Pret A Manger

This is a popular chain in the UK and, despite what that can sometimes mean for the quality of the food, I’ve always been satisfied with Pret. My first experience was several years ago in Heathrow whilst being starving and tired. However, several years later my experience has confirmed that it was not just desperation that caused me to enjoy myself! Well prepared and yummy food. Slightly pricier than some places, but nothing out of the ordinary!

This place is great for foreigners… apparently there are some in the DMV area too! The service was great and they offer a variety of sandwiches (both hot and cold), soups, and coffee/​tea. I didn’t know where to go for something cheap (I’m still adjusting to the price inflation here in the UK…) but I’m definitely glad I stopped in here! I’ve had the miso soup and Malaysian Chicken Curry soup here, which were both pretty tasty :)
So the verdict is, if you don’t know where to go for a cheap eat in City Centre, then this would be the place! Also, free wi-​fi is always a plus!

Pret A Manger is my favorite inexpensive lunch place in the UK. There are Prets all over England, but I only ate at the two in Oxford and one of the many in London. Every meal is good here, and always for pretty cheap.
They use real ingredients, and prepare everything the same day. They are an environmentally friendly restaurant with a great philosophy on sustainability and recycling. I can’t say enough great things about this place!

Hot drinks, hot food and pastries, cold sandwiches and drinks, imaginatively-​flavoured crisps, and the best chocolate brownies of any chain — this is a great place to grab a lunch if you are not too concerned about the cost. Do it every day, however, and it soon adds up! If Pret were slightly cheaper I suspect it would be even busier, however. It can be horrendously busy at times, which is off-​putting. The shop is small and getting to the fridge, for example, can be quite tricky without inadvertently queue-​jumping. But it’s worth the wait.

I avoided this place for ages because there are so many great independent sandwich shops in Oxford. The thing is, a chain is often a sign of a good idea that’s spread far, and in this case Pret a Manger has found its niche in natural, fresh ingredients and unusual sandwiches and soups.
In fact, I think it should get more credit for its soups. They’re organic and delightfully chunky, although with flavours like sweet red pepper and chicken souk, they’re often too spicy for me. (Although to be fair, I can only just handle korma when I get an Indian.)
There’s a huge range of sandwiches, my current favourite being Mature Cheddar, Roasted Tomatoes & Pickle Bloomer. The specials of the week are well worth checking out, although the nature of specials is unfortunately that they’re not around much. This is one criticism I’d have of Pret — it often runs out of some flavousr of sandwiches, so you can’t really go in expecting to buy a certain one.
It’s vegetarian and usually vegan friendly, and there’s an excellent selection of fruit juices, crisps and croissants. They have a motto: ‘Diets are sad, eat with your head’. I say eat with your heart and enjoy lunch.