl and glare at you.
I’m sorry, but this is really basic stuff when it comes to customer service and food preparation. I’m not asking for a lot.
The only reason I gave them so many chances is because there aren’t that many decent lunch options near my work. But I think in the future I’ll just starve.

I stopped here for their pastries one time, and their blueberry muffin was alright but I just think it was a bit overpriced in the end.

Great customer service and it was a REALLY busy day, I have been here a couple of times (maybe three) and each time I am quite happy with what I order and especially the people that work here.

Excellent service, decent selection of menu items & reasonable prices. Food wasn’t spectacular but definitely edible.
They serve: soups, sandwiches, coffee, baked goods, salads, etc & most everything is $ 10 & under. They have outdoor seating.

Walked in because Jack’s Famous Deli next door sucked! I got my money back and came here.
Great attitude from everyone working there and they were all flying full tilt even though the breakfast rush was just about over.
They happily took my order and a couple minutes later I had exactly what I was hoping for — a tasty breakfast bagel make just the way they asked me I wanted it.
Good food, reasonable prices, fast considering they make it while you wait.
And good coffee, too.

*DO YOURSELF A FAVOR & WALK ACROSS THE STREET TO COSI*
Came here on a Friday around 5p. When I entered I was greeted with a foul sour odor that stunk up the whole place. It was like something was rotting somewhere. The pastry selection was scarce & the floor was filthy. I bought a chocolate croissant & bottle snapple. The croissant was decent. There was a only 3 people in line & a few people arguing & yelling at the cashiers. One man was literally yelling at them (out of the waiting line) that there was no more forks & he’s been waiting 30 mins for one. Another woman was telling off another cashier because she was told that there was no coffee left. The employees here do not know how to handle a «crowd» of 5 or 6 people. I couldn’t believe how out of control some of the customers were & how the employees handled it. Crazy I tell ya!

Solid offering of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and of course, baked goodies. In a painful kind of way, I’m glad that they post the calorie count for their food items. But even knowing the double chocolaty muffin has a whopping 600 calories isn’t always enough to deter me…
This location tends to run out of the pre-​made sandwiches and wraps (I mean, at 11 on a weekend they’re out). It doesn’t take super long to have them make it fresh, but it would be something to keep in mind if you are in a grab-​and-​go kind of mood.
My favorites: the chicken mozzarella sandwich and the Thai peanut chicken wrap (which would be better in a warm wrap, but oh well). Oh, and chocolate covered macaroons — always a good choice.

Quick, easy and painless. This ABP is steps away from the DC Court and, besides a welcome change from the doldrums and boredom of jury duty, it is a quick and expedient way to ensure one has at least a few minutes outside, instead of the interminable security lines at the court house.
Few al fresco seats, so if you’re on jury duty, beat feet as soon as you’re given a break so you can be first in line and can seat outside on a nice day. The food turnover is constant, so it’s always fresh and appetizing. Lots of selections. A little too efficient, I thought I was in an assembly line, but again, when every minute counts, who cares.

Sarah saw a mentally-​frustrated woman screaming at some barred windows and no one was there — welcome to DC.
Pigeons around the scary female had the same mug-​expression as Sarah.
Sarah has never seen this in the ‘burbs of Bethesda so Sarah detoured to the next available turn and ended up in front of ABP.
Sarah didn’t want pastries for lunch but Sarah wished not to be a victim of the unbalanced lady.
Sarah reluctantly walks in.
Sarah is skeptical about the open-​aired pastries available close to the center of their layout.
At least Shilla Bakery has the treats in a plastic package.
Did Sarah mention about the lactose/​milk/​butter problem???
Sarah’s okay with Shilla’s ingredients but what about ABP’s…
Oy — welp, and away we go.
Cinnamon Scone ($ 2.19), Palmier ($ 1.99) and Raspberry Cheese Croissant ($ 2.19) make the cut.
Photos of these dangerously overwhelming treats are found here
After Sarah picks and pays for carbs, there’s a mad rush coming in.
Wow, within minutes, this bakery/​café is crazy-​bumpin’ !!
Mega-​mixture of suits and casual peeps.
Back to the scary dairy bites.
Sarah slowly feels sick after the RC Croissant but, as a trooper, continues with the Palmier.
Sarah’s getting dizzy — overdose of cow’s white liquid.
Both are too buttery-​rich for Sarah’s blood.
Must…stop…eating…
Put puffy Palmier pastry down.
After some deep Yoga breathing, Sarah took a small portion of the Cinnamon Scone.
Soft bready texture on the inside and not overly rich.
Should have started with this one.
Don’t get Sarah wrong.
Sarah is all about indulging with pastries but this is beyond what the internal system will handle.
Next time Sarah will try their café menu.
But for now, after about thirty minutes, there will be a necessary meeting in the porcelain suite.
And away they go.