First Look: Busboys and Poets
It's a restaurant, bar, bookstore and performance space, brought to you by Andy Shallal, owner of Luna Grill and Diner and Mimi's American Bistro. It would seem that such an ambitious project would have to fall flat on its face, but in the month since its opening, Busboys and Poets is not only packed, it's likable.
The space is at once comfortable and chic, with many non-generic touches like hand-appliquéd mirrors in the bathrooms and the mural of peace movement heavyweights in the performance space. Busboys and Poets also has a thoughtful side. The bookstore, which contains selections of politics, poetry, literature and bias-free books for teaching professionals, is operated by Teaching for Change, a social justice nonprofit. And the place was the darling of Operation Ceasefire, with Cindy Sheehan reportedly holding court one morning.
On that social conscious note, Busboys and Poets has no plans to advertise. That way the costs will remain low, according to its website. And they are pretty low, with pizzas between $7 and $8, burgers at $7 and sandwiches between $5 and $10, and half the entrees less than $10.
The food is nothing amazingly out of the ordinary, but it's solid. The Mediterranean pizza with olives, feta, spinach and chopped tomatoes had a chewy, thin crust. The grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich on challah was pure hedonism, warranting finger licking of the copious honey that adorns it. The chocolate layer cake could have used some time at room temperature to revive its flavor, but the decaf was good enough for us to ask whether a bait and switch went on behind the scenes.
Let's talk about the service for a minute. In a town where patrons regularly complain about servers, the Busboys and Poets staff has proved to be friendly, helpful and maybe even overly accommodating. On a recent Saturday night visit at 10 p.m., we ordered dessert and coffee. When the drinks did not arrive 10 minutes later, a manager came over and apologized profusely, offering to comp the drinks. We hadn't even noticed the wait, but the harried staff said they were not expecting such popularity.
Even though we know this will likely spark a heated debate, we'll come out and say it: Busboys and Poets is smoke-free. All the time. Let the comments begin.
Busboys and Poets
2021 14th Street NW (14th and V)
202-387-7638
Metro: Green Line U Street.