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The 14th and U Street NW corridors have experienced a number of setbacks in the locally-owned coffee shop department over the last couple of years. First was the end of Sparky's (making way for the wildly popular Cork). Then it was the shuttering and now presumed death of 14U, despite rumors that it would reinvent itself as a retail/cafe hybrid. Cafe Collage entered the scene, but since then Love Cafe has sharply reduced its hours, no longer serving coffee in the early morning hours (it's been opening at 11 a.m. for a couple months). And if wireless internet is important to you, as I noted on Sunday, Mocha Hut has become markedly inconsistent in that area.
So Metrocurean's scoop this morning that 1905 owner Mick Mier and his partners are set to open Mid-City Cafe in April (located above Miss Pixie's at 1626 14th St. NW) is good news for the neighborhood. Those of us who rely on coffee shops to double as temporary offices will be anxious to check the space, and the coffee, out later this spring.
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I don't think Miss Pixie will like that!
Maybe someone can come up 18th street with delicious coffee and a place to sit. Sorry Crumbs and Coffee but your coffee is watered down and your place is dirty.
It's funny you say that, because I was looking forward to a Tryst-style coffee shop, with plenty of space to hang out, and plenty of good drinks and food. Busboys kinda fills that void now, but we need more low-key places on U to chill out and grab a cup of joe at all hours.
Call me crazy, but maybe the coffee shops keep failing because the area doesn't need that many coffee shops?
You're crazy. Loitering in overpriced coffee shops, banging at laptops, and pretending you're a writer is the birthright of every trustafarian! I mean, what's the point of me drinking Chock Full O' Nuts in my underwear in my kitchen unless people can see my 17" Macbook Pro?
I can't speak to Murky, but 14U suffered from a clueless design. I stopped in a few times, but just never really felt comfortable. It was like you were in some guy's living room, and he set up a small coffee bar in the corner and left the front door open. There's low key, and then there's downright unbusinesslike.
I like that people are trying these ventures, but not everyone knows how to set up and operate a business. I think these failures are less about oversaturation than about the specific establishment and generating broad neighborhood support. Love Cafe may serve coffee, but I don't view it as a coffee shop - that's not their primary business.
I wasn't bothered so much by the layout (the ratty couch was actually quite comfortable), but the quality of the product was really pretty awful. It seemed that no one who worked there had ever worked a coffee bar before, the selection was poor and the pastries were dry and flaky.
I really wanted them to succeed, and loved the idea of the place...but you've gotta deliver on the goods.
14U was a JOKE -- terrible coffee, food, service, music, and atmosphere. A travesty of a coffee shop.
It's rather sad that BIG BEAR is, to my knowledge, the ONLY coffee shop in DC that gets everything right: good music, coffee, food, service, atmosphere, AND an attractive staff. Let's be honest, this is important.
Living in the area, I have high hopes for this new place, but given DC's poor track record, I'm not holding my breath.
Will they serve espresson on ice there?
sommer: i'm not a coffee drinker, but is the place at 10th and M (next door to the CVS) any good?
Café Cozy Corner?
It's more like a stripped down deli with no WiFi on the occasions I've been there.
The plus is it's never crowded except when some sucker tourist / convention group wanders over.
It's not a place I'd like to hang out in (I tried once) and the space is really small and too sterile.
If there was a fight between the shop on 9th and M (First Cup) and Triple C, you'd want to see them both lose. You're better going up the street to Azi's.
i had breakfast at first cup on sunday (wasn't terrible, wasn't fantastic). i'm not a coffee drinker, but i have to say that azi's is pretty a pretty nice space.
Café Cozy Corner?
It's more like a stripped down deli with no WiFi on the occasions I've been there.
The plus is it's never crowded except when some sucker tourist / convention group wanders over.
It's not a place I'd like to hang out in (I tried once) and the space is really small and too sterile.
If there was a fight between the shop on 9th and M (First Cup) and Triple C, you'd want to see them both lose. You're better going up the street to Azi's.
I can't say I've ever been tempted inside Cafe Cozy Corner, although I certainly shop at that CVS from time to time. If a place doesn't have wifi, I'm really unlikely to stop in. Agree with mustachioed that Azi's is a good option if you're in that part of town.
Slow down, everyone.
Azi's, fo sho, is the best, but there's no reason to hate on First Cup Cafe. The two that run First Cup easily make the best breakfast burritos in the city. It's also a good spot if you'd like to ingratiate yourself with the nuts and bolts of DC, as it seems like half the police force/FD is there at some point during the day. Also, super eager to sponsor local artists (i think they are featuring three or four locals on their walls right now, and play local music all day). Neither are as good as Big Bear Cafe, but neither are as moneyed, either.
However, CCC sucks sucks sucks. Good for the transplant condo owners living above, but not much else.
Slow down, everyone.
Azi's, fo sho, is the best, but there's no reason to hate on First Cup Cafe. The two that run First Cup easily make the best breakfast burritos in the city. It's also a good spot if you'd like to ingratiate yourself with the nuts and bolts of DC, as it seems like half the police force/FD is there at some point during the day. Also, super eager to sponsor local artists (i think they are featuring three or four locals on their walls right now, and play local music all day). Neither are as good as Big Bear Cafe, but neither are as moneyed, either.
However, CCC sucks sucks sucks. Good for the transplant condo owners living above, but not much else.
Slow down, everyone.
Azi's, fo sho, is the best, but there's no reason to hate on First Cup Cafe. The two that run First Cup easily make the best breakfast burritos in the city. It's also a good spot if you'd like to ingratiate yourself with the nuts and bolts of DC, as it seems like half the police force/FD is there at some point during the day. Also, super eager to sponsor local artists (i think they are featuring three or four locals on their walls right now, and play local music all day). Neither are as good as Big Bear Cafe, but neither are as moneyed, either.
However, CCC sucks sucks sucks. Good for the transplant condo owners living above, but not much else.
sorry. retarded work computer
Has anyone ever considered that maybe, just maybe the $4 "cup of pretension" fad may have run its course?
They said the same thing about $15 hamburgers, blogging, and PCP. And yet here we are.
9/11 changed everything.
someone needs to open up a joe shop and just call it what we've all been wanting: JUNKPUNCHERS.
Pretty sure there's no good coffee shop (not lounge) west of 9th. Tryst works though, during the day, when there's space and the waitstaff treats it less like a full-service restaurant.