Capitol Grounds Cafe

I got a lox and cream cheese bagel this morning that was EXTREMELY disappointing. $ 5.69 for cream cheese on one side of the bagel, an under ripe slice of tomato and a half serving of lox. So, so disappointing. Grabed a Kombucha drink which was not priced but I figured it would be $ 2-​$ 3 and some change. Ended up paying over $ 11 dollars for the drink and «lox» bagel. Also, the quality of the bagel was far from impressive. The everything bagel had about one tenth of the amount of seeds that it should. I’ve been here a few times for breakfast because it’s convenient to my office but I won’t be returning. Way too expensive for the quality of the product.

A simple sandwich shop serving basic yet tasty fare. Lots of boar’s head meat. The one thing I really enjoy is the fresh mango. Prices are reasonable and counter staff are fast and courteous.
3.5 stars

I love this place. I go pretty often to grab a sandwich for lunch, and it’s never too crowded. The staff are really friendly and very quick. I think it’s on par as far as pricing goes for the area, but I’ll take Capitol Grounds over Potbelly’s anyday.

I come here most every Friday morning to treat myself to a glorious breakfast sandwich and fresh squeezed orange juice. There’s hardly ever a line, and on the rare occasion when there is, it moves quickly. It also helps that the staff knows my usual order, so I’m in and out in a matter of minutes.
Lunch is equally as good with all Boar’s Head meat and a wide selection of hearty sandwiches. They offer daily specials as well, which include a drink and chips, all for under $ 10. Trust me, you won’t leave hungry.

Two very important words — Boar’s Head. No mystery meat here. If you want a quick sandwich for lunch this is the place to go. Good prices for downtown DC and friendly staff.

I was staying at a friend’s place this weekend, and took my first successful DC metro ride all by myself. After getting out of the train and realizing I needed breakfast, I popped in here, right across from my office (Ruder Finn, DC) and had a bagel, some fruit, and a water. Not particularly cheap, but not expensive either, and I was able to use my credit card under $ 10. Quick service, good bagel — happy Alexandra.

This place is tasty! They have a large selection of sandwiches they can make for you, and they make even the most basic kinds taste delicious. They have decent vegetarian options for a sandwich-​based lunch place, too. I wish they didn’t use plastic containers for the orders, but at least they are recyclable.

As I run down 17^th Street to Capitol Grounds Café, I laugh in the face of the suckers in the never ending Potbelly line… mwahahaha! But I don’t dare tell them why… I don’t dare tell them that there is a tastier, cheaper, less infuriating line at a place just across the street! No no no! I want to keep this food secret all to myself! I want to continue to enjoy walking into Capitol Grounds, to see those lovely faces staring back at me waiting to take my order immediately! I want to take my time choosing the sandwich I want from the extensive menu, with no rush from hasty customers or workers! I want to rock the sandwich/​chips/​drink special for $ 7.50! I then want to park it on a bench in Farragut Square and scarf down my delicious lunch! All while those lemmings at Potbelly continue to wait in line!!! Capitol Grounds Café FTW!!!

This used to be my go-​to work spot whenever I forgot to bring lunch. Their salads are massive (I usually went with the Greek w/​Chicken or the Spa Chicken Salad) and the sandwiches were pretty good (I liked P8 and P11). My only complaint is that I always smelled like a toasted sandwich once I got back to the office ;)
Service is pretty quick and they have a variety of chips, fresh cut fruit, and Haribo gummies (my favorite) in stock. Easy, fast, tasty… all I need for a last minute workday lunch.

It’s a lunch standby for my coworkers and I. The specials are usually the best deal and agreed that the deli meat is quality. The salads are fine but nothing too special. Good for breakfast also but the coffee is not great. Love that you can request a bagel at lunch time if they still have them. Probably my favorite item overall is the panini with mozzarella, pesto and roasted red pepper — simple and delicious.

They have great sandwiches — and they are generous with the freshly cut deli meats.
Salads are also hearty — I love the Greek Chicken or the Artichoke salad.

i usually eat here 3 times a week. the vegetarian foccacia is delicious. toasted rosemary foccacia bread with sprouts, avocado, tomato, red onion, lettuce, vegetable cream cheese, and swiss. you can’t go wrong with it. it is heaven. their ingredients are always super fresh and they are really fast considering it gets packed. oh and they have a mozzarella, pesto sandwich that is also excellent. the people that work there are incredibly friendly and always remember you. i recommend it if you are around farragut north.

My mom and I went here for breakfast before a meeting with a Professor at GW and we paid $ 11 for two teas and two muffins. I guess that’s not TOO bad, but there really was nothing exceptional about the blueberry and poppy seed muffins we had.
Their green tea frappucino like drink was not good at all either.

I went in today and got a smoked ghoudah and bacon with tomatoes and paprika. The sandwich is good and they got me out of there in less than five minutes. I would have given them 3 stars again until I started looking around at their wide variety of impulse buy cookies, chips, etc. I’ve picked up some german hazlenut cookies to try and I’m looking forward to them.

Capitol Grounds is my default lunch option because the deli meat is always fresh and high quality (Boar’s Head). The staff is friendly and efficient and you can usually get in and out of there in under 5 minutes.
I’m a big fan of their paninis and wrap sandwiches (chicken salad is good, not too heavy) and their Italian sub is very good. Their specials change daily but you can usually get a great sandwich, chips and can of coke for $ 7.50.
I have less experience with their salads and breakfast items but they seem pretty popular. CG is a nice little deli; the food is twice as good as the Potbelly next door and the line is significantly shorter.

The salad and the sandwiches are the best thing on the menu and although it is a bit overpriced, the quality of food is always fresh and tasty.

This is basically my corner deli because I work on K between 16^th and 16^th, and I couldn’t be happier. It’s a little more pricey than I’d like, but in all honesty, so is EVERYTHING in this city (unless you want a subway sandwich and I think they taste like paper). Anyway. I really enjoy this place, the nice man who owns it, and the variety. I’d have to disagree that the menu isn’t diverse because there are at least 30 or so sandwiches to choose from.
I’ll be honest. I usually order the same thing every time: the grilled chicken on foccacia. But I’m happy every time. They grill the bread lightly AND the chicken, and add a little honey mustard, lettuce, tomato and avocado, which equals a lovely little lunchtime sandwich. The lettuce and tomato are always fresh, the chicken cooked nicely, and the bread is warm, soft and flavorful. Plus the honey mustard adds a nice sweetness to the saltiness of the bread and chicken.
But like I said, they have other things on the menu too. I’ve had the cobbie a few times, which is also very good (a variation on the typical club sandwich), and my former coworker swears by the veggie foccacia. You can make your own sandwich from about 10 different choices of fresh meat, order a number of different salads, enjoy warm sandwiches, cold sandwiches, paninis etc…
They also do breakfast, which can be as simple as a bagel with cream cheese (what i eat) to the breakfast sandwiches (egg, cheese, bacon, sausage, etc. on bagels, croissants, toast and english muffins). Coffee is pretty cheap and I’d give it 3+ stars out of 5. I also enjoy their beverage selection (typical fare + honest teas, juices, vitamin water, Gatorade, orangina, etc…) and their chips selection (typical fare + dirty potato chips (the brand), soy crisps, etc.).
I think the three aspects I enjoy most are: 1) I never wait any more than 10 minutes (unless it’s incredibly packed which I’ve only run into once or twice); 2) the service (friendly, upbeat, fast) which is hard to find in this town; 3) the quality of my food. Seriously, I’d probably eat here about 3 times a week if I could afford to eat out that much.
tip: look for the specials (often they’ll combine a sandwich with a drink and chips for a good deal)

«Oh NO he didn’t!» is the feeling this place generated for me. I came here a few times for lattes or coffee, and it was decent, but the place revealed its true colors when I ordered a hot chocolate.
I don’t come here too often, but I was lured in by the promise of hot chocolate on a cold day, and I thought they might have good hot chocolate since their espresso drinks were OK. I ordered my hot chocolate. I paid the three dollars. I watched in horror, and the guy poured HERSHEY’S chocolate syrup into two percent milk and heated it. «Oh no he didn’t!» I yelled in my head. I don’t even drink that stuff at home, much less at a café where I’m paying a premium! I’m never going back here.

I have yet to find a deli in Washington, DC, Maryland, or Virginia, which serves fresh deli meat, let alone Boars Head, other than Capitol Grounds. I am giving this place four stars based solely on the fact that they cut the meat AFTER you order it. The mere existence of Capitol Grounds amidst the sea of mediocrity that is the DC deli scene gives me hope in the possibility of the existence of a higher being.
As a regular 9 – 5 employee for a few years now, I frequent DC delis and sandwich shops quite often. With the exception of Eli’s Kosher Deli, Lawsons, Au Bön Pain and Corner Bakery, all the delis I have encountered in the DC area do not use fresh meat. Rather they use Subway style meat, stored frozen for weeks and thawed. It is sad when the chains are beating out the locals.
Capitol Grounds serves premium Boar’s Head brand cold cuts/​lunch meat, whichever term you prefer. Although I have to admit I would love this place just as much even if they served fresh Dietz & Watson, which would still be a class above the other DC delis.
I will readily admit that Cap. Grounds does not have the most creative sandwiches around. Although they do have decent paninis, etc. But what they lack in style they make up for with freshness and pure unadulterated quality product.