Mayorga Lounge and Coffee

I couldn’t have said it better myself Eric K. However, it’s important to make one significant correction to the history of the troubled Mayorga Lounge at Columbia Heights. Namely, Mayorga Lounge has no relation to the Mayorga Coffee franchise based in Silver Spring. The confusion is understandable given that both businesses used the same trademark. The difference is that the Silver Spring Mayorga is the original business whereas Mayorga Lounge (the one at Columbia Heights) is a blatant case of trademark infringement. A lawsuit was filed, a settlement was reached, and a licensing arrangement was supposedly signed. But to quote an official press release from Mayorga Coffee, «While we share your concern that the neighborhood is losing an important, locally-​owned small business, the simple fact is that we did not operate this store and had nothing to do with its abrupt closing.» (See the Sept 3, 2008 posting at
). It astonished me to see how many people on Unilocal mistook Mayorga Lounge for Mayorga Coffee. If there was ever a need to demonstrate confusion or dilution at trial, I’d just ask the jury to read these reviews.
That being said, despite the identity crisis that Eric K. referred to, Mayorga Lounge did showed promise as an Asian «bistro» when it re-​opens. If only the owners (Sonic Boom, Inc.) would get that silly notion of being an upscale lounge out of their heads, they could make some serious money. Mayorga Lounge had some very impressive Korean dishes during its experimental phase as a Korean restaurant (August 2008 — September 2008). Mayorga Lounge was more expensive than Adams Express but better (see
). The seafood pajeon (pancake) had a crisp and flavorful crust. The hamburg steak (the Korean version of Salisbury steak) had a novel (to me) tangy sauce. Again, I defer to my Korean girlfriend whose parents don’t speak English when she says «good boonshik (Korean comfort food place) and anju (side dish that accompanies alcoholic beverages) meal.» And, guess who was inside the kitchen at the time? Old Korean women.
2 Stars — Horrible business model, sketchy owners, but promising food.

I really, really wanted to like this place. I have given it several chances. First of all, they are too expensive. Second of all, the food is mediocre at best. I have only been there for breakfast on Sunday mornings, when the place is filled with yuppies playing with their laptops. The bagel with cream cheese is so-​so; very limited variety of each. The veggie omelette is so unimpressive, lacking in both flavor and imagination. By the time the toast gets to you it is cold. The home fried potatoes are squared and fried, no seasoning, and lacks the same qualities as the omelette. The French toast is… eh. When I am paying this much money I expect better quality food. I am very disappointed in this place.
Side Note: The seating is kinda cool but there is never any sound on the TV. I don’t want to watch TV with the sound on and music playing in the background, especially if an interesting program is on.

This is a very strange place. The space is awkward and if you have to sit downstairs you could feel abandoned. The upstairs bar is overly large for the small lounge space and the DJ booth is just perplexing, esp. given the limited seating and lack of dance floor. It opened as a tapas lounge (with the downstairs coffeeshop seeming like an afterthought). A few months later the menu changed to lower quality/​cheaper bar food. Then, a couple weeks ago they debuted a new Korean menu. This is where they should stay. Even with the awkward seating space, language problems with the waitress, and warm (almost hot!) red wine, this place gets 4 stars based on the food. I’ve been several times, and while service issue persist and I always feel like I’m interrupting some kind of private party the staff is having, the basic Korean food remains awesome. The beef and pork dishes are my favorite. Give this place a try, maybe try takeout. I really want it to stay open!

This isn’t your read a book during the day kind of place. You walk through the door and looks like you’ve discovered a coffee shop. You have your espresso bar and pastries to order. You look around and you see a few tables but none of them look comfy enough to read in. So you inquire about other seating options. You walk down the hallway and you find yourself in a dining area where all the tables are reserved. So you figure that up the grand stairs must be the area where all the comfy seats and couches are. No luck, it’s actually a bar area that functions as a lounge.
So I guess it’s true to it’s name with the lounge part being the predominant part of this place. It’s very different from other Mayorga’s in the area.

I really love Mayorga. Except for the fact that they keep rolling back the time the wifi is active until. The first time that I was in, I was able to use it till around 7:00 PM. Now, they disconnect at 4:00, which is REALLY stupid in my opinion because what better way to alienate customers than to suddenly turn off the internet with no warning at all to the customers who may be in the middle of something important! Also, they recently changed their food– I miss the old food– now it’s «fancy» but it’s also much more expensive. However, the wings are still exceptional (they aren’t like normal buffalo wings at all– they are a sweeter spicy and delicious). Also, it’s great on Wednesday nights– the bartender Chris is awesome and the happy hour beers are cheap! (I think around $ 2 a draft). Overall, I recommend it, though the food service is VERY slow, it’s still yummy– though the version of itself that it was a month ago with longer WiFi hours and cheaper food would have gotten a 5 star.

This review is about the restaurant/​bar: the food is decent but a little pricey, and I got the worst mojito I’ve ever had there — it was like drinking a swamp.

Mayorga’s a nice clean coffee spot, the servers are friendly, and the coffee’s pretty good. Its not the stereotypical wifi hangout or lounge, but somewhere in between; your likes/​dislikes will depend on what you’re looking for at that time. One sweet part is that there are plenty of lil corners and nooks to hide out at with your laptop or your lover. That being said, the food is very inconsistent and the policies are constantly in flux.
Like many businesses in Columbia Heights, Mayorga is still trying to find their sweet spot. So one week wifi is on after 8pm, another week its not. One week the Wasabi Roast Beef is delicious, the next week its bloody rare and nasty. One week, your fave menu item is being served next week its not… you get the point. Also everything’s super expensive, chips are like $ 2,wtf. Honestly if it wasn’t right next to my job I’d probably never go, I have my own wifi and make my own tea… but if I needed some wifi and coffee I’d give it a 3.

Unfortunately there aren’t any good coffee shops in the Columbia Heights area. Even the Starbucks closes early. It’s split into two parts, the coffee shop at the corner which spreads out to the first floor of the bar. The coffee shop stays open until 9pm, but you can bring the coffee to hand out at the bar part until it closes around 11. Unfortunately at 8pm they’ve basically run out of all their baked goodies so you’re pretty much stuck with just the coffee drinks and hot chocolate. Service has never been a problem, except for the one slow night where they closed the bar around 10 and kicked everyone out.

I felt very much at home in the Mayorga in Silver Spring. Sadly, the Columbia Heights location just doesn’t measure up. The lounge-​appropriate seating is not conducive to daytime work. I mean, there’s a reason most folks don’t hang out in night clubs during daylight hours.. .
Service is friendly and the breakfast sandwich was pretty good.
Mayorga’s possibly a nice joint to spend some time in at night but as a café during the day it doesn’t work.

If you are yuppie and like coffee you will like this place. Its a strange space. When they first opened they had kick ass awesome yucca fries. I tried to order them recently and they said they have a new food distributor.
I like the cheeseburger which is the only thing I’ve ordered since the new supplier or whatever they are. I went there on a Saturday and the service upstairs was terrible. Maybe the guy was grumpy and in a bad mood — or something.
So I liked the burger — it was good — :)

Mayorga aka M Lounge. Interestingly enough, I went here for the first time this past Saturday for a night event and was advised by a friend that it was a «coffee shop». Would make sense now, why when we showed up at midnight that coat check was full. And, I found it odd, how it was hidden behind a counter (should have rang a bell about the coffee shop at this point) and how coat room didn’t have its own entity.
Pushing that aside, i was feeling the vibe on the second floor. I thought the bar was laid out nice and horizontally. Not too shabby.
The music, a combination of the hip hop & house … was OK. He should have stuck to hip hop, because a lot of the house tracks were outdated. Again, I am still on a frenzy and anti combo of the music.
I love coffee so I have to go back during the day time and check it out. But that may ruin the chances of me going back to their night life. We’ll see… I am anal about separating my interests like I am about food touching each other on a plate. :)

Mayorga makes very good espresso drinks, chai latte and HOT CHOCOLATE!!! I’m not sure about just coffee or a shot of espresso. because these are good at mayorga as well as most other coffee shops that claims to have their own freshly roasted coffee beans or etc.
If you want to try something different but sweet, try their seasonal specialty drinks, such as pumpkin-​pie chai café latte (acutally using pumpkin purée, not syrup), or one with condensed-​milk or just chai latte, and in summer time, frozen drinks (very good).
They use chocolate fudge syrup to make mocha but european hot chocolate powder for hot-​chocolate. If you feel like having something chocolatey, try Mayorga’s hot chocolate. very good.
Mayorga doesn’t make artistic foam (like murky’s) but makes very decent foam if you are into cappuchino or any foamy-​drink.
And seating and atmosphere is much neater and cleaner at mayorga than murky’s.
There are two more locations, silver spring and rockville (oh and the DCA (airport)).

probably the best space in dc to hang out and do coffee-​shoppy work. almost makes me wish i was still a student (*almost*)

This place is great or at least, it is for coffee and martinis. They also serve tapas and offer free wi-​fi and live entertainment. Mayorga Lounge and Coffee is located in the historic and culturally rich Columbia Heights, located next to the Gala Hispanic Theater within the Tivoli complex. This is a prime location, especially once the mall opens with Target practically across from it. Good job!

Holy snap, where has Mayorga been all my life? I went there for the first time last week to do homework with a friend and I was absolutely blown away by the store. I love the upstairs/​downstairs combination (bar/​coffee shop) and the place is so clean and modern. They have free wi-​fi, which is ALWAYS a good thing, and plenty of outlets to juice up your computer for those long papers you may have to write. Their coffee is decent (it’s no Murky…) — that’s why they only get 4 stars. I will definitely try to incorporate this place into my study schedule. What a winner.

I’m never going to complain about a local joint that is two blocks away from my house, not that there is any reason to. Mayorga is a nice little bar that is stylish, trendy and fun. Whenever I’m there I think I need to be drinking Cosmos or something. Also, the staff is friendly and willing to have inappropriate conversations, which I appreciate.
There is only one thing that I’ll ding Mayorga for and that is their drink prices. I know they’re trying to be classy and not a dive bar, which is fine, but if you plan on staying a while, it ends up being a really expensive night. And their happy hours aren’t too appealing either. I think it’s just a couple bucks off of rail drinks. Unfortunately, no one wants to drink a Banker’s Club martini.

3.5 stars just because I walked in and all around, but didn’t stop to eat or drink, but Mayorga may be number one on my list of new things to try right now.
1 — The bar is beautiful. A great layout that provides tables overlooking the bottom floor where they are hosting free live Jazz shows on Wednesdays (this will stop mid-​august and start again mid-​fall).
2– The woman who greeted us gave us fliers about the upcoming jazz shoes, and was super pleasant and happy to be working there.
3– nice artwork on the walls
4 — a great jazz band with female vocalist belting out some smooth tunes
5– in peaking into the coffee shop part of the establishment (they are somewhat separated), I realized, «wow, I have a bag of Mayorga coffee in my fridge! Its awesome!» so the coffee must be good.
…and as my friend put it, «good beer and good coffee? what more can you ask for»