[DC - Foggy Bottom] Roti Modern Mediterranean - Foggy Bottom

Roti-Foggy Bottom

Roti is a Mediterranean fast food restaurant where you can customize your order. It is kind of like Chipotle, but for Mediterranean food.

Disclaimer: This meal was provided to us for our honest review thanks to Roti Modern Mediterranean @rotimodernmed and BestFoodFeed @bestfoodfeed.

Marissa:

Since I have eaten at Roti before, this visit I tried a few different items off the menu.

I usually get the rice bowl with chicken roti.

This time I got the signature rice bowl with: steak roti; the roasted red pepper sauce; the dill, yogurt, cucumber sauce; tomato and cucumber salad; red cabbage slaw; couscous; and pickles. With your order, you can also get a pita.

Overall, I liked my meal. The steak roti was not as good as the chicken usually is, so next time I will probably stick to chicken. I did really enjoy the addition of the red pepper sauce.

We got a side of falafel. I do not usually get falafel so I was interested in Roti's version. However, I was disappointed. They were over-fried in bad oil, which make the outside unappetizing and the inside mushy. This may be because we were there on a weekend during the summer when there's not much foot traffic from university. Our dining companion has had it in the past and said she likes the falafel.

For dessert, we tried the baklava. It was OK, but a little dry. However, if you are craving something sweet with your meal, I would recommend it (or the cookies looked great, too).

Meredith:

I (Meredith) have never been to Roti before, so after walking past it many-a-time in DC when I lived there and visited, I finally made the visit.

As a first-timer, I was excited to see that Roti had a "Tasting Plate" for $12. I thought it would be a great chance to try some of everything.

As a first-time eater, Roti is VERY confusing. So, let me break it down for you. You can get UNLIMITED SIDES! I didn't know that. So, I paid WAY TOO MUCH for my plate since I got less food than my sister and I got only a small bite of each protein, which made it less overall protein than Marissa got with her one protein choice.

I had similar thoughts to Marissa. The steak was very...dry. It kind of had the texture of microwaved steak. It may have just been because it's a weekend and we were some of the only customers.

The falafel was very dry and dark (maybe like it was fried in old oil) on the outside, but very wet and mushy on the inside (it also had kernels of corn inside, which was a first for me).  I was very excited to try the spicy lamb meatball and had actually considered ordering it as a side, but I'm happy I didn't. It was very cold and hard, so I would not recommend getting that (on the weekend if it's not busy in the restaurant).

The chicken roti was definitely the best meat option. So, 100% would recommend going for the chicken option.

You start with your choice between rice and greens. I chose rice.
Rice - This was oddly clumpy and cold on our visit, but maybe it was because it was the weekend.

What I would recommend: Sides and sauces!

Tomato and cucumber - This was good and fresh! Would recommend!

Kale and Chickpea Salad - This was also pretty good, but I wish there were more chickpeas.

Couscous - This was good, but a little dry for my tastes. If I go again, I would probably request additional sauce to give it a little more...moisture and flavor.

I went with the green sauce and I would definitely recommend this sauce! I wish I would have gotten more on my plate though.

Roti also does in-house drinks, including unsweetened green tea, unsweetened black tea, blackberry ginger juice, and pomegranate lemonade.

I mixed the pomegranate lemonade and black tea. It was delicious.

Overall: The visit was a little less than stellar, but again, we went to a campus location during the summer on a weekend. So, there were barely any other customers the entire time we were there. In the past, the meat options have been refilled as I (Marissa) have been ordering, which is excellent. Service is fast even when busy (at least in Foggy Bottom), so even if you don't have a lot of time, Roti is a solid option.

I would recommend the following: chicken roti, couscous, kale and chickpea salad, cucumber and tomato salad, and the green sauce. Basically, anything that looks like it was fresh and likely would never be considered a microwavable dish was a win for our particular visit.

Our dining companion really loves Roti and said that this day was maybe just a one-off less than stellar food experience for us. Having been to Roti a few times, I (Marissa) enjoy it more than most of the other similar options in the area.

Marissa also likes the restaurant since the portions can be quite generous once you figure out how to order. It's perfect for a student budget since you can easily make this $8 meal into two very filling meals meals.

That being said, I would give it another chance on a busier day. This and Beefsteak, the Jose Andres made-to-order vegan/vegetarian restaurant are two solid choices for students at George Washington University!

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