Roti Mediterranean Grill

BEST LUNCH PLACE IN Le’nfant Plaza! This is my go to lunch spot. I always order the Roti chicken salad because there is no limit to your sides. I literally load it up with everything I want. The food is fresh and the falafel is delicious and the staff is friendly!

Stopped by for lunch today. Overall the food was good, the customer service was outstanding. For lunch today I had «The best plate ever.» I will definitely come back for lunch.
–Rustic Traveller–

If I had written this review a year ago, the review would have been much better. But over the past year this place has been consistently going down hill. The wraps used to be so stuffed that you couldn’t finish one. Now I could probably knock down 2 of them. I still think the meats are flavored very well, you just don’t get much in your meal anymore.

Great salads love it

I love the food at Roti, but I don’t think it’s worth the price. When ordering, it is unclear what costs extra and what does not. Also, $ 2.50 or whatever for three tiny falafel balls is ridiculous. Also, this location REALLY skimps on the meat. My last pita had three pieces of chicken kabob.
In short, it’s good and quick, but the ordering is confusing and I always feel like I got ripped off.

²⁄₅ in my opinion. it looked good and followed the chipotles assembly line model. the smell of the food was encouraging and ended up getting the rice plate with chicken kabob. I had the hummus, tomatoe and cucumber, and the cabbage sides. I added feta cheese reluctantly due to added cost.
simple review. for the price it wasn’t that filling. I was not impressed that only three toppings could be selected and feta cheese was an extra fee considering it was listed as having another fee associated with it.
the pita bread was good and warm. I don’t know much about Mediterranean food but he rice was cold and the plate in general seemed just like a hodge podge of stuff I was mixing together with my fork and scooping together. The hummus for example to eat plain was weird but was too plentiful to use on the small piece of pita. I was kinda confused how to eat at roti. Nothing tasted bad but the flavors didn’t stand out to me. I probably won’t go back to roti due to the value in my mind not being there. I left hungry and not satisfied.

Roti is one of the many restaurants established inside L’Enfant plaza. During the work week it is bustling with federal government workers/​contractors. If you go during lunch time be prepared to wait in a line for your food. The line at Roti moves quickly. Since this was the first time I had Roti I went with their chicken kabob rice plate. You get a choice of sauce and three sides. The service was quick however the lady messed up my order. She mistakenly put on two sides I did not want. Since I was in a rush I didn’t bother trying to fix this issue.
As far as the food goes it is decent but pales in comparison to Cava Mezze. Their concept reminds me of Cava, except Cava has a better selection and you are not limited to the amount of sides you are allowed. Since I work nearby L’Enfant I am sure I will be stopping by again. P. S. One of my coworkers got the sandwich and the portion was pretty big. If you are looking for the best bang for your buck stick with the sandwich. His sandwich was stuffed to the point where he had a hard time holding it together.

Ahh… I can’t be a hypocrite any longer. This is probably still my favorite spot to grab lunch here in L’enfant, which isn’t saying a whole lot, but still something.

I go here very often but I have started to get stomach aches after my meals. I consistently get the chicken roti salad with a little bit of all the fixin’s (no onions). It tastes good and is yummy going down. But for the past three visits, I get GI pains and stomach gurgles. I have a tummy that will handle semi-​off foods, but it’s gotten to the point where I don’t think I can come back here.
I have been watching the cooks– they have been cutting the meat off the rotisserie while they are still raw on the inside. It seems they finish the meat on the flat top grill. At least I hope they do! My friend, a former regular, will not eat here anymore because of the same issue.
Please let the meat cook on the rotisserie all the way! Or something!
The staff is nice. Oh, I forgot i have a baklava in my coat pocket! I’m going to eat that now.

Other factors take away from the rating. The food is decent. The lack of parking and seating mean I would never pick this as my first Roti to visit. The employees are usually nice but they are moving herds through the field and you get moved through so fast that you forget to ask for yogurt dressing. By the time you sit down (if you found a spot) you don’t feel like getting up to ask for dressings (which are always cheerfully given). I don’t want a brochure on catering. I just want my falafel!

I really like the Roti chain, and the branches at Rosslyn and in Foggy Bottom. I also LOVE the sides and am a fan of the wrap.
However, I was disappointed at this branch. While standing in line, the smell was bad actually. It seemed like the cooks had over cooked the salmon to the point of a fishy smoke. The staff are sadly, not adequate to the task of creating neatly packed wraps and sandwiches with all the great toppings offered at the Roti line. The chicken was under-​cooked which shocked me because I didn’t think it was possible to do the food prep wrong… it seems like a rote process… but sure enough my chicken looked raw and pink. NASTY.
The staff had no pita on hand, and made me and other customers wait while they cooked pita in the oven. But at that point, the pita was so hot they couldn’t handle it causing spillages and awkward stuffing.
So disappointed at the staff manner here. It feels more like you are in a prison line being served slop, than getting a brilliant mediterranean wrap with exquisite ingredients.
It’s also a location where you are walking through massive concrete buildings, l’Enfant Plaza is not a destination to take visitors to in Washington DC unless you want to show them crumbling 70s modernist architecture…

Downtown and its food courts are not the place for a great culinary experience or a great value. That said, at least L’Enfant has a Roti. The falafel I got was getting a bit cold, and I could have done with more rice and sides for the money. The fountain drinks were pretty basic. And there’s not a ton of seating in L’Enfant plaza and it crowds badly during peak lunch hour, though at least the containers you get here are portable enough that you don’t have to worry about spilling while you look for a place to eat.
It certainly doesn’t compare to some of the other Mediterranean places in the city, fast casual or otherwise, but if you need a quick meal with some reasonably healthy options in Southwest, Roti is a good call.

I’m generally a fan of the Roti chain, but my lunch at the L’Enfant location last week left a little to be desired. First, I usually leave Roti lunches full, as in «damn, they gave me a lot of rice, [insert meat or falafel here], and salad to load up on»…on this last visit, I was surprisingly not full. Part of that was a bit of stingy portioning by the staff (strange, since I came in for a late lunch and usually by 1:30 during the work week, you aren’t seeing many more customers), and part of that was the corporate decision a few months to provide smaller bread on the side to customers. The manager at L’Enfant told me that internal research showed that «most people» just throw the bread away or don’t finish it, so they provide smaller portions now. (He did say that if you want extra bread when you order, they will give it to you, no questions asked.)
Overall, I’m sure I’ll come back, but I was surprised how average this meal was.

Tucked away in an office plaza food court but still fresh and well prepared… employees helpful and amicable made it a fairly enjoyable experience… we went to another Roti Grill in downtown which was roomier and trendier yet portions and taste were better here … thanks!

Last time I was here in D.C. I found this amazing quick to go spot Roti. This time, it was stuck in my mind that I had to come here again to get some lunch. It’s quick, convenient and hits the spot for lunch. It seemed that within my group, I was the one who picked the lunch spots as everyone was a little indecisive.
And what happened? Roti came through for lunch again and again! This Roti however was a little packed. Especially during lunch hour. My whole-​heartedly suggestion is to beat the rush. Specifically, come at like 11 – 11:30. Everyone seems to just pile in at around 12:00, I’m glad that I came in early or else would’ve just stood in line forever. But hey, I guess if you don’t know what’s on the menu it’s a good thing?
This time I kind of threw everything in the wind and just went with everything (Laffa Wrap, Steak Roti). It came out tasty. Hey, I honestly think any combination with a Laffa Wrap will never go bad. This is definitely a place where I will go to time and time again when I come back to DC.

I came here for lunch with a friend a few weeks ago and coudn’t believe I’ve missed out on this place thus far. It’s definitely Chipotle style, but with Mediterranean food. I was a bit overwhelmed when I got to the front of the line and kind of stumbled through my order, but I opted for a chicken wrap and a side of falafel. When I sat down and took my first bite, it was like a little piece of heaven. The food was so fresh and the flavors really came out and went well together. I was very pleased with my selection and will definitely hit this place up again for lunch.

Roti is basically fast food Mediterranean served in a cafeteria style line similar to Chipotle. This location is in the L’Enfant Plaza Mall, although there are several other locations throughout the DC area. Don’t be intimidated by the line, the service moves quick!
There are several different combinations you can pick and choose from. You can pick from a sandwich, salad, or rice plate, then move onto your meat (or veggies), then sauces, sides, and toppings. The portions are solid and the prices average around $ 6 – 10, depending on what you get.
Overall, Roti is a solid lunch option if you’re in this area!

I dig Roti. It’s Chipotle for Mediterranean food. And, as with Chipotle, you can go very, very wrong by picking some terrible combinations. So why chance it? If it is your first time here, go safe and stick with the Sultan Sandwich. If you don’t like spicy sauces, then swap it out for the creamy red pepper sauce. Either way, consider adding some Tahini (if you already know you like it), and definitely toss some Feta into the mix.
I’ve been a few times and made the mistake of messing with the rice bowl/​combo plate thing or the salad. It’s silly. Don’t do it. Stick with the pita sandwich and grab a fork and knife (because you’ll need them. The cucumber and tomato, the pickled onion, the gyro-​style chicken, the hummus, the pita. These are fresh, delicious, and deserving of honor… for $ 6.95.
If you compare it to a fancy mediterranean restaurant, then you’re missing the point. It’s Chipotle for Mediterranean food, and I dig it. You should, too.

Despite the fact that I always am hesitant to go here, Roti is a solid choice for lunch.
I had a salad today and I actually liked the iceberg salad mix they used (this is a rarity for me).
I was less impressed last time I went when I just had falafel and mixed veggies. Now that I’m back to eating meat however, I was very impressed with their chicken roti.
I got a chicken salad with hummus, tahini, tomatoes, cabbage and veggies. It was a very filling lunch that I was pleasantly surprised by.
I don’t remember their bread being particularly fabulous, so I’d skip it.
It’s a good choice in L’enfant plaza.

My co-​worker and I decided to try this out for lunch today since I am always wondering about it. I ordered the chicken and rice plate that came with hummus, couscous, and a tomato & cucumber salad. The whole plate was kinda bland to me. I noticed most people were getting the wraps, so that may be a better way to go because you can get more toppings.
The service is fast for a quick lunch if you are passing through L’Enfant plaza. But I definitely would not make a special trip for this food.