Starbucks

In full disclosure, I’m not a Starbucks fan but I was running to a meeting and this was the closest coffee option around. After 15 minutes in line watching the inefficient processes behind the counter, I remembered why I don’t like Starbucks. Coffee is bitter, people aren’t friendly, and there is never any seating. I’ll take my locally owned coffee shop any day.

So it’s «the» infamous chain coffee shop, but believe it or not, DC has a bit of a shortage of them, especially in this Capitol Hill area. Don’t rule this one out though!
This particular location is quaint and relatively quiet all in all. Best of all, there are two floors with ample seating for an excellent work spot. The interior is unique too. You’ll likely forget this one is a chain altogether. Although it can get a bit busy at times, employees are helpful and friendly. Oh, and their wifi is reliably strong, so you can easily work the hours away.
Give it a try! I’m certain they won’t disappoint.

Terrible service, staff always seem half awake and clueless. The store is constantly dirty and the clover machine not working. I will walk an extra 10 minutes.

Hands down the worst Starbucks I have ever been to. It’s unfortunate that this location is the closest to my house and to my office.
They have a neat upstairs area with a fireplace — but seating is tough to come by. The patio is nice except for the people selling StreetSense and interrupting you mid-​sentence.
However, the worst part about this location is the staff. Although I have a laundry list of issues, I’ll just review my most recent visit.
11:30a on a Sunday. Get to the register after the barista calls for the next customer. Barista looks at us, turns, immediately walks away with no greeting. Comes back, spills a grande hot coffee all over the counter in front of us, releases a stream of loud obscenities, then looks around for one of her coworkers to clean up the mess she just made. (She’s still not even acknowledged that we’re there or said anything to us) Meanwhile, the barista on the register next to us, looks over and observes the situation, then calls for the next customer in line behind us. Repeat the last step 3 times while we’re still waiting for the other barista to clean up the coffee that was likely now at the temp of an iced coffee by this time. Fast forward, order two iced coffees with milk and a water after a gruff «what do you want?» and waited for about 10 minutes before we finally got our drinks (minus the water that never came despite asking twice).
I don’t know if there’s something in the water here, but the staff seems entirely uninterested in being there, consistently messes up orders, is rude, and just plain slow. I guess in end they’re encouraging me to make my coffee at home so that’s maybe a plus?

TL;DR: Terrible service. Wifi didn’t work.
It would have been hard to have a worse experience here. Walked in hoping to grab a snack and work on a paper. The front part of the store was deserted with chairs already on the counter. The only employee was sweeping the floor and barely looked up when I came in, despite the fact it was an hour and a half before closing.
I went to set my stuff down so she’d have time to stop sweeping and take my order. Then I stood at the deserted cash register as she swept around me for at least a minute a half. They were out of the first two things I ordered (I get it — it was the end of the day — whatever), and the girl was texting while I paid. Didn’t even say anything to me when she gave me my card.
Also, the wifi didn’t work after ten minutes of trying. So I left.

It’s the go to starbucks for Capitol Hill staff and is always packed. Upstairs has a beautiful (quiet) reading area and the staff are pleasant. The biggest downside is the terrible mosquito problem they have on their patio. I was there just 2 days ago, grabbing a coffee, and was bit 16 times in a span of 20 minutes! Beware.

This starbucks location is B U S Y! I mean it is really close to the Capital, so there are lots of interns and people that come over from there. The way that it is set up doesn’t have very many options to sit. I felt like I was invading other’s space. The tables are very close together, and with people meeting and studying and what not, it is very loud. Definitely not somewhere I would come to read or study!
Also it is not very comfortable. And it was SO COLD. I was in a hurry to get out because honestly I felt like I was in a freezer.
As far as the menu and drinks and things, very typical starbucks! I personally don’t drink coffee, but i do enjoy some of the frappes and hot chocolates and things.
But I personally would pick a different location, I was not impressed with this one.

As a doctoral student, I cannot choose a better starbucks to spend my time at. I live at this starbucks. The location is as good as it gets, and their facilities are unmatched. They have an entire upper level that’s quieter, clean, and dedicated to quiet people who need to work on their laptops or study, with the perfect internet connection. They have plenty of tables and plugs, everywhere. Their view is beautiful. Their furniture is comfortable. I mean, I love this place. Furthermore, almost all the baristas are incredible. They are so kind and helpful, and will treat you as a regular and a friend if you go there enough. However, there is one barista named Kristen (sp?) who is a disaster. She yells at customers, consistently denies them their rights (e.g.: free refills on brewed coffee if you’re a green or gold card holder), and publicly scolds customers (with everyone in line wondering why the customer is being talked to in that manner). I am honestly wondering how she’s not fired. I understand not wanting to deny someone their livelihood, especially if the employee is showing signs of growth and a desire to excel and please customers (which in no way, shape, or form is the case with Kristen). I also understand not wanting the surrounding community to consistently be hurt, embarrassed, and angered by an uncontrollable, rude, arrogant worker. There is a tension, but discernment and wisdom need to be exercised, and the manager is not showing that he/​she is exercising this skill as long as this girl continues to work there without being trained to change. If it weren’t for her, this starbucks could easily get some national award. Because of her, many people actively avoid this starbucks. I really hope someone realizes that action is overdue.

Upon arriving to the facility I had asked the associate Kristen if she was able to give me 2 cups of ice. She explained to me that I had to wait in the long curving line for the ice I wanted. Another associate approaches me and I ask him for the cups of ice. He proceeds to service me and Kristen starts yelling at him asking him why was he helping me if she clearly told me to wait in line. She pushes him and he drops the cup of ice all over the counter. She then starts throwing ice across the room aiming to hit the associate but missed and it got into the space occupied by customers. Kristen is not someone who should be representing the brand. There needs to be more professionalism in the workplace.

I don’t know why I’m reviewing a Starbucks. They are all pretty much the same and you know what to expect. This one has nice seating and is across the street from the Library of Congress (back corner). Watch out for vagrants outside, but the area isn’t the worst. Google provides free wi-​fi.

This place is slowwwww. At my usual Starbucks in Rosslyn, I’m in and out in 5 minutes. This one takes 20! They do have the reserve coffees, but the Starbucks in Clarendon has reserve coffees and is at least twice as fast as this place.

God, this place is awesome. Always has been, but their new reno makes the whole place even classier. I’ve never ever had a bad experience with the baristas here, even when I’m an ass and come in moments before closing, when they’re all busy wiping down the floor. They’re always super pleasant and helpful. Tonight, they have an especially engaged barista (he’s a guy and he’s working now, 7pm on Wednesday April 1^st— Look him up and give him a raise. He’s the type of employee who will keep customers coming back).
Overall, LOVE this location – better than any Starbucks in the city (and there’s actually some tough competition out there! Namely, 11^th and E NW and 7^th and H NW)

A fairly busy location, but the baristas are always friendly and the seating is always clean.
The room seems to be always cold in winter, but not a negative, as two walls are basically windows.

Another Starbucks that has just an all too convenient location.
i was in the hood to see the Concert for Valor.
They offered a free tall coffee… who am I to say no?

I keep reading the «this is the best location in DC» reviews and thinking to myself «maybe I’m reviewing the wrong location». Alas, I’m not and it was quite possibly the worst Starbucks I’ve ever entered.
When I walked in, I was the only person in line. There were 2 people waiting for their beverages and the barista looked up at me, said nothing, then kept talking to one of the patrons working. All I needed to hear was «Hi…be with you in a moment». Two other employees emerged from the back, they both looked at me… said nothing, then walked away.
I continued to watch the barista chat away with the patron about her kids, life, the next day WELL after she finished making her drink. I get it, customer service DOES exist… just not for every customer. The patron left and she STILL didn’t say a word to me. This is sad considering I only wanted a Tall Blonde. I ended up leaving and going across the street to Dunkin Donuts. Never again…

The ladies at the counter do a nice job to expedite the line. This is a very busy location, but the customer service is outstanding.
The place is clean, plenty of chairs with electrical outlets basically right next to very single chair in this place. Don’t recall seen that at any other Starbucks. The pastries are always fresh and the air conditioning very comfortable. Nice job folks!

I’m sure some of you think I’m crazy to give the evil Starbucks brand a 4 star rating on Unilocal.Hear me out…
DC is lacking in coffee shops with a strong WIFI connection and enough seating for all. This place has both! It’s right on Capitol Hill (the closest Starbucks from the US Capitol building) and has amazing WIFI and enough seating for all.
I almost don’t want to write this since it’s still a little secret, but what the heck. There is an upstairs with couches and many tables and even a private room for study groups. I often go here to work away from the office and they have never let me down.

Pretty decent Starbucks with good seating and conveniently located just a few minutes’ walk from Capitol Hill. We stopped in to get waters when my friend was visiting from out of town and I was giving her the tour of DC. Pretty standard Starbucks with good service and good options.

Yes I am reviewing Starbucks!
I have a Starbucks Black Card! No they don’t make a black card but if they did I would have it!
I can honestly say that I have consumed 90% of the menu here and only a few of the items need work. The egg white spinach wrap will be replaced with a lo-​cal version on McDonald’s Eggwhite deluxe muffin. The Egg and Cheddar sandwich features a fried egg and cheddar cheese served on multigrain toast. For the mist part, all of the older sandwiches were just outdated versions of McMuffin like sabdwiches.
Two of the four new breakfast sandwiches were being offered at my favorite location. Me being the lover of all things pork, I chose the ham, egg and cheese sandwich. It comes with thin slices of roasted ham, a fried egg patty and Swiss cheese served on a warm croissant. I typed fried egg patty for a reason. It is not a brick or block of your processed yellow dye #5 egg like product. It was actually a pre-​made, over easy fried egg.
All of the butter rises to the surface on this sandwich. That’s not a bad thing but the croissant cooked a great deal quicker than the proteins. The center of the sandwich was cold but I think it was a part of the learning curve. I mean back to the laboratory learning curve. The croissant will heat through in seconds.
I returned to the counter for a reheat but they were out of pig! No big problem. I tried the vegetable sandwich with spinach, caramelized onions, sun-​dried tomatoes, a fried egg and Fontiago cheese served on a ciabatta roll. The herb ciabatta bun was a good idea for the serving vessel but I think the sandwich should be cooked in stages. The center was hot but the ciabatta was soggy… On the top bun! Be that as it may, this is a great vegetable sandwich! You really don’t see the cheese blend but you taste a bit of the pungent Fontina aspect as well as the Parmesean like Asiago. It was like a blended table wine. I did like the way the sweetness of the caramelized onions was set off by the acidic sundried tomatoes. In addition to the ciabatta roll issue, I wish the spinach, tomato and onion blend was spread over the entire sandwich. I will chalk this up to the learniwng curve as well.
The last addition is a lo fat protein sandwich served on a muffin with turkey bacon, cheese and an egg white patty. You are getting things that I would probably never order as an individual component on a sandwich, let alone the entire sandwich. Reduced fat/​low fat and or organic. Turkey bacon to me is an abomination!!! But no… NO! REDUCED FAT TURKEY BACON!!! Lo-​fat cheese? Organic wheat English muffin?
I think when these guys get the hang of it that they would be fine!

I really like this location. It change a lot after a year. more seat more table and more room for linking up for coffee.
RESTROOM It clean and it been upgraded. I has the new hand dryer. well clean and up to date.
MUSIC. They got there music turn down and not so loud.
COFFEE ANDD FOOD. Coffee is great and also other drinks they have. There sandwich they change for not like the first version but in time it change it not so good. only to cover so I get to lunch or dinner. And also they have the French Press machine. Not all Starbucks have them. Also the Pentagon Row in Arlington, VA near the Pentagon Government building.
UPSTAIRS very nice fire place lighting and more table. but Starbucks get so many people it hard to find a table.
NEIGHBOURHOOD. A lot place to eat at bus stop a block away. Subway Green Line train. Four routes also run thou. Very good place to get a quick cab.