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Lost Sock’s new cafe in Takoma serves fruity, single-origin coffee, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas.
Lost Sock’s Takoma cafe serves single-origin coffee.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

15 Must-Try Coffee Shops Around D.C.

The best drip java, pour-overs, and lattes in town

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Lost Sock’s Takoma cafe serves single-origin coffee.
| Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

While the pandemic pushed many of D.C.’s bars and restaurants to permanently close, 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 with a plant-filled cafe in Takoma, and Eritrean-owned the Roasted Boon in Shaw.

Local favorites still going strong include Colada Shop, Compass Coffee, and Dolcezza, to name a few. NYC imports are also on the rise around D.C. For Five Coffee and Gregory’s Coffee continue to build a solid following, and high-tech Blank Street Coffee started blanketing the city with tiny stores last fall.

Here are 15 must-visit coffee shops in and around D.C., from Takoma to Arlington to Del Ray.

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Takoma Beverage Company

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The all-day coffee shop and bar from two Northside Social alums brought pour-overs, rotating art exhibits, and mixed drinks to downtown Takoma Park in 2017. The popular cafe has since doubled its seat count by growing into the space next door. A custom espresso machine built for the restaurant is fed a strict diet of Counter Culture Coffee, and a front counter with a white quartz top features a display case stocked with pastries and other impulse buys. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (and 10 p.m. on weekends) with cocktails, beer, and wine, too. Place orders online here.

Lost Sock Coffee Shop

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Lost Sock Roasters opened its first retail shop in 2021. It’s narrow, yet comfortable storefront in Takoma serves pour-overs showcasing beans from Ecuador and other South American countries as well as toasts, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas. The small-batch coffee company could be found long before opening its first shop, selling brewed coffee at Call Your Mother and A Baked Joint, among other places. View menu here.

Lost Sock’s new cafe in Takoma serves fruity, single-origin coffee, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas.
Lost Sock’s new cafe in Takoma serves fruity, single-origin coffee, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

La Coop Coffee

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The word that immediately comes to mind at La Coop is family. Founder Juan Luis Salazar Cano sources the beans from a collective he organized in his hometown of Union Cantinil, in Guatemala’s Huehuetenango region. The coffeeshop operates out of a quaint Manor Park house, surrounded with a white picket fence and complete with a spacious yard and porch to lounge in with a chai latte or an herbal tea. The coffee shop also sells Colombian-style empanadas, burritos, bagelitos, and New York-style pizza. An additional outpost recently landed in Arlington.

Royal is one of the first shops to occupy the all-day cafe niche in the D.C. scene. In the morning, go for Counter Culture Coffee and matcha lattes, and don’t forget to add a breakfast sandwich or arepa. Sit and stay in the stylish corner cafe or order takeout or delivery.

The Coffee Bar

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Find an “on tap” brew selection in the morning at The Coffee Bar, and a pour-over menu in the afternoon. The coffee selection includes options from roasters like Ceremony, Bespoke, and Verve. Office workers in Farragut will be happy to know that The Coffee Bar also has a location at 17th and M Streets NW.

Qualia Coffee

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One of the most respected small-batch roasters in D.C., Qualia’s beans come from Ethiopia, countries throughout Latin America, and locales such as the Indonesian island of Flores. In addition to its Eckington storefront, Qualia also pops up at various farmer’s markets throughout the week. Order local delivery for retail beans within three days of roasting.

The Roasted Boon Co.

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This Eritrean-owned coffee shop debuted at the busy Shaw intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and 11th Street NW in summer 2020. The nucleus of the sit-and-stay hangout, open daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., is a touch screen-enabled roaster that extracts flavor out of coffee beans from Guatemala, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Brazil. Local bakery Fresh Baguette supplies goods daily.

Café Unido

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Café Unido, which is housed in Latin market La Cosecha, is the first U.S. location of a Panamanian coffee chain. Founders Benito Bermudez and Mario Castrellon — a chef with a place on San Pellegrino’s list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants — source beans directly from growers in Panama and donate a percentage of their sales to social and environmental projects. An additional outpost recently opened in Shaw.

Slipstream (Multiple locations)

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Slipstream sells single-origin coffees that come in carafes accompanied by informative cards. The original in Logan Circle has a patio with prime views of a bustling corner on 14th Street NW and wall-to-wall windows inside that bathe the space in natural light. Avocado toasts and light rice bowls here are some of the best in the city, and the cafe turns into a restaurant with a cocktail bar at night. Along with its house blend, coffee drinks and bagged beans come from roasters like Blanchard, Small Planes, and Onyx. There are sibling cafes in Navy Yard and downtown, plus a new outpost in Ballston. Preorder for pickup here.

Coffee brewing at Slipstream
Coffee brewing at Slipstream
The Washington Post via Getty Images

Dua Coffee DC

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This Jakarta-based coffee company with four stores in Indonesia opened its first U.S. location in downtown D.C. in 2019. Along with coffee and tea, signature drinks include a tonic and a bottled matcha with mango. There are fluffy toasts that bring milk bread to mind, and a crispy spring roll stuffed with banana and melted chocolate.

Maketto

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Erik Bruner-Yang’s versatile Taiwanese-Cambodian restaurant on H Street NE contains multitudes. Maketto sells streetwear, houses a record store, and has a cafe component that brews local roasts.

A macchiato from Maketto
A macchiato from Maketto
Maketto [official]

Simona Cafe

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Open since December, Arlington’s chic new coffee shop with a welcoming patio out front has quickly become an all-day neighborhood favorite for seasonal drinks, matcha lattes, honey rooibos affogato, sandwiches built on homemade focaccia, and a curated selection of wine and beer. Retail shelves up front are stocked with bagged beans from Falls Church roaster Rarebird. A second location is coming soon to D.C.

Cameo was the first vendor to open inside the Roost, a Southeast food hall run by prolific Neighborhood Restaurant Group. The coffee shop sells seasonal lattes using beans from Brooklyn roaster Parlor Coffee and switches things up monthly, so expect ambitious flavors. For sweet lovers, there’s also a menu of muffins, cupcakes and chocolate bars.

The wood-lined coffee counter for Cameo is surrounded by hanging orb lights and plants Stacey Windsor/For Neighborhood Restaurant Group

Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters

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In 2016, Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters opened a sleek Pentagon City home base with nitro cold brew on tap, a pour-over station, glass-enclosed cupping room, and holiday-themed menus and decor. The Arlington roaster offers customizable orders of boxed cold brew or whole bean or ground-to-order coffee from its online shop.

Swing's Coffee (Multiple locations)

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With a D.C. history spanning more than a century, Swing’s Coffee Roasters boasts multiple locations: two downtown and a flagship roastery in a window-lined industrial space in Del Ray. The coffee bar in the Alexandria building hosts free cupping labs and offers growler refills of cold brew.

Swing’s [official]

Takoma Beverage Company

The all-day coffee shop and bar from two Northside Social alums brought pour-overs, rotating art exhibits, and mixed drinks to downtown Takoma Park in 2017. The popular cafe has since doubled its seat count by growing into the space next door. A custom espresso machine built for the restaurant is fed a strict diet of Counter Culture Coffee, and a front counter with a white quartz top features a display case stocked with pastries and other impulse buys. Open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (and 10 p.m. on weekends) with cocktails, beer, and wine, too. Place orders online here.

Lost Sock Coffee Shop

Lost Sock Roasters opened its first retail shop in 2021. It’s narrow, yet comfortable storefront in Takoma serves pour-overs showcasing beans from Ecuador and other South American countries as well as toasts, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas. The small-batch coffee company could be found long before opening its first shop, selling brewed coffee at Call Your Mother and A Baked Joint, among other places. View menu here.

Lost Sock’s new cafe in Takoma serves fruity, single-origin coffee, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas.
Lost Sock’s new cafe in Takoma serves fruity, single-origin coffee, cheesy pan de yuca, and Argentine-style empanadas.
Rey Lopez/Eater D.C.

La Coop Coffee

The word that immediately comes to mind at La Coop is family. Founder Juan Luis Salazar Cano sources the beans from a collective he organized in his hometown of Union Cantinil, in Guatemala’s Huehuetenango region. The coffeeshop operates out of a quaint Manor Park house, surrounded with a white picket fence and complete with a spacious yard and porch to lounge in with a chai latte or an herbal tea. The coffee shop also sells Colombian-style empanadas, burritos, bagelitos, and New York-style pizza. An additional outpost recently landed in Arlington.

Royal

Royal is one of the first shops to occupy the all-day cafe niche in the D.C. scene. In the morning, go for Counter Culture Coffee and matcha lattes, and don’t forget to add a breakfast sandwich or arepa. Sit and stay in the stylish corner cafe or order takeout or delivery.

The Coffee Bar

Find an “on tap” brew selection in the morning at The Coffee Bar, and a pour-over menu in the afternoon. The coffee selection includes options from roasters like Ceremony, Bespoke, and Verve. Office workers in Farragut will be happy to know that The Coffee Bar also has a location at 17th and M Streets NW.

Qualia Coffee

One of the most respected small-batch roasters in D.C., Qualia’s beans come from Ethiopia, countries throughout Latin America, and locales such as the Indonesian island of Flores. In addition to its Eckington storefront, Qualia also pops up at various farmer’s markets throughout the week. Order local delivery for retail beans within three days of roasting.

The Roasted Boon Co.

This Eritrean-owned coffee shop debuted at the busy Shaw intersection of Rhode Island Avenue and 11th Street NW in summer 2020. The nucleus of the sit-and-stay hangout, open daily 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., is a touch screen-enabled roaster that extracts flavor out of coffee beans from Guatemala, Colombia, Ethiopia, and Brazil. Local bakery Fresh Baguette supplies goods daily.

Café Unido

Café Unido, which is housed in Latin market La Cosecha, is the first U.S. location of a Panamanian coffee chain. Founders Benito Bermudez and Mario Castrellon — a chef with a place on San Pellegrino’s list of Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants — source beans directly from growers in Panama and donate a percentage of their sales to social and environmental projects. An additional outpost recently opened in Shaw.

Slipstream (Multiple locations)

Slipstream sells single-origin coffees that come in carafes accompanied by informative cards. The original in Logan Circle has a patio with prime views of a bustling corner on 14th Street NW and wall-to-wall windows inside that bathe the space in natural light. Avocado toasts and light rice bowls here are some of the best in the city, and the cafe turns into a restaurant with a cocktail bar at night. Along with its house blend, coffee drinks and bagged beans come from roasters like Blanchard, Small Planes, and Onyx. There are sibling cafes in Navy Yard and downtown, plus a new outpost in Ballston. Preorder for pickup here.

Coffee brewing at Slipstream
Coffee brewing at Slipstream
The Washington Post via Getty Images

Dua Coffee DC

This Jakarta-based coffee company with four stores in Indonesia opened its first U.S. location in downtown D.C. in 2019. Along with coffee and tea, signature drinks include a tonic and a bottled matcha with mango. There are fluffy toasts that bring milk bread to mind, and a crispy spring roll stuffed with banana and melted chocolate.

Maketto

Erik Bruner-Yang’s versatile Taiwanese-Cambodian restaurant on H Street NE contains multitudes. Maketto sells streetwear, houses a record store, and has a cafe component that brews local roasts.

A macchiato from Maketto
A macchiato from Maketto
Maketto [official]

Simona Cafe

Open since December, Arlington’s chic new coffee shop with a welcoming patio out front has quickly become an all-day neighborhood favorite for seasonal drinks, matcha lattes, honey rooibos affogato, sandwiches built on homemade focaccia, and a curated selection of wine and beer. Retail shelves up front are stocked with bagged beans from Falls Church roaster Rarebird. A second location is coming soon to D.C.

Cameo

Cameo was the first vendor to open inside the Roost, a Southeast food hall run by prolific Neighborhood Restaurant Group. The coffee shop sells seasonal lattes using beans from Brooklyn roaster Parlor Coffee and switches things up monthly, so expect ambitious flavors. For sweet lovers, there’s also a menu of muffins, cupcakes and chocolate bars.

The wood-lined coffee counter for Cameo is surrounded by hanging orb lights and plants Stacey Windsor/For Neighborhood Restaurant Group

Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters

In 2016, Commonwealth Joe Coffee Roasters opened a sleek Pentagon City home base with nitro cold brew on tap, a pour-over station, glass-enclosed cupping room, and holiday-themed menus and decor. The Arlington roaster offers customizable orders of boxed cold brew or whole bean or ground-to-order coffee from its online shop.

Swing's Coffee (Multiple locations)

With a D.C. history spanning more than a century, Swing’s Coffee Roasters boasts multiple locations: two downtown and a flagship roastery in a window-lined industrial space in Del Ray. The coffee bar in the Alexandria building hosts free cupping labs and offers growler refills of cold brew.

Swing’s [official]

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