super nice Korean woman. also very reasonable hot bar prices. Skip the coffee though it's terrible, but there's a Starbucks around the corner read more

Decent place for a quick lunch, I got the crispy fish sandwich. Another highlight was the selection of pre-packaged East Asian style snacks. read more

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Cafe 59 is a hidden gem for work lunches. It has a little bit of everything: a Chinese buffet, a salad bar, a sandwich counter, a quesadilla station, and a bibimbap counter. It also has a large selection of bottled drinks and a small section for candy, granola bars, and the like. It had literally something for each of my coworkers, who normally can't agree on lunch. The food is reasonably priced and better than expected. An entree sized salad from the salad bar, a mini pack of cookies, and a drink were about $15. This is my new go to lunch spot. read more

Cafe 59 - a bag of pepperidge farm milano dark chocolate cookies - Sandwiches Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I stopped in here to get a breakfast sandwich on my way to the metro. At 9:30 AM possible I beat the morning rush. I ordered a sausage, egg and cheese on a bagel. The short order wasn't particularly friendly, but that's fine because the sandwich was good. Lol the cashier was pretty efficient. It was a tad bit expensive - close to eight bucks but nevertheless, I enjoyed it . I'd come back again. read more

Pleasantly surprised by this little hidden gem. I was with a friend whose kids go to daycare nearby and we were looking for somewhere to eat that was close before pickup time. We stopped in to give it a try. The space is huge and there are so many options. They have a hot bar and a salad bar, as well as a grill, baked goods, chips, fountain drinks, and more. I ordered a turkey club from the grill and grabbed a fountain Diet Coke as well. Total, my meal with tax and tip was like $12. Not bad for lunch! They don't do free refills on soda, though, and they use paper straws which was a bummer. I told the lady checking me out that it was my first time stopping by and she was very welcoming. They seem like they work really hard to keep folks fed! read more

Cafe 59 - Turkey club - Sandwiches Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been going to Cafe 59 since I learned about them over a year ago. The service is great, the staff is very friendly and the food that I get is yummy. I particularly enjoy going to the counter to order my very unique breakfast which is made without any questions as to why I'm asking for something so unusual. Recently, they've come under new management and have refreshed the ambiance inside to make things brighter and more inviting. It is truly a delight to have an eatery in that area where you can sit down inside and have a pleasant experience. Charles G. read more

Friendly staff, fresh salad bar, and the Korean food is made by the Korean owner (I asked)! Nice for a quick lunch

Great area in SWDC available for breakfast and lunch as they open at 5:30am and close around 2:45pm. I got the breakfast burrito with sausage which was hot and also very delicious even though I wish they would have added more sausage. Their breakfast buffet looked so good but was a little steep at about $10.15/lb. One day to spoil myself I'll get it in the morning. My only suggestion for them would be to add iced coffee for drink options even though they provided pretty much everything else! read more

Cafe 59 - Breakfast buffet - Sandwiches Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

the food was delicious it was so good I wanted 30ths. I won't to live there it is so good I made a friend

This place is just ok. The hamburger combo is not really that good and the sandwiches aren't that big. They do prepare the food relatively fast and the staff is always friendly. But that doesn't mean a whole lot when the food portions are small and the hot/cold buffets are overpriced. They do give you a 30% discount on the hot bar after 2:30pm which doesn't do a whole lot of good b/c who is really eating lunch that late? I agree there is not a whole lot of restaurants to choose from in this area and I still eat here every once in a while. But there are better options out there. read more

I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who has celiac disease or where gluten allergies. Normally, I totally avoid Asian food because the danger of getting sick is so high, but the owner is very savvy and made me a special order Bi Bim Bop meal that was delicious and very safe. No side effects! read more

such a cute hidden gem with something for everyone! i grabbed some chinese food from the hot bar which was delicious, and my friend got a BLT and a hot breakfast wrap (rated 4/5). lovely spot if you wanna grab some quick food with a lot of variety. read more

Stopped here in our way to the museum of the Bible and was amazed! they have a fresh buffet and they also have made to order options. I arrived right before lunch so breakfast was ending. I picked from the left over breakfast buffet and the worker ask me if I wanted her to reheat to food for me. Which she did and then confirmed whether or was good or ifi wanted more time. The lunch buffet had a large variety of options as well. Overall the food and service was great. read more

one of the cutest cafes in d.c. extremely kind staff and a very nice environment. i cannot emphasize enough how hard working and kind the staff are. The gyro was delicious and the price is worth it. i definitely recommend this to anyone in the area and in d.c as a whole! read more

Get there after 3 o'clock and the buffet is 50% off. This place is in the business district so they are closed on the weekends. read more

They are still making overpriced weighed food, but they are always adding new items to the menu. Today I stopped by and ordered the Beef Pho. It is cold outside, and I wanted something hot to eat. At 7.99 a bowl, you get a decent amount of broth and noodles. It wouldn't hurt if they added a little more meat though. Please do not expect Pho 75 quality though, this is just good enough to carry you over until you can get the real deal. read more

Get the bibimbap! Omg it was perfect. Kicks Rice Bar's butt! This is coming from a New Yorker from Queens.

1st time there. Got Rubin sandwich. Almost $10 and I think 2 slices of meat. 2 sisters around corner was lot better.

Great little mom and pop cafe! Very nice and attentive owner, we enjoyed the breakfast sandwich and muffins.

The hot menu options are usually OK and charge by the pound. But their salad bar is fantastic. The options are amazing. Definitely worth a look for their healthy eating section. read more

Because it is cheap and convenient and the staff are fairly friendly, I give it 3 stars but the buffet and some sandwiches could be a lot better. The best I've had was a turkey breast sandwich with lettuce and tomato and mayo on whole wheat, made right there. The worst was a chicken salad sandwich where they walked over to the buffet and spooned out chicken salad from there (and I don't do buffet food as you don't know who has been at it before you!). Coffee is so-so and there are no bathrooms but it has eat -in tables . Whole place could do with a make-over and thorough cleaning, though , as it's old and dated. read more

I will always love Cafe 59. On Fridays like this one, all I want is to treat myself to a Steak and Cheese Supreme, which is the BOMB.COM. They are also the only spot near here who sells Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. To be honest, I've never eaten from the buffet, but the Grill and the fried kitchen from the Grill counter are awesome. No complaints here! read more

This is a good lunch spot to go if you are looking for variety, but it is weigh by the pound so just be aware of how much food you are putting in there; it can get very expensive. I'm usually quite boring and get either noodles, fruit, or California rolls. The food is decent and not the greatest, but it is hard to find something good and full of variety in this area. read more

Most of the food on the salad and food bars is ok. But avoid the food bars go for the fried chicken. It is the best fried chicken I've ever had in the whole wide world! I'm serious. It is tasty, juicy with the perfect light and crispy skin. I can't get enough of it. And it is very reasonably priced too. The legs and thighs tend to be on the small side. But the breasts are humongous. I find it hard to believe that those huge breasted chickens ever walked around on those little spindly legs. Around where I work, we call them Malibu chicken breasts. But they are also outstanding. Their fried chicken beats KFC, Popeye's, and all the rest hands down. read more

Great place to stop off for lunch while visiting the museums and govt buildings. Huge variety of foods and we were all very happy with what we got. Gyro, steak sandwich, hot food from the bar, everything was great. The owner was super friendly and helpful with our large group (15). I love the seating area and that you just find a seat with other people or on your own. We sat with locals and they said they eat here all the time. Definitely a great place to stop and grab some good food while in the heart of DC museums. read more

It's around the corner from work and an ok place to go -- but it's weigh and pay. When I visit, I'm often really hungry and end up buying more food that I eat, thus costing me more money and making me be wasteful. I've slimmed back my eyes to be more in line with my tummy -- but still... read more

My coworkers suggest we go to this place on a fairly regular basis and I try to drive the idea to go elsewhere. Their salad bar is very overpriced. $6 for a side salad with really no weight to it is outrageous. The people working at the cash register seem to always have an attitude and are against being friendly. read more

The food is just ok. It's a convenient lunch spot. I've had a variety of hot dishes from the buffet and all of the meat was incredibly salty. And for some reason today, the food was NOT HOT... ??? It's a good place to go to in the absence of other quality choices in a convenient walking distance. read more

The food here is always (let me emphasize the word ALWAYS) cold and stale--like it's a few days old or something. Not really worth going here. The workers are all really nice but the food is literal trash. read more

What really drives me bonkers about this place is that they open really early, but they don't put out any food. You know what it means when your doors are open but you aren't selling anything? IT MEANS YOU'RE NOT REALLY OPEN!!!! So just don't open until later, and take down the signs everywhere bragging about how early you're open, because you're just not. Other than that, it's not bad for what it is... a buffet of a bunch of different food. None of it horrible, none of it great. read more

For some reason, most of my 40- and 50-something coworkers adored this place. If you're nostalgic for a trip back to the dorm cafeteria, compete with bland, prepared-en-masse cuisine, you won't be disappointed. The real frustration for me was with the healthier stuff--for those who wanted to stick to salad and lighter fare, there was a decent, fresh selection, but it came at a high price. I don't know how they tared that scale, or how the lettuce retained so much water, but as a Hill staffer on a super-fixed income, regular visits to the Café 59 salad bar were not affordable. Once, I got a little heavy-handed with the beans and fresh fruit and had to shell over $14 for a modestly-sized salad. Fine in a pinch, but get ready to pay for your antioxidants. The place is clearly a goldmine with its captive audience of federal workers and tourists, but I'd suggest strolling down the block to Wishbone for a decent sandwich or treating yourself to the dining options inside the Museum of the American Indian. read more

This place is OK but needs to be better. Their menu is inconsistent and everything is sauced to death. Even the steamed veggies has this gross clear sauce on it. Also their chicken tastes like fish - clearly fried in the same (probably ancient) oil. Step up with the times! Also - bring back the (proper) crispy chicken. It was actually good, now missing read more