While the pandemic has pushed many of D.C.’s bars and restaurants to permanently close, many of the area’s independent coffee shops have showed remarkable resiliency, continuing to dispense fruit-forward pour-overs, flavored lattes, nitro cold brews, and other specialty items to customers who may not want to camp out inside like they used to.
A strong class of caffeinated contenders have entered the scene in recent years. That includes Cameo, which brews beans from Brooklyn roaster Parlor Coffee in a Southeast food hall, Lost Sock Roasters, a wholesaler that debuted its own plant-filled cafe in Takoma, and Eritrean-owned the Roasted Boon in Shaw. The Northwest neighborhood is also home to stalwart The Coffee Bar, which is still in takeout-only mode for now.
Meanwhile, local favorites Colada Shop expanded to Maryland, Compass Coffee just added a Navy Yard outpost, and gelato shop Dolcezza has reopened three of the cafes it had previously planned to closed during the pandemic.
Here are 16 must-visit coffee shops in and around D.C., from Takoma to Arlington to Del Ray.
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