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Category: Sandwiches [Edit]
1751 Pennsylvania Ave NWFarragut West (Blue, Orange)
Farragut North (Red)
Mon-Fri. 7:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
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If you are in the area, it is one of the best lunch options available. I have been here well over a dozen times and very rarely does it disappoint. They have a large array of lunch options. The highlights by far the sandwiches. The menu changes daily, but the sandwiches are always delicious. One may say this place is over priced for a lunch spot, but you are looking to spend an equal amount if not more when dining in the Foggy Bottom area. And for the price, its hard to improve upon Bread Line. I would much rather pay an extra two dollars and have one of their sandwiches than have a potbelly's sandwich.
Recommended sandwiches-
Italian Sausage (My favorite)
Softshell crab
Prosciutto
Most times I have come away from Breadline feeling like I overpaid for the food. For this reason, I don't frequent Breadline that often. However, the grilled cheese and tomato on brioche is excellent and it is big enough to share, which is good, given that it costs almost ten dollars for it.
I've tried many of the other items over the years including the pizzas, quesadillas, falafels, ham and cheese/chicken and goat cheese/prosciutto and fig sandwiches. The food is kind of hit or miss, some delicious and some bland, but again overpriced. That being said, one thing you will find that is great value for the buck is the bread itself. They have giant loaves of olive and wheat bread, baguettes, beautiful huge brioche loaves that could make a mountain of french toast or sandwiches. For $4-6 dollars, these items are definitely worth the price. They will also slice the loaves for you if you ask.
What a letdown! Just came back from my first trip to The Bread Line and while I had heard good things, I came away disappointed. Many of the sandwhiches are served cold, they do not come with any sides, and they are expensive (my sandwhich and drink came to $11).
I had the chicken guac and while the guac was good, the overall sandwhich really had no taste. My friend had the grilled veggie sandwhich, which was served cold as well, and didn't look all that appealing.
I don't get the fuss over this place. Even the bread was average!
My first visit there, today. I went just a little before noon and it was not too crowded but by the time I left, about 12:30, the line was out the door. I had seafood chowder, it was only ok. Had some chunks of fish in it but not sure if there was any other seafood, very little in the way of vegetables or anything like that. It was not a creamy chowder, like New England Clam Chowder, one of the reasons I ordered it. I would have given it 2 stars except that the soup came with a really good role (wait I'm losing my mind between roll and role, can't remember). It's just not that good to convince me to come back.
Price for the soup and a drink, about $8.50.
Sandwiches are good here and it's convenient to work. I'm a big fan of goat cheese and they have a bunch of sandwiches with goat cheese. Also, they are working with quality ingredients.
However, sometimes I find that the food isn't as great as I think it should be for the cost (not exorbitant, but close to $10).
I'll go here on occasion and will generally be satisfied. Plus they have pretty good french fries (big plus).
I'd say, if you haven't been yet, like sandwiches, and want to spice up your turkey or ham 'n cheese rut, give this place a try.
Let me start by saying that I love food. I only get three meals a day and I cherish them. The Bread Line wasted 1/3 of them for me today. From front to back, this was hands-down the worst lunch experience I've had in DC over the last 2 years of working down here. The lines are chaos and confusion with Kamakaze customers playing "chicken" with you as you try to walk through the door. The menu was limited to a handful of pre-fab sandwiches. But the biggest problem was the bread. Can't believe a place that calls itself the "Bread Line" had such bad bread. It was like a rock. There was no way I could bite into it without shredding the roof of my mouth. I picked at the lame, flavorless contents (chicken, goat cheese, greens, and tomato jam) and left mad and starving!
To be fair....my coworker, after being handed the wrong sandwich 3 times before finally giving up, was ultimately rewarded with a free sandwich being brought to our table. He devoured it and said it was fantastic. I believe it was a cheese steak...
A more relevant name for a sandwich shop / bakery was never conceived. The Bread Line serves up sandwiches on bread baked fresh daily on premises, and during the lunch hour the line is out the door. However, the line moves very quickly, though it looks daunting: usually, you wait in line, order, and pay within 7 minutes on even the busiest day.
This is one of my favorite places to grab a relatively quick lunch that is not (1) microwaved, (2) from Trader Joe's, or (3) from the Marvin Center (i.e. the GW student commons). They serve up delicious sandwiches, piadines, salads, and soup.
If you're a fan of egg salad, look no further. This place has the BEST egg salad sandwich I've ever had. Huge chunks of egg in a light, creamy sauce, seasoned perhaps with a bit of garlic, salt, and pepper. The best part of this particular sandwich, however, is the lettuce. I don't know what kind they use, but it has a slightly bitter, herbal quality that complements the creamy richness of the egg salad. The bread--two slices of thick white or olive--is delicious, though the crust can be a bit too chewy.
The sole reason the Bread Line gets four stars in my book is the bread. Their bread is fantastic, but oftentimes it is inconsistent or the crusts are too hard. Don't get me wrong--I'm a huge fan of crusty crusts--but sometimes their baguettes are a bit... too crusty. They go over the line from crusty to downright hard. This is a problem for items like their French Madrange ham sandwich. (I had this sandwich one time and it was delicious, but it felt like I had chewed through glass after I was done.)
Safer bets are their "softer" sandwiches, especially their daily specials. On Fridays, for instance, they had fried cod sandwiches which are superb, along with BBQ pork sandwiches that are tangy, messy, and satisfying. You can choose to forego their sandwiches completely and get a piadine instead. Piadines are like flatbread or pita, which the Bread Line uses to wrap up fillings like lamb and tabouleh on Wednesdays. Their falafel sandwiches are good too, but don't expect pita: their flatbread is sort of like a cross between pita, tortilla, and crepe, but it's delicious, soft, chewy, and grilled.
Be sure to split an order of fries--one plate is enough for two or three people. They're not crispy per se, but they're not soggy either. They're sort of like... home-style fries, the kind your mom would make (if she made fries). But they're good, and especially good, I've found, dipped in some malt vinegar.
There's indoor seating but it can be somewhat stuffy and crowded. There is outdoor seating but that space comes at a premium, as every DC office dweller wants a piece of this beautiful spring weather. Who could blame them, especially if they're enjoying a great Bread Line sandwich to go with the sun?
PRICES:
Pizzas: $6-$7
Sandwiches/piadines: $8-$10
Fries: $2.30
Complete meal (sandwich, fries, and drink): around $13-$15
In my opinion, Bread Line's one of the best lunch options in the city. I had to knock off one star, however, for consistency. There may have been one or two times where I thought the quality didn't match the price (I'm looking at you, soft shell crab sandwich!), but overall, I've always walked away happy.
My personal favorites are the following:
- French madrange ham sandwich
- BBQ Pork sandwich
- Prosciutto and Fig sandwich
- The chocolate mascarpone "sandwiches"...I could eat one every day for the rest of my life, although they're so decadent, I'm sure there wouldn't be many days to savor if I actually followed through with that plan.
The catering is also really great. I always try to save my coworkers from yet another mediocre Corner Bakery catered lunch when I'm running a lunchtime meeting! The best part is that their catering prices are comparable (cheaper in most cases) to every other game in town. I've used them several times now, and they've always delivered on time.
This review is the story of my day of law clerk interviews, specifically of the gleaming fingers that marked my first foray into the throngs of stressed DC professionals.
Those gleaming fingers resulted from the buttery rivulets that coursed from dense, thick slices of white grain bread cradling layer upon layer of pungent Italian cheeses. While on an interview-hopping journey, I spotted the Bread Line sign across Pennsylvania Avenue, and decided that a bite of something might quell the butterflies in my stomach (and keep it from growling during my second interview). The cursed glare of a February winter sky bereft of clouds cloaked the sidewalk filled with anxious patrons, and I marched slowly with them toward the gleaming doors. Once inside, my desire for comfort food became overwhelming, and I hastily ordered a Toast-Tite and a chocolate cupcake that seemed ready to bloom from its cellophane wrapper. The servers were very efficient, but waiting for my sandwich to be prepared was agonizing.
Soon I was running through the streets to my second interview, torn strings of cheese creating streamers in the wind. I knew that my toasted sandwich was transcendent, and had I paused to reflect upon it more, I would never have reached my destination. Panting as I arrived at the security desk of the designated building, I reached for a pen and glimpsed my face mirrored on my fingers, a modern portrait distorted by bits of brown crumbs. I frantically wiped my hands on the brown bag that still carried my cupcake, and shoved the whole mess into my coat pocket. Reeking of piquant provolone, I boldly shook hands with my prospective employer, the crunch of my last toasted bite still lingering in my head.
Weary from the day, I took an illicit bite of the glorious, frosting-filled cupcake on the train that afternoon. I swooned as the dense crumb, almost like a muffin, and thick, fudgy buttercream danced across my tongue, but decided to wait until just the right moment to attain total bliss. Suddenly, my cell phone rang, trilling with the promise of a lucrative offer. In a flash, I inhaled the rest of that cupcake. Highly recommended.
One of the perks of my job is that I get every other Friday off, so I'm free to wander touristy sites without the evil weekend crowds. I wanted to hit up the American History Museum before the summer tourists arrive and needed something that was within walking distance for lunch. This place was just on the other side of the White House, which means I'd get the added enjoyment of checking out the protesters of the day when I walked by (there were some pretty elaborate demonstrations that day, lucky me!).
So anyway, I showed up here a little after 11 and the place is empty. I decided I hadn't had a grilled cheese in a few days so I'd give their version (the toast-tite) a try. It was pretty good but you better like blue cheese since the main (only?) taste you really get out of the sandwich is the gorgonzola. I think I would've liked it better if it had some bacon or tomatoes or something in it, to help cut down on the overwhelming gorgonzola. The employees working there were really nice but they had some issues getting my pretty simple order together correctly, so I'd be afraid at how slow the line moves here when it's busy.
I'm not really put off by the prices. I paid $13 for my sandwich, some fries, and a Sprite and it was more than enough food for two people. I saved the rest for later and ended up with two meals that were roughly the price of Subway or Quiznos, but way better tasting. Three stars for this visit but I think if I ordered a different sandwich next time it could get upgraded to 4 pretty easily.
This review is specifically in response to my experience eating a Piadine. Breadline, can you please package up these grilled flatbreads and sell them to me?? Please??! The bread is sooooooooooo good - love the chewy texture! I had a mozzarella and tomato piadine but honestly, I really could have just eaten the flatbread all by itself! I'm definitely going to grab another at some point and then perhaps I'll have an updated review but for now.....I'll be dreaming until my next lunch there
HOHOOHOHOHHHOOOHO!
A place that makes blowhard lawyers and financiers wait in line in their bland grey woolens for small, extraordinarily overpriced portions of post-gourmet mediocrity!
AHAHHAHH... HOHOHOHOHO!!!
And it's called Bread Line!!!!
ahahahahhaha hOHOHOHOH!!!
And we're in the middle of an historic economic crisis!!!
AhahhahahHAHAHA!
Oh... Wooo... Got to keep it together... This is just too funny... The crass obliviousness... The "let them eat cake"-ness of this... God... Deep breath...
We were in the same building, and then my office moved. I really don't miss being next door to the President, I miss being next door to Breadline! Some things I miss:
Montecristo (on Mondays) w.brioche bread
Black bean and guacamole quesadilla (on Wednesdays)
FRENCH FRIES (double-fried, eat w/ vinegar!)
Pork BBQ sandwich with coleslaw (on Fridays)
Cuban sandwich
French madrange ham baguette w/sweet butter
Honorable mention to their display of sweets:
Fig bars
Brownies
Double Chocolate Cookies 'glued' togeter with mascarpone cream
Their regular every-day menu and "daily specials" can be found here:
http://thebreadlinedc..../ (I've kept it as a home page for so long! haha)
There is a process to the madness so you don't feel like an outsider. To get a cold sandwich, you can line up by the glass display on the very right. To get a HOT sandwich or soup, the line is towards the middle. To get a salad only, you get in line at the very left. Be prepared to know what you want to order as the person expediting the service will yell "NEXT!!!" at you before you can blink. And don't get all smart ass on the staff like "I'd like my turkey sandwich with a special dressing and please hold the garlic from my guacamole". They have no patience for such orders and neither do the customers behind you. LOL
When I have friends in town who are being tourists for the day, I schedule their itinerary so around lunchtime they are seeing the White House and can grab some food at Breadline. It is not uncommon to see all kinds of DC VIPs there. DC mayor is a fan! I know for a fact because I've seen him.
Menu items I stay away from: Spicy Chicken sandwich is way too spicy for me. Reuben tends to be greasy. Lexington Burrito is huge, but only eeh.
the only reason this place gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that it is damn expensive for a sandwich (but then again i'm pretty damn cheap). but their food is AWESOME. the sandwiches are delicious, if only they were a couple bucks cheaper i would be here everyday. and i love the rotating menu...
I'm in a unique situation compared to the other yelpers here. I can see how breadline would be annoying if you're trying to get a quick lunch break from work, eating at peak hours, making it crowded, loud, and difficult to decide. But me? I'm a lazy law student who rolls out of bed at 930. Lunch for me feels right at about 2, so breadline isn't at all crowded. Today in fact, I bantered with one of the employees so I was able to customize my own take on the lamb piadine (which was fantastic) and enjoyed a very pleasant trip, as are most of my mid-afternoon excursions to this spot.
Everything is pretty fresh (especially bread obviously), great variety of choices, love the soups. Only thing keeping it from 5 star is pricing, which can be a little steep (my meal today was $9), but honestly? It's probably worth it compared to the rest of the area (screw ABP), just can't eat here all the time is all. So if you have no time commitments or responsibility, you'll probably see me there around two one weekday. I'll be the only one with sneakers on-
I don't recall what I ordered there, but it wasn't anything memorable. I remember the meal didn't have too much flavor either. I wanted to like the place more based on the fact that I think the place's name is a good one.
Two words: Cubano sandwich (only served on Thursdays). When I moved away from D.C. for two years, this was the one thing I had to have right away, on my return. One complaint: They are not open on weekends and close before 4:00 p.m during the week. Frustrating - as I now live and work on Capitol Hill.
Bread Line is a solid choice for lunch. It's a little on the pricey side for the sandwich they make, but the sandwiches are well made and tasty. As long as you avoid the lunch rush, you won't be annoyed by lines, but you might still have to search for a table to eat at. It's actually quite an interesting restaurant because it's anything but your normal bread/sandwich shop. It's got a heavy Middle Eastern/Mediterranean slant to the menu. They offer falafel, different types of Mediterranean salads, and some interesting soups as well.
If you're in the mood for "bread" go here, but make sure to avoid the lunchtime rush and avoid the "line".
Overrated? Yes
Overrpriced? Definitely
Am I regular? Yes, and my office isn't that close.
They do some things poorly, but when they succeed it is a home run. Yes you are paying $9 for a sandwich they made 3 hours ago, and $2-3 for a soda, but damn some of the flavors they come up with are incredible. The rotating schedule makes it all work, because no way they could have that full menu every day. The spicy peanut soup is fantastic. My favorite sandwich is the incomparable spicy chicken -- chicken, carmelized onions, and fried plantains. Unreal.
Yes, there is a long line, but even when it is to the door I have never had to wait longer than 6 minutes to order a sandwich, have it made, and checkout. The most amazing thing in the lamb piadine served on Wednesdays (ground lamb with taboulleh salad and greens) and their brownies. I think they should devote an entire storefront to those brownies, they are the perfect density, size, and texture. Its on the pricey side but after you dig in you'll agree that its great quality food and you would have paid the same at the dumpy random sandwich places around the corner. I always go for the flavored water rather than their overpriced juices, usually its cucumber-mint and 50 cents w/ free refills.
I went here for lunch today because last time I went it was bad, and I wanted to give The Bread Line a chance to redeem themselves. Unfortunately for Bread Line, it sucked, and I'm never going back!
I got the spicy chicken sandwich with fried plantanes and carmelized onions. It had potential to be amazing. Somehow, with all of these different ingredients, it was bland. I tried dumping salt on it, but it still tasted like something was missing. The bread was so crunchy that my jaw was sore by the end of the meal- the same thing that happened last time I was here.
The saving grace of the meal was the tomato soup. I thought it would be boring, but it was great. Nice and thick with a hint of heat, and served with a suprisingly soft roll.
However, overall, this place is a huge ripoff. I paid $14 for a small sandwich and soup, and I was still hungry, and I'm not a big guy. Also, they charge $.50 for water with lemon and lime, and there is a huge sign on the dispenser that says "NO REFILLS." Really? They couldn't afford to give away water with a few pieces of fruit after charging $14 for a sandwich and cup of soup?
This place is only a block from Heidi's and Brown Bag, which are both amazing and less expensive. Skip the line at this place, save some money, and have a better meal somewhere else.
I work in the neighborhood and end up at Bread Line every few weeks with coworkers. It's totally adequate, though the ordering process can be overwhelming if you're mild-mannered and soft-spoken. I like their salads. I don't like their recent health-code shutdown.
Bread Line is where I go when I have f-ed up during the work day and I need something to make my boss like me again. Bread Line is perfect solution as Bossman is obsessed with the turkey, which is roasted fresh every day on-site.
Bread Line seriously lives up to its name from about 12 - 1:30 during the week. There is a huge line and it has the best bread - hard rolls and baguettes especially - outside of Paris.
Menu changes daily - they have a blogspot website, which is a little odd but w/e. Most other yelpers seem to like M/W/F selections, but I am a Tues/Thus kinda girl. My standard is the persian chicken salad which is unique in DC, I think. Curry chicken salad is also a good bet (MWF). Tuesday is the ultimate day with spicy peanut soup, which sounds a little strange, but is AMAZING.
Don't get freaked out by the line or all the yelling that is going on - you're two blocks from the White House, so even the lunches are adversarial. Just choose what you want and shout it out to the white guy in the hat - he never gets it wrong. There are different lines for salads and sandwiches/soup.
Also, this place has plenty of man candy around - maybe WH staffers? Apparently Kissinger was right when he said power is the greatest aphrodisiac.
Because of where I work, I can't normally get into DC for lunch. After waiting all year, I finally waited one more week so I could go on a Thursday for the soft shell crab sandwich...which turned out to be $15. Now, I was also eager to try the egg salad sandwich, and I was fully intending to get both before I found out that the soft shell crab was $15. The egg salad was $7.55. I debated. One side of me said, 'Go ahead! $23 for two sandwiches isn't all that bad. Live a little!' The other side of me said, 'Are you totally insane? There is no way in hell you can spend that much money on two little sandwiches.'
I am a practical person, so I ended up just getting the egg salad, which was really, really good. The olive bread was chewy and olivey, the eggs were in huge chunks, and the arugula was a nice off-set. I didn't love the sun dried tomatoes, but they didn't detract from the overall yumminess. The sandwich was so big that if I weren't such a greedy pig I could have easily saved the other half for later. All told, the sammich, chips, and a ginger ale set me back $11.99. Eep. A bit much for a regular lunch, but not too bad for a special summer vacation lunch!
Would I go back? For sure. This was definitely worth it, especially because the number of times I will be able to go during a year will likely total one, or maybe two, at the most. I wish I had bought a loaf of bread to take home with me, though--it was that good. My main concern is the price...but if I had saved the other half of my sandwich, I probably wouldn't feel so bad!
The Bread Line would be better named "Controlled Chaos."
I have only been once, despite working in close proximity for the last 6 months but I plan to return again. I got their turkey sandwich (they make the turkey fresh in store) and it was excellent. Good in size, fresh cut chunk turkey, and less than $8.
I had mine with Russian (and I love being back on the east coast when people know what Russian is). I also had a chocolate chip cookie which was pretty good, though not great. Cooked the way i like it (a little burnt) but not the best flavor.
I will return and try a few other things, but it will be tough to not get the turkey when it was so good.
The speed of the line was pretty impressive but it was a little nerve racking for first timers. Get in line..order...2-5 minutes later you have food. Simple.
These mammoth sized sandwiches are a treat! I came here at the insistence of a co-worker. The bread at this place is crusty and crunchy on the outside while being soft and springy on the inside. I ordered the chicken guacamole and was very pleased. The guacamole has a light jalapeno citrus flavor and is slightly chunky. The chicken was grilled and appeared to be sliced and slightly torn giving it a rustic look. That beauty was topped off with some spring greens, and wedged inside a scrumptious baguette. I was very happy with my sandwich. It is a bit overpriced, but definitely worth a try.
I'm having a quarter-life crisis...it's true, it's true. I called my friend / former colleague and asked her to meet for lunch...for some career advice, general catch-up, and simply to be told that I am not crazy. This all went down at the Bread Line, my first experience there.
First, the staff are friendly. My friend works next door and they know her by name.
Second, what an excellent egg salad sandwich, with sun dried tomatoes, and fresh arugula, on some fantastic olive bread. The bread was the best I've had for a sandwich in ages.
The prices are not cheap, but I feel like I am desensitized to expensive lunch prices these days...what sandwich isn't overpriced in DC?
My friend had the mortadela and mozzarella sandwich...it looked great.
I will make the trip, the extra 3.5 blocks! to go to this place again.
Go-tri in the hizz-ouse!
I absolutely love Bread Line. I go there for lunch 3 or 4 times a week and it ends up being $10 for a sandwich and an iced tea, but almost all quick lunch place I go in DC are that expensive.
It would, though, be remiss of me to not mention that the restaurant was shut down last week due to health code violations: http://www.washingtonc.... It's been dubbed a pretty major incident of infractions, but I dunno, I'm not too bothered by it.
And so I still give Bread Line 5 stars. Egg salad, turkey with Russian, and chicken breast are my favorites. I'm letting slide the health code violations (and that one time I saw a pigeon in the bread making kitchen...) for the sake of my taste buds, and I will surely be back on their grand reopening day (I just called and they're aiming for Thursday 6/25 and the latest will be Monday 6/29).
It's been a year, and i still think about the bread on their falafel sandwich. To be fair, the falafel itself was good but not unbelievable, and the toppings were fine but not special. But the bread...
Thought that keeps me up at night: A falafel with Amsterdam Falafel toppings and Breadline bread. The world might not be able to contain such heaven -- the rating certainly couldn't contain the six stars.
With so much undying love for The Bread Line shouted from rooftops and from Yelp reviews, I almost feel bad giving them three stars, but I just can't go any higher. It seems unwarranted to me. Everything is a bit too expensive for you what you get, and the confusing set up, with its eternally long line, is just too chaotic. And I understand the appeal of a simple, well done sandwich, but again, most of what I've had was just too simple for $9. The fries are pretty good, but I'd rather have half that amount for half that price, because most of them ended up soggy and cold before I could eat them. Also I understand that maybe it's to help that long line move a bit quicker, but I wonder how long my pre-made sandwich has been sitting there...
With all that said, I do come back to The Bread Line fairly often. I work in that area half of the week, and I'm there every other week or so. They do have a nice range of choices and I love that they vary from day to day, and most of the ingredients seem pretty fresh. However, and this may be considered heresy, but I often think the baguette is TOO crusty for a sandwich. I feel like I could lose a tooth biting into that sucker!
I will disclose that for Lent I gave up red meat, which I felt limited my choices for my recent visits to The Bread Line. Of the five or so sandwiches I've tried, the French Madrange Ham, while absurdly simple, may have been my favorite so far. But I feel like if its only ingredients are sweet butter, ham and swiss, the sandwich won't suffer if they toss on more than two thin slices of ham and a piece of cheese that *almost* covers the whole sandwich.
Breadline is undoubtedly my favorite lunch spot. While I always try to tell myself I am going to try something else, I usually end up back with the french ham sandwich every time. On those days that Breadline is serving up spicy peanut soup, it is almost not worth my time to go back to work as the tryptophan works its magic.
One word of caution - both the peanut butter cookies and the mascarpone cookies are tools of the devil. And I mean that in the best way possible...
I'd been waiting for years to go here (never was in the area when it was open) and now I work right next door. It's a little pricey, but I think the bread here is the best in DC. I usually get the salad combo of Israeli couscous salad plus the Nicoise or the lentil salad. I've tried the chicken sandwiches here and they sometimes are a little dry or a too spicy. The lamb piadine was a bit too salty even for a salt fanatic like me, but the grilled flatbread was perfect. Five stars easily for the bread, between 3.5 to 4 for everything else.
In my eyes, the best sandwich shop in the DC area.
Oh how I love the bread from Bread Line. It's funny how sandwich shops put a lot more emphasis on what goes into their sandwiches than the actual bread. I feel that at Bread Line, the bread is just as, if not more, important.
All their bread is actually baked at the shop. They also sell their bread to a bunch of restaurants all around DC. Citronelle uses their bread too. So the bread is good. That much I have established. But the inside of their sandwiches are great too.
Every day, they serve something different. I haven't worked through all the weekdays yet, but this is as far as I have gotten:
On Tuesdays, they have their new crab sandwich which is incredible!!!
On a Wednesday, I had the lamb sandwich, which was really juicy and savory, and my father had the spicy chicken sandwich, which he loved. A warning that he was raised in Mexico and so him saying "it's not that spicy" doesn't mean much.
(I shall update the days of the week as i go there more often)
They also have great french fries.
This place is crowded though. This is the only (and I really mean only) reason why they lose a star. Yes, the service is super fast, but it's still a bit chaotic in there. But for the food that you get, I will battle it any day!
I've lived a few blocks from this place for over a year now, and today was the first time I've been here. I'm kicking myself for a year of eating Subway when I could have been eating Bread Line.
The food here is amazing. The prices, however, are why it loses a star. It's hard to pay $10 for a sandwich and a soda, but at least it's delicious!
All I have to say is proscuitto + fontina + arugula + grilled flatbread = best.lunch.ever. I've been on a prosciutto/arugula kick recently, which means I've been eating it every time I can get my grubby little paws on it. It's really just a perfect combination. And Bread Line makes a mean proscuitto-arugula piadine.
My buddy got the madrange ham and swiss on baguette. At first I was skeptical because it looked so boring. But then I had a bite, and it was incredible. The baguette was perfect. You don't need a lot in a sandwich when your bread is great.
Needless to say, I'll be back here - and frequently at that. There seems to be an awesome salad bar, and there are so many other great sandwiches to try. Yum.
***4.5 stars*** Thanks to Mariko whose review inspired me to flee the Golden Triangle (Duh Duh DUUUUUUUUUHHH!) for a few minutes in search of a decent sandwich. Now, you've probably heard me kvetch about the lack of a decent sandwich around here before.
But you won't today. While I won't give it that coveted "Jason 5 Star" rating (more in a moment), it was hands-down the best sandwich I've had in DC. Now normally, I'd say that in a sandwich, the meats/cheese/veggies are the Botticelli, and the bread is merely the frame. But here, the bread actually upstages the filling!
I had an Italian sausage sandwich. The portions were definitely filling without being overwhelming. Plus, I like that the to-go orders are served with a paper plate. What a nice touch! The sausage was nice and grilled, and the onions, cheese, and sauce mixed together to form the perfect medley of flavor. Service was fast and efficient, and I was in and out in only a few minutes.
And you can get fresh loaves of bread there too! If I was able to find the bread that was used to make my sandwich (I didn't, but then again, I really wasn't looking too hard), I would have definitely picked some up. I could see this being the perfect companion to some flavored olive oil and a glass of cabernet!
I'm only knocking The Bread Line half a star for a few small reasons that, I think, are still worth pointing out. As others have mentioned, the layout is a bit chaotic. I saw quite a few ID-clad Federales standing around trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I don't blame them. When you walk in, there's the soup counter right in front of you, and immediately to the right, the sandwich counter, which may not be intuitive for some. Compounding this is the fact that the menu isn't really all in one place, but spread out over the soup counter.
Now, I knew what I wanted when I came here, thanks to their handy webpage (which has some tasty-sounding daily specials), so that made things a little easier. Even then, I STILL couldn't see if they had the sandwich I wanted when I was in line. It was only after I was waiting to get my food that I saw that yes, it was listed.
And another minor point... I hate marinara/tomato sauce like hippies hate 9-5 employment. Now, I know most sausage sandwiches come with marinara sauce, so I was pleasantly surprised when I didn't see that on their website. It was only after I placed my order I saw that it did indeed come with sauce. I'm sure it was just a tiny oversight, but I think they might wanna give their site a once-over for accuracy. Fortunately, the sauce only served to enhance the flavor and wasn't swimming in it (how European!).
The verdict: it's a bit out of the way for me, but I'll definitely be going back. Which, when you come to think of it, is really the true endorsement of a restaurant. I'd advise you to get there early... I'm sure it's a madhouse come noontime!
I like to throw elbows here, its worth it. I think other people like a little competition for line-position-jockeying. - "I know that you think you're important...that's obvious. Like some cheese with that whine? Might I recommend the goat cheese they slather on that prosciutto sammich. I'd love to stand here and talk to you about the blunt-ness of my elbow, the force at which it was thrown, and the points I scored with your ego, but I'm not going to - I've got a fucking awesome sandwich to order - and GW Hopsital is just a hop-skip-and a jump thatttaway. Kthnx. "
So, I'm convinced that I put on twenty pounds of Breadline last year, and there's no shortage of reasons why. The aforementioned prosciutto sandwich is one likely reason, the rotating cast of specialty sandwiches may be others. The piadine, the ficelle, the Christmas Stollen, the pannetone, the whatever...just eat here, OK? Your linemates will be vicious, and there's a reason: at the end of that line, through the sweaty anticipation, the confusing glares from the staff as you stare at their menu in bewilderment, and the half-chub-inducing scent of baked bread - you will find one of the best sandwiches in Washington.
Ok - so why not 5 stars? Can you guys and gals please get more seating? Pretty please? I promise not to maim anyone anymore.
FALAFAL SANDWICH!
I bit my bottom lip becuase I was eating this delicious sandwich so fast. OUCH!
And if I wanted Cricket Cola, I always had to go to Pot Belly's and wait in the long ass line and watch the gross sandwiches fly from the register......just to get a Cricket.
Good prices, for downtown.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, this place is delish! I wish I could go here every day to try something every day. The first time I went, I had a soup and a sandwich. I was able to keep half the sandwich because it was so big--it's a lot of food for the price, which I find very satisfying. The soup was really good--it was a fish soup and it was really phenomenal. The sandwich the first time was the chicken goat cheese. My friend had a turkey sandwich and I think that as long as she goes there, that is what she will have. It's real turkey, freshly carved from a real turkey breast. It's not processed and it is fabulous.
The next time I went I had a gorgonzola and fig sandwich with mixed greens. My mouth is watering just thinking about it again. While the portions are large, their sandwiches are awesome. Just make sure you get there early if you want a seat.
It's good but pretty overpriced for what you get. The bread is tasty and it is always crowded with 9-5 types. The DO have beet juice though, which earned it the stars.
I had heard a lot of hype about Breadline ever since I was first in DC, but I didn't visit it until a month ago because they're only open during lunch hours on weekdays and I never was able to make it over there. I arrived around 1:30, so I missed the main lunch hour rush (it gets extremely busy from what I hear) and I was able to order right away and get a table inside. I have to say, my sandwich was pretty fabulous.
I had the French Madrange Ham Sandwich with sweet butter and swiss on a baguette, and it truly tasted like something I had eaten in France. It was so fresh and simple and definitely spot-on. The sandwiches cost $7.25 and you can get combos with their soups and salads. They have daily specials and new menus, so I'm excited to go back and try something else, but I'll try again not to go during the 11:45-1:15 hours because I'm sure it's a madhouse then.
Yelper Discount!
Neighborhood: Tenleytown
Organic Beer Happy Hour
Arlington, VA
Washington, DC
Category: Delis
Neighborhood: Foggy Bottom
Category: Coffee & Tea
Washington, DC
Category: Sandwiches
Washington, DC
Category: Sandwiches
Neighborhood: Takoma
Category: Restaurants
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