La Colombe Coffee

Quintessential.
Really, the coffee here is splendid. The La Colombe workshop blend is pricey-​but for a treat-​totally worth it. It has floral notes and sophistication that you would expect of a fine tea. I only wish this shop was in a more accessible neighborhood with cozier seating and that the staff were friendlier. This is not the place to go if you want to sink into a cozy chair to savor your coffee while meeting up with a friend. But if you’re on the go and want a superb cup to enjoy, the coffee here will more than satisfy the craving! Highly recommend!

I’ve been hearing a lot of hype about this place and decided to give it a try during a recent business meeting. Suggesting La Colombe made me seem very in-​the-​know and cool, and I learned a lot about Blagden Alley history as I got there early and decided to check out the artwork in the alley instead of securing a table. Because I’m a responsible adult. Anyway, google the history and take a wander: it’s well worth it.
I had an awesome set of baristas: the person who took my order let me know that they were out of the pour-​over I originally wanted, and seemed genuinely sorry about it. When I made an alternative selection she went briefly into why that was a good choice/​the bean flavor. Then, waiting for my coffee, the guy who actually brewed the brew was just really nice in chatting with me and reassuring me that my order was coming up. Maybe I had a weird look on my face that said I was really disappointed and they wanted to appease me? I don’t know it was like above and beyond kindness and it seemed to come from a genuine place, which I just appreciate. I felt like the baristas were actually people being themselves and noticing other people (a trip to a starbucks can feel like two robots interacting) and I just love that this small coffeeshop has maintained employees who can actually be themselves; it makes the atmosphere so much more relaxed and fun to be in.
The coffee itself was delicious. I was a late adopter of pour-​overs, thinking it couldn’t be that much better, but I was wrong and I’m okay with admitting that. I got the Peruvian variety, had it black, and enjoyed every sip.

TL;DR — Great coffee, tiny interior for a busy café.
The coffee tastes sublime and the service was exceptionally friendly and helpful. I wasn’t sure which pourover to order but I told the barista that I wanted something smooth. Their recommendation hit the spot.
As for the interior, I always want a café to be a spacious area for the neighborhood to thrive upon. But this is like being in a tiny row house. There are a series of small tables meant for two people in front of the bar. Maybe you could fit three to a table but that’s pushing it. Four to a table would make you a public nuisance.
The location is what it is. You don’t know where Bladgen Alley is until you get there. Much hipster. Once you get here though, you want to stay. so good luck grabbing a spot inside La Colombe.
Free self-​service spouts for flat and sparkling water. It’s a great plus. I can see this place blowing up in the summertime. In the winter, I’d opt for more Compass Coffee and The Coffee Bar (i.e., more spacious interiors).

This is my fav coffee shop just because of its concept and the atmosphere. And also *just* because I ran into another one in NYC randomly…
This is a secluded neighborhood coffee shop with great but a bit burnt almond croissants! I still like them; much better priced than their olive cakes!
The drip coffee is good but could be stronger. Can the staff be just a bit more smiley-​faced, pretty please? ;)

totally decent cappuccino. there really aren’t many good places in DC, but his place is good.

I can’t really speak to the coffee because I’m not a coffee drinker. The cookie and the chocolate croissant were both underwhelming. The did not heart the croissant up. I do give them credit for being very friendly. I like the meal that you see when you look out the window. I’m here for a business meeting and it’s probably not the best place for that type of thing. The built out of the space is fine nicely.

— «Do you have bagels?»
— «We NEVER have bagels. «
Ordered a croissant,
— «Can you heat this up?»
— «No sorry.»
I don’t drink coffee but the tea was tasteless. Maybe everyone else finds this place awesome. I’m not one of them.

Located in an alleyway, La Colombe definitely offers some great coffee. This was my first time at this location and we got an awesome black+tan, and regular coffee. Service was great.
Highlights:
— Mimimal tables and chairs. Great for a few people but not for groups.
— They have standing tables in the back.
— No WIFI. I understand that you don’t want to attrack people to turn this coffee shop to their come office, but maybe it should be offered with a time limit?
Overall, I would definitely come back and grab/​go a coffee but would not return if I was looking to get some work done.

Great coffee.
Expensive and old pastries. If they have a warmer, it would’ve been ok.
Hot chocolate is not good at all.

I tried their location in Chicago’s «near west side» and I fell in love with it hard. It took over 6 months for me to trek my way down to the DC location. Sure, it’s located in a gentrified alley, but the coffee is amazing. I’ve had plenty of fantastic lattes and coffees before, but this is the first time I’ve had a latte where I just «had» to have another one right afterwards (which I promptly did.) I am an unabashed coffee tourist and have an addiction.
I gave up dairy milk recently because I developed lactose intolerance, which throws a bone in my coffee quest because of how non-​dairy milks tends to be variable by brand and their offerings at coffee shops. Just about everyone who drinks non-​dairy milk and loves coffee knows how upsetting it is to have a mediocre cup of coffee because the joint didn’t put a second thought to the non-​dairy alternatives they serve. (I know my post sounds obnoxious, but if you care so much about the bean why ruin it with bad milk???)
With that being said, I tend to shy away from almond milk because it is even more variable and tends to be not as rich as soy, so I was a little bummed out when they said they only had almond. That assumption was knocked out cold when I took my first sip– absolutely flawless. I didn’t think «I’m drinking almond milk» or «this is decent almond milk» which is generally the first thought that pops into my head when drinking non-​dairy milk espresso drinks. Instead, the first thought was «Wow this bean is amazing. I’ve never had anything like this before» which is what you want when you’re having a damn fine cup of coffee regardless of the milk. (side-​note: the almond milk is Pacific which is coincidentally the brand I use at home.) This is the meaning of coffee perfection– when you even give a sh– about the stupid details like what type of milk alternative you provide, and providing a glass of (sparkling) water with your coffee. Now, if they served a complimentary small cookie like in Argentina I would be in heaven (winkwinknudgenudge).
Blahblahblanh, long story short: it is worth the trek from the burbz and if you’re looking for a perfect cup of coffee in DC, here it is.

TBH, arriving at La Colombe I thought I had made a wrong turn and found myself in an ultra hip wonderland. I super want this section of DC to be a really chill extra secret neighborhood. A friend from UMD recommended we stop in for coffee (before my trip I made a call for recommendations, most specifically for coffee, because, coffee), and it was a great suggestion. The location is super cool, super close to where I was, the coffee was tasty, the décor cute and bright, and everyone was super friendly. If you’re looking to escape the giant, new buildings of downtown DC, escape to this cute little spot!

Been missing La Colombe from Philadelphia so much that we decided to stop by the one in DC.
La Colombe coffee definitely never disappoints, no matter where it is located.
The coffee was smooth and the shop is located in the cutest neighborhood/​alley.

Positives
–great baked goods. The almond croissant is delicious. Super flaky on the outside, moist on the inside and the almond flavoring is perfect. Nothing gritty in this filling. I also tried the sweet potatoe backed good, which is more on the savory side. Also, delicious
–drip coffee is excellent and at $ 2/​cup can’t be beat
–fast service
— no wifi. This may be on the negative list for some, but I think it is an excellent business move. We don’t need people taking up seats for hours at a time and just ordering one drink. Get your drink and move on people.
I didn’t have any bad experiences here and I went 3 times.

Wednesday, 11:30 AM.
Quickie:
+ Coffee quality
— Service
+ Turnaround
– Cleanliness
— Limited seating
And then???
Decent pastries and good coffee.
**********
Stuffed my face in:
1. Iced latte
— Too bitter, even with some sweetening.
Constructive comments:
*Option for compost
*Sustainable sourcing and practices

I, being of broken internal compass, somehow managed to drag my sorry sleep-​deprived butt to this location after wandering around a bit through the small alleyway to this shop. I strolled in. There is no menu. OK, I see this is going to be «that» kind of a coffee shop.
I ask the cashier tentatively, «I’m looking to order an iced latte. What flavors would you recommend?»
The cashier has an awkward look on his face, hesitates, and answers «We don’t offer any syrups and we only have different milk choices.»
OK… Further confirming my suspicion about the pretentious nature of this place. «Well I’ll have the iced latte with almond milk then.»
«Dark or medium roast?»
Oooh. I’ve never been asked that question before. I chose the dark roast. It was made in a short amount of time and I was shortly out the door and off to a class I was taking nearby. It was truly a perfect iced latte, with a deep flavor and creaminess and damned if I’ll be that I didn’t actually need any sort of extra syrup to muck up the flavor of the latte. It looked to be about what a «medium» size would be at other coffee places and was $ 4.50.
Although the vibe here is definitely coffee snob galore, they know the fine art of preparing these roasted beans in drinks! Damn you pretentious coffee shop for knowing what’s best for me! :)

I was wandering the brick streets of Blagden Alley when I saw a beautiful sight: La Colombe. I’ve heard of this place by my fellow coffee drinkers, and I’m so glad I got to try out their espresso.
For me, what makes an exceptional drink are three things:
1) the quality of the ingredients,
2) good machinery (coffee brewing devices and espresso machines), and
3) time+effort made by the barista.
La Colombe has all three. My skim cappuccino was the perfect way to start a crisp fall morning. Their red, white and blue-​colored serve ware (cups, plates and saucers) are exquisite and very Instagram-​able. I really hoped my cap would come in that design but it came out in a white cup.
Unfortunately, their hot chocolate is underwhelming and bland. It did have a pretty leaf design, so take a pic, and then throw it away and head to Filter Coffee just north of Dupont Circle for some high-​quality hot cocoa.
One other thing: The space is small. The line can snake around on the inside and out the door, causing the front of the store to be crammed and uncomfortable. It can get quite busy and loud as well… so study-​ers and readers, you are warned.

I keep on going back and forth between how to rate La Colombe. This is not a perfect coffee shop, for a few reasons, but the coffee here is quite arguably the best in the District.
Ok, so 5 stars. The coffee is just damn good. And the baked goodies are always, ALWAYS impeccable. Best chocolate croissants I’ve had in DC (and that is saying something, ha!). And, I mean, how can you not love the gorgeous red&blue&white ceramic dish ware?! It’s gorgeous. The building itself is awesome, and the location is both fantastic and infuriating (first time I ever tried to come here I got hopelessly lost… and whenever I try to explain to La Colombe newbies how to get to the Blagden alley location, I’m greeted with confused faces).
When my husband was on his 5 week paternity leave for the birth of our second daughter, he took our toddler here for special daddy-​daughter time almost
(we should seriously invest in stock). It’s just a few blocks from our house so it’s an easy place to frequent. And now, with so much time spent sipping here, his taste buds are completely spoiled and no other coffee will compare. Ha.
Here’s what I don’t like (yet for the quality of the goods I just can’t downgrade to 4 stars):
–The attitude. Lots of people already commented on this, but while some baristas are totally chill and nice, some (a lot?) have a ton of hipster-​know-​it-​all-​coffee-​snob ‘tude. Kind of a turn off when you are checking it out for the first time or are unsure what to order.
–Speaking of being unsure what to order, THERE IS NO MENU. Just go in knowing what you’re going to get and whatever you do, do not, I repeat, DO NOT ask for a chai latte. Learned that the hard way after being given the most vicious disgusted side-​eye from one of the employees. Sorry, sorrrrrrrrry, oh precious coffee gods.
–Seating. There’s usually seats free, but I just wish there were some nice plush seats to flop down in! It’s all a bit… stiff.
Oh ok, and you have to try to draft coffee! Just do it.

730am, greeted with a smile, in and out in 3 minutes or less. Good vibes, love the open loft setup, also appreciate they had Notorious BIG playing so early in the a.m.
As for the coffee, there are just a handful of options (6 or so) for espresso, drip, and pour over. Thanks for keeping it simple and non pretentious, La Colombe!

Oh, La Colombe you did not disappoint! My friend and I decided to spend a day coffee shop hopping and this was the first place on our list!
First of all, they have quality coffee and the presentation is on point. If you’re after latte art and cute cups this is definitely the place for you. They also have a variety of pastries to choose from that really pair nicely with a latte whether you prefer your drinks iced/​hot.
Second of all, I don’t recall the name of our barista but he was friendly, helpful and super accommodating! When ordering and asking questions, he never made me feel like I was asking any dumb questions! & as I made my pastry order he asked me questions to make sure I was getting what I wanted. Also, when my friend had questions about their pour-​overs, he was really helpful and told us about his preferences and tips, etc.
La Colombe also has cuppings every now and then I believe, which are like tastings for coffee! I wasn’t able to attend one of these, but doesn’t that sound so cool? I think yes!
This coffee shop is located in Shaw and is tucked away in alleyway so if you’re not familiar with the area, you might not be able to find it right off the bat but when you do it’s well-​worth it! There’s just something about a brick coffee-​house and quality coffee that just gets me.
Great place to come for a cup of coffee and to have conversations with friends.

This is a little coffee shop off of the beaten path down an alley. Yet, the word is clearly out as the place was packed each of three times I went there during my week in DC.
As a non-​coffee drinker, the options were very limited. They don’t have a visible menu, but apparently, they can make most requests for coffee drinks. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for coffee-​free drinks. All they offer is hot chocolate (and perhaps tea according to another Unilocaler), which tasted very milky and lacked any real cacao or chocolate flavor. And, to make matters worse, they don’t have whipped cream. After the first time I went, I began asking for more chocolate and less milk. The barista offered to make a smaller size, which would require less milk. That really didn’t seem to make it taste any better. The third time, the barista asked if I wanted it sweetened. Thinking that may help, I agreed… it didn’t.
Had I not been in town for a conference and had I not needed a place to have a few meetings, and had La Colombe not been conveniently located to both my hotel and to the Convention Center, I would not have gone back after the first time. The hot chocolate was terrible and the cinnamon roll was cold and hard.
But, my companions seemed to really enjoy the coffee. So, if you’re a coffee drinker and you’re looking for a cute place to meet a few friends or to relax during the day, you may enjoy this place.