I didn't find much online about the menu at Café Aria beyond mentions of pizza, sandwiches (with no details on the types), and rice bowls. Wanting to try something new without straying too far from the office, I decided to check it out. Café Aria is a charming little spot with plenty of seating, and it seems to be a popular place for both dine-in and takeout. As a first-time visitor, the ordering process was a bit unclear. Quick tip: if you're ordering a sandwich, head to the sandwich window; for everything else, go straight to the cashier. I ordered the bulgogi rice bowl, which is made fresh to order--so it takes a bit of time. Fair warning: the smell of sizzling meat is strong, and I walked out with my hair smelling like I'd just worked the grill myself. If your hair or clothes tend to hold onto cooking smells, keep that in mind. That said, the food was absolutely delicious. If it hadn't been a Friday, I definitely would've saved the leftovers for lunch the next day. read more

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Cafe Aria is your typical downtown cafe serving breakfast and lunch food. It is open from 6am-3pm, Monday through Friday, so you know the target customer is downtown commuters wanting quick and easy breakfast and lunch items. They serve hot and cold foods as well as baked goods which from the look of things I think the baked goods are produced by Costco. There is also seating on the inside of the shop. I had a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on wheat bread which was what I expected of a traditional, old-fashioned, homemade style breakfast sandwich. The customer service was OK. Overall a worthy cafe in this part of downtown DC. read more

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The breakfast is good IF the grill worker actually cooks your eggs as desired. It's hit or miss. The owner nickels and dimes every single ingredient used on the sandwiches. Get a smear of butter? That will be fifty cents! The staff is friendly but the lunch time fresh made pizza is extremely overpriced for its small size. It used to be $10 and now it's $12. I don't think it's worth anymore than $8. read more

I'm ordinarily a very positive and optimistic person but this one fucked me up for a second. Café Aria is around the corner from the Passport Office so it is very convenient for those pressed for time or looking for a quick meal after standing in line for hours waiting for your passport. This consistent volume of customers is probably what's keeping the doors open as the Food was not good. Like at all. I have not been this disappointed in some food I purchased in quite sometime. Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful! The workers seemed very friendly and well meaning, but execution was off. I ordered a tuna melt and they did not put it on the grill but in the pizza oven. The Tuna salad tasted very very fishy and lacked any flavor at all. It featured black olives which I thought was very interesting. Switched up to a chicken Parmesan sub in which chicken was chewy and not crispy at all. Sauce had some spice but was bland lacking garlic, , oregano, basil, onion etc. The Beef Bulgogi bowl looked nothing like the posted picture near the prep area of the restaurant. Meat was marinated well, but the meat lacked any color other than grey. In spite of the look of the bulgogi, it actually tasted ok and I ate the majority of the bowl, which featured rice and onion. Threw the sandwiches in the trash and will never be back. read more

What can I say, it's an eatery that serves breakfast lunch and dinner. I ordered a toasted bagel with scrambled egg and bacon. My eggs came out well done, exactly the way I wanted it. The service was fast. As it has to be, located in Washington DC. My low review is based off my initial encounter with the young lady behind the counter. As soon as I walked in I was basically asked what did I want over and over. As I walked around to check the layout of the establishment, she visually followed me. Maybe it was my coach satchel that threw her off. Who knows? read more

Perfect stop if your by the White House or State Dept. Fast, efficient, friendly and good. Bagels are well roasted. Cream cheese is melted. Coffee comes regular or dark. read more

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Came today and morning was a disaster.. very long wait for orders, behind the counter gentleman was not the normal order taker and he was confused and quickly forget who got which order. Never seen it this bad.. the hangers need to get this under control as they have lost me as a customer for a while read more

A mediocre cafe that will get the job done if you need food quickly. I recently came here for lunch and a got a buffalo chicken stromboli which was fine but overpriced at $11. Plenty of better places in the area if you are looking for lunch on the go. read more

This is a no-frills quick eats place with sandwiches, strombolis, and pizzas and various breakfast, lunch, and dinner combos. Food is served on a paper plate and plastic utensils are readily available next to the fountain drink machine. Dined for lunch and spent about $7. For $4.99 for a plain cheese pizza, the price cannot be beat. I added pineapple and jalapeños to give it a sweet & spicy kick (80 cents more per topping). The taste was fantastic. Freshly made in 10 minutes, piping hot, generous spread of toppings, and a thick crust. The pizza had very little marinara sauce, but we were politely given a container full of sauce upon asking a team member. There's a one-hour dining limit, an extra charge for coffee refills, and a charge for small/medium/large cups of ice. There's indoor and outdoor seating as well. The atmosphere is mediocre but because of convenience and quality of food, this place gets a solid 4. read more

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Support your local businesses!!!!!! This place seems like it would be some big fancy chain, but it's actually a mom and pop shop. The food is always on point, especially their pizzas and breakfast sandwiches. Even their leftovers were so good!!! Friendly efficient workers, delicious and quick food. What else could you ask for??? read more

Cafe Aria - Cafes Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The cashier, girl, Stephanie is very friendly, excellent services always, and I'm very happy with kindness with professional services. Reason why I would come here because of her!! Thanks, girl!!! Sandwiches and pizza were great! read more

I venture out around this area once a month (mainly to visit the client) and heard from the townies this is the place to go to eat. The one day I "forgot" to bring my lunch, I convinced my co worker to come with me to try this place out. Muahaha From the outside, it seems like a regular fast sub joint, however walking in, the place is pretty modern. I thought the place was pretty small since how you ordered was from the bar. But when I went to pay for my order, the place opened up to a decent dining area. Service was fast, however, it may be that I felt a little rushed. Maybe it was when they asked me 5 times for what I wanted to order, even when there was only 4 people in the establishment. What we ordered: -Bulgogi Rice Bowl - I wanted the bibimbap (korean for "mixed rice"), however one of the staff said to grab a veggie bowl from the fridge next to me. I said I wanted rice and not veggies, which they said it'll be an extra $1.00. What?! Bibimbap is always served with rice hence the name! I would've let it go if the food was delicious, however when I sat down to eat the beef, it was super sweet. I think I got a cavity from how sweet it was. Rice was cooked very well though. Not worth the $10.99 price tag. -Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl - This is what my co-worker ordered and she said it was super sweet as well. I'm not sure if there was a sugar dump in the sauces, but it seemed pretty consistent between the meals Also what I thought was tacky was when I requested for the sriracha sauce, I saw that one of the employees was squeezing a new bottle of sriracha into an older bottle and then handed it to me! Why not just use the new bottle?? Tip: Only go here if you "forget" to bring your lunch read more

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This cafe is a great place to pick up breakfast or lunch. They make breakfast and lunch sandwiches to order, and the food is consistently good. Everyone loves their personal size pizza - perfect for one. The employees are always extremely nice. The morning cook, Isabelle, has been there for years, and she is outstanding. She never messes up an order, and even has many of ours memorized, because we work in the office building above Aria, and have been going there for years. Isabelle is known for her beautiful personality, and the great job she does preparing our food. read more

Well so long. Used to be great. Skimping on sandwich ingredients. Bread is very thin sliced. Used to get a quarter pickle but now it is cut in half for an eighth of a pickle. I would prefer sandwiches like before and raise the price. read more

Got a good corned beef sandwich the first time I came here. They also have good individual pizzas here. Good location. They have seating inside and some seating outside. Pretty good food selection. read more

Came here today and got the chicken bibimbap bowl. For about $9 it is a good deal for lunch around the area that incorporates a lot of healthy vegetables. Bibimbap had a healthy serving of carrots, kimchi radish, bean sprouts, lettuce, cucumbers, and spinach, all ingredients were fresh and tasty. . The bowl came with the standard Korean side veggies and I was happy to see that they offered brown rice and white rice. The veggies for it are in the fridge to the left of the ordering counter and they put your beef, chicken or tofu on top. The chicken was just plain grilled chicken since they use it for all their other offerings as well, next time I'll have to try their beef. Perhaps the beef will come from the bulgogi and will match up better to my bibimbap bowl. They give you the rice with a fried egg on top and a container of the miso sauce at th register and you're all set to put it together for a light healthy lunch. I'll be back here for this bowl when I need my Korean bibimbap fix! The other items that it seems most go in for are the sandwhiches, calzones and pizza. They have a nice sized sitting area outside and inside as well. The sun hits about half the outdoor sitting area, which is nice for days you need your vitamin C too! read more

Cafe Aria - Bibimbap w chicken and brown rice. - Cafes Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've been here dozens of times, but only just thought to review the place. Cafe Aria is the perfect place for a weekday lunch, period. They serve everything from little $4/5 personal pizzas (which are great) to the best tuna salad in Foggy to bimbimbap and rice bowls. Everything I've had has been good, service is always quick, and the employees are always very nice. Shoutout to the younger guy who always works the pizzas, he's great. Beyond prepared foods, they have a really wide range of snacks and candies on sale for not-overinflated prices for this kind of place. The location's great for anybody working in this section of town. To-go is easy to get, but when you don't, the seating area is clean, well-stocked, and straightforward. The smooth jazz doesn't hurt, either. It's not particularly unique or special but this place very well serves every purpose that it's meant to, and I'm a fan. read more

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My friend lived in a dormitory near this Cafe. I tried a salad of hers and was blown away by the dressing (it was pretty good dressing). I have finally gotten back to this cafe after meaning to come for almost half a year (the cafe's hours really collide with my daily schedule). I got a cheese, mushroom, and spinach pizza which tasted great. The dough had a perfectly crisp consistency (an artisanal feel) and a fresh aftertaste. If the current owners are the ones that owned the pizza store that occupied the space before, I must admit they've greatly improved their atmosphere and food. Their stereo system could use a little work, but I have no complaints. I can tell they put a lot of thought into organizing the store to try and attract customers. There are now tables outside and a sweet logo. I will try and stop by more often, but their hours aren't conducive to a college student schedule. read more

I work a couple blocks from Cafe Aria and finally decided to give it a shot. The staff is very friendly and seem to enjoy working there. Every single employee and the owner acknowledge me during the time I was in the store. The man taking orders noticed me checking out the menu and asked if it was my first time there (seems like a spot for regular lunch goers). He recommended the pizzas and the rice bowls. I got the chicken teriyaki with brown rice. The chicken was cooked fresh with onions and green peppers, but they drowned the entire dish in sauce and it became pretty salty. Also note, it doesn't come with steamed veggies like the picture shows. I'm not sure if I was more disappointed by the rice bowl or that I paid $10.99 for it. I could have gone to the food trucks for a better deal. In short, it's an establishment with amazing service and average food. read more

Cafe Aria - Chicken teriyaki w/ brown rice $10.99 - Cafes Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I have stopped in a couple of times over the past few months. I typically eat Keto but when I have a cheat day I do enjoy pizza. The personal size pizza at lunch is incredibly affordable for the area and well worth the money. I have not tried anything else on the menu, but seriously, if you just want a personal sized pizza that is worth the money, this is the place. I myself have never experienced an issue with the staff being rude. I wouldn't say the cashiers are overly nice, but they have never been rude to me. read more

As a college student who lived across the street from this place, I've tried almost everything. And EVERYTHING is great. The sandwiches are stellar and the chicken and turkey come hand-carved off the roasted bird. The breakfast sandwiches are delicious and the pizzas are as well. read more

I've worked in the area of Cafe Aria for many years. I stop by often on my way in to get a breakfast sandwich. All of the employees are very friendly and get you in and out quickly considering the amount of people there. The food is always fresh and very appetizing. For breakfast, you definitely would not be disappointed. I haven't gone there for lunch yet but I understand it is good as well. read more

Their staff actually make fun of the patrons. Today, I overheard a number of their staff making fun of the patrons as they waited to check out in line, including myself. Apparently they think that, because they are speaking in Spanish, the largely Anglo and African American clientele must not be able to understand. Kind of a silly thing to assume in a dense, urban area and Spanish isn't exactly some sort of secret language. I'll be taking my business elsewhere. read more

Meat lovers Stromboli and the individual pizzas are always good, but the owner/manager creeps me out because he stands near the employees and watches them like a hawk. Micro management at the highest degree. Pretty sad to see. read more

Cafe Aria - Cafes Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Quite simply, I love this place. I work in the same building so it is very convenient - too convenient, in fact, and Aria gets far too great a share of my paycheck. I have not had one thing there that wasn't delicious and have never seen a staff member that wasn't pleasant and hardworking. For a small cafe, they actually have a pretty good selection of freshly-prepared foods and things like drinks and chips and candy. They even have homemade chicken noodle soup, which is fantastic. I usually get a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on sourdough bread when I stop in for breakfast, and they offer turkey bacon if that's your thing. The turkey wrap (with actual, freshly-baked turkey breast, not the fake lunch meat) with avocado and trimmings for lunch is a standard, and their stromboli and pizzas have all been delicious, with the steak and BBQ chicken being my favorites. One of the things that makes the stromboli and pizza so great is that they do not use frozen dough. You can see them rolling the fresh, unbaked dough in the morning for that day's lunch. Since it isn't a dedicated coffee shop like Starbucks, they obviously don't have the selection of mixed coffees, but they do have a decent array of coffees, creamers (half-and-half, milk, flavored creamers) and they even have flavored syrups that you can make your own, customized cup of brew with. The prices are higher than I want them to be, but I wouldn't call them unreasonable, and they are comparable for downtown DC. Again, the staff is largely what makes this place a treat, and you are almost always greeted with a "hello" when entering, regardless of how busy the place is. Oh, and like another reviewer mentioned, you get a free treat with just about any purchase - a deeeelicious little baked good. I'm not sure what you'd call it, but it's great. Our office recently had a party to celebrate our partnership with South Korea, and Cafe Aria catered with authentic Korean food. It was all fantastically delicious. I don't know the names of all of the dishes, but the beef (two different styles), noodles, kimchi, and gyoza were fantastic! If you're in the area and you need a quick, delicious lunch with friendly service and the option of eating alfresco, this is definitely a great choice!! As an aside...to Nocturnal, the place is owned by a man and woman, yes, but I know for a fact because I asked them if the others in the place were family, and they are not. Just because they may hire other Koreans and Asians is neither a bad thing nor any of your business. Not to mention, there are Hispanics and an African-American working there, too. Your review has a tinge of xenophobia and ignorance to it. I realize that Yelp isn't a place to have debates, but your review is useless. read more

Need a salad, bagel, coffee, or juice? Stop by Cafe Aria. A colleague and I needed just that on a coffee break from an OAS meeting, and we stopped by here. Service was friendly, and my colleague who is gluten free and allergic to most anything found a snack as easily as I did-- I got a bagel, which was just fine and piping hot with cream cheese (none of this nonsense with giving it on the side). The salads looked fresh, prices were cheap -- I didn't try any pizza, which is kind of their thing, but if its related to the other Aria it's gotta be good (or, if not, the name is still a good sign). In summary, a nice quick stop joint with plenty of tables. read more

I got to this place nearly daily for at least coffee, sometimes breakfast sandwiches, individual pizzas, and bulgogi. It's all extremely fresh, delicious, and reasonably priced. Enjoy a free roll while you wait for your food. Dine in with pleasant jazz in the background and friendly staff, or take your food to go. Also, the largest non-alcoholic selection of beverages I've seen outside of actual beverage boutique. Plenty of choices for healthy eat, vegan, vending (without the machines), and cultural-specific items like candy, gum, soda, etc. read more

Cafe Aria is my favorite daily cafe spot. A hot cup of coffee is just the beginning. The customer service is why I come here. My friends and I always stop by just for one worker here named Michael. He always give you a cheery greeting and a warm smile. Nothing starts your day out better than someone who injects a bit of sunshine into your morning. We'll continue to come back time and again, if not only for the smiles, but the bagels too. The only question is.... How do you get the little warm mini croissants with your coffee...? read more

Worst pastrami on rye I ever had!! Wet and cold meet bagh!!!! Had to through out the meet from the sandwich!!!

Their pizza and breakfast sandwiches are decent. Everything else is really bad. The bulgogi is NOT bulgogi! It's just stir fry beef that's dry, hard, and tasteless. I'm surprised since the place is owned by Koreans. I also had their spaghetti with meatballs. It's watery, bland, and the meat balls are tasteless. They charged a hefty price for it as well. Their lunch sandwiches are ridiculously expensive! A Turkey breast sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese cost almost $10! It's doesn't even taste good is the problem. read more

8 inch pizza for lunch! I like BBQ chicken pizza. Perfect size and reasonable price. This place looks very clean. Not accepting American Express credit card!!!!! read more

Cafe Aria - 8 inch pizza! - Cafes Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I am only in the office 1-2 days per week anymore and each time I find myself at the Cafe Aria for a breakfast sandwich and coffee. I am a creature of habit therefore I have not tried the various options available on their menu however I am certain all they offer is of the highest quality and will be consistently prepared. The prices are fair as well but what I require to keep coming back are the people. I am always greeted with a genuine smile and a very courteous and sincere verbal greeting. Since I am so boring (ordering the same), I no longer have to place my order. I know it is on it's way once I walk in. Julie is exceptional and I must say even if your day is challenging and difficult somehow she can make it better. Thank you Julie and all your co-workers for what you do. Just having a quick sandwich and a cup of coffee even if for a few minutes provides an opportunity to relax and be better prepared for the fast paced and sometimes stressful day ahead. Now it's time to run and get a second cup. read more

I stopped by this sandwich shop about a year ago, when they were first opening. At the time I was working across the street, so it was very convenient. Their sandwiches were fabulous! I came back almost every day I was working across the street. The roast beef deli sandwich was my favorite. They had single pizzas also, made to order if you desired. Everything was fresh, you couldn't go wrong. They also make breakfast sandwiches in the morning. After I had one of their egg and bacon sandwiches, I never thought about walking to anywhere else for breakfast. Today I was in the area, so I decided to stop by and have a sandwich. It was just as delicious as the sandwich on the first day I came here. I wish I still worked across the street, because this place makes some of the best sandwiches I have ever had. read more

The sandwiches are good overall. The bread options used to be better. Recently they stopped offering fresh baked sub rolls and now only have crappy sub rolls- avoid them and get ciabatta or other bread. I'd add another star if they bring back the fresh baked sub rolls. read more

About only good thing is that it's a place to go indoors and a place to sit down and maybe chat with others. Asked around for vegetarian options for some hot foods, nope. Maybe I could've asked for some toast with veggies i guess. Since it's a cafe, I'm thinking custom coffee right? Nope, get that idea out of your head. So you go for the coffee the realize all they have is animal filled creamers. All good, did black coffee. read more

Oh my God, Cafe Aria was really brilliant. Nice, welcoming and moderately priced. Everything was very flavorful and I can not wait to go back already. I don't have any complaints. Service is fabulous. Cafe Aria: Going back for more. read more

Some of my co-workers had told me about this place, and I pass the sign that advertises breakfast sandwiches every morning on my way to work. I went for the second time today, and you know what, it's not too shabby. I've gotten breakfast sandwiches on a ciabatta roll and a bagel. Both times it's felt like the bread to substance ratio could be better (I love break, but I also really love the flavor of bacon, eggs & cheese). Nevertheless, it's cheap, convenient, and is still filling. Plus, I'll keep going back because the people that work there are so nice and I get my food so fast! read more

This is probably my favorite food café in town. If you're really hungry, this quaint spot is the place to chow down. The employees were really friendly too. I had the Hawaiian pizza and it definitely hit the spot. read more

In DC on a business trip that had me & a coworker staying in a hotel near this Cafe' that was highly rated by other Yelp! Users, so after checking in we thought it would be a great place to grab a late lunch. This is definitely a grab a quick lunch during the work-week spot & not a place I would suggest you go out of your way to dine. I had a veggie pizza, as they didn't have the veggie Stromboli that was listed on the menu. The pizza was simply selected from those on display & reheated in the pizza ovens. It was decent, but nothing to shout from the rooftops about. My coworker had an Italian sub, which she said was great. I think this was largely due to the fact that the bread was freshly made for her sandwich as they were completely sold out of bread. Staff was very friendly & helpful, but food was mediocre. Things were clean & people working seemed dedicated to keeping it that way. I also liked seeing the recycling bin. read more

I used to come here quite often but I've noticed that the price advertised on the board in the front of the restaurant and the price that they bill you for are two different things entirely. Example: the menu says chicken sandwich for $6.99 but somehow it ends up being $9+ when they swipe your card. I do not believe that DC has implemented a 30% sales tax, though who knows? Check your receipts. read more