Lime Fresh Mexican Grill to Replace Potbelly’s on 7th Street in Chinatown/Penn Quarter

by Prince Of Petworth September 26, 2012 at 10:30 am 22 Comments

From a press release:

Douglas Development is pleased to announce that Lime Fresh Mexican Grill will occupy 2,000 square feet in the Douglas Development-owned property at 726 7th Street in Penn Quarter. The space is currently occupied by Potbelly Sandwich Works and is scheduled to open as Lime Fresh Mexican Grill in mid-2013.

Potbelly will close its doors before the opening of Lime Fresh in mid-2013.

Lime Fresh recently opened up another location in Columbia Heights in the DC USA.

For those who work nearby – do you prefer a Lime Fresh Mexican Grill over a Potbelly here?

AngryParakeet

That’s an upgrade. Potbelly’s is an embarrassment for such a high-profile part of town, although not the humiliation that Hooters is.
- kev29
  
  Yes, please keep Penn Quarter high end with such places as The Greene Turtle, Dunkin Donuts, Fuddruckers, La Tasca, Wok and Roll, Burger King, McDonalds, Auntie Annies, Bar Louie…
  - 15thstnw
    
    Exactly. It’s next to California Tortilla and on the same block as Fuddruckers and Ruby Tuesdays.
    
    Prefer Potbelly being here since the aforementioned CA Tortilla is right there too and Chipotle is across the street. Seems kinda silly to have a 3rd cheap quasi-Mexican food place.
    - Gloomingdale
      
      Potbellys may suck but it only costs ~$5 for the suck. I don’t need more $8 burrito options.
      - ah
        
        +1. Hard to find a decent lunch for $5. It’s not gourmet, but the price and calorie count is right (well, better than an $8, 1000 cal. burrito).
Shawlicious

I am happy that Douglas Development is pleased, but I will be pleased when Douglas Development gets around to doing something with the property that’s languishing at the NE corner of Florida and Georgia Avenues. The building is lackluster, but renovated. It contributes to the blaaaach that is that intersection.
brienneoftarth

never been to Lime Fresh, but there are a zillion Potbellies around the city, so I probably won’t miss that one.
gdopplerxt

Thank you, PoP, for taunting me with the unnecessary apostrophe-s.
- Anonymous
  
  But which do you prefer, Potbelly’s or Lime Fresh’s? Or are both good for Penn’s Quarter?
  - gdopplerxt
    
    Wait, I thought this was in Chinatown’s, no?
    - Anonymous
      
      Oh, my’s bad.
AK

On the same block as California Tortilla and Chipotle? OK then.
- hilleast
  
  exactly what i was thinking – makes no sense.
  - brienneoftarth
    
    I would always go with Cali Tortilla because of their 60-something hot sauce offerings.
bissinger

I’ve been to the Lime Fresh in Columbia Heights. It’s not amazing, but I think it’s better than chipotle. Good tortillas.
Anonymous

Went to their location in Pentagon Row. OK food, but the music was extremely loud.
Rich

A fuax attempt at being a little more upscale than Chipotle. I’d rather have the Potbelly.
Anony

Never understood why there was a Potbelly’s up there when one is four blocks away on Indiana Ave.
- RayDC
  
  Chinatown’s Potbelly was the 3rd Potbelly in DC, way before Indiana Ave…
pru

Been to their Pentagon Row store. It’s bland. I prefer Chipotle or maybe even Baja Fresh, which it replaces in Pentagon Row. It tries to be more of a sit-down restaurant, and a happy hour spot than a good fast take out.
Anonymous

I like that Potbelly’s it will be missed. I invariably end up taking visitors to Chinatown ALL the time, and when we want a low key lunch option, now I will have to say, which of the 3 mexican-ish places do you want?

That being said, Lime is ok…bonus points if they offer a dinner and a movie deal! The space doesnt seem nearly as large as the one they just put in CH (which is massive)
anonymous

I’ve been to the one in Arlington a few times and just was not at all impressed. Like another commenter said, music was loud, in a ‘bad early 2000s songs reverberating off metal tables’ kind of way. Food was so meh. People that worked there were super nice, though, so I’m hoping it gets better.

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