Capitol Cafe & Salad Bar

I wasn’t too terribly impressed with this joint, which is in my girlfriend’s building. Although I’ll admit that I showed up at 1:45pm, the food was almost cold even under the heat lamps. The mac and cheese was good, the ham was okay (a little too fatty for me personally), the fruit salad was great, but I was just really disappointed at how the place seemed like after the lunch rush, they just didn’t care to keep the trays fresh.
Additionally, it was really expensive: for the above items and some chicken and rice with a bottle of water, it was $ 15. They also didn’t tare the weight of the container, so you’re paying for that, too.
There’s also a supposed «$ 5 minimum for credit card purchases.» Don’t let them fool you, this is against the rules of every card processor-​merchant agreement ever.
The place has potential, but definitely needs to keep FIFOing stuff as the day goes on, some people do take late lunches.

Love the variety of food choices, friendly and attentive staff. Also doesn’t hurt to talk to the good looking cashier for a little bit while I’m paying: p

You would be crazy if you are willing to go through the Capitol Visitor Center’s security checkpoint just to dine here. Capitol Café is a convenient food stop for tourists especially those who are planning to explore the nearby Supreme Court and Library of Congress. It’s certainly not a quality food café, but it still serves decent food that is above the usual expectation for tourist-​centric food places.
The Café offers a wide selection of hot and cold food options ranging from BBQ to pizza to sushi. The food is actually in decent quality, and despite its higher prices by normal standard, I thought the prices were still reasonable compared to many tourist-​centric food establishments.
There is no walk-​able food options in the immediate proximity of U.S. Capitol so you should grab a bite here if you are planning to explore the Capitol more or go to the Supreme Court and Library of Congress. Capitol Café is not bad as the only option, but if you are planning to leave the area, there is really no reason to pay extra money for the food here.

Great fresh, well presented and tasty food. Even though this is buffet salad bar and pay by weigh style place, for the area and what’s else close by, it’s a bit upscale. Clean and great customer service. The salads and asian style food are all great. Can get very healthy food here too.

I work near this place, and I’ve been going to this place for lunch and breakfast for years.
For breakfast you can have bagels with cream cheese, donuts, muffins, a fruit bar and a hot breakfast bar with various eggs, mini omelettes with cheese, hash browns, tater tots, oatmeal, all kinds of stuff. Anything you ever wanted for breakfast.
At lunch they have hot and cold sandwiches made to order, a salad bar with everything you’d ever want, and a hot food bar that has different items on different days but there is always something very good.
It has a nice seating area with some big screen TVs. One thing I like is the staff. There are people who have been working there for years and years, and one must draw the conclusion that they treat them well and pay them well for them to stay at that job for so long so I feel good about going to a place like this.
The only problem is that it’s expensive. It’s not over priced for the area because it’s a very expensive area, but I try to bring lunch from home now because of the priciness.

Salad bar bar winner! Obviously designed for local business people but everything that everyone else could want in a salad bar and sandwich bar. Lots of options and all fresh. Great quick stop to refuel. You pay by the pound on the salad bar area and you can order custom sandwiches also!

They have a decent selection but they are skimpy and extremely overpriced about everything. If you want a sandwich with real meat in it you have to pay extra. The buffet is done by weight. A pint sized salad will end up running you over $ 7. Their drinks (aside from cans of soda) are about double the going rate. You’ll do yourself a favor by just walking up the street to the West Wing Café. Much better food selection and better prices.

The quality of the food has changed considerably in the years I have been working in the area. It is the only sandwich place in the immediate area so many times I go ther eout of convenience.
This morning I ordered a breakfast sandwich on raisin bread & was charged 70 cents extra. There was no sign that stated that raisin bread was extra. I mentioned that to the lady making the sandwiches & she rudely told me to tell her boss, which I did. He kindly gave me the 70 cents off but I was still very disturbed by the way the woman at the grill spoke to me.
After a few bad experiences there with the food being bland or greasy or just not as good as it usually is, I doubt I will be back for a while.

Great variety, fresh food. Great quick lunch.

Capitol Café is a reliable place to grab a quick lunch. They have the hot food and salad bar by the pound set up, as well as a hot and cold sandwich bar. The sandwich bar isn’t very well operated. They try to remember all of the grill orders without writing them down and my order has been forgotten on a few occasions.
This place can really fill up around the noon rush. Although the checkout lines will seem long, they move people through very quickly.
Keep in mind that they close mid-​afternoon, so don’t expect to get something on your way out of work. Also, this is a cash-​only business. They have an ATM inside the café.

First of all, this place has a virtual monopoly in the area as very few other options are out there.
I have been dining at Capitol Café for 6 years and until recently have had very good experiences, although the food was never super, just average. Last week (9.17.09) I got food poisoning from the salad bar. I was not able to determine if it was the ceasar salad or the grilled chicken, but it was definetely food poisoning. With the number of times I have eaten there, I guess I am surprised it didn’t happen earlier. I will not eat from the bar again, and I would caution anybody to dine carefully from any food bar.
Finally, the service at the sandwich counter is typically great. The grill and deli sandwich side make great sandwiches. However, a newer male employee on the cold sandwich side does not listen when you place your order and consistently screws up my meal. Getting very frustrating. They need to teach him to listen better.