Red Apron Butchery

I work down the street from here and when it first opened, I was a frequent customer. I hadn’t been in a while and decided to go for lunch on an extremely cold day. I have to say I’m seriously disappointed that I wasted my lunch break and braved the cold for this expensive sandwich. When you think meatloaf, you think a big hunk sitting on a nice piece of bread. Boy was I surprised when I opened my sandwich. How they even managed to cut a piece of meatloaf that small is impressive. Two stars for their ability to do that. You would think that a place that prides itself on their meats, that you would actually be able to taste it. I really want to support this place but I’m really finding it hard to ever want to go back. May have well just eaten my $ 10 bill, it’s about the same width as the meatloaf sandwich.

Terrible customer service! Went in for breakfast and was curtly told they stopped serving at 11:00 am. It was 10:59 by my watch but I can understand being out of items. When asked, the girl at the counter (Alexandra or something like that) just kept insisting they «changed their system over». Perturbed, we walked out. Requests to speak with the manager by phone were put on a lengthy hold and continual asking of why I needed to speak with them. Place looked cute but terrible service will ruin any meal fast…

Red Apron Butchery is a short walk (about 2 blocks) from the Archives Metro (green and yellow line) and it is excellent. Its a butchery that also serves delicious prepared foods and great quality packaged foods! They also have a good selection of artisan cheese to choose from! This is the place I go to when I don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen but still want to have a «home cooked» meal.
They have a very hearty selection of prepared foods that you can buy and reheat at home (great for tricking your guests or dates… into thinking you are THE MARTHA STEWART OF COOKING… just an idea, just an idea!). My favorite: the Bolognese sauce (only $ 10 for 16oz, 2 servings per sauce jar) ! The flavors and seasoning = perfecto! The seasoning is just right, I usually just reheat it without having to add seasoning to it except for some fresh basil and parmesan cheese. I like to get their pre-​made noodles with the sauce, they have a wide variety you can pick from (to name a few: Pappardelle, Casarecce, Cavatappi, Linguine, etc.), all of which are high quality. The quantity for the noodles ranges anywhere from 8 – 10 servings per package.
They sell prepackaged sardines and tuna here as well, its a little pricey, but completely worth it if you like good quality sardines and tuna (I LOVE IT). ALSO they sell donuts from DISTRICT DONUTS HERE (I hit the jackpot with this discovery). DISTRICT DONUTS = AMAZINGGGGG FOOD ON CRACK.
I haven’t bought any meats from this place yet, but will do so next time!
This is a great little place to explore in DC, I highly recommend checking it out.

bought the mini salami at a streetsense event. a pretty subpar salami in every sense. The after taste was extremely ‘oily/​waxy’, and all 3 of my kids refused to eat it. I hope the rest of their menu is better (and it seems to from the online reviews), but if I’m going to spend $ 9 on a tiny salami stick., i’d hope to expect better fare from the actual store.

This place is cool. It is a butchery counter, double up as a sandwich joint, breakfast joint, lunch joint, and the kitchen also serves the restaurant next door «The Patriot».
Went on a Saturday to get brunch, and I had a breakfast sandwich, the meat is of very good quality. The Patriot is make up of a choice of either bacon or sausage, egg, American Cheese and Maple Butter, served in two Italian Tigelle, disc shaped flatbreads, which is lovely, crispy on the outside and soft inside. My buddy had a burger and it was even better, I was actually saying that order it rare, in the states, unlike Europe, burger tends to be overcooked all the time. Well, not this place, it come out just right — medium rare. I now want to go back to eat in the restaurant Patriot next door.

Food is tasty but you don’t get much meat in the sandwich for the price. If I’m paying $ 10 or more for a pastrami sandwich please give me more than 1 slice of pastrami. Or just charge me more and give me more meat!!! please! There were more cabbage in the sandwich than meat!
I like that they have chicken and beef broth. Something you don’t see anywhere else.

Service was pretty good and the café was cozy and cute. I had a hard time ordering but maybe that’s just because I’m picky. I decided to go with the Patriot which was DELISH… I just wish it were larger. I would definitely return.

I found myself looking at the recent Thrillist article called 50 THINGS YOU NEED TO EAT IN DC BEFORE YOU DIE and noticed that Red Apron Butchery was on the list for their breakfast sandwich called the Patriot.
Well, I decided to give it a try and was glad a did. It is not particularly large so this is not something you order if you are starving. I was looking for something small but yummy and this fit the bill perfectly. The Patriot is egg & cheese with either bacon or sausage on a pancake like bun with a slight maple flavor. It tasted fresh and yummy and did a great job of hitting the spot.
I have also tries the lemon poppy seed bread which also gets a thumbs up. It was dense and moist and flavorful.
I have not tried the lunch items but certainly have enjoyed the breakfast goodies. The also sell meat, dairy (milk & cheeses), and some other fresh kitchen items. The folks I have interacted with have all been nice and helpful.

How to make bad food with good ingredients? I didn’t know before I tried Red Apron’s food to-​go.
Here is the answer: make sure that you over-​salt your arugula salad, put too much dressing, hide it behind grated cheese.
Then, do the same with the beef & cheddar burger: too much sauce so that no one can actually taste the beef and other ingredients. Also: make sure that the food is served barely warm so that people eat it cold when they arrive at their place 10min away from there, even in the middle of the summer.
I don’t know how is the Partisan, but I will not go back to this place.

I was excited to try Red Apron Butchery because I had heard about it, but had never made it to any of the other locations, so when I found myself in the downtown area a couple of weekends ago, I decided to stop in.
It looks as though there are two sections to this Red Apron Butchery, on the right side, is a meat counter and where you can place/​pick-​up orders to go. On the other side, there was a sit-​down restaurant (however, upon reading some of the Unilocal reviews, that appears to be a separate restaurant). Dividing the two spaces there is a shelving unit that sells all sorts of small goods such as crackers and condiments. I ordered from the to-​go/​meat counter side and ordered the Beef & Cheddar sandwich to go.
While my sandwich was good, it was $ 9.90. I would have appreciated it more given its size if it was priced around $ 7.00. While it was tasty in the end it was a roast beef sandwich and it wasn’t all that large. Thankfully I brought the sandwich home because I was still starving after I ate it. The least they could do for that price is throw in a bag of chips or something along those lines. While tasty, the value certainly wasn’t there; especially considering for only a dollar or so more I can get a large size of my favorite sandwich from Taylor Gourmet and be full after eating half and have half leftover for another meal.

Eh, for its proximity to where my friend and I live and after finishing a nearly 10 mile walk with him, it was all about location, location, location.
I hadn’t been to Red Apron and saw some mixed reviews but wanted to try it out since it’s less than a 2 minute walk from us.
We decided to each order the chorizo burger shortly before 11 am and were told they couldn’t seat us in the dining room because brunch started at 11 am. No big deal. We were cool sitting at one of the counters and checked out the meat products in the fridge and various oils and vinegars and books. By the time we were walking out, the other 3 – 4 counters were occupied for 6 – 8 people.
We both agreed the burger was good but I wasn’t a fan of the bread, and I thought for $ 10, it was very expensive. That said, the combination of chorizo, avocado, chimichurri, pickled onions, and sour cream was interesting and leant the burger a more «wet» taste. Again, I think it was expensive considering its size and that it didn’t come with anything else. Overall, I think if you were looking for a burger, this is probably not going to hit the spot.

Red Apron makes some really good sandwiches. Everything I’ve eaten from here has tasted great. Why 4 stars instead of 5? The primary reason: the value isn’t particularly good. Prices seem on the high side. I also feel like I have two options: eating something relatively healthy but not filling, or filling but the opposite of healthy. Consequently Red Apron has never been a part of my «lunch rotation» even though it is just a couple blocks from my office.
Overall it is a solid restaurant, but can’t say it is the epitome of awesomeness.

Red Apron has made a couple of changes since my last visit:
1. There have been some changes to the lunch menu. The smoked chicken salad sandwich is no longer on the menu and a pulled chicken sandwich has taken its place. There’s also a new Rotisserie Chicken salad on the menu. I ordered the pulled chicken sandwich, which was spicy with a generous portion of flavorful chicken and citrus cabbage on toasted ciabatta bread. This sandwich is larger and more filling than the former smoked chicken salad sandwich, so this is a good menu addition.
2. The second change I noticed was the reduction in seating options. The adjoining restaurant, the Partisan, now has a full lunch service so Red Apron patrons can no longer enjoy their lunch in the Partisan seating area. Red Apron has added several stools by the door and across from the register to accommodate customers who want to dine in. In addition, there are two tables outside the restaurant that seat parties of four. Sitting outside on a nice day is your best bet if you want to dine in. The stools are pretty uncomfortable and in a less than ideal location right next to the ordering line. If the outside seats are taken, I suggest taking your food to go like I did.
With the Partisan seating option gone, Red Apron is basically a takeout spot. I’m sure I’ll pop in again whenever I want to grab lunch to go.

Great sandwiches! Red Apron offers some fantastic higher end lunch options. Each item I’ve ordered has been unique and a welcome departure from the run of the mill sandwich. The meatball sub is incredible and is paired with a salsa verde that just works! Most recently I had the hot dog, which is odd because I usually don’t care for them. This high end hot dog was full of delicious meat topped with pastrami and a beautiful bright purple slaw. Completely instagram-​worthy material. The only item I don’t recommend is their take on the Croque Madame which has American cheese. In my opinion American cheese is a complete embarrassment.
Great place to get a gourmet meat sandwich. Go forth and enjoy your lunch break!

Red Apron’s menu is exactly what you would expect from a half butcher/​half gourmet sandwich shop. The star of each sandwich is certainly the meaty protein (with the exception of the grilled cheese, the only vegetarian option). However, the execution of each sandwich lacks something in execution. The flavors are not as bold as I’d like them, the price does not really represent the portions (on the smaller side), and in general, the overall experience is not what is to be expected.
Definitely don’t get the muffaletta if you are expecting a classic New Orlean’s style muffaletta sandwich. You’ll be sorely disappointed. The porkstrami almost comes together right, except that the flavors are muted, which is a rare thing to say about a sandwich that has sauerkraut in it, and the bread is usually soggy from the get go.
Otherwise, the décor/​atmosphere/​service of Red Apron is wonderful. The restaurant itself is beautifully set up with wooden benches and a lovely display case of meats.
My coworkers enjoy coming to Red Apron for lunch but it’s definitely not my first choice for a gourmet sandwich in the area.

I met a friend here for brunch/​lunch on a Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised. The food was fabulous, they have a great beer selection, and the little market section has some great finds.
I had the ‘Dino’ burger, which was spicy italian sausage, broccoli rabe, fontina, and tomato aioli — so, so good. It was just the right size (not too big, not too small) and tasted amazing. I also ordered a side of the fries cooked in the aged beef fat, which sounds sort of awkward, but they were fabulous. I shared them with my friend, otherwise the portion might have been too large (they’re really rich).
My friend ordered the aristocrat breakfast sandwich, and seemed happy with it – her only complaint was that it sort of disintegrated while she ate it. The tigelle (english muffin type bread) just wasn’t big enough or sturdy enough for the fillings. I get that they don’t want to skimp, but I would suggest either finding a bigger bread or putting less in the sandwich. I would deduct a half star for that, but I’m rounding up :)
It wasn’t at all crowded, and we were able to sit in the tables that are used for the Partisan at night. Unlike most breakfast/​brunch options in DC, it was relatively relaxed, not mobbed, and we were able to take our time. That alone makes it worth a visit :)
They also have a little market section with a wall of various dry goods (maple syrup, preserves, nut butters) and a few refrigerator cases (one with charcuterie, another with cheeses, butter, veggies, stock, and fats). I was thrilled to find that they had duck fat (!!!) in containers for only $ 4, and larger containers of lard and leaf lard (for baking) for $ 5. The prices for these items were really good, and I will definitely be back next time I need meat related groceries!

Don’t get coffee here. Just. Don’t. I ordered a soy spiced mocha. Sounds good, right? I have NO IDEA what was in the mocha, but it was basically undrinkable (but I needed caffeine, so I drank it anyway). There was something very off about the foam — instead of being light and well… foamy, it was sort of sludgy and congealed, like it was one step away from curdled. Rather than spicy, it just tasted horribly bitter, and I got no trace of mocha at all. After three packets of sugar and a spoon to remove the weird foam, I got to something that was almost ok. Combine that with an ok but not great doughnut for over $ 9, and I am not a happy camper.
Do I know what you’re thinking — why not tell them? I was with a friend, we were chatting, I didn’t want to appear obnoxious, and I was kind of afraid the hipsters working there might take revenge on my next drink (which I shouldn’t have, because they were perfectly friendly. I know, way to stereotype, Deb.)
Anyhoo, my friend’s tigelles seemed pretty interesting. I do plan to return, but will try a breakfast sandwich or pick up some salami. No more coffee for me!

Whilst awaiting my mother for a roam around National Gallery, I wandered in here on a Monday morning after parking my car ($ 14 if you park before 9:30am at LAZ on 600 E)…super quiet and peaceful place, in the mornings at least!
Really cute find (I don’t work downtown, so had heard of it). Nice, friendly staff.
Love the interior. Exposed brick and wood. Open kitchen. Would love to come back for a happy hour as the back is awesome. This place is actually child-​friendly with a large bathroom (changing table).
Cappuccino was nice and strong, but a little bit bitter and definitely smaller than most places.
Had the Aristocrat, which is tasty if you’re craving some sweet in the morning. Lots of layers of fresh apple with ricotta and pine nuts. A bit light on the pine nuts, but overall hit the spot!
I would definitely come back to try to charcuterie and cheese. Also, decent selection of imported seasoning, oils, sauces, etc.
3.5 stars until I come back and try some other things.

It was my husband’s first day of work in the city. Since I didn’t start until the next day, I stopped by to grab lunch and checked on him. I wanted to try Protein Bar across the street but the line was through the door. Instead, I let my husband choose — «Red Apron, it is!»
The menu was simple — stable items and rotating daily special — my husband went with their Monday Meatloaf and I went with their smoked chicken salad. The first thing I noticed when our orders were brought over was how tiny the portions were. For a girl my size, I was still starving after wolfing down the whole sandwich. Although the potato buns were buttery and toasty, the smoked chicken salad in my sandwich (overloaded with mayo) was simply tasteless.
Overall — Overpriced + limited selection + their sandwiches should be described as sliders rather than burger — no wonder the line was through the door across the street and this place was half empty during lunch rush — should have Unilocaled better.

Lunch break date with a co-​worker and we headed over to try Red Apron Butchery since I had heard so much about it and had stumbled upon them at Union Market with a full tummy and regretted not trying. At the Penn Quarter location, you walk in to a deli-​style butcher set up with meats enclosed in a glass case, another case of drinks and cheeses on one side and tables on the other side. Curtain enclosed bar in the back with floor to ceiling manly sexiness. Dark wood paneling, industrial tables and chairs, dimmed lighting.
I ordered an Italian sandwich with Hot Salami, Pork Salami, Bologna, Calabrian, Capocollo, Aged Provolone, Herb Vinaigrette, Pickled Peppers, Iceberg, Onion, Italian Loaf for $ 10. I should have sprung for a freshly made sandwich but wanted to try their cold cuts and it happened to have been ready made (hopefully made that day). It looked small so I ordered some New Orleans VooDoo Chips, Blood Orange Aranciata (my absolute favorite beverage in the entire world) to make a well rounded lunch. Sandwich was A-​OK. Cold cuts tasted okay but could have benefitted from being more aged like the read deal stuff in Italy but decent props. Meat ratio was lots of meaaaat. They do not skimp on meat and there’s perhaps a dash of lettuce, because who needs that stuff anyway? Not this girl thats for sure, bring me the meat! (that’s what she said…)
Red Apron is an A-​OK choice for lunch in the Penn Quarter but expect to spend $ 15+ on lunch if you get a salad, chips or salad and drink. May have to try their freshly cooked sandwiches next time I spring for lunch and treat myself.