Azi’s Cafe

I felt I had to review this place because it was the first time I’ve ever had to throw out every single food item I purchased at a café. Went in to get a simple breakfast order (bagels and cream cheese) but was informed after the bagels were already being «toasted» that they actually did not have cream cheese. I asked for butter instead, and also grabbed a slice of red velvet cake from the display case.
Got home to discover that the «toasted» bagels were only slightly warmed, (maybe microwaved?) stale, smeared with margarine, and completely inedible. I thought maybe the cake would redeem the situation, but it was also stale, tasted like it had been sitting out for days, and immediately also went in the trash. For me, throwing away bagels and cake is pretty much blasphemous… But these were just THAT bad. Can’t speak for lunch or dinner options, but felt I had to share my frustrating breakfast experience!

This place used to be great when Azi was running the joint but now it’s gone downhill. The coffee is still good illy coffee but the pastries and sandwiches are no longer as good.

When I run out of coffee at home, I come to Azi’s. The coffee is terrific and the staff is nice and friendly. I’ll come here before I’ll go to that other «café»

Nice, clean independent coffeeshop. Coffee is pretty good– I think it’s Illy coffee. Service is friendly. Free wifi. Decided to come here to support a local business and was happy I did.

Service is very friendly, it’s an independent shop, the wifi is free, and there’s a nice variety of seating, including a pleasant outdoor patio space.
That said, they — or at least the person who made mine — don’t really know how to make a proper cappuccino. The milk in mine was hot at the top and cold in the middle. Perhaps steamed milk was reused? Unfortunately, steamed milk can’t be reused to make more than one drink. Also, there was too much milk — a cappuccino should really be one size and one size only: small. Otherwise, you’re just drinking a lot of milk on top of the same amount of espresso and the ratio for the drink is wrong. The «small» here is too big, but that’s not really the fault of the café: Americans — for example, the woman who ordered her cappuccino after me – love to drink giant-​sized Italian coffee drinks, even if doing so completely bastardizes the drink. My pain au chocolat was OK — just ok.
For $ 6, I was unimpressed. But, again, most coffee shops in America can’t make a proper cappuccino, so I’m definitely not trying to encourage folks to avoid this café. To the contrary, come, buy, sit, enjoy. Support an independent business opposite the new Starbucks. If the owners read this review, my suggestions would be 1.) offer one size of each coffee drink (small or regular or just «cappuccino») and 2.) practice a bit with the steamed milk/​foam.

Azi’s has a perfect combo of delicious coffee, relaxed atmosphere, sweet and kind staff, and tasty pastries. The cranberry apple muffins are my favorite. They pair perfectly with a cup of coffee and a newspaper out on the little patio. It’s really nice that they have a dog bowl and umbrellas available on request for those warm, sunny mornings. Perfect corner coffee shop!

I came here for their curry chicken pita pocket and an iced tea. The pita pocket was great! It was stuffed to the gills with a flavorful chicken curry salad. I especially liked the nuts and raisins which added good texture and sweetness.

Best salmon bagel breakfast I have ever had. My boyfriend and i are visiting DC for the week and happened to find this little café on our morning walk. We both had the salmon bagel and it was so amazing that we went 2 days in a row! The second day right when we walked in the lady at the counter knew exactly what we wanted before we ordered it! Absolutely delicious!

Great coffee! Convenient location to convention center and Cambria hotel. Nice place to sit & work with wifi & natural light. Somewhat limited # power outlets. Greek salad was good.

On a rainy day in the city, a cozy coffee shop may be the one thing to brighten the day. Azi’s is just right for a time like that. Lots of tasty pastries & a great cup of coffee. Free wifi & local literature offered to accompany the well lit atmosphere.

A-​OK neighborhood coffee shop. Reasonable coffee and food. WiFi. Decent service. Not cheap but not expensive. Not a chain, but nothing to make a fuss over.

Forget coffee chains. Great coffee, great food, outstanding hospitality and staff who go the extra mile to accomodate you — because they are just nice people. Highly recommended!

I love Azi’s! A cozy little neighborhood coffee shop that serves up tasty drinks and scrumptious treats with a smile. Coffee is made from Illy, so you know it’s good quality! Try the delish muffins or biscotti (especially the peppermint chocolate biscotti with a hot chocolate… the ultimate winter indulgence!). I can’t wait to come here in the warmer months and get an iced drink — they even have Freddo cappuccinos, which totally make me reminisce about vacations in Greece… ahhh.
If you need a real meal instead of just a sweet treat, there are salads, sandwiches, and paninis for ordering. I haven’t tried any but they all look really yummy! They are all priced well at around $ 5 – 8.
I’m not crazy about the orange walls, but the vibe here is so warm and welcoming. It’s a lovely spot to come with your laptop or a book and stay a while, or to just grab-​n-​go.

Coming from Brooklyn where independent neighborhood coffee shops rule the world, I am saddened by DC’s small selection of non-​chain cafes. This coffee shop is awesome. Delicious food (have had breakfast and lunch options), great coffee and a really friendly staff. It’s perfectly located for someone living in between «Shaw» and «14^th Street»
Only complaint is that they play pop music (top 40) kinda loud. Sitting arrangements are a little sterile and awkward too. 2 thumbs up for the corner patio during nice weather!

Clean enough but so disappointing relative to user reviews. Azi’s looks like an slightly upscale version of a Dunkin donuts without the Coffee cult status.
Coming from New York, I’m a a huge fan of the independent coffee bar. Azi’s is not. Coffee from illy is not great and one would be better served by Starbucks.

This night be my new favourite study spot: Illy coffee, nice and sunny, upbeat music that isn’t too loud? Heaven. I wish there were more outlets (my new life quest seems to be for outlets. I don’t know what that says about me, but I have seriously considered carrying an extension cord/​surge protector with me for study sessions) but the café itself is great. The woman who runs it is really nice. I don’t care for mayonaise and she was really nice in suggesting one of the paninis with pesto instead and is always friendly and smiling in a really genuine way. The coffee is really good, and everyone that comes in seems to know her, which gives the place the neighborhood vibe most coffee shops try to fake.

Very rude service even when nobody was around. Also, the absolute worst expresso I’ve ever had.

A warm neighborhood place. Great for coffee or lunch.
I enjoyed meeting with a colleague for an early lunch. It’s just a stones throw for the convention center, which makes a great pick if you if you are attending an event there. Better to support the local neighborhood than to pay inflated prices for lackluster food at the center itself.
I found the service to be excellent. The pastries looked delicious!

I really wanted to love this place, especially because it’s only two blocks from my house. Maybe I’ll come back for the breakfast sandwiches and hope they’re better. But now that I’ve found Chapman’s on 9^th not sure I’ll bother.
My boyfriend and I went here and got two paninis and two cups of minestrone soup. The minestrone was nothing special, which was disappointing since I’d heard good things. But to be honest, you could have told me it was out of the can and I’d believe you. The panini was also pretty disappointing — the cheese seemed like those plastic-​wrapped slices you get from the grocery store, and the garlic sauce was almost overwhelming.
Overall, disappointing.

The service here is pretty slow. Breakfast takes a long time to prepare. Eggs cooked on a hot plate equals a LONG wait.
The Latte I had was pretty average.
The interior is spacious, but there’s not enough seating.
All this aside, it’s the best coffee shop in the area, too bad it’s so average.
Pros:
–Best place in the immediate area for coffee.
–Close to the metro.
Cons:
–Very average.
–Food (and drinks) took a long time to prepare.