On the Fly SmartKafe

Worth stopping by if you are picky about what you eat.
Pros:
— House-​made yogurt and ice cream. Wow!
— Huge selection of healthy drinks
— Interesting, nutritious lunch items
— Best-​ever belgian waffles! No matter that they are wrapped in plastic! I am not kidding!
— Alluring breakfast muffins
— Convenient packaging
— Competitive pricing
Cons:
— No ambiance (this is the metro!)
— Sleepy cashiers

I guess this is the closest thing to having food on the metro. If you come here you’re living dangerously– a few extra steps with that yogurt and your butt is in transportation trouble. On the other hand, you can grab actual healthy food on the way out of the metro in the morning (or drop in for lunch or snacks). It’s really tiny so it’s not a sit-​down place, even though they try with a couple of chairs. There’s a big tv and I sort of popped awake when I went in– bright, colorful, some politician was making a fool of himself, the person at the counter was nice, there was free granola to sample. All of the food is sold pre-​made and cold, but I think I saw a microwave. I don’t know how long it sits there, they probably bring in new ones in the morning but I’d rather wait for my sandwich than for my sandwich to wait for me. Granola, juice (there’s quite the variety) and yogurt were perfect for me and quick enough so I can rejoin the mob of commuters after 5 minutes.

On the Fly SmartKafe is inside a Metro station. Huh??? This makes no sense. Wait, actually, it makes a lot of sense, because commuters can easily grab-​and-​go. I wouldn’t recommend actually having your meal there, because there are only a couple of seats that face a wall in the corner kind of awkwardly.
I went there for lunch one day because it was closer to me than the On the Fly cart at Gallery Place and I really wanted an empanada. Well, the empanadas at the café are actually cold and you have to heat them up yourself in a microwave. As a result they taste soggy and not crisp like the ones off the cart, which are kept warm on an oven. So I guess I was kind of disappointed.
The ingredients tasted fresh though, and there is a lot of other good stuff there that I would be willing to try again. They have good organic snacks like protein drinks and bars, and they have a lot of pre-​made lunch ideas like salads and sandwiches. Reasonably priced, even cheap.

Maybe three and a half stars, but I am going to cheat up a little bit for the positive experience I had there today.
On the fly owns a series of food carts around the city that specialize in local foods. This location is one of their two non-​mobile locations and it is in Farragut Station as you go up the escalators to the L and Connecticut exit.
The store opened just this morning, so the three co-​owners were all in the shop ironing out the kinks when I went in for lunch. The place is immaculately clean, airy and stylish for the DC metro, the place even smelled like fresh paint. All the food there was prepared refrigerated food. The food was all of a good quality, and fresh, though prepared off site (at their Capital Hill Kitchen).
I ordered their Vietnamese style beef tenderloin wrap and collared greens. Both were fine considering that they had been prepared ahead of time. For about the same amount of money you could probably get a freshly made sandwich elsewhere, though doubtfully as conveniently, or without the healthy/​environmental theme they’re going for (they claim to be «eco-​vending», though I am unsure what qualifies them as that).
All in all, I think they’ve filled the super quick/​healthy breakfast lunch niche better than just about anyone I’ve seen since I lived in Asia (god I miss good food in a Seven Eleven). If you are in the neighborhood and in a hurry, I recommend stopping by. Chances are though I’ll be stopping off at places a little closer to me.
Also, extra points for the BORF on their website.