Move over Call Your Mother, the District’s newest breakfast sandwich spot is here.
In 2020, founder Andre McCain said he created the concept of Butter Me Up on the heels of pandemic-related closures to help his neighbors in Shaw find employment as well as bringing an unprecedented breakfast sandwich spot to the area. Butter Me Up sits on 14th Street in the lively Shaw neighborhood, just a 20-minute bus or train commute from campus.
Upon entering the shop, I immediately took note of the aesthetically pleasing interior, adorned with boho decor, rattan garden furniture and pink velvet chairs. Green plants fill the restaurant, adding to the captivating scenery behind the inviting bar area where patrons can sit to order signature cocktails like the Pretty Little Thing ($14) with unicorn vodka, triple sec, fresh lime and white cranberry juice. Even the gender-inclusive bathroom captures the boho-chic vibe with emerald green tiles. As an added bonus, the space contains all the supplies one would need, including lotions, Q-tips, tampons, wet wipes and even mints and gum.
On a late Monday morning, customers sat around me having lively brunch conversations with friends or grabbing a quick bite to eat on their lunch breaks. The sound of banter and laughter combined with the cozy decor make Butter Me Up feel like home.
Butter Me Up sells breakfast toasts with every topping imaginable like the So In Love ($14) with crushed avocado, soft boiled egg, everything bagel seasoning, hot sauce and sprouts, as well as salads and superfoods like acai and smoothie bowls. But the real star of the menu is the wide variety of breakfast sandwiches like The Bestie ($12) with smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, scrambled eggs and chipotle ketchup and Easy Like Sunday ($12) with turkey sausage, scrambled eggs, havarti cheese and honey-mustard aioli.
Don’t be fooled – these breakfast sandwiches are not just carbon copies of GW Deli or Bethesda Bagels. While admittedly delicious, those bagel sandwiches can become monotonous, but Butter Me Up’s innovative ingredients are sure to wow.
I ordered the Staycation breakfast sandwich ($12) with soft scrambled eggs, goat cheese, caramelized onions, avocado and sriracha mayo, which took just under 10 minutes to arrive. The egg was fluffy, with a cloud-like texture that melted in my mouth. The avocado added a creaminess to the mix, though it did make the sandwich messy by sliding off frequently. The goat cheese added a salty taste, helping to balance out the flavors. The brioche buns were soft and delicious.
The one item lacking from the sandwich was caramelized onions. As an onion fan, I looked forward to this component to the dish, but there were very few to aid the texture and their taste was lost in the rest of the ingredients.
The serving size of the sandwich did not fully match my expectations from seeing a photo of the meal online – it more closely resembled a slider in size than a typical breakfast sandwich. The portions left me wanting more, and the dish was slightly too small for a main meal. But with one of the restaurant’s salads as a side, the meal would make for an optimal start to the day.
Overall, the dish offered a delectable combination of ingredients like feta and avocado for a vegetarian breakfast sandwich. The remainder of Butter Me Up’s menu is enticing, but it’s the optimal service and overall inviting environment that will keep me coming back for more.
