California Grill

I hate to have to do this, but — men’s bathroom had no soap, no toilet paper and no paper towels, and they didn’t seem too concerned when I brought it up. I’m not looking for perfection, but, uh… if you’re serving food, people have to be washing their hands.

Great Sandwiches, Falafel and Gyros!

Great service, so nice about taking special requests. Really love the pulled BBQ chicken. S’mores cookies are tasty, a favorite place for me for breakfast. Fast service and large variety of food.

Great little deli close to my office. I go in most mornings and ask for 2 eggs over medium — usually I don’t even have to ask as one of the owners remembers my order and puts it in as I walk up to the counter. 2 eggs without any sides or toast will only cost you $ 1.50
I’ve also ordered the Western Omelette, Vegetarian Omelette, Gyro and Turkey sandwich — everything is of good quality and can be customized to your liking. What I especially like is there is avocado and hot peppers in the sandwich condiment area.
Besides what you can order over the counter, you can get mediterranean snacks like a cucumber tomato salad, hummus, stuffed grape leaves or other more typical snacks like cottage cheese and yogurt in the refrigerator.
Overall, the deli is super quick and has a lot of turnover on weekdays. Definitely a less pricey option than the other options nearby. Also, the owners are always in there working alongside staff!

Great sandwiches, wraps, soup, and some hot entrees perfect for a work-​a-​day lunch at 17^th & M, NW. Fast service, good prices, and generous sandwiches/​servings. The tuna melt is a fave and they will do any kind of grilled cheese that you can think to order on thick Texas toast. If you lunch late, like 2pm or later, they are still happy to make up a sandwich for you. You can take away or eat in… the dining area is not fancy but is always clean, and there are a few tables outside on the M Street sidewalk, excellent for people watching on nice days. The clientele is from every walk… lawyers/​lobbyists, temps/​interns, construction dudes. The guys who own and run this place are always there, working side-​by-​side with their crew, so there is always a good happy vibe in there… it weirds me out to eat in places where the help is obviously pi**ed off. I do wish they would they would put out some recycling bins… the cans and bottles all still go into the regular trash, something that has always bothered me about eating here.

California Grill, or simply «CG» as my fellow interns and I have started referring it to as, is one of our most frequently visited lunch spots for a reason. With a combination of good selection, quality food, generous portions, and value, CG is hard to beat for a quick lunch.
The establishment itself is nothing fancy — you order at the counter, they make your choice to order, you pay at the cashier, and you can bring it back to your office or sit down in the dining area. What makes CG stand out though is that the convenience is not mutually exclusive with the quality of the food. Instead, everything I’ve tried has left me satisfied or even more.
So far my favorite item is the falafel wrap. Many a Unilocaler has raved about the falafel before, and I am here to join the hoard. They fry the falafel fresh to order so the outside of the chickpea patties are extra crisp and hot while the insides are tender, fluffy, and still steaming. Paired with crisp, fresh veggies, a yogurt sauce, and a choice of wrap, it is definitely one of the best falafel sandwiches I’ve had in the DC area. Another favorite of mine is the Mediterranean Wrap — large slices of chicken, greens, tzaziki, and for me, a few slices of bacon. I have also tried their gyro sandwich. It was okay, though I’ve had better. The meat was a bit dry and tough which was a little disappointing. Like everything I’ve had here however, the portion was generous and filling. In addition to sandwiches, CG also offers a hot food bar, burgers, a variety of sides, and a cold salads and prepackaged section.
Service for the most part is good. The people working there are efficient and know what they’re doing, always a plus. Occasionally food can take a little to come out as things are made fresh to order; this is true of the hot items like falafel especially. Finally, as for value, you can leave with a happy and full stomach without causing too much of a dent in your wallet. Many wraps and sandwiches fall between $ 5-​$ 6 with combo platters just a little more. For an intern like me who is basically working for free, I can appreciate every dollar I save.
Thankfully for me and the other DC interns, California Grill is a place where I can get good food without having to spend too much. 3.5 Stars.

In actuality, this place is probably a 3 star but the price and convenience quickly bumps it up to four stars. We were visiting the city and looking for a quick and simple breakfast. We found this spot and everyone was happy. I had an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich for about $ 3. Nothing special about it but it definitely hit the spot. The people here are friendly as well.

I was so happy to discover that this place had falafel! And it was delicious, warm, crispy outside /​soft inside falafel, with tons of yummy toppings and tahini.
The man who served me was very nice and ok with the fact that I kept changing my mind about what I want to order. Also, the service was fast, and the man brought the food to my table, which surprised me because it seemed like a self-​service kind of place.
There were so many options, and I want to come back and try more of them, like beans and rice, veggie burger, grilled vegetable sandwich, or fried onion rings.

The grilled sandwich was disappointing.
The regular sandwiches are sort of bland. But maybe if you add your own sauce. Meats are relatively fresh, or at least the few times that I get it. You can add avocado so that’s good.
The salads are lacking and just look naked. (The Cobb Salad is okay though). One positive is that they don’t skimp on the chicken, not that I want that much anyways.
Sometimes they forget ingredients that are on in the descriptions in the menu. Minus points.
But hey, it’s $ 5 for a filling salad, I’m not expecting much for that price in DC so it’s not that it’s bad.
I usually add a side to my salad and it’s manageable.

I work close by and enjoy having a place that is quick with a lot of options. I have only tried their falafel and grilled chicken salad. The grilled chicken salad was a little plain and the olives were not good but the lettuce, tomatoes and carrots were fresh. The falafel was Amazing!!! The salad had a lot of the same ingredients as the chicken salad so all in all they were good choices for the price.
The lines at the ordering counter can get a little confusing because people tend to stand close to the counter to wait for their food and you are never sure if someone has ordered or if you are cutting the line. But if you just ask those around you if they have ordered you can easily navigate this system.
All in all for a quick and cheap lunch this is a good place to alternate into your dinning out repertoire.

I love Jason’s Deli and after see the good reviews for this place I was hoping to get a similar experience… didn’t quite work out that way. Where you order your food is a bit of a mob scene. Regular’s know to just step right up to the correct person and get their orders taken. Us newbie’s foolishly waited for someone to ask us. Fortunately we caught on quicker than most. The preparers were a quiet bunch. It was very hard to hear what they were asking/​saying with all the noise in the place.
My food was ok, but I’m not very picky. My wife just picked at her’s. The amount of styrofoam used in this place is obscene. We ate in as did many others… please provide a less wasteful option.
Oh Jason’s, I’ll return to you for lunch today.

Even for the price, it should have been better. I ordered dry toast, eggs overeasy, and homefires. The toast was buttered, the eggs hards, and the homefires tasteless. Worked next to this place for over a year. This was my first time in, and my last.

I LOVE California Grill. It is a quick and easy way to pick up lunch. They have tons of options and specialize in greek food. Their produce is always very fresh. I usually stick with the wraps. If you frequent enough they remember your order. The service is quick and the prices are really good.

I had the philly cheese steak. It was good. 8-​inch hot sandwich + lots of fries + diet coke for about $ 8… not a bad lunch.

Waited 15mins for an unappetizing burger, while people behind me in line were being handed their food. Also didn’t understand I wanted onions when ordering a mushroom and onion burger.

This place rocks. It’s run by what looks like 6 cloned Middle Eastern brothers and they make their soups, salads, and sandwiches fresh everyday. If you can find a better lunch for under $ 6 in this neighborhood please email me at
.

I got a chicken salad sandwich and it was pretty good (not too dry), and filling for the price (5 bucks). You can get avocado slices on sandwiches here, which is a nice touch, but unfortunately no sprouts, cucumbers, anything like that.
My friend got a California chicken and cheese sandwich and gives it a 7/​10, and «maybe an 8÷10» considering the value.
I can pretty easily imagine spending more for lunch and getting less. This place doesn’t set the world on fire, but it doesn’t rob it blind either.

Great prices, walking-​distance from work, delicious food, and super cute guy working behind the counter near the hot foods. Is it any surprise that this is my new favorite place for lunch?
Reuben Sandwich — Corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Now, normally I’m pretty skeptical about sandwiches that don’t come loaded with veggies (Sauerkraut does not qualify as vegetables in my book), but I’ve been hearing a lot of good stuff about Reubens lately so I just had to try one. It was greasy and messy, but amazingly delicious. The tang of the sauerkrat and dressing provided a great contrast with the salty greasiness of the beef, and the buttery, toasted bread was the perfect finish to a great sandwich. My only complaint is that after eating the Reuben, I felt like I’d been doused from head to toe with oil. Lay off the Crisco, guys.
Mushroom & Onion Burger — Sauteed onions/​mushrooms, swiss cheese, mayo, and a smidge of lettuce/​tomato. I know what you’re thinking: mayo on a burger? With onions and mushrooms??? Gross! That’s what I thought too, but luckily I decided to keep an open mind about the whole thing and took the plunge. My first bite banished any qualms I had about mixing burgers with mayo. No joke, the mayo really added character to the burger, which by itself would have been good anyway — the patty was thick, well-​seasoned, well-​cooked, and oh-​so-​juicy, while the soft, slippery mushrooms and slighty caramelized onions melted in my mouth. The lettuce and tomatoes barely made an appearance, but for once they were not missed. To take a page out of Rachel Ray’s book, the burger was totally yummilicious! But again… just a tad too greasy — a few parts of my bun were completely soaked through. Kinda gross, but also kinda awesome.
Cute Man Working Behind Counter — There are at least two. I’m talking about the one that’s near the hot food section, making sure everyone gets their order right. Super duper cute with his stubble and long lashes and cheeky grin. And lazy, flirty voice. And cute laugh. And nice arms. [Swoon] Alas, he’s married. Sorry, ladies! But hey, that doesn’t mean a girl can’t look ;)

This is one of those places that you eat at, not because it’s good, but because it’s convenient. Almost everything on the menu is between $ 5 and $ 6 for lunch (a la carte). Very reasonably priced, however the grill food is pretty gross. I currently have the Meat Lasagna in front of me, and they use Ketchup for sauce. I am not joking. I thought I must be mistaken too, so I scraped some off and tried it with no noodles or meat. Yep, it’s ketchup. Zesty. The stuff at the grill always LOOKS really good. That’s how they get you! Haha, ok I’m exaggerating, but I have bitten into hard objects in the meatballs. I’ve had many dishes here, from burgers to the turkey cheddar melt, to the gyro. I suppose you could say the food is edible, but while chewing you’ll be evaluating where you are in life that has brought you to this place.
The cold food on the other hand is what you’d expect. BLT is pretty good, but as Jack F said, a BLT is hard to mess up. If you stay away from the grill you might have a better experience than I’ve had. In fact, I think that’s where I’ll be staying from now on.
A generous 2 stars from me.

A BLT is still a BLT no matter how you slice it or stack it.
If you’re like me, anything beyond a one-​block radius is too far of a lunchtime destination during office hours. From the 1600 Block of M St. NW, my options are limited to Jack’s Fresh, California Grill, Muddruckers, City Place Café, or the cash-​only place across from City Place Café. For the best hot food and salad bar in this immediate vicinity, I recommend going to Jack’s Fresh (see
). For sandwiches, however, I recommend California Grill.
California Grill is a local grill/​catering chain that offers American, European, Asian, and Mexican cuisines; specifically, soups, salads, quesadillas, tostadas, wraps, burgers, and sandwiches. Prices range from $ 4.99 to $ 5.99 for salads and $ 4.99 to 5.49 for burgers and sandwiches. $ 7.59 if you want a 12″ sub. In addition to this menu, California Grill offers a daily special from its hot plate selection. These specials are often less than $ 7 and may vary from pot roast to chicken enchiladas.
As I’ve said before, a BLT is still a BLT no matter how you slice it or stack it. In other words, a sandwich at one place is often no different than a sandwich at another place. For instance, any sandwich with «California» in its label will probably have avocado and sprouts. Also, most delis and grills get the same ingredients from the same vendor or use very similar grades of meat and produce. In the end, it’s hard to differentiate one sandwich from another. The lunchtime rush basically comes down to three things: speed (efficiency), price (cost), and portion (quantity). Prices are comparable to City Place Café but the portions seem larger at California Grill so I feel that it’s the better bargain (see
). There also seems to be a larger kitchen line staff at California Grill as compared to City Place Café (4 or 5), Jack’s Fresh (3 or 4), or Muddruckers (1 or 2). California Grill also stands out amongst its neighboring competitors because of its larger selection of sandwiches (the one-​stop shop concept) as compared to Jack’s Fresh or Muddruckers. Lastly, no credit card minimum.
4 Stars — White collar workers need lunch too. Unless you’re either pandering to clients or schmoozing with the boss, lunch means a quick and filling meal that won’t leave you comatose in the afternoon. Although the most cost-​efficient lunch would be a brown bag from home, this first assumes that you had time to make lunch at all. So the next best thing is a near-​by deli or grill. I would rank these restaurants as: (1) California Grill [****], (2) City Place Café [***], (3) Jack’s Fresh [*** Grill Only], and, (4) Muddruckers [**].