Cafe Phillips

DO NOT EAT HERE!!! This place should be closed down and all of the employees should take some kind of food sanitary course. They believe that just because you wear glove that they are being clean. I sat there and watched the woman start to prepare my sandwich then wipe of the counter with the dirty dish rag then finish preparing and cutting my sandwich without switching out gloves and/​or washing her hands and I’ve seen them do it all the time. This is so unsanitary and I refuse to ever eat there again. Which is sad because the sandwiches are really good.

If salmon steak sandwich with cucumber wasabi sauce is advertised as the special of the day, then be sure to get it! It’s fresh and really delicious. I added alfalfa sprouts to my sandwich, and it was a nice touch. Also love their homemade cucumber wasabi sauce, which is delightfully creamy, has a nice bite, and looks pleasing to the eye thanks to its light green color.
Overall, Café Phillips, or at least this location, offers super fresh ingredients for your totally customizable sandwich. They do all your typical sandwich combinations as well as more unusual ones like the aforementioned salmon sandwich.
Contrary to some reviews, I think their prices are very reasonable, especially for the quality that you’re getting.
Also sampled a lox bagel before and it was yummy and filling and again very fresh. (Yes, I love salmon.)
Their lattes are also quite tasty and affordable.
Major points for
Friendly service and staff who pay attention when listening to your order (How many times have you told someone «no lettuce» only to have the person drop a piece of lettuce into your sandwich? Some people just don’t pay attention…)
Good quality ingredients, including the carved meat that everyone raves about (can tell from looking that it’s good stuff) and flavorful salmon steaks
Good prices
Efficient lines
And for those who gripe about the five-​dollar credit card minimum, try owning your own company and having to pay a service fee every time someone charges. It’s not worth it for businesses when you’re only paying $ 3 for a drink. Stop being cheap.

Quite conceivably the worst chicken steak sandwich I’ve ever eaten.

I’m a regular here. The quality of the sandwiches is very good. The portions are decent and the meats are fresh. They keep the line moving quickly during the lunch hour.

This place is a good lunch time jaunt and I go here at least once a week but giving this place one star because they have an extremely crappy place in the mornings. Their credit card machine is sometimes working and sometimes not. I have noticed this in the mornings. Today was my final straw, there was no posting that the credit card machine wasn’t working today and I happened to forget to eat breakfast so I was here for a quick egg sandwich. There were about 6 people behind me and they dont say anything until I get to the cashier and he tells me the machine isn’t working, I ask him why it wasn’t posted and if they have an ATM, instead of apologizing he just takes the sandwich from me and puts it under the counter and looks at the next person behind me. What crappy service, I have will never go here again and whats worst is that there were 4 people behind me who had credit cards too and he basically just took all of their breakfast sandwiches and threw them under the counter. Horrible business model especially since so many of us are repeat customers.

Quality has gone down. Too many stupid rules (i.e I cant get half a sandwhich? why? Give me half the meat half everything else for half the price so i can pair with a soup) fucking moronic. Always barking $ 5 minimum at you when you take out your credit card literally every time. I am over this place. Rude staff always feel rushed in there. Will not be back. Will walk to Café Carvey (which i think is owned by the same people but management is much better there, can do half sandwhich and soup combos, friendly smiling staff). Feel good after leaving Café Carvey. Just go to PotBelly and avoid this place.

Café Phillips is a place to get a great sandwich that has fresh bread, hefty portions of on the spot carved meat and as close to a mom and pop shop vibe that you can get downtown. Great value, AMAZING lunch and solid breakfast sandwiches. You won’t be disappointed.

I thought that pot bellies was delicious and cheap. I was SO wrong. Café Phillips actually puts a good amount of meat in their sandwiches AND the bread is awesome. I got a ciabatta bread Salmon sandwich and an apple for under $ 10 which is unheard of in DC.

This is my go-​to breakfast joint — yummy sausage/​egg/​cheese sandwiches (though I saw them making a breakfast burrito the other day that looked awesome, and I may have to stray from my norm now…), and really really good coffee. The staff is super friendly, and they have a large selection of other drinks if you want to pick something up for later in the day. I know there are oodles of other places to stop for a cup of joe and a bite in the area, but I just keep going to CP because I love what they do!

If you are not already, you should be eating lunch here.
There are many Café Phillips in the area, but I am convinced this one makes the best turkey sandwich, they really know how to layer it.
For those of you who are new, this place has freshly carved meats for your sandwich, and you customize with the bread choice and all the veggies and condiments. This location really knows how to get the cheese to melt on the meat ever so slightly creating the perfect sandwich.
Soups are nice too. I also enjoyed it because the prices are reasonable and you can get terra veggie chips. My lunch bill here is usually $ 10.

Good, quick eat during lunch time. They also have amazing breakfast sandwiches and bagels. Be prepared though, as they are ready to take your order almost immediately when you walk in. I personally love their chicken salad sandwich and the steak and chesse (on a cheat day ;) You can also ask for a pickle if you want; they won’t charge extra. (they don’t take AmEx)

Perfect for hearty breakfast or lunch sandwiches. Soups and salads could be better; however, coffee is great!
Price (you get what you pay for): A
Service/​Staff: B+
Location: A
Food: A–
Ambiance:B–
1−22−13

After having Café Phillips multiple times, I think it is about a 3.5 star place for sandwiches. The breakfast sandwiches are okay, there are better ones around.

The carved turkey sandwiches are unbelievable! But get there early or their sure to run out.
The men and women who prepare the sandwiches and such are wonderful as well. They have excellent memories as they are able to remember the orders of semi frequent customers like myself.

Great BLT and iced coffee experience. Love that they use coffee ice cubs. But that does make it a stronger than usual iced coffee experience.
Try their salads and cakes!

It’s a DC chain, but I’m not complaining. They’ve got a great and generously portioned roast beef sandwich and an impressively efficient assembly line. Also, I was impressed with their array of drinks. I had a ginger beer with real chunks of ginger. Don’t you just love textured drinks?

I am a regular there.
Their sandwiches are fresh, large and have a ton of optional add-​ins.
The bubble tea is not quite a tea, rather a smoothie with tapioca pearls. And it’s delicious. Tapioca pearls are perfectly cooked. They have a fantastic selection of flavors AND they can customize the sugar amount (important to some). Make sure your tea is made by a young lady (will add her name later), and not the older gentleman.

I like this place — good coffee and very friendly service. The owner is SO sweet.
The iced coffee is great — I love that they use coffee ice cubes to keep it from getting diluted. Their breakfast offerings are also good — sinfully junky muffins and a good selection of bagels (try the veggie cream cheese, it’s savory without being overly onion-​y).

I’m so grateful that this coffeeshop is just a block away from work. Everything I’ve had has been delicious and at a terrific price. The egg sandwich is a hangover cure mountain for just $ 3.00. The hazelnut coffee with a little cream is perfection. Most curious, however, is their doughnuts. It’s definitely the best I’ve had in DC, but the shop doesn’t smell like doughnuts, so I’m skeptical that they’re made onsite, but they’re so fresh and yummy, it’s certainly made hot-​fresh-​now somewhere nearby.
Warning: They don’t accept plastic for anything under $ 5.00 – but on the brightside, I’ve never ordered anything that broke that dollar amount.

After hearing a lot about Café Phillips I finally had my first experience at this establishment. I saw a number of reviews that mention high prices and surly service. I did not have a problem with either.
My sandwich was made quickly and accurately and I was in and out of the place in five minutes. The carved to order turkey is amazing (I hate deli turkey) and the bread tastes light and fresh. They have a huge complement of toppings so you can build a sandwich to your ultimate desire.
The price was about average for the DC area and actually a fairly good value considering the size of the serving. The sandwich was almost the size of my forearm. So, if you are a light eater you could easily make two meals out of one sandwich. If you want cheaper — there is a subway only two doors down (you won’t get the quality or portion size of Phillips though).
There is no seating but there are plenty of places in the immediate vicinity to sit (if the weather is nice). Since this place is only a three minute walk from my office I will certainly be back, and I am looking forward to trying the roast beef next time!