The District is filled with great options for securing everyone’s favorite warm beverage, many of which offer additional tasty items.
Named after the Royal Liquor Store that once occupied the same space in LeDroit Park, Royal is now a triple threat as a coffee shop, a cocktail bar and a full-service kitchen offering breakfast, lunch and dinner from its wood-burning grill. The dynamic spot serves you like a superhero, addressing all your caffeine needs by day and your cocktail cravings by night. We recommend the Colombian hot chocolate, a house-made drink featuring queso fresco… yes, cheese! You’ve gotta try it “the way we do it in Bogota!”
Known to locals as “TCB,” The Coffee Bar opened in 2012 on a cozy corner in Shaw and recently added another location in Downtown’s Golden Triangle. As the name suggests, simplicity is key. TCB wants you to come in, experience the social atmosphere that makes coffee shops beloved in the first place and “feel like a regular.” Serving coffee from a variety of roasters from across the U.S., the shop hopes to delight every flavor profile in a city as diverse as DC.
When you’re in the mood for the basics done right, visit Qualia Coffee, a standby in the Eckington neighborhood. Qualia’s single-origin coffees are sure to give you the perfect amount of buzz to take on your day. Their passion for the craft shines through each detailed description of the available brews, whether sourced from Brazil, Ethiopia, Indonesia or beyond. Qualia also offers chai and matcha lattes and locally made treats from RavenHook Bakehouse.
In the African country of Eritrea, the coffee ceremony is an integral part of daily social life. The Eritrean-owned Roasted Boon carries on the tradition in the Shaw neighborhood; in the native language of Eritrea, “coffee” roughly translates to “boon,” hence the shop’s name. Customers love its cozy living-room atmosphere and its delicious rotation of single-origin coffees, roasted on-site. Besides the beans that the shop sources from Brazil, Guatemala, Kenya and Tanzania, you can find some exclusive company-crafted blends. The Roasted Boon is also a dog-friendly café and even has a wine bar. What more could you ask for?
The place for Panamanian coffee in DC also offers a full food menu at its primary location in Shaw as well as breakfast empanadas and gluten-free corn tortillas at its place in La Cosecha, located near Union Market. Unido wants you to rethink your relationship with coffee through its authentic flavors from Panama, a country with a coffee history that will blow your mind. The café specializes in the Geisha, considered the champagne of Panamanian coffees.
A brunch standard in the District, Slipstream also has your every coffee need covered, from coffee cocktails to “tasting experiences” every second Saturday of the month. For $35, these 90-minute sessions will walk you through the flavor profiles of four coffees, “each carefully selected to showcase the distinctiveness of their terroir and processing.” But if you just need a solid latte or cappuccino, or maybe a “Thoughtful Mocha” (or even a miso hot chocolate!), you can’t miss at Slipstream. Breakfast is offered all day too.
Coffee is culture, and at Dua, you can take a major field trip in your own backyard. Each single-origin coffee comes from a different island in Indonesia. The woman-owned business is the first Indonesian specialty coffee shop in the nation’s capital. Stop in and try the Kopi Susu, an Indonesian-style latte featuring condensed milk, for some extra sweet creaminess. Irresistible. You can also find handcrafted mugs here all the way from Naruna Ceramics, an Indonesian-owned pottery studio in the village of Salatiga.
Located in The Roost, a food hall in Capitol Hill, Cameo focuses its energy on procuring the finest, in-season beans from Columbia and Honduras. The result is a super fresh, carefully curated coffee and tea menu that ensures your tastebuds will always be delighted and never bored. Cameo’s seasonal approach also supports sustainability, giving you more reason to grab a cup here.
Billing itself as “a human rights movement disguised as a coffee shop,” Bitty & Beau’s sets itself apart in a District full of coffee. Founded by Amy and Ben Wright, proud parents of children (including the namesakes of the shop, Beau and Bitty) with developmental disabilities, B + B’s intentionally employs people with disabilities at each of their 18 shops. It’s an inspiring place with its unique blends of coffee and uplifting apparel.
Now a staple along both 14th Street NW and H Street NE, The Wydown channels Midwestern vibes, with its two founding brothers focused on hospitality, ensuring a welcoming space for you to slow down, relax and enjoy an immaculately and passionately crafted cup of joe. The shop emphasizes distinctive flavor pairings, continually taste-testing their homemade pastries to make sure they go just right with their coffees. This dedication has led to some incredible creations: we highly recommend the raspberry rose and blackberry lavender scones, the brown butter chocolate chip cookies and the pfeffernussens. The Wydown also features lovingly made postcards, which the barista will mail for you for free.
The barista game is on point at Peregrine Espresso, as many of its employees have competed in regional or national Barista and Brewers Cup competitions. Lucky for the DC customer, Peregrine wants to share its coffee/espresso knowledge, offering classes and events on the art of a great cup, including how to make a latte look cool. Come for the beautiful triple heart image poured delicately into your foam; stay for the depth of flavor. Chances are you’ll learn something while you’re there.
The first Bourbon Coffee location opened in Rwanda in 2007, and we’re fortunate that one of its current stores is right here in DC. Their direct trade coffee is the first retail brand to originate from Rwanda, and a trip to Bourbon is more than just a pit stop. Ninety percent of Rwandans work in farms across the country, and coffee serves as three quarters of Rwanda’s export profits. So, the coffee you enjoy at Bourbon helps pay farmers even more than the Fair-Trade price. As always, transparency and quality go hand-in-hand, and the proof is in their amazing full espresso menu (along with snacks and sandwiches).
District coffee consumers may remember Sweet Science Coffee in NoMa, which is now only an online coffee education hub. However, Sweet Science partner Jad Bouchebel is the founder of Simona, which now occupies the same space that Sweet Science once did. Simona makes everything from scratch, from the syrups and chocolate sauces for its hot chocolate to the bread for its melty egg and cheese sandwiches. You can just imagine the care and craft that goes into a latte here, another item we highly recommend trying here. Note that Simona has a location in Arlington, Va. as well.
What makes Soleluna a standout to consumers of all stripes? What doesn’t might be the better question. Apparently, you can’t visit this tiny little space in Adams Morgan and not come back raving about it. That’s down to the quality of the pastries (“to DIE FORRRRRR,” in the words of one review on their site, and everyone we’ve spoken to about it), the devotion to the brews (including house-made almond milk with no sugar in it) and—get ready—the astonishing affordability of such exquisite creations. Pastries sell out fast there each day, so get there early!
It’s easy to see how much this Ethiopian coffee and tea shop means to its regulars on H Street NE. When co-owner Kenfe Bellay passed away in May 2022, the outpouring of love online and in-store made it clear that customers feel like family. Bellay’s widow and Sidamo co-owner Yalemzwed Desta now runs the place, and it remains a neighborhood treasure as it has been since 2006. Stop in for cozy vibes, luscious Ethiopian roasts and plenty of loose-leaf teas. The veggie sandwich with lentils and pesto dressing is a local favorite.
If you’re looking for coffee from a local institution, Compass Coffee is an ideal choice. With locations all over the DMV area, Compass is dedicated to making simple and tasty coffee, from its espressos to its signature blends, all sourced with the freshest ingredients. Want to brew at home? You can purchase Compass blends online. Founded by two former Marines, the company is a DC success story written through an essential morning beverage.
The brightly colored Colada Shop is a photographer’s dream. The Cuban cafe-bar combo is packed with pastel hues and good vibes, which extend to the dog-friendly patio. Reasonably priced empanadas and sandwiches bring to life diverse flavors and are best paired with a bold Cuban coffee by day and a cocktail by night.
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