Bourbon Coffee

I started coming to Bourbon 3 years ago when I took a job across the street. I’m sad to say that what was once my favorite coffee shop is now going down hill. The coffee is always great and a tad more expensive because it’s fair trade, etc. etc. — something I’m willing to pay the extra 25 cents for. I guess as a coffee shop that is the most important element of the establishment, but the service and baked goods have absolutely tanked.
There seems to have been A LOT of turn over in the past few months to a year. Most of the staff is inefficient and unfriendly — not to the point of being rude most times, but just that they are new and concentrating on other things than being nice to the customer or they shouldn’t be in a customer-​service position. That being said, there are a few gems who always put a smile on my face!
The food though… I heard that they started baking their pastries in house and I almost wish they hadn’t. I was a huge fan of the old muffins and despite my many attempts to «give them one more shot» I’ve had underdone muffins, funny-​tasting muffins and lemon poppy seed muffins lacking poppy seeds in the muffin (but a bucket-​load on top) and no hint of lemon whatsoever. I’ve heard the scones are better, but after taking a look at other reviews I’ll keep going somewhere else for my pastries.
I hope they manage the staffing situation and work on their baked goods… It’s a shame that I’m now walking to other large chain coffee shops instead of patronizing the one with a good cause behind it!

Coffee is 4 stars here, but the service brings it down to 2 stars. No one that works here when I have been in is friendly or efficient.
Last time I was in, the girl taking the orders could not understand my order, even though all I wanted was a small latte — a simple drink taken right off the menu. She had me repeat the order several times, and even then, she told the barista the wrong thing. Meanwhile, the line grew longer and longer because of how slow and confused she was. The speed is unacceptable considering that this coffee shop is mostly frequented by GW students (like myself) and business people. She did not apologize or offer an explanation for the difficulty she was having; instead, she was unfriendly and unresponsive. I am more than happy to cut people a break for a bad day or a learning curve, but they should still be welcoming and pleasant. I have experienced a similar disinterested, pretentious attitude from the other baristas here.
In sum, there are lots of places serving up great tasting coffee in DC. I don’t need to go to Bourdon to find fair-​trade, delicious coffee, and I won’t because of what they lack in customer service.

Found this place by accident while searching for an ATM and I wish I found it earlier rather than on my last day in DC.
5 stars for the coffee and the efficient service. The description of the Kivu Lake is right on. Not even a hint of bitterness or burnt taste (unlike the mermaid coffee).
3 stars for the bacon cheddar scone– i need more bacon… maybe a little more cheese, but definitely more bacon.
The café looks like a comfy place to enjoy the café goodness, I just didn’t have time to sit down. America needs more coffee shops like this place.

Stopped here for a cold brew and both my friend and I loved it! Cute interior, lots of seating and tempting cookies to be had. They also have tons of milk options — soy, almond, etc. Will be back when I’m in the area!

I adore this coffee shop. I was drawn to the shop because the coffee is direct purchased from growers in Rwanda and have continued patronage for the excellent coffee. The menu of offerings is huge and includes options for soy, rice and almond milk. The staff is friendly and knowledgable and the drinks come out quickly with no fuss. The café au lait is perfectly done, especially with almond milk and light roast.

Great space, awesome service, and fantastic coffee. Definitely prefer it to other places nearby. Check out their seasonal specials, my favorite is the rosemary brown sugar latte!

For someone who doesn’t actually like coffee (gasp!) this place was super exciting because of all the flavor options. Had a coconut mocha, it was very coconutty. Décor is also great, good place to sit and chat when it isn’t too crowded.

The main premise of Bourbon is to promote African coffee, which I would support wholeheartedly instead of Starbucks. There is a rather small Bourbon Café near where I live (Wisconsin Ave. by Tenleytown) I love its sunny, warm environment. But this one on L & 21 is not as folksy, and I find it a bit too dark and unwelcoming. Once you are siting properly, you can engage in good conversation, but the association with Africa (Uganda, Kenya…) is tenuous at best (not in the other one).
Another annoyance is that I found the place too loud. And that started with a female employee who by talking with loud projection, non-​stop, to a colleague ended up giving ME a report of her last weekend (which I found utterly uninteresting and heavily distracting!).That, sirs, is not professional. Let Starbucks do it when there are clowns at their counter, but you should establish differentiation with professional stance towards your customers.
What needs improvement is the variety, stock AND freshness of their pastries, especially chocolate items (which go fabulous with black coffee, of course).
I hope success will motivate working on all that.

Best coffee I’ve had in awhile, coming from a SF Bay Area person who has regular access to Blue Bottle and other cult coffees. Highly recommended. I do wish they had a better selection (any) of savory breakfast items though, I dislike starting my day with dessert.

Bourbon Coffee is now one of my favorite cafes. The best iced mocha I’ve had in a long time came from here a few weeks back, and the best drip coffee I’ve had enjoyed in a while was purchased here. Prices are a tad high, and one of my MAJOR pet peeves is a menu that lists almond and soy milk as options, but doesn’t tell you exactly how much extra they are. It seems the upcharge on those here is ridiculous. However, it’s also a comfy space, and most of the staff are plenty friendly.

Stumbled upon bourbon coffee and fell in love. Staff was friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. Atmosphere was comfortable and welcoming. Mom and I sat up front eating breakfast, but there was hushed chatting and plenty of working/​studying space behind us. As someone with far too many dietary restrictions, I was particularly thrilled with the wide variety of choices and substitutes on the menu. All that, and it’s fair trade? Definitely check it out.

Really good coffee for the Foggy Bottom area!
The macadamia nut mochas are delicious if you’re looking to sweeten up your daily caffeine jolt, and the biscotti are perfect for snacking on while you wait for your drinks at the counter.
I would rate Bourbon Coffee higher, if it weren’t for the constant struggle that is trying to find an open seat in the jam-​packed shop, and the baristas that can be hit-​or-​miss, depending on the day.
Definitely one of those coffee shops that I’ll pop into if I’m already in the area — but not tempting enough to go out of my way for.

Nice local spot super close to GW University and downtown offices. We like to check out the non-​chain coffee joints when on vacation and Bourbon was a hit in our book. Good quality coffee, available to sip in with china dishes or to go with paper. Nice, quick and friendly service. Prices are very in line with what one would expect.

Great atmosphere and yummy drinks. I got the macadamia nut mocha and it was tasty — not extraordinary, but quite good.
Bourbon is pretty cozy. There are some tables and comfortable chairs, but it’s all a bit cramped. I had to wait for a seat, and when it’s packed everyone has to squeeze past one another.

Wish I liked it more. I am somewhat of a coffee snob– particularly around the city, however, after a few times here I am just not impressed. It really tastes like Dunkin donuts coffees to me, which in my opinion is not good.
On the plus side the people working there are friendly, and you are in a cute environment…

Bourbon Coffee looks good and has the right vibe. I noticed this coffee shop last spring and bookmarked it on Unilocal for my next visit to DC. After I landed in National Airport, I checked my local bookmarks. Bourbon came right up, so I headed over for lunch.
The three stars are mostly for the strong, tasty coffee: a 20-​ounce pour over that goes for only $ 3.55. I should have stopped there.
The ham and cheese panini was awful-​tasting. They seem to be using the wrong kind of ham?
WiFi is free but it didn’t work (for me). I moved to xfinitywifi and was happy with that.

LOVE the soy cappuccino I got and I am a PICKY cappuccino loved lol the coffee they use has a nutty (like almond) taste to it that really gave the drink a nice exotic taste. Only 2.80 for a tall and the amount of caffeine was perfect as no headache followed after!
Also picked up an oatmeal with brown sugar (light) almonds and raisins and I was not stoked about it. Good? Yes but nothing special about it– good quality oats and nice consistency but a little too soggy for me. Also would have loved granola or some sort of fruit in there like bananas or blueberries since the oatmeal was 4.50!
Not bad overall. Really cute and well decorated and inviting coffee shop and a really nice stop for your morning

We came in here for breakfast because it was near the hotel and convenient for us.*
Honestly, the coffee wasn’t very good; it tasted burnt, like Starbucks always seems to taste. Maybe I need to come back and try a pour over coffee, I don’t know. BUT, the egg and cheese pressed panini sandwich was delicious! I was expecting a fried egg, but, these were lightly scrambled with gooey cheddar cheese. Quite filling and an inexpensive breakfast.
Service was prompt and we snagged a table. It did get busier close to 9am, but, most of those people didn’t stay and eat.
*Why is it SO difficult to find a coffee place in D.C. Are all such establishments hiding or not registering on the Unilocal app? Am I spoiled by living in NYC, where I can choose from chains and smaller establishments (the answer is yes). You’d think that a city such as D.C. would run on coffee… hmm.

A shining coffee-​colored light in Washington, D.C.
While staying in Foggy Bottom this past weekend, I scoured Unilocal for good local eats. Let me tell you, the prospects were not promising. I went to Bourbon Coffee slightly thrown by the name but hopeful. I was blown away.
AMARETTO DREAM made my dreams come true! I took it hot on a hot, hot morning, and it was still the joy of my day. Anything CARAMEL is also a treat. I like my coffee sweet and creamy, and this exceeded my standards.
It’s a spacious café with plenty of cozy and conversational seat set-​ups. The random dinosaur decorations are charming.
My only complaint is that they close too early! I was ready to go back in the evening for round 2. Would highly recommend!

For reasons that probably related to drinking too much tea (and have now been taken care of, hopefully), I have been spending a lot of time at doctor’s offices near the George Washington University campus.
While I hope to not spend any more time near this coffee shop, I have to say that it is one of the most wonderfully unique ones that I have come across in all of Washington D.C. There is definitely a vibe of relaxation and community here (odd considering it’s downtown) which is evidenced by the amount of tables that they have in relation to their limited counter. The place almost feels more like a restaurant than a coffee shop. Of course, the downside is that this the conversations are quite loud and get in the way of doing work if that’s what you’re here to do.
I also found the internet here pretty slow (and occasionally it cut out completely) so it’s definitely not conducive to working as such. But I can imagine it’s wonderful to sit on the patio and read a book here in the summer when there are not so many college kids around.
For a tea drinker, I was also a bit disappointed that they had a limited selection of iced tea (though they make no secret that they’re a coffee place that specialized in Rwandan, directly imported, coffees so I guess I can’t complain too much) and that it was rather weakly caffeinated. But that was probably for the best for my blood pressure.
In the end, despite its shortcomings, I’m not going to hate on a place that is mission driven to help an African country. Or a place that feels like it tries so hard to be homey and independent.