Ready To Eat?
Yesterday we caught workers putting up signs for Pret A Manger, the London based salad & sandwich shop, at 1155 F St NW (corner of 11th & F). The first of these stores opened in DC in January of 2009, and just a year later it looks like PQ is about to get one too. McDonald’s at one time owned a 33% stake in this chain (which is now owned by the private equity group Bridgepoint), so it should have good staying power in our high rent neighborhood. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite you can check out the menu as well.
While we still miss the Popeyes that used to be in that location, it’s nice to have fewer empty storefronts. We’re curious to see if the store has weekend hours, or if it will only cater to the weekday crowd.
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Comments
Oh, yea!! The only thing that would make this better is if they would serve the chain’s UK menu vs the US one. Bring on the Ploughman’s sandwich please!!!
Ooh! I love Pret a Manger! It is a great option for lunch. Sandwiches are really good – fresh and well priced. A healthy ‘fast food’ option and great addition to the neighborhood!
I used to walk to the one on I and 16th street – I love it so much. I like how they have different size sandwiches depending on how many calories I have left in my day
Glad there will be one in the neighborhood now!
I patronize the Farragut West Pret location for lunch every once in a while and the food is fine. some of what Pret offers in the way of prepped foods is now being mimiced by the remodeled CVS on 8th Street (cross D/E St) which redid their floor layout for the better and put ready to eat sandwiches in a cooler case close to the entrance/exit. west of 10th and east of 15th there isn’t any residential living downtown except along Mass Ave so it’s the office/hotel/tourist crowd Pret is after.
Looks like new places come in, but what’s going on with the Starbucks at 7th and H? Looks like everything is wrapped up inside and saw some workers ripping some cabinet doors off their hinges tonight.
I overheard workers at the Pepco Starbucks say that the Starbucks at 7th & H is undergoing a renovation.
Be still my heart!! I can never make it over to the Farragut West location, so this is great! I also hope they stay open on weekends
Yay! I actually wrote to Pret a Manger a while back asking them to come in to PQ, and now my pleas have been answered! 😉
On the one hand I’m excited because I loved Pret while (whilst) living in London. On the other hand, the menu seems to bear little resemblance. What’s great about Pret UK was that they had unique and fresh ingredients but it’s still recognizably “lunch” — some distinctly English (LOVED coronation chicken, also ploughman’s sandwich) and some not (why is it so hard to do crawfish and arugula in the US? Crawfish, Louisiana, arugula, everywhere. Ditto smoked salmon). I think they’ve changed the essence, and therefore the brand, in the US by catering to American tastes, when Americans just need to step up to the challenge of something a little different for lunch.
All that being said, I’ll be first in line at the new location!
I cast another vote for some of the British menu items. Iwas quite disappointed not to find a real Pret menu but still welcome them to our neighborhood.
Likewise – I was thrilled to bits to see signs going up for a Pret a Manger there at 11th & F, and emailed everybody I know who works around that area. Alas, like some comments above, when I looked at the menu online – I was horribly disappointed to see it’s not a patch on the British menu! I was also shocked that McDonald’s used to have a 33% stake in the franchise! Thankfully no more. And yes, I agree it’s wonderful that Wagamamas & Ping Pong are also in the offing. And don’t forget Nando’s. NOW, all we need is a Marks & Spencers in the PQ Quarter!! Their foods are THE BEST! Not to mention their other products.
I remember going to Pret in London last spring and agree that menu is better and people would go for it. What makes this new Pret different from any other sandwich shop around downtown?
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Yippeeeeee!!! I am so happy to see the London based chains (Wagamama, Ping Pong and now Pret A Manger) coming to PQ. They remind me of home
That Mixt Greens salad place (in the old Organic To Go spot) sounds pretty good too. Let’s hope that these places will be open on the weekends!