The Wishbone

Called the phone number listed and that is the wrong number. I guess if you find this place it would be what the other reviews read.

The Wishbone is a welcome yet tucked out-​of-​the-​way space in the culinary desert of L’Enfant. Never full, with a sweet Korean lady at the forefront. Breakfast tine is much better than at competitors. I ordered my usual whole wheat bagel with ham, egg and cheese and it came quickly and with a smile. Be forewarned, as in most mom & pop stores, ask for anything extra and you pay for it. Not that they don’t want to please, just that they operate on a shoestring. Still, it’s a great place to escape from the chain stores. And yes, sit by the glass windows in the back and you get 4-​bars from the Starbucks WiFi across the metro escalator.
The only thing missing is outdoor seating.

The sandwiches at this little shop are tasty… no doubt about it. I just can’t raise their star level in my mind. This is not the place you come to if you have a strict lunch budget. It’s not that the sandwiches don’t have enough meat… but they could definitely use more. A deli sandwich should have a little more meat than the sandwich I make at home… especially for these prices.
Today, I spent $ 8 for my turkey sandwich because I wanted it on a croissant. The same sandwich would normally cost about $ 6.65 on wheat bread. Which is ok, but I don’t have the leftovers that I would have at another sandwich shop. I usually would have another half to save for later. When I go to Wishbone, I always end up with extra bread as I try to compensate for missing meat (I am not a bread lover, so I will only bite into the part that actually has meat).
Their prices will not break the bank… but they could if you go often and add chips, soda, or soup. They nickel and dime you to death up in this place. I think they would charge for the actual butter on a piece of bread if they could.
Some might think that its because they have to compete with Potbelly around the corner. But their prices were actually high before Potbelly moved in. Or maybe they pay a high rent price. Like I said… they have tasty sandwiches, but it’s definitely not a lunch deal.

Like most places around Federal SW, this place is a little uninspired. $ 4.99 for a veggie wrap… flour tortilla with sprouts, fresh mushrooms, a little guacamole, and lettuce. Just OK. Lentil soup ($ 2.99) was OK. Kudos to them for having a veggie option, but really nothing great.
There’s a reason I pack my lunch every day around here…

One of the best-​kept secrets on Capitol Hill, I thank The Wishbone for helping me survive my years of exile in the Ford House Office Building (probably haven’t heard of that one, have you? It received some attention on ⁹⁄₁₁ by baffling all of the news anchors who clearly had no idea where it was or what it housed. The old-​timers sometimes refer to this former FBI building as Annex 1). I am by NO means a «Sandwich Person.» I will never understand the allure of Potbelly, Quiznos, et al. However, I have a soft spot in my midsection for the magic of the Wishbone Café.
The Wishbone’s scrumptious, melty breakfast sandwiches – a mere $ 2 and change – are guaranteed to remedy the mightiest of hangovers; the promise of consuming an egg-​and-​cheese on poppyseed bagel often served as motivation for me to get out of bed after too few hours of sleep. And nothing rivaled the delight of indulging in a warm, fresh-​carved turkey sandwich topped with cranberry sauce, provolone, and cucumbers – it was enough to make me forget that I hadn’t taken a lunch-​hour in the past three weeks.
A family-​run business, the service is friendly and the sandwich construction efficient. Whether you’re stuck working in that godforsaken Federal Center SW area or you’re on the Mall for fresh air or museum-​going, swing on by the Wishbone. If I’m not mistaken, they shut down at 2 PM. Tragically, it has been a year since I swung by this glorious place, but I trust that it still serves up the same tasty sandwiches… Try it and let me know!