Starbucks may have locations all over, but independent coffee shops hold their own keeping locals caffeinated and happy. What makes the best ones great? Is it the quality of the beans, a daily roasting, some flavorful espresso-based experiments, the latte art, pastries, or maybe food, live music or overall mood? Or some mysterious combination of the above.
Hoodline filtered the numbers to find the top five coffee shops around the city, using both Yelp data and our own blend of analysis to produce a data-driven breakdown of where coffee drinkers go out of their way to get the city’s best cup(s) of coffee.
A Baked Joint
Mount Vernon Triangle
A Baked Joint, which is the sister restaurant to Georgetown's Baked and Wired, has a dynamite breakfast menu for those that need some fuel to get through the day. The space, complete with plush sofas, lounge chairs and tons of open space, is the perfect setting to enjoy some coffee and homemade pastries. There are several different drinks available, from the classic drip coffee to an iced cold brew, cappuccino and more, as well as its house-made meat or cheese biscuits that are baked with spicy sausage, goat cheese, cilantro and cheddar cheese.
Maketto
H Street
Maketto may primarily be a Cambodian and Taiwanese restaurant, but it also houses a small, hip cafe with some great coffee offerings. The trendy cafe is located on the second floor of the building and serves coffee from Vigilante Coffee, a local roaster of single-origin coffee." Maketto has a macchiato, mocha latte, cortado and more on its beverage menu, in addition to the food menu, which includes items like scones, sticky buns, various types of croissants and more.
Tryst
Adams Morgan
This Adam Morgans coffee shop is on everybody's radar, which means that the coffee is awesome, but seating can be fairly limited. The beloved neighborhood bar, which offers free wifi and an outdoor patio space, continues to draw people in, thanks to its menu that offers coffee beans from Counter Culture and a variety of breakfast and brunch offerings to go with the drink. If coffee isn't your jam, there is also organic tea and beer, wine and cocktails for those that are over 21-years-old.
Peregrine Espresso
Capitol Hill
For some coffee and pastries that photograph just as beautifully as they taste, head over to Peregrine Espresso in Capitol Hill. The cafe is pretty small and doesn't offer much open space, compared to the ones listed above, but it works greatfor commuters who are taking the trains from the Eastern Market Metro. The beverage list includes drip Counter Culture coffee, flash-brewed iced coffee, lattes and others, as well as some food pairings like croissants, scones, cookies and more. The cafe also holds two different educational classes for people who want to learn more about coffee brewing and espresso.
Baked & Wired
Georgetown
Housed under the same ownership as A Baked Joint in Mount Vernon Triangle, Baked & Wired in Georgetown is the go-to place for students, visitors and locals alike. Drinks are concocted by professional baristas that use coffee and espresso beans from Stumptown, Intelligentsia, and PT's and Elixr. In addition to the drinks menu, you should peruse the food options, which includes biscotti, cupcakes, muffins, buttermilk biscuits and much more.
