Italian Store (Lee Hwy meets Spout Run -- middle of nowhere Alrington)

Extremely popular deli/Italian grocer/eatery that serves some of the BEST subs/italian hoagies in the area. Waiting to place your order seems a time-honored tradition, but think on two things when you think you should not be waiting: 1) if these subs weren't this good, would there be this type of wait EVERYDAY? and 2) if other places made subs that were remotely close to being this good, would there be this type of wait EVERYDAY? Yeah, that's right. You wait until your number comes up.

Or you could get the to-go hoagies, but that's limited to two types, so if you want, you wait. And you'll like it.

The pizzas are so-so.

One of the first places we tried. We really found some gems early on here. Thank goodness for that! And when we first came, it didn't have any signage outside or anything. Some obscure place that had good reviews. You would have never known it was there. And still hard to see from the road.

Cost
$-$$

Cleanliness
Prep area seems clean enough.

Service
That's not what you're here for.

Pluses 
Best subs in the area
Outdoor seating

Minuses
You will wait
It's kind of out of the way
Only outdoor seating so if all the tables are taken, you take it to go

Overall value
One of the best bang-for-your-buck places.

Pizza Autentica (DC on 7th)

This place. Argh! So close to good pizza, but it's always something in this area. For Pizza Autentica, the dough is just too doughy. The sauce - very good. The toppings - good enough. The cheese - actually pretty good. The dough - too much!

The strombolis are good, though, and help counteract the dough issue. I like the veggie pizza (barring the dough), though a veggie coworker doesn't. A cheese slice with a light dusting of garlic powder is awesome...if not for that dang dough.

Cost
$

Cleanliness
It's fast food. You know what you're getting into...

Service
Good.

Pluses 
Good toppings
Good cheese blend
The behind-the-counter set-up is right (so easy to mess that up)

Minuses
The dough!
That door near the cash register

Overall value
Fair value, especially for DC. If you really can get over the major complaint...can you guess what it is? Think Homer Simpson...

Roti (DC in L'Enfant Shops)

This is a short-order, counter-order Mediterrean place in the newer part of the L'Enfant Plaza shops. Basically, the food is good but the cost is out of whack with the portion size. That's pretty much all I have to say.

And the line goes forever...amazing.

Cost
$$ (for counter-carry-out, this is ridiculous)

Cleanliness
It's fast food. You know what you're getting into...

Service
Good, at best.

Pluses 
Food is good
Sweet tea

Minuses
Price
Long, long line

Overall value
Not worth it, even for the area. A couple of seasoned meats over rice and a small side salad for $12 on counter order seems steep. Go read the Aladdin's Eatery write-up. That combo L ordered was about $12. Just as good and a heck of a lot more food. That's all I'm sayin'.

2 Sisters (formerly Wall St. Deli) (DC on C St)

You'll pass by this place and never bat an eye. That's a shame too because it's a pretty good deli. Not great, but for the immediate area, worth going to if you want either a deli sandwich...or a sizeable meat-rice-bean burrito. Nothing special about the place in terms of the shop. It's very utilitarian and straight-forward...except the separate line to pay.

So this is the one odd thing about the place.  There are effectively three lines -- one of the burritos, one for the sandwiches, and then one to pay. But the layout is a typical deli line (think Subway sandwich shop where you have meats, then veggies, then pay, but sub out burritos for meats, sandwiches for veggies, and pay is pay) And that third one is the troublesome one because you wonder "Are they in the sandwich line or the pay line?" It's just odd.
Otherwise, though, the meats taste fresh and as for the burritos, they are sufficient, though they could lay off the salt a little.

Cost
$-$$

Cleanliness
The prep line though looks pretty clean, and that's what matters. Otherwise, eh, it's a deli. Take it to go.

Service
It's counter-service. They're usually nice though.

Pluses 
Tasty
Consistent

Minuses
The line
A little too vanilla -- nothing draws you back, though the food IS good.

Overall value
Good enough. Nice change of pace for an area deprived of good eats.

Ray's Hell Burger (Clarendon) [CLOSED]

Burger joint that bustles like a weekend night at the Little Italy pizzeria in Athens, GA (packed).  Robust menu of burger options (wide selection of cheeses and toppings).  We probably should have gone to Ray's Too.  Something to go back for.  We wanted to stick to the original, not the imitator!

To remember:

• "Medium" came out "Medium rare".  "Medium well" was right.
• Oh, and free water ;-)
• CASH ONLY!

Cost
$$ = Casual restaurant price point (think somewhere between Panera and Ruby Tuesday's)

Cleanliness
Clean considering how busy it gets

Service
*** - Average (commendable given the pace)

Pluses 
Big burger!  Flame-broiled!  Cheeses galore!  And bone marrow topping??  Seriously?  A wealth of free toppings too.  Business is good (bad for parking, seating, see below).

Minuses
Parking is TERRIBLE. Finding a table can be a challenge.  Mac-n-cheese: noodles were soggy and one of the SEVEN cheeses was gritty (such promise!).


Overall value
Value-to-price ratio was good for the burger ($8 with cheese).  Fries are good.  Other sides aren't worth the extra cost, though, and can run the tab up quickly.

Definitely the place to go for a great burger.  (NOTE: For those who stumble upon this, yes, we've tried Five Guys.  We like this better.  Deal with it.)