Cosi

I came here for lunch and this Cosi seems to be on the disorganized side when you’re placing your order. To order, you get in the line for the type of food you want (there’s a line for salads, one for pizza, one for bowls and soups, etc). They give you a number card after you place your order, and if you’re getting it to go you can wait for your order to be ready and then pay, or if you’re getting it to dine-​in you can pay and get seated at a table and then they’ll bring it to you. Most of the tables are clustered together, so it’s not a good place for large groups during the lunch rush. Most of the tables are good for seating 1 – 2, so this is a good setting if you’re meeting a friend for lunch. There’s also free Wifi here.
I usually go with one of the flatbread pizzas, but this time I ordered the caribbean chicken & spaghetti squash bowl (chicken, herb roasted spaghetti squash, daikon, carrots, cabbage, caribbean dressing). The bowl cost a little over $ 10 and came with a piece of their multi grain flatbread. The size of the bowl is comparable to a Chipotle bowl. The Caribbean dressing is less like a dressing and more like a chipotle mayo. The chicken was perfectly cooked– the best part of the bowl I would say. While there was nothing wrong with the bowl, even with the veggies, it still needs more texture. Overall, the bowl wasn’t spectacular, so I doubt I will order it again.
The flat bread, on the other hand, is money. Chewy, nutty from the muiltigrain, and the perfect amount of saltiness. Mmmm, mmmm, good.
Was this Cosi experience extraordinary? No. Was it terrible? No. They do their best to get you in and out, but there’s still room for improvement overall.

Questionable chicken in salad. Weird vibe in this place. So many other yummy and quality salad spots near by.

Stopped in for breakfast on a Saturday. All The Self Serve Coffee was empty. They let us know they were out of everything bagels about 10 minutes after we ordered. When I got my breakfast sandwich, the eggs were obviously some kind of ‘Egg beater’ product that sparsely resembled eggs. Overall, the service and food quality were well below average for this part o DC. Understandable why this place was empty and the local shops were busy.

Not very accommodating. Served watery oatmeal. The bagels are fine. Service was just so sub par.

I stopped by here on a whim as I was headed to an evening meeting and I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor and price of the meal.
I ordered the Turkey and Brie on wheat, chips and a walnut, white chocolate cookie.
I’ll review the food in the order I are it…
The cookie was soft, tasty and the perfect amuse bouche for the meal.
The sandwich was good and it was even better when I added some Sriracha into the mix. The ratio of bread to cheese to meat was nearly ideal.
The chips water tasty and a great finish to my impromptu meal.
The bathroom at this place was extremely clean — clean enough for me to mention it.

OK, so since things werent bad enough they now have changed the way that they process breakfast orders. You now have to go to the register and tell them what you want, get a number and wait. Lunch orders are still processed the old way.
Today there were at least 15 people waiting for orders and the 3 that came out in the 6 minutes that I waited were all wrong. everyone was sending things back. mean while 3 people behind the counter were trying to explain to a fourth how to ring up a bagel with cream cheese!
I eat breakfast there at least twice a week and lunch at least 3 times a week. never again. Thankfully G Setreet deli opened up right around the corner.

Hands down — the worst Cosi I’ve ever been to! The store is severely understaffed! There’s usually only 2 people handling both the sandwiches and salads or breakfast. Expect really long lines during breakfast and lunch peak times. Cashier is usually missing. On top of it, the customer service is poor. There is one lady behind the counter who always has a grumpy look on her face. If someone orders something a little custom, she starts complaining in Spanish.
I’d rather walk a few extra blocks to the Cosi on 14^th and I street where there is plenty of staff and smiles!

Music way too loud. Hard to have a conversation. Small space. Uncomfortable. Good OK.

Yogurt and coffee were as good as any Cosi but, like others, I had no luck with customer service. I went in at 11:15 am last Wednesday and they would not sell me a bagel despite that they have them right there in the bakery case when you walk in. I understand «breakfast ends at 11» but there are times in the customer service industry where if there is a reasonable special request you ask your supervisor and you do it. There must have been a supervisor there, there were about five people working. I don’t know if they are franchised or not, but the Cosi three blocks away on 17^th sold me a bagel the day before at 1 PM, no questions asked. It’s an easy gesture in the name of service and I wish they did it.

Great place for brekkie in DC! Skip the queues at Starbucks and Pret a Manger and head here instead. Freshly made wraps, bagels etc and decent espresso coffee as well (albeit machine made).

Food is fine. Rating is for the horrendous customer service. Probably the worst I’ve ever witnessed and that was after I had asked three different employees for help (order, pay, and to-​go box). I’ll spend my money elsewhere.

This is one of the worst Cosi’s I’ve ever been to and unfortunately my boss really likes their Turkey and Brie sandwich so I end up going there once a week.
In the past three months there hasn’t been an order that they didn’t somehow mess-​up. On top of that, for a place that boasts «constantly surprising, always delightful experience» the only «surprises» I’ve gotten have been poor service, unorganized lines, and registers that keep breaking down.
Just today, our office ordered lunch from this location and here are the «surprises» we received: a lady behind the counter who dropped her pen into the hummus while taking an order and then simply wiping it off without a care in the world about the hummus; no bread with the large soup; two pieces of steak in the Steakhouse Salad, and a sticker from the outside of an avocado in the middle of the Turkey Avocado Sandwich.
So after today, I’m going to actively look for an alternative to my boss’ Turkey and Brie at another café because this Cosi is hopeless.

I came in expecting this Cosi to be similar to some of the other locations. All I wanted was a squagel with veggie cream cheese. For whatever reason, they only had one girl preparing all of the orders, and it wasn’t an efficient or enthusiastic one. She couldn’t keep track of who ordered what. She got numbers wrong and almost handed me someone else’s food. I wait five minutes. I wait ten minutes. People behind me got their food. After waiting almost twenty minutes, I get my squagel. I’m glad that I checked to see what it looked like before paying. Nothing was in there. It was getting late, and I had to get back to the office. I couldn’t get a hold of the girl. The lady at the register wanted me to pay. I gave her my empty squagel and left.

I guess there are a lot of mediocre reviews for all the Cosi locations around the city and I have to agree. This location is pretty quick with the salads/​bowls and sandwiches/​pizza. This location has a fast, Subway-​style assembly line and you’re usually in and out pretty quick.
I like the salads that they mix up for you but not really into their pizzas. And yeah everything centers around their flatbread. Sandwiches and pizzas use the same bread. Salads and bowls come with the bread on the side. Their tea/​lemonade/​juice drinks are refreshing for a humid summer day but the «mojito» could use more mint and lime!
Bottom line: decent for a ~$ 8-​$ 10 lunch spot near your office!

My review holds –
There has been no increase in service or quality. Where I enjoy the Cosi’s in Crystal City on every visit. The one’s in Washington, DC show that DC workers are lackign in motivation and professionalism.

DC isn’t the city for which the term «sad desk salad» was coined, but it might as well be – there’s a reason our downtown is so overloaded with Cosi, Pret, Chopt, etc. That said, despite the multitude of acceptable salad options within walking distance of my office, Cosi’s Signature Salad (greens, grapes, dried cranberries, pear, pistachios, Gorgonzola, vinaigrette) is the only one I ever actually crave. All I want in a salad is some fruit and cheese, a minimum of romaine/​iceberg lettuce, and dressing that isn’t too heavy, and this fits the bill perfectly. And hey, for weekends, there’s a Cosi a block from my house!

There are WAY too many Cosi’s in DC. Nonetheless I came here on a fairly regular basis in 2012, since it was on the route from my internship to the McPherson Square station. Food is healthy and tastes alright, but overpriced and portions are small. It’s always packed for lunch during the week and it can be a struggle to find an empty seat.
I will say that the place runs very efficiently for the high volume of customers that it has. I don’t remember ever waiting more than 10 minutes from the time I got in line until my food was served. Staff never seemed friendly or happy though.

I had a pepperoni pizza
I should have known better but I was hungry.
It tasted like pasta on bread due to tomato sauce and all the parmesan. What’s with all the parmesan on pizza???
It was ok and totally edible because I was hungry, but don’t go here for pizza. I should have known better…
They accept AMEX.

I’ve become a regular since I moved to the neighborhood. The $ 5.88 breakfast combo just can’t be beat (a sandwich or squagel with a medium coffee or latte — and the soy milk is free). Although the fact they stop serving breakfast at 11 every day of the week is a little disappointing.
The main issue I’ve had is the staff’s confusion about the restaurant’s own policies. More than once I had remind them that the stuff I was getting qualified for the combo and hence shouldn’t be charged at full prices. Also expect to repeat «soy milk» and «no foam.»
A better trained and better informed staff would make this place so much lovelier, considering its excellent location and spacious interior. Not to mention the multitude of food and beverage options they offer.

I never rate chain restaurants really, and I normally love Cosi, I always get their signature salad, and their bread is rocking!!! However, the service here was terrible. I walked in around 3pm, I was eating a late lunch after some meetings. I walk up to the counter and the lady looks at me, then ignores me to go back to her sweeping the floor. It’s only when I tell her what I want does she actually (slowly) go to the salad bar to make my salad.
Then I get to the counter, and the woman at the register doesn’t say hello or acknowledge me but is yelling at the people behind the food counter as she rings up my food. They ran out of bags so I had nowhere to put my salad. This place needs to retrain their staff to be more friendly and attentive. And I hope they do a better job restocking next time!