Cafe Old Town

Great no-​frills sandwich option — much better than The other sandwich options in Carlyle. A huge fan of their turkey sandwiches — always quality. I’ve ventured away from the turkey sandwich and encountered some duds, but most options are pretty good.

Had to update because I had a terrible experience in this place. While the owner is a very nice woman, she has some of the most miserable and surly women working behind the counter making the sandwiches.
I had gotten into the habit of going there for sandwiches because of its proximity to our apt. And on top of being greeted with a less than friendly attitude, the last three sandwiches I ordered were made incorrectly, and I would only discover this when I returned home and would just deal with it.
My last visit went like this, Me: «hello» (blank stare from the woman behind the counter)
Me: «I’d like a roast beef and american cheese on rye with mayo, onions, salt and pepper» to which she goes to get a roll. I tell her, «I want it on Rye» then she says, «Do you want lettuce and tomatoes?» So I say, «Maybe you could write it down because I am afraid you are not understanding me» to which I get another blank stare. «No tomatoes or lettuce» I say. I pay for everything get home and what do I have? A roast beef with no cheese mayo and hot peppers.
So I go back, and yes, I am annoyed. I speak to the owner. The other girl behind the counter immediately says, «That is what you ordered!» Um… how do you know what I ordered and why am I standing here? So the owner says they can remake a sandwich, but I see the nasty look on the girls face behind the counter and I’m thinking, yeah… I don’t want her to spit in my food or something“
So I tell the owner I would rather just have my money back and she was very apologetic. I told her I was upset not only because of the order being wrong but because of the terrible attitude of the staff. She said she’d talk to them, but for me it was a little too late.
I refuse to give my business to anyplace where I am treated with a nasty attitude. That to me is unacceptable.

Korean family-​owned with nothing really Korean about it. They have a vast selection of different things in here. I beelined straight for the deli sandwiches. Damon’s review sold me, and one thing he was right on target was the deli sandwich I got had huge deli slices. I got the Italian with bologna, salami, and ham on it. It comes with cheese, l &t, and light mayo. I 86ed the tomato. The sandwich with a bag of chips was about $ 8 with taxes sans drink. I brought my own water.
They have seating inside for you to sit and eat your meal. Free wifi is offered, but I only noticed one plug to connect your laptop. I used it to charge my phone.
The owner was nice, and so was the service.

I’ve been here a number of times and always enjoy their food. I’m a fan of their steak and cheese, and the employees here are friendly and courteous. My only problem, the price I pay changes each time by a nickle or dime. I’d recommend to a friend.

Very nice proprietors. I am visiting from out of town. and stopped in for breakfast sandwiches and they were prepared to order and reasonably priced. I plan to return there on my morning walks.

Old Town Café (Café Old Town)…who knows what the name is? One thing is for sure: they have some of the best food in the area near Carlyle. And despite being surrounded by offices, they usually aren’t very busy.
This is a hokey restaurant. It’s Korean run and it has an interesting mix of stuff. But for all its quirkiness, the food is excellent. They have a daily hot bar that always has what appears to be homemade items. I mean, these things are good. Stuff like green bean casserole, braised short ribs, etc. It’s better than I’d make for myself at home in many cases.
But the real star here are the sandwiches. They use real, heavy duty cuts of meat. A favorite among me and my friends is the turkey, carved daily. I’m also a huge fan of their reubens. And the special bbq pork with cole slaw is to die for! I mean, if you are in on bbq day you have to do it. They don’t fry stuff – it’s all baked and braised. A sandwich and drink will run you about $ 6 – 7, so it won’t even break the bank.
And a rarity for these here parts is they have a parking lot. That’s right! No $ 40 parking tickets or those ridiculous credit card printing machines. FREE parking. (Take that, Alexandria!)

Café Old Town is one of the better lunch options around the PTO/​Carlyle area. It is really easy to miss — you need to walk around to the back side of the Senate Federal Credit Union building (the side farthest away from Eisenhower). Inside is a deli where you can get a sandwich/​other random dishes and a hot bar, where you can make a plate and pay by the pound.
I have only tried the hot bar once, but it seems like the dishes available there are always different, and they generally look pretty good. The sandwiches are also a good choice. Every time I have ordered one it was well made, the ingredients were fresh and the sandwich was decently sized. Depending on the day of the week there will be one kind of sandwich which is the daily special, and comes with a drink.
My favorite dishes here are the Korean foods. The Bulgogi burger (which sadly, is not available every day — another reviewer here mentioned that it is Tues/​Thurs only) is very tasty. If you want something a little less greasy, the Bi Bim Bap is great. It is a whole lot of vegetables, with some egg, rice and marinated beef. Although it doesn’t seem to be on the permanent menu, they have had it every time I visited in the last few months. Just a warning — it can be on the spicy side, so asking for the hot sauce on the side may be a good idea if you don’t care for spicy/haven’t had it before.
Other random notes:
There is a decent amount of seating inside.
If you go when it is less crowded, the staff can be pretty friendly — get the same thing a few times and they might even start to remember your order.
I have not been here for breakfast before, but they are open early and do serve it.

Great spot for lunch. Love their bugogi burger and corned beef. Actually, I think the full name of the place is Café Old Town and Corned Beef House.

I have been here twice (including today) in the 6 months I’ve worked right next door to this restaurant. Now I remember why I haven’t. The very simple chicken salad sandwich I got was so salty and loaded with pepper I couldn’t taste the chicken, nor the mayo which they have overloaded the sandwich with as well. UGH!
The bread isn’t even toasted nor they give you the option, they wrap it in tin foil and then they send you off into the sunset… (or back to your desk)
I cannot really eat this sandwich (which is looking at me as I type with little googly us saying «eat me»). Not a chance, buddy!!!
And I spent over $ 6 for this train wreck!!!
Last time I went there I had the tuna salad sandwich and it was the same nuclear war in my mouth… Sorry Café Old Town, won’t be coming back…
Now I am off to do some gargles…

Excellent reubens! I’ve only ever had that off their menu, but that’s all I’ve ever wanted. It’s the only place in Alexandria that seems to know how to make a real sandwich. Reminds me of the mom and pop sandwich shops back in NY. Not quite as good, but a heck of a lot better than Subway, Quiznos, etc. Check it out!

Let me say that i normally hate sandwiches, i.e. potbelly’s or subways, but this place makes me like sandwiches again.
If you’re a newbie, then you have to try the california club and their new bulgogi burgers. These two things alone make this place a worthwhile visit.
Very friendly staff and this place is definitely on my togo list for lunch.
Update: 8÷29÷2012
The bulgogi burger is only available on Tuesdays and Thursday.
Update: 6÷18÷2013
The owner recognized me from my review here!!! She was a very friendly and a generous person and I cannot recommend this place enough.

Aka «The House of Corned Beef (THOCB)» for good reason — their corned beef is heavenly. But, my comments today are reserved for their special they have on Wednesdays… fondly dubbed «the Chicken Special» by my friends and I.
We have been frequenting THOCB for at least the past 8 years on Wednesdays for this treat! The chicken special includes a your choice of bun, wrap, or bread around the MOST succulent and tasty roasted chicken you have ever had! Of course the purist will take their sandwich on a hoagie roll with Mayo, lettuce and tomato but the über-​accommodating staff will fix your chicken special up in any configuration you can imagine! Oh… it also includes a pickle and a drink. all for $ 5.99 :) Total steal.
Anyway — love the staff, chicken special, corned beef, and salad bar that is endless. Great place :)

I went here on the recommendation of many of my co-​workers who rave about the place. They were right! Greanted, this has been my only experience eating there, but I will be a returning customer! It is small inside, as others mentioned, but I was taking my lunch to-​go. They have a self service hot bar, which looked good, but I opted for a sandwich. I came up with my own creation of sorts, which they were happy to make for me. It was not more than 5 – 7 minutes before I was handed my food. It was all very fresh; they actually slice the turkey there in front of you! When I got back to my desk to eat, it was divine! Great combination of flavors and fresh ingredients. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 starts, was it was a little on the pricey side. However, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, and I like supporting local businesses (vs. larger chains), so I will continue to eat there and would recommend it to anyone. :)

I’ve been here several times for lunch.
They have a buffet, although I can not rate that because I never tried. The food looks promising though.
A decent selection of cold beverages.
The deli has a wide selection of subs and sandwiches. The sandwiches are conservative in side yet tasty. The special of the day is upgraded to a larger sub, a generous portion, and comes with a free drink cup.
As another reviewer stated, trash is often difficult to reach, and there are no free refills. The cup provided is not enough IMO, so I usually try to opt to pay additional for a beverage in the cooler.
Nice staff bumps it from 3 to 4 stars.
Recommended!

This place is a solid deli with fast and friendly service and good food. Lots of people from the patent office, nearby law offices and the federal court stop by here at lunch time.
Pro Tip: Come here on Wednesdays and try the special. It’s a marinated chicken sandwich and it’s delicious. Try it with the hot sauce in the squeeze bottle on the counter.
Complaints: no free refills, awkward path to trash container.

IMHO: Just a no-​frills deli, better spots in the area.
(+)Pro’s & (-)Con’s:
+Ok deli if it is convenient for you
–Unremarkable
# of Visits: 1
My Experience:
Not a whole lot to say here. They had a decent selection of items in the store, less so from behind the counter. The food was ok and the people were nice enough.