Wedged in the shadow of 18th Street’s looming office towers, a small sandwich shop feeds the crowd of students and professionals who slip in for a midday bite.
The Best Sandwich Place, which opened their 18th Street location in 2023, offers fresh ingredients, fast service and ample seating for customers. The shop, originally established in 1989, features made-to-order lunch options with flavors from around the world, featuring Italian and South American influences, and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.
In between office buildings, the building’s glass exterior and tall storefront features a silver awning and the restaurant’s name in a simple white font. The modern inside featured white tables and countertops against hardwood walls.
The menu offers melt sandwiches, signature sandwiches, vegetarian and vegan sandwiches, signature salads, organic rice bowls and breakfast meals. Their bread is baked daily and sourced from a local bakery.
Upon entering, I approached the back of the restaurant where the sandwich and salad counters are located, and was immediately greeted by an employee who was eager to take my order.
The salad and rice bowl counter was both longer and more crowded than the sandwich counter on an early Tuesday afternoon, creating a bustling environment around the ordering stations. There were several employees behind both counters, hurriedly taking and promptly making orders. Sandwiches, salads and bowls all came out in to-go containers, allowing for a fast, convenient lunch. When I arrived at around 12:45 p.m., there were about 30 customers in the shop but I didn’t have to wait to order since they were all drawn to the bowl station.
Though the menu’s options seemed endless, with items like a chipotle chicken melt ($15.99) and a coconut curry bowl ($13.99) being contending choices, I decided to go with a classic: the chicken Caesar salad ($13.99), which I made into a wrap for more of a compact bite. Although I was a surprised by the price at first, it ended up being worth it once I saw the larger size of the sandwich.
About five minutes later, an employee handed my chicken Caesar wrap in a brown box across the counter, and I looked for a seat among the crowded tables, mostly occupied by people clearly on their lunch break.
I found a seat toward the front of the restaurant, at the end of a long booth lined with several small, white tables. When I opened the brown box, I immediately noticed how large the wrap was — wrapped with tightly wound paper and stuffed to the top of each half with fillings.
The wrap itself felt fresh, with a balanced ratio of salad, chicken, crouton and dressing. The tangy ranch dressing offered a nice contrast to the salty chicken. Despite the wrap’s size, the paper around the wrap kept it neatly together, making it easy to eat. I felt pleasantly full, not overstuffed, at the end of my meal.
The light brown tortilla was airy and soft, contrasting with the wrap’s crunchy filling. The romaine lettuce was not drowning in dressing, which can be a make or break for Caesar salads, and the herb-seasoned house-made croutons throughout added hints of oregano with each bite.
The Best Sandwich Place delivered on their promise of fresh ingredients, while also being a fast and convenient option during busy weekdays. If you are looking for a quick bite during the work or school day, I found this is truly the best sandwich place in D.C.
