Best Cuppa Coffee in Washington DC
Your unofficial guide to black coffee
Welcome to your guide to coffee shops in DC. I order one of three drinks at coffee shops - drip, pour over, or cold brew if it’s July. Always black. This guide will be based on those drink options, regardless of service and the “vibes”. If they’re rude and serve me a great cuppa, all the better.
Visit my Yelp collection that has all of these shops in map form for easy visualization.
The Coffee Bar - Shaw and Downtown
A simple name and simply an amazing cup of coffee. Their standout drink is their cold brew, which they let you choose your steep time - 24 or 48 hours. The 24 hour brew is fruity and bright, and the 48 hour brew is chocolatey. I prefer the 24 hour brew, it’s one of the tastiest cold brews I’ve ever had. I bring my girlfriend here because there are always as many dogs as humans on the patio.
Quick story - the other day I noticed the barista taking orders made sure to get every single name exactly right. “Is Taylor spelled T-a-y-l-o-r?” I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. Is that a business tactic? To get everybody’s name perfect so they feel cared for by their neighborhood coffee shop?
Bonus - they have great seasonal drinks that aren’t too milky, like the Honey Badger.
Cafe Unido - Shaw and Union Market District
This is a Panamanian coffee shop with eight locations in Panama, and two locations in DC. Panamanian shops are rare, which makes it a unique experience. They have some excellent, expensive pour over options and great breakfast. Both the baristas and kitchen staff are professionals who know their stuff.
This isn’t in the city but it’s close enough and I make the rules here. They roast their beans on-site and the coffee is as immaculate as the indie music they blast over the speakers.
A cabin-style shop with solid cold brew and drip. Grab some breakfast or a pastry with your coffee and head upstairs to feel like you’re in a cabin saloon. Every time I go up there I expect to see the Peaky Blinders. The patio is cool, too.
A ping-pong-inspired coffee shop that shares a huge back patio with Sonny’s Pizza next door. No pour overs here but their drip and cold brew are good, and their baristas know what they’re doing. This is one of the coolest coffee shops I’ve seen, and it’s connected to one of the best pizza joints in the city. You’ll never have trouble finding a seat here - the back patio is big enough for a wedding. In fact, I might go ahead and propose just so I can have my reception here. Not into coffee? Join their wine club.
Cameo - Capitol Hill (Inside The Roost)
Tucked inside a little indoor food hall called The Roost. They use Parlor Coffee out of Brooklyn as their bean supplier. None of their drinks will knock your shoes off but they serve a quality cup.
Slipstream - Navy Yard, Logan Circle, Downtown, and Ballston
They mainly use Onyx beans, which you really can’t mess up. They don’t have pour overs, but they have 3-4 different drip choices and they do them well enough that they’re better than most pour overs in DC.
Bonus - good food options. I had a magical sweet potato biscuit the other day.
Honorable Mention (plus some in Arlington)
The below are good shops but not quite top tier. I would still recommend going if you’re a local and want to try all the shops, but if you’re just visiting for a few days you can probably skip these.
Qualia Coffee - Eckington
Emissary Coffee - Dupont
The Wydown - H Street and 14th Street
Elle - Mt. Pleasant
Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse - Capitol Hill
Filter Coffeehouse - Foggy Bottom
Origin Coffee Lab - Pentagon City, Arlington
Kaldi’s Social House - Clarendon, Arlington
Shops to Avoid
Compass’ coffee is the best tea in DC.
Just don’t do it.
Come on, you guys can do better.
This blog post changed my life. Thank you for roaming, Roman.