coffee

Chinatown Coffee Company to add Beer, Wine, Absinthe options starting July 5th

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo by Devon Pohl

Chinatown Coffee Co. located at 475 H St., NW will soon be adding some alcohol options to their coffee offerings. They had a cool event Tues. night when they invited some neighbors and bloggers to taste some of the potential beer, wines and absinthe. Sadly I had to bolt after only tasting a couple of beers (a Czech Pils and Great Lakes – both delicious) but they will start with 3-5 beer choices, 3 red and 3 white wine choices and a couple of absinthe options. Pricing is still being worked out but I’ll be sure to update when the final selections have been made with prices.

Big Chair Coffee Applies For Liquor License Will They Face Same Obstacles as Big Bear Coffee

By Prince Of Petworth

Back in January Big Chair Coffee opened up in Anacostia (2122 Marthin Luther King Jr Ave SE) to much fan fare. It turns out they’d also like to add some more options and are applying for a liquor license. The application says:

“New restaurant serving American food and coffee with Sidewalk Café. Occupancy load is 52”

Restaurant hours including a sidewalk cafe will be open until 2am.

I wonder if they’ll have an easier time than another coffee shop trying to get an alcohol license?

Judging Coffee – Bourbon Coffee Cafe

By Prince Of Petworth

There are few things I like more than Bourbon and Coffee so I was intrigued when I spotted this sign at 2101 L Street NW. I though I knew most of the coffee spots around town but this looks awesome. Their Web site says:

“Bourbon coffee is an international brand of specialty coffee and the first retail brand to originate from Africa. Our retail brand is built around the philosophy of producing great coffee from “crop to cup.” By building the brand in this manner we are able to directly impact the value equation for coffee farmers in Africa.

We will enter the international market with the goal of introducing fine coffees of Africa to consumers and promoting our mandates for the brand: Economic development, Sustainable Practices, Uncompromising Quality and Cultural Unity.”

You can see their menu here. They opened their first cafe in DC back in July ’09 and will be opening up cafes in NY and Boston soon. Any fans of the coffee and/or the cafe?

Roasting Coffee Beans Outside Timor Bodega

By Prince Of Petworth

I thought this was pretty cool. I stumbled on a little coffee bean roasting going on outside Timor Bodega, located at 200 Rhode Island Ave, NW, and considered arguably the best bodega in the city. So the funny thing is that as I was talking to the guy roasting the beans he turns out to be a Petworth resident and recent PoP t-shirt winner. Small city.

Dear PoP – Where Should I Study?

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo of the Diner in Adams Morgan by PoPville flickr user icubaji

“Dear PoP,

I am taking the GMAT next week and I need a great place to study…silence isn’t necessary, something like the noise level in Starbucks would work for me. I would love to find a place to set up my computer, spread out my notes a little bit and even get something decent to eat while I am studying (planning to go around dinner time).

Any suggestions for places in the neighborhood? Was thinking 17th street, adams morgan, dupont, shaw, logan circle, U street. Also double points if it’s someplace also available on Friday nights. I went to three places last Friday that had either a stand-up comic, was closed due to a music show, or was just plain closed.”

We looked a this question last year and discussed some other coffee shops here but in the last year lots of new places have popped up. So where’s your favorite place to work and/or study?

I think Filter, Peregrine, Qualia, and Mid City Caffe not to mention Tynan and nearby Columbia Heights Coffee and Sticky Fingers are all good options.  What about non coffee shop options? I think the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum Courtyard could be a pretty sweet option.

A New Contender for Best Coffee in Town?

By Prince Of Petworth

A friend of mine swears by this place located at 1143 New Hampshire Ave NW. I know they are not exactly like an independent coffee house but how would say they rank compared to Qualia, Peregrine, Big Bear, Mid City, Filter etc? While we talked about the best Latte in town here for this one let’s just say a regular brewed cup.

On a side note, would you say this is the best coffee to use if you brew your coffee home?

Cafe Green Finally Has Soft Opening

By Prince Of Petworth

Cafe Green is located at 1513 17th St, NW and takes up two floors. There had been a coming soon sign at this spot for ages, so when I walked by last weekend I was, happily, shocked to see them open. I was able to chat with one of their owner and GM, Jimmy Cooney (the other partner owns Java Green located at 1020 19th St, NW).


Upstairs dining area

So here’s what I learned:

They will be having their grand opening in late May but they “will be having a big opening party this coming Saturday, May 1st, from 11 am to 11 pm. A Gift Card Raffle, Music, and Specials on the menu will round out the day”.

They will soon have a full bar including liquor, wine including organic wine, beer, juice and coffee.

Below is a desert and beverage menu that will have some minor changes:

Café Green Beverage Dessert Menu 4.19.10

Below is the dining menu:

Cafe_Green_Dining_Menu_4_27_10

They will soon be serving brunch as well.

A few more photos after the jump including a photo of the soft opening menus. (more…)

Dear PoP – Has Mocha Lounge Become Manchester Bar and Grill?

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoP,

Was wondering if you knew anything about what’s going on with the Mocha Lounge at 944 Florida Avenue? I thought it was re-opening as the Mocha Lounge, but apparently, it is becoming the Manchester Bar and Grill. The owners are trying to put some outdoor seating on the sidewalks, and they have repainted (which looks nice). It’s kind of confusing that it did actually re-open as the Mocha Lounge very recently.”

This past Sunday I stopped in and was able to sit in on a chat with owner Darnell Perkins and a couple of very nice Howard University journalists. Darnell cleared up the Manchester Bar and Grill name confusion right away – that was the name that liquor license was listed under but the space will continue to be known as Darnell’s Mocha Lounge or Darnell’s Lounge. And it really does have a lounge atmosphere:

Darnell explained that the space is developing over stages. Currently it is a bar and lounge with live Jazz/R&B on Thursday nights. The second stage will feature coffee options and a small outdoor patio (see photos after jump). Today the space opens at 5pm everyday but starting the first Sunday in May they will open earlier to serve coffee (with wifi available) and a continental breakfast. The third stage will feature proper brunch options. Currently there are some dining options available including wings, salads and mini crab cakes. The space will continue to develop based on recommendations from the neighborhood.

Darnell explained that he sees the space as an extension of his living room. In fact much of the furniture actually comes from his living room. While the space is very comfortable it is sorta broken up into two rooms. In the front room there is a lounge type feel with a big bar (that will serve coffee). In the back room there is another bar that serves alcohol and also has comfortable seating (see photo above). The total occupancy is about 75.

What I liked most about Darnell’s comments were his desire to be welcoming to all. He envisions his spot as a place that brings the whole neighborhood together whether you are black, white, latino, or gay or straight. Given the de facto segregation often seen in some neighborhoods it’s nice to hear about a spot that specifically wishes to cater to all. I certainly look forward to the continued evolution of this great space.

Lots more photos after the jump. (more…)

Free Coffee and more at Baked & Wired on Tuesday Morning

By Prince Of Petworth


Photo courtesy of Baked & Wired

From an email:

On Tuesday, 4/20 Baked & Wired will celebrate an anniversary. For 42,000 hours we have been proudly serving coffee and baked goods to the Georgetown neighborhood. We are delighted to have become a part of the life of the neighborhood.

To give back to the people who have supported us all those hours, we will be celebrating all day! We will be officially unveiling some exciting new coffee offerings, so come on over from 7:00 until 10:30am for a cup of coffee on us.

There will also be giant cupcake raffles all day long, and a giant cupcake eating contest at noon (stop by the store by Monday to enter for a chance to participate). And, of course, we’ll have all your favorite munchies and the usual Baked & Wired shenanigans. We hope you’ll stop by.

Baked & Wired
1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW

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