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    Cafe Aria

    3.5 (65 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes, Pizza, Sandwiches
    Open 7:00 am - 3:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Cafe Aria Photos

    Business Info

    CAFE ARIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Aria

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    the entrance to the cafe aria
    Tyler C.

    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.

    Spotted bananas
    Rumit P.

    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.

    Rachel C.

    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???

    Bulgogi Rice Bowl
    Michael L.

    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

    Bibimbap w chicken and brown rice.
    Nancy C.

    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!

    Wren O.

    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.

    Chicken teriyaki w/ brown rice $10.99

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    8 years ago

    Good food. Long lines at lunch time but they move quickly. Nice variety of options. We'd definitely return again if in the area.

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    12 years ago

    Best sandwich I've had in a really long time. Completely unexpected while looking for a place near the national mall.

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    11 years ago

    Stopped by after a day of visiting the memorials and museums. Had bibimbap which was good and filling. Very reasonably priced.

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    11 years ago

    Food was good and great location but they had NO AIR CONDITIONING!!!! It is August and this place is hot! Get it fixed ASAP!

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Cafe Aria

    Review Highlights - Cafe Aria

    This is a no-frills quick eats place with sandwiches, strombolis, and pizzas and various breakfast, lunch, and dinner combos.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    This is a busy little sandwich shop that has a small dining area and some seating out front on the…read moresidewalk. There is metered street parking and commercial lots/garages within a reasonable walking distance from here. They serve wraps, salads, and cold and hot sandwiches. I ordered the Korean Steak Sandwich. It took them about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare my sandwich. They should use a number system for order pickups because people, including myself, had difficulty determining which order they were serving. Many of the sandwich names sounded alike. My sandwich was kind of small for the price, and it wasn't very filling. It was, however, very good. It was flavorful and packed with flavor. The service was ok. It was nothing special. They did their job and did not go beyond or be overly friendly. All in all, I would recommend checking this deli out for some really good sandwiches. They really do live up to their name, the Best Sandwich Place.

    3.5 stars! This is a…read moregreat location and they are super quick with making your food & checking you out! I came here after seeing a lot online about their Chicken Caesar Wrap. Personally, don't think the hype meets the expectations. But with that said, it's still a good wrap and I'd get it again but I don't think it's the best wrap I've had or worth going out of your way for. If you're hungry and near by, sure go get it but don't make any special trips just for this wrap. Id love to try their other options on the menu at some point!

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    3.8(339 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    I live ~10 min drive north from this location. This is my second time coming for a private event…read moreand both times I've come, I've said out loud, "I should order takeout from them once a week!!" They operate a deli counter in the front and a bar / speakeasy in the back. You can rent out the bar space for private events. Last night, we had the space (and a bartender!) to ourselves, along with 3-4 different types of sandwiches. There is something SPECIAL about their seeded Italian bread. The perfect flakiness and texture. I enjoyed the chicken fontina and Italian. The caprese was my least favorite--not sure if they use a balsamic or what, but the flavor wasn't coming through. Before I left, I decided to order a large chicken cheesesteak to take home for lunch the next day. It was a bit of a risk to order a hot sandwich that I would have in the fridge overnight but I heated it up in our air fryer/toaster oven for all of 10 mins and the bread was good (not soggy) and the sandwich itself was delicious. I enjoyed it so much, I didn't stop to take a photo until the last bite :) It's a decent size sandwich--I ate half for lunch (along with my own chips and veggies) and have another half for tomorrow so while it's not cheap, I think it's reasonable.

    This place fell way off…read more I was fooled by social media and ordered their Thanksgiving sub... false advertising. Did not look like the video - all bread and extremely SKIMPY. The worst part is they charged me nearly $20 for that abomination. What a rip off. I thought they were decent pre-covid, but apparently they just don't seem to care anymore. Other places make loaded sandwiches... save your money!!

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    Neopol Savory Smokery - Smoked Salmon Salad Sandwich

    Neopol Savory Smokery

    4.6(309 reviews)
    2.6 mi
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    This is the best sandwich in the city. I've never said something is the BEST with as much…read moreconviction as this. As a certified sandwich girlie I can't go a single WEEK without heading to union market for this BLT. Neopol Smokery single handedly CARRIES this place the absurdity of quality of this sandwich is off the charts. Smoked salmon BLT stuffed to the brim with beautifully cooked smoked salmon, bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion tied together on a bed of Romain with the most perfect gravlax mayo. Be sure to get it on the sunflower flax bread TRUST!!! Add sliced apples to it when your back in ten min for a second sandwich. I mean it. You will turn right back around the second you take a bite. Friendly staff and quick service make me love them even more. Also LGBTQ owned!! Don't forget the smoked mussels. Thank me later. They're 12 for $12 and I would do a disservice trying to explain how flavorful these bad boys are! Follow my TikTok for the full review and more! @thegutgoblin

    I stopped by Neopol Savory Smokery at Union Market and ordered the Salmon BLT with avocado on…read moremultigrain, and wow, what a great choice! The sandwich was packed with flavor: the smoky salmon paired perfectly with the salty bacon and crisp red onions. Every bite was rich and satisfying, and it came out in under 10 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise. Overall, this spot really impressed me. Delicious food, quick service, and fresh ingredients. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Union Market.

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    Cafe Aria - cafes - Updated May 2026

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