Pret A Manger

Pret is similar to Starbucks in the number of customers and in the number of chain stores in the area, but has more food options and much better coffee. I was pleasantly surprised about the taste of the organic coffee for it’s price. I got a mocha and while it was a little sweet for me and not as flavorful as coffee you’d get from a good artisanal coffee shop, it did the trick. I wish there were Prets near me instead of Starbucks!

I just moved to DC and had just finished a job interview. This was my first time at one of their locations and I mentioned this because I was acting like an idiot, thinking about my interview and not sure if I was in the right line, this being busy lunch time. The cashier, Rosa, hearing it was my first time asked the manager about giving me a complimentary first visit. To whoever is managing this location, (I’m a chef, btw), I wanted to pass on that Rosa, earned you a repeat customer. A paying customer!

Grabbed a regular cup of coffee and a pain chocolat. Overall, it was a good and inexpensive breakfast. If you need to grab a quick bite for breakfast, this place works.

Delicious food! Coffee is very good too. Would haven five stars but the girl who waited on us was very rude.

Friendly and fast, but I’ve noticed a consistent mosquito problem this summer, both inside and out! Avoid the patio if you don’t want to be eaten alive.

Good coffee, good breakfast sandwiches, good location… nasty server… Not what you want to see first thing in the morning.

PRET A MANGER: READY TO EAT
Pret A Manger is a French word that means «ready to eat.» An example of this word used in a sentence is, «Pret A Manger is a chain of sandwich/​coffee shops headquarted in London, England that has expanded across the World.» Now here is an example of two recent experiences at Pret A Manger that I had a couple of weeks back vacationing in Washington, DC.
When we stayed at the Homewood Suites off of Thomas Circle, we were fortunate to be surrounded by several coffee houses and sandwich shops. One of those was Pret A Manger. This would be the second location that I’d been to. I was impressed with the Pret A Manger inside a Chicago Loop Target and had high hopes of returning to one. This time instead of enjoying organic coffee in the vicinity of the Chicago Theatre I was enjoying it across the street from McPherson Square and two blocks from the White House.
This is a decent size Pret A Manger made up of two rooms. The room where you walk in is made up of the food case, cash register, and coffee. The second room is the cozy room that ideal to take a break from touring Washington DC. Regardless that it is a couple of blocks from the White House there are zero pictures of the US President or the Nation’s Capital landmarks. The pictures celebrate the virtues of Pret A Manger’s mission of handmade natural food. The picture that best portrays Pret A Manger’s mission statement reads:
«Pret creates handmade natural food avoiding the obscure chemicals, additives and preservatives common to so much of the prepared and fast food on the market today.»
What the pictures pass over saying is that, at the end of the day instead of throwing the food away or serving it the next day, it goes to charity. The pictures also passed over saying that the company allows staff members to give away a certain amount of coffee to customers. Preferably happy customers.
The ready to eat meals are displayed on a large display case that to my eyes look more like a Whole Food’s than a café. Honestly, the display case undermines the quality of the food. It is natural to look at a display case and think that the food was not made on the same day. But, Pret A Manger claims that the food is made fresh daily and I’ll take their word on it. That ham and cheese croissant was tasty. After finishing it, I would like to try a Pret A Manger sandwich, sushi, salad, baguette, or soup.
Pret A boire is a French word that means ready to drink coffee. I am a coffee beverage fan that probably spends more a month on coffee beverages than the power bill. My main intention to visiting Pret A Manger was for Pret A boire. This is no ordinary coffee. This is organic coffee. I ordered the Café Americana that was good to the last drop.
«S’ il yous plait venire a Las Vegas» is a French sentence meaning «Please come to Las Vegas.» Currently there are zero Pret A Manger’s near my home in Las Vegas. Hopefully one day they will expand to Las Vegas and just maybe I’ll get to try a Pret A Manger sandwich, soup, or sushi with premium organic coffee that is good to the last drop.

Great fresh food, tasty coffee and tea, nice location, great prices! Would recommend to anyone looking for a quick coffee stop

Croissants & coffee were good. Music blaring like a disco. Tables dirty. Asked for a latte & you would think I asked for a hamburger… got this blank stare & barista had to call downstairs for help because she didn’t know how to make a latte?! Just weird.
This place could use a lot of work

I don’t often consider taking the time to review a chain or «on-​the-​go» type place however I thought that this place deserved a favorable mention. The staff here is always friendly and welcoming, even early in the morning. The hot and cold food is always well maintained. I often sit outside to enjoy my lunch and this space is also well maintained with a nice view of the park. Great place to grab and go as well! Try the «love bite» mini desert/​snack, it’s delicious and the perfect size.

Excellent service here. Always there to help when you have questions.
They even brought our hot drinks and soup to the table so we didn’t have to wait by register.

I went here this morning to grab a fast breakfast and was pleasantly surprised. I ordered the southwestern wrap, which ended up being warm, slightly spicy, and filling. I also ordered an americano. The woman preparing my americano asked if I would like to leave room for milk, which I declined. She then stated, «I’ll give you an extra shot of espresso if that’s okay.» Heck yeah that’s more than okay. Oh, and the coffee is very smooth and delicious!
Talk about a great experience!

Yeah, I’d give minus one if I could. I love Pret. I love Pret coffee. I was in the UK last week and I had a great flat white every time I passed a Pret. I noticed even Starbucks is doing flat whites, so I asked if Pret could make me one at this location. Yes, they said, would I like an extra shot. Yes I said. Got my coffee. Took it up the dentist with me (Pret a few doors down from Washington Center for dentistry). Took a sip. Hot milk. No coffee. Returned with by now cold hot milk two hours later (long visit, x-​rays, $$) and asked for coffee. First, attitude from staff. Did you buy this today? Well yes, from you actually, do you want to see the receipt? The brownie bite? And do you really think I would return day old coffee? And then, not to be difficult, I decided to have a latte, since flat white is not on the menu and I wondered if I’d caused the problem by ordering off menu. So I have a latte with an extra shot. I get into my car. I take a sip. I wonder WTF is wrong with me that I didn’t take a sip IN THE RESTAURANT. Because, you got it, HOT MILK. I suppose their machine was on the fritz or something. This milk was very, very faintly tinged with brown color, not flavor. Was I really the only customer to complain? Oh wait, I have a vague memory of one employee saying to the other, this is the third one. So what three people come back and you can’t check? Arghghg.
And rude as well. So. not. pret.

I stayed across the street for a conference and Pret A Manger was a convenient choice. I went two times during my stay and purchased Pret’s Chicken Noodle Soup; Pret’s Chef Salad and Chicken Avocado Salad, both with Skinny Honey Dijon Vinaigrette. I enjoyed the soup both times, which came with a complimentary sliced bread. I prefer the Chicken Avocado Salad and over the Pret’s Chef Salad as I did not like the bacon in the Chef Salad.

Just not a fan of their small portions, high prices and some interesting menu concoctions. They’re always packed so they’re doing something right. The smaller sandwiches are probably attractive to some people.

Like any other Pret, this shop has a selection of time-​apropos food all day. Stop by in the morning for oatmeal or a breakfast sandwich or at lunch for a sandwich, salad, or soup. They are on the slightly more expensive side, but the food is made daily and there are a range of vegetarian offerings. Employees have even been known to give a way a packet of dressing for free.

This place is right next to my work so I always go here for convenience. It’s expensive but hey ya get what ya pay for. Although I can’t bring myself to pay 3 – 4 dollars for half a sandwich. My go to is the little cup of goodness. Greek yogurt with brown sugar and cinnamon at the bottom, granola, and green apples. It’s my favorite breakfast/​snack option. I’ve also had the oatmeal/​quinoa too and I enjoy it as well.
I love love love their Tomato Feta soup. I feel guiltless when I eat it because it’s so low cal. The soup is so flavorful and doesn’t disappoint!
One complaint is that some of their stuff can be too sugary and I’ve felt sick numerous times eating their sweeter options and drinking the lattes. Everyone’s got different preferences regarding sugar levels though.

Love the food. It is a great grab and go place or a casual spot to catch up with a friend.

I have passed Pret A Mangers in DC & NY so many times and never visited one. Finally I stopped in because I was in a hurry and needed to eat ASAP and not spend a ton of money. I guess part of it was my own expectations — I didn’t know what these places were like. I thought it was more freshly prepared food, not grab and go.
The pre-​prepared food was just not great. At all. Very disappointed.

This place gets all the stars because they will GIVE your FREE coffee sometimes. I went in around 3:00 pm the other day after a meeting and when I went to ring up my coffee, the guy said «Thanks! See you next time!» I was a little confused at first so I pulled out my wallet. He shook his head and made a shoeing motion towards the door. I got the picture at that point.
Pret does a couple of interesting things to keep with their model of fresh food FAST. The pre-​made sandwiches are never soggy and always good for some reason. How do they do it?! Bread quality is one thing. Cheap soft bread tends to absorb moisture and get soggy but they use hearty (but not mealy) bread that holds up against tomato and mayo pretty well.
The egg sandwiches in the morning are made from hard boiled eggs. Another smart idea. A cold scrambled egg sandwich is just wrong but a cold hard-​boiled egg with ham is right on the money! SMART!
Fianlly, the coffee here is unmatched! How come no one else has figured out how to brew and server actual good coffee? Even places that just do coffee suck at coffee. Get the dark roast. It is so thick, low acid, and smooth. The best cup this side of China Town.
If anyone knows of another coffee join in the area that is good, let me know!!!