Hello Sando - Washington

These are the best Japanese sandwiches in the usa and I was in japan! the egg sandwich is rich and creamy and full taste. very happy that they are now regularly open so that I can get them if I want!

Tldr: Overall I was disappointed with my experience. Everything was very pretty/ Instagrammable , but nothing wowed me except maybe the desserts). It was surprisingly filling though. I was actually embarrassed to tell friends the price of everything, but after my boyfriend mentioned the prices, everyone was noticeably like *surprise pikachu*, so needless to say it wasn 't just me who felt this way. I know places can 't help the hype/DC is very expensive, but since there aren 't many places making sandos in the area, I was really expecting it to be like the best sando ever , and unfortunately, it was not. Background: I actually tried to order on a Sunday at 5pm and kept refreshing the page only to find out that they were not doing pre-orders that week they were at Union Market). I had planned a whole picnic around this, so it was a little annoying that there was no prior communication about this beforehand I only found out because they literally made a post at like 5:02pm on Instagram just saying they 'd be at Union Kitchen). After DMing them they confirmed they would be available the next week, so I waited another week and rescheduled picnic plans. The preordering online was easy enough, it even opened a few minutes before 5pm on Sunday and I ordered at least one of everything on the menu, not actually sure how quickly it sells out. On the day of pickup, they said my order was not ready yet. Then a few minutes later, they asked me for my name again, and then a while after that they asked me what my order confirmation number was, and finally they found my bag it was there the whole time). With my sandwiches FINALLY in hand, I headed to Logan Circle to meet with my friends. Items from what I thought was) best to worst: Honey Butter Toast $9): This was pretty good, the toast was crunchy, the egg custard/pudding was very rich without being too sweet. If you like the Asian honey toast dessert or custard I think you 'd like this. It 's a little small, but everyone enjoyed it. Chicken Salad $10): I thought this was the most different and therefore intriguing sandwich. It 's a chicken salad with some nuts and spices, my friends said it was spicy but I honestly didn 't think it was lol. I guess it has kind of a kick to it if you 're not super used to spice. This one was overall my favorite of the savory sandwiches, but it wasn 't amazing or anything. Pork Tonkatsu $13): The sandwich was okay, by the time we ate it it was very cold. Honestly I 've tried making this at home before and while my attempt wasn 't amazing, I 'd say it was pretty comparable to this one. It was pretty disappointing. Friends would say either this or the chicken salad was their favorite. Strawberry $9): This is a nice, light dessert that 's essentially strawberry and whipped cream, with bread. It was obviously overpriced but I 'll admit it 's a very trendy thing to get and was very pretty. I can also see it being pretty filling. Egg $9): This one was definitely my least favorite, and I think it might be because there wasn 't enough.. mayo? flavor? A friend commented that she tasted horseradish, but no one else did lol. Another said it was very eggy . I actually thought this would be my favorite, but it was really lacking in flavor. As someone who enjoys egg salads, I would not recommend Macaroni Salad $4) and Cucumber Squash $4) Both the side dishes were good. The cucumber/squash was a typical pickled side dish but refreshing. The macaroni salad was nice and light, it was noticeably better than the Whole Foods macaroni salad that someone else brought for the picnic.

I 'm totally obsessed with the Tonkatsu sandwich, Strawberry Cream sandwich, and the Iced Yuzu Matcha Tea!!!!! I could inhale the strawberry sandwich since it 's so light. The drink looks gross color-wise (dark green , but so refreshing. ALSO they 're SUPER kind and friendly when I went to the pop-up at Union Market : ' We also got to try the Spicy Chicken sandwich, Macaroni salad, and the Honey Butter Toast. The macaroni salad was given to us on the house, and I 'm so glad they did since it was delicious. The other two items were good, but I would probably not get them again. They were unique and have very interesting textures.

I missed out on the Japanese sando trend last year when Hello Sando began operating out of the Tiger Fork kitchen so I was so excited to hear that they would be back this spring, just in time for picnic season! We have some food allergies in our family so I was able to reach out to the Hello Sando team to confirm a few things before we placed our order they were quick, friendly and helpful. My husband and I ended up going with two pork tonkatsu sandwiches and a strawberry and whipped cream sandwich and were not disappointed! The pork was crispy with a nice sweet glaze and slaw added to it. I loved the packaging and just how neat and clean everything looked. I did not know what to expect with the strawberry sandwich but it was the most delicious and light dessert! My daughter devoured it immediately and now I have to learn how to make them myself before we go broke purchasing them : I'd love to come back again this summer as I know they like to use seasonal fruit. Overall a great experience and I am thankful for this company for bringing the Japanese sandwich experience to DC. PS: The organic milk bread they use is heavenly.

After almost a year of anticipation, I was excited to spot her stall at the union market. Initially, I had planned to order from four other vendors to share with my group, but at the last minute, I decided to spend $13 on the roast beef sandwich. It turned out to be one of the highlights of the five places we sampled, alongside the offerings from Takoren.