SUNdeVICH — Restaurant in Washington

After doing some grocery shopping at the Giant down the street, my husband and I were debating if we were to return to our area to have lunch or to stick it out around Shaw to see what was available. Thanks to yelp, we found SUNdeVICH!

We felt as if we returned to Brooklyn when we first entered this eatery - Tucked away in a hidden alley with lines of hipsters and random throwback chairs/shelves by the door. My husband and I made our way closer to the counter and saw the dozen of sandwich combo uniquely named after cities where you wound find the listed ingredients/cuisines. There were so many combos we would loved to try (if only they sell halves) - but for our first visit, we went with Istanbul and Kingston.

Our sandwiches were made to order but we were downing them in no time! They were no ordinary deli sandwiches - both Istanbul and Kingston were bursting with toppings/fillings and flavors. The meat and bread ratio was reversed. My baguette was beautifully toasted with the perfect smear of garlic mayo (my husband did wish they were a little more generous on the tzatziki on his). The sweet pineapple slaw added a refreshing contrast to the meaty sandwich. The jerk chicken was lacking some seasoning/heat however. Nevertheless, still a very tasty sandwich.

My husband and I can't wait to come up to Shaw to do our weekly grocery just so we can stop by afterward to sample the rest...

I was getting on a sandwich kick during a work trip to the DC convention hall area and was trying the different places around. Upon coming here, I only returned back to here.

The options are wide yet specific. I say specific because the flavor in each are specific; each sandwhich feels like it takes your taste buds on a little roller coaster. The side dishes are equally as delicious. The curried potatoes were my favorite and I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s a little bit more expensive than some other places, but I wasn’t able to finish my sandwiches each time, kept returning and am actually wishing I could pick up a sandwich as I type this right now, so…

All that, and the fact that it literally is a hole in the wall of a restaurant, it is a place you should at least visit for a meal once and watch it blossom into more.

There is a little table where 2-4 people could eat, otherwise there are benches outside, or you will have to take it back wherever you came from to eat. Expect to wait like 5-15 minutes for your meal depending on the time of day, but do listen in for your order to be called out from inside as there is no outdoor PA...

You may not care, but for someone like me, who cares about sanitation, this may not be the place to eat. I visited this deli for the first time last week and got food poisoning after eating their sandwich. They prepare the sandwiches without using gloves and at least one of the staff had long fingernails. They handle blue cheese, crumble it onto a salad, then move to the next sandwich without washing hands (at least that's what i observed in the few minutes i was there to get my food). I politely asked the lady taking my order to please use gloves when making my sandwiches....she put on gloves, but someone else who wasn't wearing any, made my sandwich instead! I got sick and called the store to let them know; the owner said that i was the only person who got sick so the issue must be with me. He said he takes no responsibility for the food poisoning and that by asking the staff to put on gloves, i was telling them how to run their business! (which is simply absurd if you ask me...)

Anyway, i won't eat there again and will discourage anyone caring about "sanitation" to...