Some More Coffee News For Ya

If people have been in withdrawal from Mocha Hut’s closing up at U Street between 13th and 14th, you are in for some relief soon.

I’m told U Street Cafe is planning on opening up May 14th!

And the owners are the same folks who will be opening up Tynan Coffee & Tea in Columbia Heights (next to Five Guys on Irving Street).

Tynan Coffee & Tea is looking to open up later this year in the Summer/Fall time frame. For more info on Tynan you can see the press release from Donatelli Development after the jump.

Donatelli Development is proud to announce the signing of Tynan Coffee & Tea to take one of the remaining retail spaces in Highland Park, at 14th and Irving streets in Columbia Heights.

Tynan Coffee & Tea is a new name in the tea and coffeehouse business, and is locally owned and operated. (In fact, the operators live in Highland Park.) Its menu and décor are geared toward establishing a casual destination for eating and drinking throughout the day, from breakfast time through the cocktail hour.

In addition to coffee and tea, the store will offer fresh food items including locally sourced muffins, bagels, quiche and fresh fruit. Sandwiches will be prepared to order on site. And as the day wears on, patrons can order a glass of wine or a beer. Wireless internet access will be available throughout the day.

The focal point of the 1,750 square-foot space will be a stacked stone fireplace, surrounded by a bank of soft seating. Other zones will include bar-height counters in the plate glass windows for watching the world go by, smaller 1-to-3-person tables that can be slid together to accommodate larger groups, and banquettes along the walls. The intent is to create an environment suitable for many different moods, from grab-and-go, to a long afternoon on the computer, to a relaxed glass of wine with friends by the fireplace, and everything in between.

While most coffee stores sell upwards of 95% coffee and offer mass-market teabags as an afterthought, Tynan Coffee & Tea expects its loose-leaf tea to comprise 20-25% of beverage sales. All coffee and tea is locally sourced from Orinoco Coffee and Tea in Columbia, MD, and will be packaged for retail sale for those customers who like to brew their coffee or tea at home.

Tynan Coffee & Tea rounds out a diverse group of restaurants at Highland Park, adding to what has become something of a “restaurant row” in Columbia Heights.

“We’ve been in the Columbia Heights community for a couple of years now,” notes Chris Donatelli, president of Donatelli Development, “and one of the things we’ve heard consistently from neighbors is that there’s no good, local place to go for breakfast. Tynan Coffee & Tea not only fills that gap, but also meets the need for a casual, comfortable place to get a light lunch, or hang out after work with friends over a glass of wine or beer. We couldn’t be happier that they have chosen our building to launch their concept.”

Tynan Coffee & Tea is expected to open mid-Summer 2009. The Columbia Heights location is expected to be the first of a number of locations in Washington DC and nearby suburbs in Maryland and Virginia.