Olde Towne Gourmet Market

Random, random, random. I’m not quite sure how they’ve lasted this long on King Street. I went in there for lunch because it was one of the only restaurants without a line and now I know why. The soup that I had wasn’t bad but the service was terrible. The barista seemed nice but confused and the coffee that I ended up with burned the crap out of the inside of my mouth because it was way too hot. My bad, I should’ve been more careful I suppose, but it was very unexpected. Strange hodge podge of grocery items in the back of the store. The owners need to close this place, develop some sort of cohesive theme, retrain their staff and then re-​open. It’s a great location. Pity it’s wasted…

The first time my boyfriend, Nick, and I decided to stop by I had just bought a vanilla bean from starbucks and he wanted a change. Old Towne Gourmet didn’t have a stricking galore to it, nor was it inviting, yet he seemed to find it appealing. It could be that the simplicity of the place gave it the right atmosphere to try something other than starbucks .
We were both greeted accordingly, and after glancing through the list of coffee decided on a latte. The same latte that he would order from starbucks. But after taking a sip, he remarked that it was better than the starbucks he always had. He added that the beans were not burned at all. I, however, was too skeptical to even dare to try.
So the next time we had gone to Old Town Alexandria, or rather my second time. We were joined by two of his friends visiting from Jersey. Nick advised that all of us should stop by Old Towne Gourmet. It was finally my chance to try their coffee. I don’t quite remember what Nick’s friends had, but I got a café mocha. After a sip I was satisfied with the taste. The beans seemed lightly roasted, with a nice aroma to it. The barista didn’t recognize us, although Nick and I did, but Nick reassured her that after his first sip he had to come back for seconds.
Old Towne Gourmet has a relaxed feel. The barista made it that much more inviting with every little conversations we had. I liked the idea of having honey in addition to the sugar packets with its good source of anitoxidants (but just as any it is good in moderation) it is certainly a healthy substitute. We are certainly going to go back again whenever we are in Old Town Alexandria.

Decided to pop in here and give them a chance to deliver better coffee than the pretentious Misha’s up the street. Came out really disappointed — I’m surprised this place has survived so long on King Street. The cappuccino I ordered was made poorly, with burnt espresso. The barista also didn’t fill the cup, so when I made it home I only had half a cappuccino. They also don’t carry splenda, which seems to be the most popular alternative sweetener.
As Venu has mentioned, this place is too erratic to do anything particularly well. The space is cavernous, and the offerings too eclectic. It appears they strive to be a coffeehouse/​organic lunch place. While the paninis they advertised sounded good, the «homemade soups» and other vittles I saw just didn’t seem that appetizing.
What did smell good was the hunk of meat one of the ladies was cutting into. It seems Olde Towne Gourmet Market would be much more successful if it became an Ethiopian café, as Old Town is sorely lacking in ethnic cuisine.

This gourmet market doesn’t even have a phone number. I work just down the street and was interested in seeing if they have a few products. But they don’t have a phone number. Very disappointing for a new business.

The Olde Towne Gourmet Market is a rather empty, haphazard market that has recently re-​opened in the middle of Old Town. It specializes in Ethiopian coffees, but also serves basic breakfast food, smoothies, and ice cream. You can buy products imported from the Middle East and North Africa at this market along with a moderate selection of American items (like Vitamin Water, etc.). The lady working the front seems friendly enough but I didn’t particularly enjoy my strawberry-​blueberry smoothie. The atmosphere is bland and lacking as well, however, I want to cut them some slack because it is clear that they have just opened. It might become more interesting in the next few weeks.