Politics & Prose

I have been to P&P for YEARS. This time I only had time for fancy coffee which was
delicious (though the pecan cake was rather dry and tasteless). It would be nice
if they would do something re the parking lot which is just as impossible as it’s ALWAYS been. However, the atmosphere of the entire bookstore is really conducive to a good experience, i Know they have fine speakers, a great selection of books and the new management seems to have upheld the fine standards.

This place is super quaint and cute. The first floor is the bookstore and down the stairs you will find the café. The café is a great, quiet place to do work should you seek that environment. The café is amazing and has a great brunchy/​lunch type menu with avocado toast, quinoa bowl and many more healthy options. There are also a bunch of vegan baked treats! This place is definitely worth a visit. The baristas are very nice and the interior provides a really elegant experience.

A DC-​area gem! This bookstore has lots of unique and interesting events and groups related to the literary world. I love all the little nooks, where you’re bound to find something interesting to read or think about. They also have some great cards and related items, like tote bags and paper products.
Definitely check out the new Den in the lower level. They now serve wine and some delicious local beers.

This is about the Den, the coffee shop downstairs. I want to say that the food and coffee is amazing, this is about the physical space itself. Following other’s reviews I wanted to give my feedback as a laptop user who used to frequent the bookstore’s café. I feel bad leaving this review because I love this place, but there are some serious issues with the new set up.
Before the renovation I used to come to Politics and Prose because it is the only coffee shop within walking distance. I’m a full time graduate student and a part time research assistant, literally everything I do for school and work involves Microsoft Word and the internet. I used to go twice, maybe more a week. I would always order something to drink, occasionally order something to eat, and would work for a few hours. I would spend about $ 5-​$ 15 each visit. I would also buy a book every once and while on my way out. All fall I used this space to fend off cabin fever while I studied and worked remotely. I was far more productive there than at home.
After the renovation laptop usage has been restricted to a very narrow bar in the back. On the one hand I can totally understand why laptop users taking over tables can be frustrating for the other patrons. The space is used by lots of people for various reasons, I can see why they would be annoyed that they cannot find a table during peak hours. On the other hand, my business is just as valid as theirs.
The issue is, the laptop bar has only 8 seats and is so narrow that a large laptop can barely fit. Try adding a coffee mug or a book to the mix and you can see why people often take more than one space. The seats are bar stools, this not only means that the lack of back support is uncomfortable, but that people have no place to put their coat or bag. Some people decide to put their stuff on the seat next to them, which is rude and makes it even harder to find a spot.
I cannot comfortably sit there and work while enjoying the amazing new food they are now serving. I’m always worried that my coffee mug is going to be knocked off the table by the person next to me. This set up means that the laptop users are all squished together.
Laptops being restricted to the back means that other patrons feel the need to enforce the rules, which only creates tension. Earlier today I tried to come in and work, looking to have a nice coffee and knock out a paper for school. There was no room at the laptop bar. I took an open seat at the center table, when I pulled out my laptop I was sternly told off by another customer that I was supposed to go to the laptop bar. I pointed out that the bar had no room, I want to follow the rules but I couldn’t at the moment. I told her I would move as soon as there was a space. There were several people who were sitting by themselves at the small tables, working on their laptops. I at least stuck to the island, leaving tables free for others. Was I supposed to just leave? I don’t think the Den would want me to just go, they wouldn’t get my business then!
This isn’t the first time I’ve had another customer feel the need to scold me. I can appreciate the fact that I am not sitting where I’m supposed to but I don’t have any other option. This new set up has encouraged tension between those who use this space socially, and those who would like to use it as a work space. What’s strange is that I have never had the staff tell me to move.
This coffee/​book shop and the Little Red Fox next door were part of why I moved to this neighborhood. I love the community feel these small local businesses give this area. While I can appreciate where the other patrons are coming from, my business is no less valid than those who want to sit and chat with friends and family.
Ironically, the expansion has made it harder to find a space because it brings more people in and the expanded menu encourages people to linger far longer than before. I was shocked that it was absolutely packed at 3pm on a rainy Saturday.
I’m very sad but I can no longer come to the café to work. It’s utterly uncomfortable and I feel unwelcome, not only by the set up but by how the other patrons act towards me because of the new rules.
What’s sad is I think the laptop bar would be better suited for people who come in alone and want a seat for 15 – 20 minutes to enjoy their coffee or meal.
The Den is going to have to decide what they want to be. Do they want to be a restaurant? Do they want to be a traditional café with no laptops allowed? Or do they want to be a cyber café? Do they want people to linger? Do they want to turn people over quickly?

What’s not to like about having the best indie bookstore on the east coast in your back yard? Love the new café, by the way.

It’s one of the cutest book stores I’ve encountered in a while! The book collection is not large but of great quality.

Forewarning: This review is for the new Den coffee shop and not for the bookstore, which has been consistently great in terms of book selection, staff and environment.
The coffee shop below the bookstore used to be my favorite in the DC area. It was quiet, comfortable, had plenty of seating on most days and the coffee was high quality. It was not pretentious, and the staff were always welcoming. Then, the shop closed for about four months and completely renovated the space and redid the menu.
Some aspects of the Den are nice: the lighting is warm and inviting, the exposed brick gives the place a rustic feeling (although it is overused by every hipster coffee shop in DC) and the wood tables are nice. All in all, the Den has a cohesive feeling.
However, the major issue with the coffee shop is the lack of seats for laptop users. Before the renovation, laptops were allowed anywhere in the shop. Now, there is a single laptop bar with about eight seats. Every other table in the establishment has signs saying that laptop use is not permitted there. The vibe in the Den is very much that of a restaurant now; they are encouraging quick turnover of the tables while no longer providing a productive environment for the many students and professionals that go there to work.
If you ask me, it is ridiculous to provide so little space for laptops in a coffee shop that is down the street from one major university and is in the area of several other universities. For me, a coffee shop is a «third space», different from the home or work. The two times that I have tried to go to the Den since its reopening, it has been extremely crowded. There have been no available seats at the designated laptop bar. Meanwhile, the signs everywhere forbidding laptop use feel like the owners of the Den are shaming me for coming to their shop to work and study. It is no longer as welcoming of a space as it was. Maybe the owners don’t want it to be somewhere where the patrons get too comfortable and stay too long and purchase too little. The ironic thing is that the Den provides free wifi but only eight people will ever be using this wifi at one time. It seems odd that a place that pays to provide its customers with wifi strongly discourages use of this wifi for any extended period of time. If someone comes into the Den needing to work and cannot find a seat at the laptop bar, they have two options: either leave the Den and give their business elsewhere or use their laptop anyways and be made to feel guilty. Neither of these are positions an owner should put their customers in.
Additionally, the seating at the laptop bar is incredibly uncomfortable, which again seems like a move to discourage people from overstaying their welcome. Finally, I ordered a London Fog from the bar, and was very disappointed. It tasted bitter and had very little distinguishable vanilla flavor. Overall, the Den is not somewhere that I will be going very often.

One of my absolute favorite local bookstores. I used to come here as a kid growing up in DC and still visit to browse for my next read.

I walked in to browse and walked out with several books, note cards, a coaster, and a DC map bag. Their coffee shop area is being remodeled, and I can’t wait to come back when it is done!

The best full service bookstore there is.
I am a reader. I grew up reading, spending lots of time here and at other bookstores, worked at one for a few years, and just in general fucking love books. Physical books that you can hold, dog ear, marginalia the shit out of, and put on a shelf to remind you of the adventure you had reading it.
So — what I’m saying is — Politics & Prose makes me really happy. This is one of those special spots that feels like a home away from home for me and I’m sure many others.
This place has everything: the most incredible selection, ridiculously knowledgable staff, and great community events. I love browsing in the store — you can really find almost anything you could want. I have been pleasantly surprised many times when they had something I didn’t expect to find. When I need something random (like non fiction about farming, something not too many DCers read about), I find that book online and order it via P&P’s website if they don’t have it in stock. They get the orders in so quickly and I just pop over and pick them up. Way better than Amazon! Please fellow readers, shop at your local bookstores.
Make sure you go downstairs. There are awesome things in the basement:
— Sale section!
— Crazy good kids section. Especially lovely for those of us that miss the Cheshire Cat.
— Best lattes in town, for those rare times all my $ isn’t going to books.
Only thing that could possibly be better — more Edward Abbey on the shelf! I always check to see if there is something else by him in stock but maybe not enough others are reading him. So folks — feel free to help me out and read him! If you like nature and cranky bad ass libertines– you will adore Edward Abbey’s work, both fiction and non. (The wonderful Capitol Hill Books usually has a good supply of great used editions though.)

This is a great local bookstore. The café is open late and has nice choices of tea, coffee and a few food options. The staff is great. Let’s keep buying local. I know Amazon is cheaper but once in a while support the local stores!

Awesome! The food on the menu is great and it is such an interesting store. I think the price of the food is very fair and the service is good. The bookstore is nice too, really like this place.

Very cute little bookstore, with a great selection and very friendly staff. It’s a sizeable space, but still pretty tight with about as many tables of books as they can fit in. This can mean moving around is a little tough, but I’ll lose some mobility in favor of good books any day!
It looks like they have events in the main space almost every day. There was a reading going on while I was there on a Saturday evening, and when I looked at the calendar, it seemed like there was something scheduled every day, at least in January. So check that out if you’re looking for something more interactive to do, or conversely if you’d rather browse when there’s less noise, you can avoid those times.

An endangered species when it comes to Bookstores. Has its own personality. Also a café downstairs with excellent pour over coffee available

What a fabulous children’s section!
I went in buying for my niece who is becoming an avid reader and gave them «she wants chapter books».
The woman gave me great recommendations and summaries of each of the books we discussed. This allowed me to really decide what was right for my niece. I bought two books and she loved both of them!
I know it’s tempting to buy from the big bookstores, but their advice is invaluable and can’t be replaced by a «book list for ages X»
Thank you, as this was back in July and I’ve been meaning to write my review.

Thanks to Barnes & Noble and Amazon, the little neighborhood bookstore is a dying breed. After all, buying books is just a straight up monetary transaction, right? No need for any character or even a physical store anymore. Heck, in a couple years we’ll all get our books delivered by drones in 30 minutes or less!
Well, Politics & Prose has some news for you. Buying books can still be a rewarding experience, and independent bookshops could have a renaissance just like vinyl. It’s definitely not as big as a B&N but its wares are meticulously organized and enticingly displayed, books lined up like pets at a pound begging you to take them home. I could spend hours perusing the shelves, ogling the sumptuous cookbook covers and exciting spy thriller titles and doing math in my head about whether I could go a couple months without food or running water in order to afford to carry home my weight in paperbacks.
Where P&P really shines though is as a venue for lectures by a vast panoply of authors setting off on book tours. I’ve seen my favorite author, William Gibson, up close and personal there twice, which is such a treat. Listening to a journalist tell you first-​hand about the experience of researching a book about Cold War spies or modern day life in Afghanistan, you really get a feel for the time and effort that went into putting those words on the page. It’s always an enlightening experience, and I walk out feeling smarter every time. Can’t get that delivered by drone, can you?

This is the top independent bookstore in the D.C. area and probably one of the best in the United States. Only new books here, but what a selection spread across two floors!
The layout of Politics and Prose is appealing and easy to navigate, and the selection of books is really smart. I see a lot of titles here — including updated printings of classics — that I don’t find at other brick-​and-​mortar stores. As the shop’s name suggests, this is a great place to pick up books on politics, which is befitting of a store in the nation’s capital. But from what I’ve seen, this store has many genres covered. For example, I’m a fan of rock music, sports and television history, and I’ve been really impressed by Politics & Prose’s offerings in those categories.
The store also has a café in the basement (I haven’t tried it yet), which is a pretty cool idea. Also, Politics & Prose regularly features guest speakers, including some pretty famous ones pitching their new books. There’s also a large rack with magazines, and the store offers items like CDs, DVDs, calendars and literary-​themed posters with famous quotations.
Overall, this is just a really charming, well-​curated bookstore that fits right into its Northwest D.C. neighborhood. Appreciate and support this kind of place while you can because it’s becoming too rare!

You can’t judge a book by it’s cover! From the outside, this place doesn’t look very big. Once you enter the building, there are two floors of books, shopping and visiting. I like meeting friends for coffee or tea.
The store has lots of interesting author events. The employees are nice and helpful.

I can’t speak for the bookstore, which seems nice. My experience and this review reflect upon the café downstairs. They get two stars for the service being good, the coffee being decent and reasonably priced, and the café being enjoyable to sit in.
The other three stars are missing because I ordered a «sandwich» with «prosciutto», «goat cheese», and «arugula». I am putting the sandwich in quotes because it was barely a sandwich, and each component in quotes because there were negligible amounts of any them in the sandwich. Two flat pieces of low quality bread with a few arugula leaves, a thin slice of prosciutto, and maybe a light film on the bread resembling goat cheese. And it was $ 9. Nine dollars. Ripoff price, bad sandwich, barely any food in it, and I was still hungry after I ate it.
For those interested, the café has free wi-​fi, and there are a few electrical outlets, but they are only at the counter and not near any of the tables. Would go back there to read a book and grab a coffee but I don’t recommend anyone purchase their food, as I wound up with the saddest sandwich I’ve ever eaten, and I wouldn’t imagine the rest of their food is of much better value.

Great bookstore! I visited friends in Bethesda and since we both work in publishing, thought a visit was definitely needed. I love that the author events calendar was posted right at the front of the store. They continue to host great authors in the industry, so it’s nice to see that as soon as you walk in the door. Their event space is decently sized, and they have a café in the basement. They also do «staff picks,» which I love to see in any bookstore. If you’re in DC and a book lover, don’t miss out on a visit to this store!

The selection and events at Politics and Prose are generally good, but I think they could do a better job working with the National Book Festival in DC. They usually run out of certain books, such as Buzz Aldrin’s on Saturday, and don’t have a contingency plan on what to do if a book runs out, such as work with another company like Barnes and Noble to have more in stock.
Luckily I was able to get a signed book by Buzz Aldrin from an event at the Smithsonian Space Museum a few days later.

Excellent place for a get together. Wonderful staff (at the bookstore and the coffee shop).
I recently contracted the kitchen managers to cater at the book launch and signing. Everything was impeccably arranged at an affordable price, Can’t thank them enough.

This is a fun place. It boasts a diverse crowd of book and coffee lovers.
I made a long walk to Politics & Prose and was not disappointed. The sandwiches and pastries are very artisan, which means you’ll pay a bit more for a smaller product, but the flavor was satisfying.
If I lived near this bookstore/​coffeehouse I wound likely visit often.

Forewarning: I am not an avid coffee drinker and therefore cannot comment on the quality of Politics & Prose’s coffee, which may very well be the draw for most customers.
I came to Politics & Prose one morning to a) wake up over some tea, b) eat a light breakfast, and c) kill some time by reading a book. I chose P&P out of all the other nearby cafes because it is a local, independent business and I was tired of what Starbucks calls chai tea.
To be very honest, I came with the expectation that the prices might be a bit higher — this is an independent business that is selective about its ingredients and products, in a good way — but found my bagel and chai tea remarkably unremarkable for the price tag. The staff was helpful but, again, not remarkably friendly. The atmosphere was intimate and not too loud, and there were plenty of places to sit and read, even on bustling a Sunday morning.
In short, the prices were a bit higher than expected for food/​drink quality that was frankly so-​so (for me, again, I didn’t have their coffee), but I support P&P as a local, independent business and appreciate that they offer a great space to people who want to work out of a café, catch up with friends, or just read a good book.

To me, Politics & Prose is the leader in the trifecta of bookstores in Washington, DC — Politics & Prose, Kramerbooks, and Busboys & Poets.
As one of DC’s gems, I encourage you to patronize this establishment. I’ve gone to this bookstore since the 90s. From copious amounts of books, to a jam-​packed events calendar with book readings, to the charm-​filled coffeehouse, Politics & Prose is the gift that keeps on giving.
Most recently, I stopped by to order coffee at their store in the basement. Although it’s expensive, their coffee is flavorful. I also love the atmosphere. Students, couples, and elderly alike find refuge in the walls of Politics & Prose. It’s an experience for sure.

It was a cute spot and decent menu.
I skimmed through the bookshelves and it was okay. Space is tight but it’s neat.
And the café is not very spacious but the servers seemed to be friendly enough.

I love this store so much I have to resist the urge to pack up my belongings and just move in every time I visit. Their book selection is amazing. Their author talks consistently feature the most fascinating writers and thinkers around — and there are SO MANY TALKS. Their event calendar alone could keep you busy full-​time. And they have a coffee shop in the basement! (Baristas are hit or miss on friendliness vs. surliness, at least on my last visit, though)
This place is aggressively literate in an age that resists literacy. It keeps compelling, relevant topical material on hand. The staff is knowledgeable and helpful. If you live anywhere near the Maryland side of DC, this is really the only bookstore you ever need to visit. Heck, I live in VA and I make the half hour trek there on a pretty frequent basis. Cultural gems like this are one of the things that make me want to live in DC.

The hands down… the best the ultimate independent bookstore in DC proper. They are still maintaining their status, even after the departure of their founder and co-​owners passing. The store is still humming along not missing a beat keeping the spirit alive.
Excellent selection. Many events and signings (if you are into that sort of stuff). Great staff who are extremely helpful and courteous. A place like this could really let its ego run, and be filled with snobbery, but it isn’t. There are book lovers here by the millions of all shapes and sizes and the staff treat everyone equally.
I can’t comment on the café, or the food, but it looks inviting. The few times I am here, I just get lost in the shelves, and happy thoughts.
I am not the biggest reader, bookworm, or nerdy reader, ok yeah I am in a book club (ours is called DWARP… drinkers with a reading problem), but if you are the ultimate book nut this is the place to go hands down.
It is out of the way a bit in a nice area, no metro etc… but it is worth the trip, also a total must stop if you live and call the DC area home.
Seek it out.

Coffee and a good book feels like a match made in heaven. Politics and Prose is just that. Nestled within a more neighborhood area of the DC area, this café-​bookshop combo is definitely charming and has won me over. I only wish I was back in DC already, so I could visit this place once more.
I’ll be upfront and say I didn’t try any of their drinks. My friend and I were still caffeinated from our coffees down the road from the Little Red Fox and didn’t want to go into coffee overload. Wouldn’t be a pretty sight! Haha.
Overall, this bookstore is really organized and has a great selection from stationary, books (duh) and other trinkets like posters… there’s so many different things you can find here. Before leaving the area I was able to get my hands on a poster of Washington, DC with all the different neighborhoods at a really reasonable price! From what a recall it was around $ 7-​$ 8? Practically a steal when you think about how much posters go for nowadays!
I think what’s also really awesome about Politics & Prose is that they have a variety of events that are held there too where authors come and speak and what have you! So definitely stop by if this piques your interest and look at their event calendar to see if there’s anything or anyone that would be of interest to you or your friends.
Def would come back if I ever get the chance in the future! Support you independent bookstore guys, stop by for a cup of coffee and read the book (s) you just purchased, take a step away from the hustle and bustle of the city life — chances are, more likely than not, you won’t regret it! :)