Devon & Blakely

I’ve eaten here half a dozen times because it’s near my office. The variety is nice, but it’s just not good value for the money. I’m always just a little disappointed with the quality of the sandwich or soup. Today I got the shrimp and chicken gumbo and my $ 6 cup of soup had exactly 1 tiny shrimp and 1 half of one piece of sausage — no exaggeration. I won’t be back — it’s just not worth it.

Came to Devon and Blakely to meet with a friend during her lunch break. It is directly across the street from her office so it was super convenient! I can totally see why she recommended this place (and why it was so busy during lunch time!).
I wasn’t too hungry so I just had the split pea soup. It was very, very good and reminded me of the way my mom makes the same soup. My friend made her own salad. It looked great and I would definitely get that next time!
This place is an awesome place to grab a quick lunch and has so many options. I’m really jealous that my friend is able to come here all the time!

I am partial to D&B’s soups — the variety is terrific — but the overall experience of internal chaos, coupled with a consistently *terrible* checkout experience, mean that I don’t go very often. Every visit, the cashiers always look bored, never look at you, gossip and complain right in front of guests, and overall act as though the job is an inconvenience to whatever else it is that they’d clearly rather be doing. That a seemingly nice place offering quality ingredients offers such a sorry customer experience is baffling.

Much like many of the other Devon & Blakelys in the city, this shop is the perfect place to stop for a workday lunch of soup, salad, or a sandwich. The soup selection is greater than any other lunchtime shop I know and tends to feature both vegetarian and meat options. Many of them are cream based, and the servers will happily allow customers to sample a soup if uncertain about whether she’ll enjoy it. Buying a soup also includes a slice of hearty bread, a perk that should not be overlooked.
The salad bar included both premade salad combinations that are available in small, medium, or large containers, (such as curry cauliflower and raisins, caprese, or chickpea), as well as a custom salad option, in which customers select a base (kale, spring mix, or romain.) Customers can then select additional items to add to their salsa, which the servers mix in large metal bowls.
The chain is probably best know for their wide selection of sandwiches, flatbreads, and panini. In addition to the variety made earlier that day, they’ll happily make any of those sandwiches on a different bread or with substations. Besides which they also do regular custom sandwiches.
In addition, the chain offers small bags of chips, popcorn, and various sweets (many of which are British in origin, including a number of British chocolate bars, like the infamous aero bar.)
The lines for this chain may be long at lunch, but they move quickly and are unlikely to yield disappointment.

If you want to get yelled at by Marcella (I believe that’s her name) at 7:30 am, this is the place! What happened: While walking to work from Farragut West (after a 2 hour metro ride this morning due to a water leak and the McPherson station being closed) I wanted to warm up with coffee, so when I saw Devon & Blakely, I had to stop. Two of us walked in at a time when there was just one customer drinking coffee/​reading the paper. The barista quickly took my coffee order, and I waited… While my coffee was being prepared I was standing near the counter digging through my purse to prepare to pay, Marcela barked twice, in an extremely loud and rude manner «FOR HERE OR TO GO?» as I looked up in surprise thinking, was she YELLING at me? Yep, it was me… There is a more humane way to get someone’s attention. How about, «Uh, excuse me??? ummm… miss? ma’am, for here or to go?» Well, after dealing with Marcella’s harshness, glaring stare, lack of patience, and instead of leaving, I paid the bill. I quickly left after getting my coffee (which was amazingly good, so I couldn’t give just 1 star).
**Not sure if I want that treatment again, I might be willing to walk the extra city blocks to find a kinder, more gentler coffee house… but with very limited choices in DC– it really depends on the weather…

Huge selection of sandwiches and soups. Very good!

Every time I come here I’m pleased. Every single time. Minus government shutdown days… they don’t make as many soups during those days.

I love custom salads so this is my favorite lunch spot! The prepared sandwiches and sides are also delicious and the service is super efficient, despite long lines at peak lunch hour (avoid 12:00/12:30 if you can).
When crowded, people often stand right in the salad line or in front of the sandwich windows even though they already ordered. Never assume, always ask!
Food 5, Service 4, Ambiance 3

I love devon & blakely but today the service was horrible. I was in the soup line and got ignored 3 times by the people at the counter. I love the food there but I don’t think i’m going to be going back anytime soon.

I am a sandwich LOVER. I can eat sandwiches for every meal of the day, including snacks. If you share my passion for delicious sandwiches, then you will love Devon & Blakely.
All the sandwiches are pre-​made and arranged behind a glass case so any unintentional drooling won’t leave you with having to buy 20 sandwiches. You can have any of the sandwiches pressed if you prefer them warm. I went two days in a row. I ordered the prosciutto and arugula yesterday and the prosciutto and manchego today, pressed. The manchego always has the fig jam, but they added it to the arugula one, as well. The result– warm, crispy bread, gooey cheese, perfectly salty prosciutto, accented by greens and fig jam. So freaking delish!
I also had the Devon salad, which is strawberries, walnuts, blue cheese, and a little arugula. It was mostly walnuts, which was great, because walnuts are my favorite.
I topped my meal off with a Mississippi brownie. I couldn’t resist and it delivered. Deep rich chocolate, with pools of chocolate syrup. I recommend sharing that one. It’s intense.
They also have a lot of interesting soups soups and pick your own salads, which my co-​workers really like.
Finally, the men who make the sandwiches looks as good as the sandwiches. Bonus!

Expensive but delicious salads and soooo many topping choices! Their baked goods looked amazing… can’t believe I held back. Iced latte was tasty too. Once a month lunch splurge possibly?

Huge selection, great food, a lot of combination options! Where else can you have Brussels sprout salad and spinach and feta chowder delivered to you, in a reasonable amount of time, with a massive sandwich, banana, brownie, and iced cappuccino?! And they deliver breakfast too!
Food is great, seldom is the order messed up, I love this place!

Went here for lunch today. Just discovered the place and ate here a total of 3 times this wk. Had a chicken gyro. Super tasty with a strong onion aftertaste. Besides that it was great. Will be going back.

The only reason I come to this overpriced place is location. It’s in my building so I don’t have to go outside when the weather is ugly. Service is quick so it’s a good spot to grab a quick bite. The sandwiches are good but it’s so expensive for what it is. They don’t even make it fresh to order. Try the Blackened Chicken Gyro. But seriously be prepared to pay $ 9 – 12 for a small sandwich…

Still a three star place because of the high prices! However the soups are delish, especially their corn bisque, and chicken enchilada. Also definitely ask for a slice of their homemade cornbread — the best I ever had! They also give you free bread with your soup, but you have to ask when you are checking out, they offer both white or wheat bread with butter.

I end up going to this place often because they are right by my office (I can fall over and I’m halfway there) and because it’s yummy. While there is always a line out the door for their salads, I tend to go for the sandwiches. You have a choice of panninis (always hot and fresh) wraps, clubs etc. I had a prosciutto, monchego cheese and arugula panini (picture uploaded). Yum! They have desserts to go as well, but I’m not sure how I feel about them. It’s hit or miss depending on what you get. I’m always happy with my sandwich! The chicken gyro is also delicious! I grab a bottle of tea to go and I’m a happy camper. I do not recommend (at this point) the side salads. They did not seem as fresh and when I tried it, did not taste all that great. Get a sandwich! Back to work!

A coworker and I saw at least 10 people with brown and green bags walking down K Street and decided to investigate. We stumbled upon Devon & Blakely and at first look it was like entering lunch heaven. Too many delicious looking options! The highlight of the meal was my soup, and after visiting multiple times, the soup continues to please. The lowlight of my meal was the $ 17 price tag and then the disappointingly bland wrap. It didn’t quite live up to expectations but would go again for the soup or a bagel.

Very friendly with fast service!

[3.5 stars]
I came here for the first time today with coworkers. I had my mind set on lobster bisque, although I was leery of trying lobster bisque at a place I’d never been to. Well…
1– This place was totally worth the one block walk in 11 degree weather that felt like 7!
2– Hot yummy filling soup further solidifies number 1.
3– The bisque was perfectly seasoned, and for $ 5.50 for 12 ounces it was more than filling. It also came with really tasty bread.
Why not the full 4 stars? Because this place is a complete cluster****! There’s a salads line, a soup line, a sandwich line, a bakery line, a pay line, and even a I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, or even what store I’m currently located in line. Seriously, there aren’t any clear indications of where to go or who is in what line, and it’s SO incredibly packed you end up just standing in the I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, or even what store I’m currently located in line if you’re a first-​timer like me. Shoot, even some seasoned people looked completely lost! A little more signage would be very helpful.

I was in town over one weekend with a friend and we stumbled into this one in passing. The wide array of sandwiches and soups resemble Whole Foods’ food selection.
I don’t remember which sandwich I bought but I do remember the sweet and sticky spread that left a lasting impression. My friend’s panini was also very wholesome and great.
They also have great smooth house coffee! (But my impression of DC is that these locals know good coffee… I even had good coffee at a hot dog vendor at the Lincoln memorial… Half of the San Diego businesses somehow burn their coffee)
I wish Devon & Blakely would branch out to San Diego… It has the deliciousness and fresh quality of Whole Foods while maintaining a fair price and a café atmosphere.