John's Cafe - Fairfax

I 'm so done. I had upgraded John 's after several bad experiences because they finally started getting orders right. (Weird that I upgraded them for something that should just be standard restaurant practice, I know. I was feeling positive about John 's for several months, simply because they make an OK sandwich and finally got orders right. Then today, after ordering a sandwich with no tomato and no mayonnaise, the lady puts it on the counter and says, no lettuce, tomato! Uh, what? I ask her to confirm, You mean no tomato, no mayonnaise, right? Yes! she replies. Nope. Disgusting, terrible, sloppy, soggy mayo everywhere when I get back upstairs with my sandwich. And also, yeah, no lettuce. Derp. I don 't know what to do. I audibly confirm my order multiple times at this place, they say it back to me, and it 's still wrong. I 'm not going to meticulously unwrap every single sandwich and inspect it before taking it from the counter. I shouldn 't have to. It 's not that difficult to just listen, write it down if you have to, and get the order right. I guess I 'll be bringing protein bars for lunch.

John's Cafe is a little lunch spot in my office building. The food is not so great, but it's just downstairs so I end up going there all the time. It's definitely overpriced for what you're getting, but they have a decent variety for a little cafeteria. The first few times I had the sandwiches, I liked them, but they get really old really fast. Some of the better sandwiches are the chicken philly sub, the club on wheat toast, the pulled pork (every other Wednesday), and the chicken teriyaki wrap. The hot bar is always disappointing and really over-priced. I think it's around $6 per pound, and the food sits there from 9am on, and seems to be recycled from day to day. Most of the hot bar items are bland and under-seasoned except for the soup, which is too salty. I definitely stick with the made-to-order sandwiches!

I've had to frequent John's Cafe numerous time when I can't get out of the office for lunch. They redecorated the cafe but they really should have spent the money used on decorations on upping the quality of the foods they use. Instead you can tell they use cheap quality products and put super high costs for them since they know people stuck in the building will eat. The hot food bar isn't hot half the time and costs more per pound $6.99) than Whole Foods! I don't have anything good to say about the ordered sandwiches either, as the products used to make them are overly processed and subpar. Breakfast is average. It's really theft at its best for the quality taste of food versus the cost. I try to stay away from here as much as possible.

I give five stars to the Philly Chicken, and that's the only dish worth mentioning. Make sure to order it with hot sauce for the best experience. Everything else deserves a negative two-star rating. Honestly, if you want a good meal, just stick to the Philly Chicken.

I tend to steer clear of the hot buffet, but it usually looks appetizing; I'd rather go out to eat at that point. Sometimes, though, some of the dishes can appear unappealing (like the light pink salmon fillet), but they typically offer a variety of 'Asian' options alongside more classic cafeteria dishes. Overall, it’s a solid option if you've forgotten your lunch and are okay with grabbing a wrap or salad for $6 to $8. It's a convenient choice if you want to save the 20 to 30 minutes it would take to go somewhere else for food and make it back to the office.