Truth be told, I've never been a big fan of Dunkin' Donuts. Their doughnuts are relatively ordinary and kinda expensive ($1.19 per.) I've also had issues with early/unannounced closings and short supplies of doughnuts (at all times of day.) But their DD Perks program rocks, and they recently announced a new sandwich... the Pretzel Croissant Breakfast Sandwich. It ain't cheap ($3.99) but I decided to use my app's On-the-Go, and ordered one earlier today. Was it good enough to narrow the gap between DD and Krispy Kreme? Let's find out.
Ambiance: It's a big space, ideally located (across the street from Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan Metro) and well-lit. Despite a few cozy chairs in the front, it looks old-fashioned and uninviting. The bathroom requires a code to enter, and wasn't very clean. Great A/C and Dunkin' Radio (Madonna, news/sports) but nowhere near as fun/vibrant as the aforementioned Krispy Kreme.
Hash Browns |
Food: McDonald's has nothing to worry about. The bacon (see below) was fatty and greasy, and the fried egg was heated up (and flavorless.) The pretzel croissant was hard, inside & out (versus normal croissants, which are flaky & soft) and there was tons of salt, which was overwhelming to a fault. It was nice & warm, but it's hard to taste anything but pretzel. A side order of Hashbrowns ($.99) consisted of six tiny pieces of soggy potato. Very tiny. The flavor was good (several spices) but six microscopic rounds didn't come close to filling a quarter of a small bag. Why even bother?
Bacon... not exactly mouth-watering, is it? |
Value: $3.99 is a lot to pay for a heated-up sandwich, and $.99 for six hash browns? Don't get me started again. Perhaps if they were fresh, but we're talking heated-up (probably in a microwave.) I could get a piping hot McGriddle with a crispy full-size hash brown across the street for the same fiver.
Overall: Dunkin' Donuts continues to disappoint. I was excited to try a pretzel croissant; but the more I think about it, the dumber an idea it becomes. Croissants are soft. Pretzels are hard. So what is it? Well, for starters, it's heated-up, which pretty much ends the discussion. Toss in an insulting half-dozen hash browns, and it's a wonder anyone orders it in the first place.