ThinkFoodLab

The food was amazing. At first bite I felt like blah, it's a bit bland. Then on the second or third I started to taste the flavors and blend. The veggies and herbs were so fresh. The chips were a bit salty. However, customer service was amazing. I have been wanting to try it and finally did today. Absolutely no regrets. The mango juice was refreshing and tastes like cucumber water with a bit of mango juice. Very refreshing. Everything in the place was well thought out and the prices were good. Looking forward to another visit soon. Oh the outdoor seating was just as nice as the inside. At the end when throwing away trash, I was able to recycle, green and thoughtful, but could have wooden recyclable straws.

Cheap if you have a small appetite, which happens from time to time. So right now, Think Food Lab is doing the PEPE thing from the Jose Andres Culinary Universe ( like the Marvel Cinematic Universe but with less CGI). PEPE is the food truck that does sandwiches, but this pop up does much more. I wasn't terribly hungry but to avoid being horribly hungry later (which happens if I skip lunch) I ventured over to the pop up. I got a sandwich, and later ordered the soup. The sandwich, some sort of fancy grilled cheese was $6. The soup, a cold tomato soup, in the drink like container, was $3. On another day I ordered the pan a tomate (tomato bread). That was $3. Yes, it is two pieces of warm crusty bread with a tomato pulp spread and salt, but it is heaven. Heaven for $3 bucks. The salads are $7, and at that price point I may as well go to the other side of the plaza to the salad place. There are also cold sandwiches, but once again, I have other choices in the area for a cold sandwich. The place is clean and hasn't changed that much since it was the Native Foods vegan place.

Update: currently closed until the New Years. The new concept has not been shared publicly yet. All we know it won’t be Pepe’s again. Great addition to the DC casual food scene. All the sandwiches we tried were amazing but my favorite is the BELT with avocado instead of bacon. The service was excellent and the not-too-sweet lemonade just perfect (they have sugar syrup to adjust the level of sweetness). Don't miss out on the strawberry ice cream and the ices coffee. They rotate the menu on a quarterly basis.

Jose Andres needs to spend more time in the lab! After a poor experience with overpriced and greasy Pepe Spanish style sandwiches (although the food truck is great!), I decided to give ThinkFoodLab another shot with Butterfly Tacos. I got the Hongos mushroom sandwich with guacamole and cheese. Although the mushrooms were well cooked, it couldn't salvage the dense bread. I was looking forward to a nice crispy baguette like a banh mi sandwich and was disappointed with cheap hoagie bread. It was too thick to bite into it and a notch lower than Taylor Gourmet bread (side note see my review on Taylor Gourmet). The bread was neither warm nor crispy. It was so bad that I asked to take it back, which I rarely do. The manager was really nice though and kindly switched out the sandwich for 3 Hongos tacos. The tacos worked much better and complemented the mushrooms and guacamole without overpowering the toppings. The marinated mushrooms were delicious and the highlight of the meal. I was disappointed that the tacos weren't made fresh in-house. The tacos were good, but were missing a key ingredient to elevate the flavor (maybe a spicy sauce with some kick or pickled onions or cotija cheese?) My favorite part of the meal was the fresh mango juice. Best kept secret tucked behind the cash register. Ask for a sample or two of the hibiscus, mango, and passion fruit juices. The mango juice wasn't overly sweet and the perfect way to cool off amid the heat wave. The hongos tacos and the mango juice were satisfying enough that I would consider coming back again. Before getting a sandwich though, I would think again! I really think Jose needs to step up the bread and experiment with some more ingredients to make those flavors pop. Maybe third time's the charm?

This review is for Butterfly. Great tacos! Lots of meat, but not much else. I could use some other toppings or complimentary flavors, especially for the price. Excellent customer service from the manager.

Refreshing new addition to the Archives- 7th Street NW area. Had the Pollo Fritto sandwich- never had a better tasting fried chicken sandwich. The chicken breast was fried just the perfect amount and was extremely succulent on the inside. The sauces and pickle and the bread used for the sandwich were amazing. Whatever you do, don't forget to try the Gazapcho here.

I don't actually know how the food really is, because we had their bag lunches on March 24th when our student along with many others was out Marching for their Lives. Think Food Lab gave away food to make sure our students ate instead of taking advantage of a potentially profitable day. May their generosity come back to them many times over.

Quarter "hot" sandwich was cold, small, and bread tasted like cardboard. That plus small coffee (only size they have) cost $11!! Never again

ThinkFoodLab is a research and development outlet for Jose Andres that rotates through various concepts for fast-casual dining. My husband had been to the prior concept, Pepe, and suggested we meet here for lunch since he works in the area and I had business of my own nearby. We arrived around noon and were easily able to walk right up to the register to order and snag a comfortable booth in the back. After we ordered, the line quickly formed and seating appeared to be hard to come by. There is outdoor seating and take-out is an option as well. Tacos are available 3 for $10 with 5 options to choose from, sandwiches range from $11 to $14, and salads are $6 with the option of adding protein for an additional charge. My husband and I both ordered the same 3 tacos, which came out within 10 minutes of ordering. *Cochinita pibíl con cebolla en escabeche: Yucatán-style barbecued pork with pickled red onion and cilantro -This was probably my least favorite because, honestly, it was plain and I felt like it was missing spice and could have used a salsa or creama. The pork was tasty and tender though and the pickled onions were a nice touch. *Pollo a la parilla con aguacate: Grilled marinated chicken thigh and green onion, with guacamole and salsa chipotle -The chicken was seasoned well and flavorful. I could have done with fewer onions. The guac was nicely spread on the bottom of the tortilla. I would have liked to see more salsa chipotle. *Pancita: Seared pork belly with guacamole, salsa chipotle, and lime -This was the favorite taco. The pork belly was well-seasoned and tender. The guac was, again, nicely spread on the tortilla, the lime was a nice contrast to the spicy salsa. I would have still liked to see more salsa though. The tortillas immediately fell apart upon first bite. Very flimsy and could not hold up to the ingredients and allowed juices from the meat to go everywhere along with all of the ingredients. These tacos were super, super tiny! Maybe the tortas are larger but I was glad Captain Cookie was parked outside on 7th street for dessert afterwards! I would definitely return-quality over quantity-as I'd be interested in trying the shrimp torta, which sounded delicious and looked filling from what I peeped on another plate.

Jose Andres needs to spend more time in the lab! After a poor experience with overpriced and greasy Pepe Spanish style sandwiches (although the food truck is great!), I decided to give ThinkFoodLab another shot with Butterfly Tacos. I got the Hongos mushroom sandwich with guacamole and cheese. Although the mushrooms were well cooked, it couldn't salvage the dense bread. I was looking forward to a nice crispy baguette like a banh mi sandwich and was disappointed with cheap hoagie bread. It was too thick to bite into it and a notch lower than Taylor Gourmet bread (side note see my review on Taylor Gourmet). The bread was neither warm nor crispy. It was so bad that I asked to take it back, which I rarely do. The manager was really nice though and kindly switched out the sandwich for 3 Hongos tacos. The tacos worked much better and complemented the mushrooms and guacamole without overpowering the toppings. The marinated mushrooms were delicious and the highlight of the meal. I was disappointed that the tacos weren't made fresh in-house. The tacos were good, but were missing a key ingredient to elevate the flavor (maybe a spicy sauce with some kick or pickled onions or cotija cheese?) My favorite part of the meal was the fresh mango juice. Best kept secret tucked behind the cash register. Ask for a sample or two of the hibiscus, mango, and passion fruit juices. The mango juice wasn't overly sweet and the perfect way to cool off amid the heat wave. The hongos tacos and the mango juice were satisfying enough that I would consider coming back again. Before getting a sandwich though, I would think again! I really think Jose needs to step up the bread and experiment with some more ingredients to make those flavors pop. Maybe third time's the charm?

As a huge Jose Andres fan, I had to stop by ThinkFoodLab. I was actually on the way to a meeting but made the stop for the ice cream I heard so much about! I got the Leche Merengada soft serve, which was very different than what I had imagined it would be. It's a nice and creamy soft serve that tastes just a bit sweeter than your typical vanilla soft serve, likely because it's made with sweetened milk. It's also not vanilla-y like regular soft serve - I don't know if "merengada" means merengue, but I almost think that's exactly what the flavor reminded me of. The Leche Merengada comes cinnamon sprinkled on top. However, I swear I tasted more than just pure cinnamon on mine! I got the hint of cloves as well. Just a sprinkle of it was perfect - anymore and it would have been way too overpowering. It's something different than your usual soft serve, and I liked it!

Chef Jose Andres' new "mobile sandwich" store in dc. First of all, I want to say thank you to Chef Jose for his relief efforts in Puerto Rico, where he stayed for a month to make sandwiches & provide food to over 2 million people there. Food: I had pollo frito (fried chicken sandwich) combo which comes w/ the sandwich, a Gazpacho, and a drink. The pollo frito was robably the best fried chicken sandwich I've ever had. The chicken breast was like thin Cubano sandwich meat (I think it was pounded). Chicken was fresh & the batter was seasoned just right, which kept chicken meat juicy! Environment: Casual as it's come from chef jose's "Pepe mobile sandwiches" concept. But I do want to give credit to the green decor (lots of green plants). Love the long wood reclaimed wood table & stools by the window. Service: Self-service Price: I saw previous reviews talking about the price tag of food here, but to be honest, the combo is a man's meal as the sandwich is big & the gazpacho is a bottle! The combo w/ tax cost me $14.95. The quality of food make this price very reasonable. Would go back as a treat for myself again.

Jose Andres has done it again. A gaping unused space by the Archives metro is now another eatery under his empire. This is a sandwich shop with cool and eclectic options and ingredients based on his food truck, Pepe. To my understanding, they are to have some rotating concepts? I hope so. I love culinary adventures! I went in and was welcomed by a lovely greeter that answered every question I had and then some. I checked out the food by getting a quarter veggie sandwich.. DELISH. The main ingredients were eggplant, avocado and pickled (?) peppers that added flavorful zing all in between their special imported bread from Spain! The quarter size was perfect and filling for me in one sitting. While waiting for my order, I asked if I could sample one of the soft serve flavors. "NOT TODAY," I was told. Quite off putting on what otherwise was a nice visit.

My friend and I came here for lunch after a long week, so it didn't take too much to satisfy us. The staff was helpful and friendly! The cashier, Noel, explained to us that the menu changes overtime, and we were impressed that she knew the menu inside and out. I got the pepito (steak) and my friend got the cachopo (breaded pork). All the ingredients were fresh. My friend's cachopo had a decent amount of pork, and he was satisfied. However, I didn't get as much steak in my sandwich as I would have liked for the $13 price tag. Overall, we had a wonderful experience! - VVP

It's a little hard to review this place because it's a Jose Andres incubator with a changing menu/restaurant every three months or so but for their debut the restaurant is featuring the food of Pepe. This means all sorts of fabulous Spanish sandwiches, over 15 to choose from in both hot and cold options and a few of which are hotdogs or sausages (I'm never really sure if those are actually sandwiches?). They come in a variety of sizes so depending on your hunger level you could get ¼, 1/2 or a whole sandwich. My meal was a complimentary preview and I thought the grilled steak, cheese and pepper 1/2 sandwich was delicious and filling. My friend agreed about her manchego and jamon melt. But when considering if we'd be okay paying the $15-$21 both of our sandwiches would actually cost...we weren't as psyched about the idea of a lunch here. Jose Andres isn't exactly fast casual dining which is what makes this concept both unique and confusing. Plenty of the items on the menu are super affordable (the sausages are $5-$7, gazpacho $5, soft serve $3) but then if you want a full steak sandwich it's $36. Yes this is the most expensive thing on the menu but definitely too $$$. Moving back toward the actual meal, we both felt perfectly sated with our half sandwiches. I was too full to finish my cup of gazpacho (tomato based, very smooth and creamy) and we had a few of the saucy chips Colleen had gotten as her side order (doused in paprika and a mayo-ish sauce). Pepe offers a lot of fun drinks, horchata, Mexican Coke, pre-bottled gazpachos in four flavors if you aren't in the mood for the house blend, ice coffee, tea, lemonade etc. And the soft-serve I mentioned earlier is a fun touch. I think the flavors need a little refinement as the strawberry is super aggressive and the horchata is very subtle but I loved the smaller and appropriate priced portions offered. Staff is super friendly and welcoming here as well!

Jose Andres is a saint for feeding federal employees healthy meals while they re not getting paid. Today he served a rice bowl that came with a fried egg and sesame roasted veggies. It was delectable and made my day after a long day of unpaid work. Thank you so much for keeping spirits high during these tough times

I was about to torture myself again with CHOPT and heard the music coming from ThinkFoodLab and thought I would love to try something different on a beautiful Tuesday in May. The sign outside said "Butterfly Taco Y Torta" so I couldn't resist. The food...three delicious tacos, I mixed the barbecue shredded pork, the chicken and the pork belly. The ingredients were fresh and the flavors were simply amazing. I thought I was in another country. Wow. The line can move a little slow, but it's fresh, delicious , and well worth the wait!!

I suppose it depends what Jose Andres theme ThinkFoodLab is hosting at the time, but right now it's featuring Pepe and its Spanish-style sandwiches. I've also tried the Butterfly Mexican-style tacos. Overall I have a good impression of both but I haven't tried anything yet that I thought was amazing. The Super Flauta is an 18" long sandwich that if you order to go you'll have to carry out without a bag and have everyone on the street stare at you and the longest sandwich they may have ever seen. The prices at Pepe are a bit expensive, but the sandwiches are tasty.

Went to ThinkFoodLab today ("Butterfly Tacos" phase). I had one beef taco (with smoked chipotle seasoning), one pork taco (cilantro & red onion), one chicken taco. Also had guacamole & chips, hibiscus agua fresca and fresh fruit sticks marinated in lime juice & salt. All in all, it was a flavorful meal, very similar to Oyamel a few blocks away (also owned by Jose Andres). The serving staff were friendly. The place was clean and there was a healthy line by the time we left at noon. I like the overall concept of a space which can adapt to a changing menu -- there will be some bumps in the road (if the previous reviews are any indication), but worth visiting periodically.

Sadly I was disappointed with this establishment. Jose andres is a wonderful chef with wonderful restaurants. ThinkFoodLab is still a work in progress and definitely not worth sitting down to eat. If you are in a rush and want something quick and mediocre this is the perfect spot for you. I wouldn't suggest think food lab to anyone that is looking for good quality tasting food.

Not impressed with the food. And not even the staff! Especially that the staff go to the bathroom for 20 mins leaving customers standing waiting to use the bathroom. The first bathroom to the right has no water !! And when you point that out they say yes, the sensors are recharging !! Whatever that means.

Do yourself a favor and get the Leche Merengada soft serve. The combo of sweet milk, lemon, and cinnamon hits the spot on a hot summer day or to balance out the Spanish flavors in the food.

So who is this Jose Andres, the creative mind behind "ThinkFoodLab" and the Chef feeding thousands in Puerto Rico after the devastations there. Google him like I did. I am by no means a foodie, I just like to try new places and their food. Lets get started on the food review: Thought I start out with something simple. I selected the Bikini de Jamon y Queso...basically a grilled cheese and ham sandwich, hey it looks good on the menu. LOL. I must say it was pretty tasty, crisp and tender all in one bite. Good tasting sammich for $6 bucks, which is also fairly reasonable for this area for lunch. Next, I think I will try the Bikini de Setas, fancy words for grilled cheese and mushroom...... When I entered there was no line and the young lady at the counter explained my options. She was very nice. Before I could put my change in my wallet, my sandwich was done. It was a beautiful out yesterday (11/6/17) so I sat out to eat. Again a young lady, very nice and professional asked how did I like my sandwich. Conveniently located at the Archives Metro Station. I hear the menu is suppose to change periodically to offer a variety of different selections. Which is a GREAT idea, because this area is a little lacking in food chooses. My taste buds and I are looking forward to our next adventure here, come join us! Bon Appétit Y'all!

I had the Cachopo: I've eaten softer shoe leather but the bread WAS great. DARK and OVERCOOKED deep-fried breaded TOUGH pork filet stuffed with ham and cheese (overcooked so that the cheese was liquid and ended up on the plate), mustard alioli. NEVER again-- good idea that DID NOT WORK. The ice tea was great... Brother-in-law had the "futbol" sandwich--His response was "Meh" The egg salad sandwich was a great hit with my sister.--something I'd never order. For the price it was also TOO EXPENSIVE 1/4 10usd--- It was nice to sit outside with the water fountain of the Navy Memorial but my sandwich was the worst one I've had in years...due to overcooked shoe sole leather pork.

Bare bones, overpriced, poor presentation of food. If I wanted to spend $8 for a hotdog I would go to Nats Park and have a better one. Even the water machine was missing it's grate for catching ice. I would recommend.

My office mate and I ordered the Pepito Tenera in small. We waited at least 10 minutes to get our order. Apparently, there was some confusion with the previous orders from other customers; in the mean time, one was attending to our orders. The cashier was kind enough to give us some bagged chips and thanking us for our patience. I think the cooks weren't really tending the customer orders. The sandwiches were pricey in addition to being too salty for my taste bud.

This was my second time here and highly disappointed in the food but this review is actually more about food safety concerns. While i was ordering at the counter, an employee ran past me with his hand clasped over his mouth and ran into the bathroom where you could hear him audibly vomiting. Once he left the bathroom my girlfriend asked him if he was ok and the employee working at the counter tried denying that it was him who had gotten sick however he responded with "yea that was me." He then proceeded to walk back behind the counter and start putting orders together in the kitchen. It was a truly disturbing and just plain gross. I will not be coming back after that. I have serious concerns about the food safety, hygiene and cleanliness of this establishment.

I am a HUGE José Andrés fan, and I was traveling with a group of students so I was thrilled to stumble across this find! Although I agree with other posts that the meat to money ratio doesn't quite match up- the tacos and chipotle salsa/chips I had were amazing! EXACTLY the flavorful surprises I have come to expect from this chef. The lady at the counter certainly knew her stuff and helped us all find something quickly- truly a yummy place to stop:)

Although the food (chicken sandwich) is reasonably good for the price, the management needs to work on the customer service skills/hire different people. If a customer who just spent 15 dollars on a sandwich and iced tea asks to try the soft serve the correct answer isn't we don't give samples here. I suggest this employee would be better suited to work a couple blocks away at the McDonald's in the Verizon center.

I was here about one month ago. I had the Vegetale flatbread sandwich. It was fine. The flavor was great, I hated the flat bread because of the tomato sauce. It immediately became soggy and fell apart. I'd still give it a top notch rating because the flavor was fantastic. As far as coming back, probably not. I should have complained while I was there, but I didn't. I ordered the patatas (chips) bravas. This is a dish I've had before. It's roasted potatoes, with two sauces and a fried egg. The menu description was similar, only it says chips which I mistakenly thought would be homemade, for $5. They gave me a bag of $2 chips. Jose Andres potato chips that I can buy at a store with two dips. (I didn't ask for an egg thank goodness because what would I have done with the egg?) To me this means that I paid $3 for two dipping sauces in those little salad dressing containers that weren't even half filled. I was too appalled to do anything more than throw the chips in my desk. The chips are still there.

Great Tacos! I wish they had a little more for the money (3 tacos for $10), but they were great overall!

Unimpressed Patatas Bravas upcharge $3 to get marinara sauce and mayo to dip in. Serrano ham and manchego sandwich is likely authentic, but honestly just ok. Unimpressed for my $17 lunch with a sparkling water.

I'm reviewing the Butterfly Tacos & Tortas concept. Overall, I think this provides a very nice lunch option in Penn Quarter. The tacos are very good. I've tried them all and haven't been disappointed. I will note that the tacos are kind of small and 3 tacos are just barely enough for a meal. However, I believe the tortas are bigger and one doesn't feel bad ordering a side of chips and salsa to complement the meal since the tacos serving is small. I will say that service can be a bit slow at times but the staff is friendly and working hard. I would definitely recommend stopping by.

This was my first time going here when they had the butterfly tacos. The tacos were yummy but annoyingly small for the price. I got a drink and tacos for $14 something and ended up walking away still hungry. They also did not have straws for their drinks (for being eco friendly which is awesome!) but I think they should buy the cup lids that allow you to sip because it was kind of awkward and everyone kept going up asking for straws.

This was my third trip to Think Food Lab. It's a wonderful location bordering the Navy Memorial, and the space is airy and colorful, with a great view and a variety of comfortable seating. I've been there on the early side of lunch (around 11:30) when there was no line, and the service was prompt. All 3 times I ordered tacos: my favorite is the mushroom (Hongos) -- very flavorful, with a little spicy kick. The salad has a variety of veggie things and sprouts and a lively dressing. If you go, I also recommend the fruit and veggie sticks, which are tasty and refreshing dressed with lime jucie & chili salt.

thinkfoodlab is yet another place by jose andres. from my understanding, it is a place for him to try out different fast casual concepts before taking them out on the road. it is (i think) his first reasonably-priced restaurant; he is known for upscale restaurants such as jaleo, minibar, zaytinya, and oyamel, all also located in the penn quarter area. thinkfoodlab sits right next to the archives metro station. the current concept is pepe, featuring various spanish lunch foods. the menu is small but quality. i had a four-cheese grilled cheese sandwich which was quite good. other options include all-beef hot dogs, various hot and cold sandwiches, and gazpacho. and there is ice cream. i had a flavor called leche merengada. a small cup of ice cream is three dollars. i was really delighted by this. there are many places where you can get a massive amount of ice cream for six or seven dollars, with no smaller option. what i mean is that it was really nice to have just enough to constitute a taste, a small treat, and have that be the available option. cheers to temperance. i think that this is normal in other countries, actually. go america. anyway, you have to try this new spot. it is fab.

This is a great little lunch spot, if you're okay with spending a bit more than average. While the whole sandwiches are really expensive, they are HUGE and I can't see one person finishing a whole sandwich. I loooove everything Jose Andres does and this was very good too, but not transcendent (like my other Jose experiences). My husband and I spent $40 on lunch, each of us got a 1/4 hot sandwich, a cold "grab n go" sandwich and the drink/side combo. I was disappointed to learn the "lettuce cup" side in the combo doesn't have filling like it would if you ordered it as a separate side, it's just lettuce and dressing. The sandwiches were simple but good, quality ingredients and a few were pretty unique/inventive. The bread, unlike some of the other reviews have said, was perfect and easy to eat (my sandwich fillings stayed put). Would definitely come back here when I'm in the mood to splurge on lunch.