MLK Deli — Restaurant in Washington

Amazing food!! I'm starting to be a regular....The main attraction is of course the Crab Cake. it's 100% lump and it's a beast!!! All Killer, no filter here. At $15 it's standard price for a GREAT all lump no filling crabcake. Folks on here talking about it's expensive are used to those cheap quality ones elsewhere in the city. This is one of the best in the DMV PERIOD. You go to any good crabcake spot a good 4 oz no filling Crabcake gonna set you back $15 at least. Faidley's in Baltimore is $15 too. Want the 11 oz at Koko's in Baltimore - same price as the 11 oz one here ($25) G&M in Anne Arundel is $15 for a 4 oz - and those are probably my two favorites in Maryland. Any top notch crab spot gonna set you back for the uncut no filler. I also absolutely am just as in love with the Veggie Burger. The best one I've ever had. I swear he put meat in it!! This place is a revelation here in Congress Heights as we are in the worst food desert in DC hands down....Nothing but crappy carryouts and one legit sitdown family spot in the whole area (IHOP). They also one time had a Seafood Lasanga that was unbelievable!! Shrimp, crab Scallops. Well worth every penny of the $20 I paid for it!! Great Cole slaw and homemade sauce for the crabcake. Refreshing to have a restaurant putting out quality food and healthier options as well. But if you being greedy - also helps that Rita's is right next door!!

Cons: The sides selection is quite limited. It's pretty much Cole Slaw or potato salad and chips. That's all. They make everything to order so food takes quite a while to make - but oooooh is it worth the wait!! That said this is NOT the place to come if you have a limited amout of time or say a short lunch break - Gotta work on that fellas y'all got SERIOUS BUSINESS coming in the next two years as Congress Heights gentrifies and grows (The Stadium opens in November, Homeland coming by 2020!) . So you can expect to wait if you don't call 30min to 1hr ahead. Parking also very limited on Alabama Ave. So you might have to walk a block or two depending on what time you go. None of these cons are deal breakers for me as their customer service is Excellent and they do value your business and patience.

I am a proud new resident of Congress Heights, but a LIFETIME native Washingtonian (Brookland/North Michigan Park Represent!) and I can say this is a top 10 carryout/deli HANDS DOWN!! #1 for crabcakes. They have other options I haven't tried yet that all look amazing, from the Reuben to the Uncle Lukes Chicken Sandwhich, and the Jive Turkey Sandwhich...The Brioche Bun they put the sandwhiches on is toasted to perfection!! If you are a true foodie you have to eat here or you haven't really had a good crabcake in DC proper. I put this up there with any great crabcake spot in Maryland. Definitely better than Jerry's and right there with Faidleys (Faidleys's is a little bigger and cheaper) - but I don't need to run to Baltimore or Anne Arundel County when I'm feeing for a good...

MLK Deli is a stand out restaurant in a ward that has fewer options than other wards and it needs to stay forever. MLK Deli is in Congress Heights on a strip with several other businesses (a bodega, liquor store, a laundry mat, and a top rated ice cream shop- Capitol City Creamery). If you aren't looking for it, you can easily walk by it. Don't. Look for the black and white "MLK Deli" lit sign and enter.

It's in the basement of a row house and has no tables to sit and enjoy your meal. That's okay. Order a sandwich, chips, and drink and wait for your order in the side room. There are photos of MLK and a beautiful art piece of MLK, Obama, and several other inspiring figures from history.

In terms of food, it's actually really good. I ordered a fried chicken sandwich with a soda and it was only $8! The sandwich was bigger than you expected with a grilled bun, a large slice of fried chicken, and mumbo (DC's famed sauce). Don't expect it to be like any other fried chicken sandwich you've had. It's really good and unique!

The only complaint is how slow it is (that's why they didn't get a five star rating). The service is friendly, but it took us 40 minutes to get our sandwiches. Delis are meant to have quick service.

Speed aside, it's still a great...

It's so sad I've been to this place a few times. And everytime it has got increasingly worst. This most recent visit put the icing on the cake. My fiancé and I ordered a chicken sandwich and crab cake sandwich. After waiting 30 minutes I was informed my crab cake sandwich still was not ready after we were told this would only be 10 minutes of a wait. Instead of trying to do anything to remedy the situation we were told we would need to wait another 15 minutes. 45 MINUTES FOR A CRAB CAKE SANDWICH? That's absolutely insane. When my fiancé got his chicken sandwich it was cold and thrown together. Instead of offering anything for our inconvenience they told us "oh crab meat is high, there's nothing anything we can do here" We got a refund and left. We will not be back. This is sad as we truly wanted to continue to support this black establishment, but sadly the quality, service and professionalism that should be is simply not up to par. Extremely...