Avoid!!!! High prices, nasty food! The place was not as clean as I would have liked. 7.50 for a sandwich. I'm from NY and am used to high prices but that was a little ridiculous for chicken salad with nothing else on it. I asked for my sandwich to be grilled (that had a grilled sandwich menu). They told me this was a cold sandwich so they could not grill it. read more

Good salad - fresh lettuce, other veggies, eggs and added tuna. Great selection of chips. Meatball sub was good. Son ordered chicken nuggets and those were so-so. read more

There are many place to eat but this is the best place in this area good quality food and good ppl. stake & cheese, hand carved turkey sandwich are the best. No complaints! ! read more

Walked in 20 min to close and they had already put everything away. No one welcomed us, just kept cleaning. When I asked if they were still open, they informed me we could only get a tuna sandwich or a chicken salad. We walked right out. Terrible customer service for a restaurant. If you're open til 330, stay open til 330! read more

With not much other than Potbelly's in the immediate area Twelve makes good sandwiches and has good attention to detail. The reason for the low rating is their inflexibility. I walked in two times in the past week at approximately 10:32am, and was the only customer. They refused to make breakfast sandwiches after 10:30am. I'd understand if there was a lot that would need to be done in order to prepare for the lunch service, but the bread is there, the bacon is pre-made, the cheese is out, and all it takes is to cook an egg. Additionally, they are about $2 more expensive for their lunch sandwiches when compared to other similar places in the area (e.g., Phillips cafe (metro center), or AHRA (Rosslyn)). read more

Walked from the holocaust museum for lunch. Potbelly's was entirely too packed this little gem was perfect. Fresh meat, plenty of side options, extremely friendly staff. My husband used the term "sandwich perfection." Few seating options but we lucked out and got seats at the corner window. read more

The best sandwiches I've ever had. Mr and Mrs. Kim are the best!!! I strongly suggest the steak and cheese sandwich. I can literally eat here everyday!! :) read more

If I could give zero stars I would right now. I just had the most ridiculous dining experience of my life here and will NEVER go back and tell everyone I work with not to either. I arrived at 10:35. Apparently breakfast ends at 10:30. I wanted a bagel with egg salad. Literally, sitting in front of me, was a tray with probably 30 bagels and a vat of egg salad. Which they refused to sell to me because "breakfast is over". I even spoke to the manager. Perhaps they have a new owner because I have never had an experience like that before - anywhere. I have gotten there when they were out of bagels, but there was literally an entire tray sitting in front of me. If you cannot be reasonable, you lose my business and I will share this ridiculousness with everyone I work with in the area that might go there. read more

I ate a late lunch here today with a friend. We ordered and shared the grilled vege pita and the CA chicken sandwich ($7 each). Both orders were easy to customize and had a flavorful yet clean, non-greasy taste. We sat down at stools facing the window, looking out at the city. The cafe is small and cozy but has very limited seating that made the atmosphere cramped at times. We also went back to the front to order a giant chocolate chunk cookie ($2). The staff was very friendly and accommodating and we left feeling satisfied. read more

not much to eat south of the mall. found this place after the really bad tour of the office of engraving bonus points for the fact that when we walked in they were hand cutting meat off of a whole turkey for sammies too bad it didn't taste all that good better choice though than getting a slice from a food truck read more

This place is weird. I ordered mozzarella sticks. When I got them I asked for marinara sauce and they didn't have any. Who sales mozzarella sticks without the sauce??? no one! read more

This little sandwich shop was fantastic. They carve the meat as they make your sandwich and have great bread options, like multi-grain. We were really hungry and there wasn't much else around there -- it is near the Holocaust Museum -- and were really glad to have found this little lunch place. read more

Great place! This is a gem if you work on the Mall since there are hardly any lunch options available within a short walking distance. I got a veggie wrap and it was delicious! Avocado and sprouts on a sandwich are my favorite, and they had olive oil to top it off. They fresh-cut the carrots and cucumber right in front of you onto your sandwich. They do this with the meat too, which is great! read more

Ok, not bad, a little disappointed that at 1 pm their pre-made salads were sold out so we were forced to take a sandwich. Tuna a little try but the corned beef and turkey are cooked on the premise and were really good. No frills, and limited seating so we wound up eating in our vehicle. Probably will not return too many other options. read more

Neat ambience tucked in a quiet street. If you are lactose intolerant you won't find any soy or non dairy creamer. Prices are good. Eggs were super bland. read more

Great sandwich shop. The meat is sliced right there when making your sandwich. Great flavor and bread. Nice service and selection.

I've been here a few times and their sandwiches are good enough. I will caution anyone not to get anything with bacon on it. I ordered a BLT with extra bacon and the bacon was pretty dry and cardboardy. It pretty much crumbled and fell out of the sandwich. Maybe they microwave it....idk. if you're a bacon lover....this is not the place for you. read more

Went based on other yelp reviews and I'm glad I did. Was looking for lunch near Smithsonian metro that wasn't a hot dog cart and loved this place's sandwiches. I didn't understand when other comments said "hand carved meat" they literally meant "hand carved off hunks of meat." I assumed they ran it through a deli slicer, but was pleasantly surprised to see the server carve slices off a turkey for my sandwich. Also have great selection of chips. Admittedly they only have limited table/counter space to eat in the cafe, but most people who work in the area were getting their lunch to go so it wasn't a problem when I visited. Highly recommend. read more

quick service, reasonable prices. $20 for two sandwiches, chips and one bottle of water. Food was fresh and moist. Limited seating read more

Cafe Twelve - Sandwiches Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The food was great but the service was awful. The man who appeared to be the boss, or manager, was rude and nearly refused to make my sister a sandwich she asked for THAT HE HAD JUST AGREED TO MAKE FOR MYSELF. Hours indicate that they close at 330pm but when they started flipping up every chair and stool around us and taking apart the fountain machine while we were still eating, I asked if they were closing early. The same rude man from behind the counter said "We closed" while motioning to the door in response and went along with what he was doing. So, we packed up the rest of our food and headed out into the rain. read more

Great for breakfast or lunch and fair prices. Friendly staff make you want to come back often.

A very medium sandwich shop. In terms of the "hand carved" reviews, they do hand carve turkey and it was good, but we also ordered roast beef and it was average. The shop itself, lacks all personality and the staff is stiff. It is not worth going out of your way for. read more

How come they charge u for a paper bag when it is reusable that is really bad I gave one star but It deserve cero.

I love this place, the sandwiches are very delicious, especially the one with steak and cheese, my favorite. I like the interior, it looks fancy and there is classical music always~~~The staff put special ingredients which is love and kindness!!** read more

Unfortunately I have had to eat at this place because it is near my office. However, recently I asked the girl who was making my sandwich if she could put on a fresh pair of gloves. She did and then the owner came out and told me I was no longer welcome to eat there because he could not have other customers seeing me ask for a glove change. The owner didn't ask why I wanted a glove change. I am shocked a restaurant would rather not serve a customer then have its employees change their disposable gloves once in a while, especially at the request of a customer. Pretty gross. read more

Fresh, delicious, relaxed, and friendly. I would recommend this reasonable sandwich shop to friends and fellow DC visitors!

Small sandwich shop, but great quality sandwiches at a reasonable price. Meats were carved in front of you and the veggies were freshly cut. Certainly a nice find for our family. read more

Just started working around here and started ordering from this place. After about my 5th visit, the big boss who works the cash register, after ringing me up and asking if I wanted a bag, I said no. Then as I was trying to handle the order, an umbrella and something else I had, I realized that I did need a bag. When I asked big boss for a bag, telling him I would pay him the 5cents tomorrow, he acted like I ruined his day, got a little huffy with me, and the rest is history. Needless to say, I am glad to not spend another cent with this disrespector of customer. And I love it. Fool so stupid he lost a regular customer for a 5-cent paper bag. Could have stayed in his own third world world and dissed his own people instead of coming here to do it to Americans. No prob with the food........it's the schitty attitude of the proprietor that keeps me out. read more

Avoid the roast beef. This place nickels and dimes its customers for every little extra topping - I'm surprised they don't charge for lettuce -- and they clearly extend this penny-pinching to their suppliers. Worst roast beef I have ever had, it was basically raw (and not in a good beef tartar kind of way). I ended up taking half the meat off my sandwich just to be able to eat it. read more

Food is delicious, prices reasonable. My wife has the gyro which was amazing, my turkey sandwich was pretty good as well. There is almost no seating, and the staff were completely unhelpful. read more

I got the vegetarian sandwich, which was pretty good, but when we got here at 2:30 they were already closing and most everything was put away (door sign and Yelp both say they're open until 3:30). They were nice enough but I felt bad getting food when everything seemed packed up and the chairs were on top of the table. Seemed odd to me. read more

A decent small sandwich shop. Nothing necessarily outstanding, but solid fresh ingredients. We had a veggie wrap and all veggies were cut fresh to order, nothing precut from that morning which was impressive. read more

They have really good sandwiches and wraps. It's kinda like a subway but with different sandwiches or you can choose off a menu. They are very specific with how they make sandwiches. Only complaint is if you don't have a map it would be way to miss. read more

Great and fast lunch option! Turkey is sliced as you wait. Breads are fresh and delicious! Limited seating.

Just here visiting from Florida, great food, super clean, and fabulously priced! Staff was awesome.

Just a fair warning for everyone wanting to come here. They do not accommodate warming meat. I asked them to simply warm the turkey for just a bit as I am pregnant was told by medical professionals to have meat warmed. They stated that if they do it for me they have to do it for everyone. I did not ask for an authentic sandwich. Merely to warm the turkey for a minute. They have the oven there and available. They only do the steak sandwich and chicken sandwich. What if a customer doesn't eat steak or chicken? I understand I can go elsewhere but a store that doesn't feel like they need to make a simple accommodation for a pregnant woman isn't a store that deserves my money ever again. When I talked to the owner he tried to downplay it. Not ok and even bordering discrimination. It's called reasonable accommodation. Again I can go to another store but I find the lack of sensitivity a deal breaker. read more

This place is great! Steak and Cheese is made to perfection. Sub roll is okay, I prefer the sub rolls from Costco though I don't know the difference in style. Turkey used for Turkey wrap or sandwich is hand carved from roasted turkey. Customer service is friendly and courteous. Can get a little price with chips and drink but its competive to other shops in this area. The rents are probably high. Anyways if you are on the Mall or at the nearby Smithsonian, or Le'fant then stop by. A little before 12 or after 1pm will be less crowded but it never gets too bad during lunch time. Not sure why the 2 low reviews below. One review stating staff a little stiff. Look, I come in for a good sandwich not to become friends with the staff; not that I wouldn't, just saying focus on friendly service and good quality food. This is a deli not a 6 star restaurant. Other review about them serving breakfast after a certain time. Good they didn't serve you they have to stick to their process that works. Get there earlier. read more

What can I say? Unfortunately I've been to Cafe 12 several times because I work in the area and there is very little to choose from. Ordering is chaotic, there are no signs directing you where to place your order. You have to queue up in front of the sandwhich makers and when its busy you're likey to get hit by the door which enters in to the building lobby. The selection of food is extremely limited (turkey, roast beef, ham and maybe two 'hot' sandwich. The food is extremely overpriced and, as another reviewer mentioned, the owners are pretty stingy. The sandwich fillings are measured on a scale and if you want anything extra (ie cheese) you will pay for it. The food is not gross but blah. You could buy the same ingredients at the supermarket and make 6 sandwiches for what you would pay for one at Cafe 12. It also takes forever to get your food when the place is busy. Skip it and go to the Potbelly up the street. read more