22 July 2026 Crystal City Arlington, VA Whilst staying at the Renaissance Marriott Crystal City, what could be a better arrangement than having an Italian Caffé on premises? Ah? We love illy coffee. They make the best espresso, cappuccino and Crema Caffé IMHO. You can thank me later. Grazie mille!! read more

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Great place for a fantastic doppio espresso. I really like this location as the staff are super friendly and they know what they are doing. Fast, efficient service Couple with a great product. Sitting inside and stand up areas also...just like Naples "A banco". Located within the hotel it also has external doors to the street. Prices are reasonable. Sparkling water, sodas, tea and ever present cafe. Great morning starter. read more

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I visited here when I stayed at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel. This location is inside the lobby of the hotel. Every morning I need my coffee fix so I made my way down. I was there at 8am and only had about a 5 minute wait to be helped. I ordered an iced latte and a blueberry muffin. This cost about $15 which was pretty steep. The inside of this location was very clean with bright lighting. The barista was helpful and kind. There was only one person working (making coffee and handling payment). I would recommend atleast 2 people to be working since I saw the line get much longer after I was served. I made my way to the lobby where there is plenty of seating. My latte was good and gave me the pep I needed for the day. The blueberry muffin was very disappointing. It was really cold, almost as if it had just came out of a refrigerator. I wouldn't mind a room temperature muffin but I did not like it cold. Also, there was only about 5 blueberries throughout the whole muffin. I don't think this should constitute as a blueberry muffin. With the high price for it, I felt like it was not worth it. read more

Espressamente Illy - INSIDE - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Not overly enthused with this cafe. The service was only okay, and the baristas focused more on their conversation than anything else but the cafe wasn't busy so there's that. And it certainly didn't help that I did not enjoy my coffee. read more

Espressamente Illy - I got the lavender mint latte, I wouldn't recommend... - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Nice little coffee shop between multiple hotels in the area. If you want quality coffee/espresso, here's the place. Would ask for less ice, since I drank my medium in 2 minutes. read more

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Stopped by here to grab a quick coffee. I have had illy coffee before, since you can buy their coffee beans or espresso in stores, but have never seen one of their stand-alone coffee shops so I was excited to try it. Quiet little place with great espresso and friendly staff. I first got a Caramellato Caldo, and it was a bit too sweet. The other drinks I tried there (traditional latte, mocha, etc.) were good and strong, but didn't taste anything out of the ordinary. I most liked that they had seasonal drinks, and my favorite was the Luce, which was chilled espresso blended with chocolate and hazelnut cream. Definitely recommend this place if you are in the area and want a high-quality caffeine fix! read more

Espressamente Illy - Luce and Caramellato Caldo - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

No staff rush hour in the morning. Very few food options. Service not good. Not Fiona blame the barista left alone in the shop. Lots to improve from management. Oh coffee? Just average. read more

Better than the reviews would suggest. Good coffee - good service - good location. No complaints.

The staff is great, let me start there. 4 stars to THEM!! This place is strictly for the day that you've got no place else to go and the sky is maybe falling and you want a final sip of coffee for the trip *shrug* Now overseas, this is the place to stop in and eat but the place that we are currently discussing is simply NOT. There's at least 1 Starbucks within walking distance and 3 down by the target ... go there and get some stars for your troubles. I paid $10 for a overly foamy coffee situation and a basic croissant . No grazie!! But if you want a pleasant chat with a smile then talk to the staff-- they are wonderful! read more

Espressamente Illy - Foamy coffee and basic croissant - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Latte was nice but lord $7 for a single shot latte, it wasn't $7 good. I get it's DC, I get it's in a hotel but man.... Brutal

Great, strong, coffee! Clean and comfortable Perfect for a fast and fancy, great tasting coffee. Connected to the Renaissance hotel, and easily accessible from other Crystal City hotels (by scooter or foot). Yes, it is Illy coffee. Very small selection of breakfast foods and all high sugar and calories. Bagels are big, but basic. It is a nice place to spend 20 minutes, not a place to set up and work. Open early. At 6 am on the weekend it was the only open coffee shop. read more

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This Illy was right across the way from our hotel so we thought we'd give it a go. The pros: the service was good, the drinks came up quickly, the layout of the shop was nice, and coffee was smooth and not bitter. The cons: The prices are really high for what you get. The drink was overly sweet - which another reviewer mentioned and I sadly did not listen to. The fruit cup I purchased was $7 which was just plain nuts. Ill be back because its the best option for coffee in the area (which isnt exceptionally high praise - this area isnt a great place for good food or coffee) read more

I like illy coffee ever since I had my first cup a few years ago somewhere in Europe. I was staring at a hotel across from here, and enjoyed daily morning espresso before work. Staff here is friendly, she made a good coffee everyday. Located adjunct to the Renaissance Hotel, two entrance (one from the hotel and another from outside). They have nice patio seats, would be nice to sit there when it is warm. I sat at a counter seat by the window and watched people go by while enjoying my hot cup of coffee. Something was different than other illy coffee shops I visited in Italy, I couldn't tell what was different, just felt like something is missing. I still enjoyed my visit here nonetheless. If you want good coffee, I recommend trying here. read more

Espressamente Illy - Love, love and looove illy coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This more miniature Illy is located inside/attached to the Rennaisance hotel in Crystal City. The service was fantastic. The place is clean. And the product is quite delicious. I got a chai latte, a bagel with cream cheese, and a fruit cup. Chai Latte: Legit! I wish it was a bit less sweet... but overall a REAL tasty chai! Fruit Cup: Rainbow style. It has strawberries and raspberries on the top, then going down it had, blue berries, black berries, pineapple, cantelope, and honeydew. Totally worth it, I think it was 5 bucks. Bagel: Pretty freakin' good bagel. I was surprised. I expected it to be one of those fake me out non bagel bagels. You know the ones that are just baked and never boiled. Those arn't bagels people. Those are freakin' bread doughnuts. A bagel HAS to be boiled before it's baked. There is really 1 kind of large square communal table, luckily with some outlets near it. Great comfortable outdoor seating right outside the front. And the hotel it's attached too is VERY nice. Bathrooms are clean and tidy ( the Illy uses the hotel bathroom as it's own). Cons... they were out of every single breakfast sandwich/sandwich when I went. A bit on the pricier side. But I LOVE me some Illy. read more

I walked here from my hotel thinking this would be better than Starbucks but I was sadly disappointed. Customer service is nonexistent. I asked for my drink Slightly sweetened and it was so sweet it could give someone diabetes. I tried to drink it because I hate to complain but I couldn't because it was so sweet. I kindly asked the lady how much sweetener was in it since I asked for it slightly sweetened (plus this drink literally says lightly sweetened on the menu) instead of trying to help she started looking for my receipt ? She walked away and started to remake it while she banged things on the counter as if I made her upset. I even went as far as telling her "I'm sorry I've upset you and thank you for remaking my drink" all she said is "it's ok" I started to walk back to my hotel as I took a sip and guess what?? She put NO sweetner in it ‍ you're better off going to Starbucks read more

Espressamente Illy - Shakerato - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Quiet little coffee shop nestled inside of a hotel. Great mochas, friendly staff, reasonable prices for a coffee place so close to DC. Would recommend it while you wait for a friend's flight to arrive. CAUTION: Scarce parking on the street and expensive parking in garages ($11 an hour...) read more

Espressamente Illy - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This place has Amazing coffee and buns. Give them a try if your in the area! . The service was even better than the coffee. read more

Espressamente Illy - a cup of coffee - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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I'm more of a tea-sippin' kind of gal but when I do drink coffee, Illy is my no. 1 choice. Quality wise, of course the coffee beans here did not disappoint. Service wise....ehhhhhhhhhh. The girls chit-chatted amongst themselves way too much and didn't seem eager to answer the the few questions I asked in regards to their lattes. read more

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So, I go there and I ask for a one shot espresso in the glass, easy right?... well after waiting 5 minutes for it they give me a coffee in the porcelain cup that it looks like a small americano, not an espresso like I asked...on top of that no spoon to mix the sugar in it. I know, I should lower my standards when I shop for an espresso in America , but this people really don't want to learn how to make a decent coffee. They need an appropriate training or a vacation in Italy, so maybe they understand how to deal with one of the best brand of coffee like Illy caffè. read more

A million stars! I've loved illy from my first sip in Chicago years ago. illy espresso is smooth, creamy, and delicious!! This illy is connected to the Renaissance capital view hotel. It's small but cozy. The staff (usually only 1 person working) are really nice and make a fantastic americano. Don't sleep on those 50 cent delicious cookies/biscuits at the counter! read more

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While staying at the adjoining hotel, I found myself stopping by Illy for coffee on a daily basis. As both the hotels attached seem like hubs for conferences, be prepared for a line if you go in the morning, or immediately after a conference ends. The cafe has a sleek feel, and is chromed out, which is an aesthetic I appreciate. Nice options of espresso drinks. But, after finding a drink I liked, "the Greco," I found that having it made by 3 different baristas resulted in 3 different versions of the drink, 2 of which I liked tremendously, and one that tasted like dirty water. Yes, I know what dirty water tastes like as one summer our water well had issues. They offer a variety of great snacks, sweets, and savory breakfast items. Where else can one find hummus, veggies, tiramisu, and iced coffee at 4 in the afternoon? My only knocks on the place are how early it closes (6 PM) and inconsistencies in the drinks. Pluses are friendly service, availability of double shots of espresso, and a cupcake when you need an afternoon boost. All in all, I recommend this place. read more

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While staying at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel we stopped in here for coffee one morning. The place was dead (but since this was during Covid, the entire hotel seemed like a ghost town) and service was immediate and friendly. The barista adds cream & sugar to your liking too. Their Americano is pretty decent. read more

Best coffee in Arlington by far. This is really the way espresso and cappuccino should be made. And to all the haters out there: do yourself a favor and put REAL sugar in your coffee. Not only does it taste better, it is healthier as well and really does not add many calories to your daily intake. The pastries were really good as well, and service was good even though a bit slow. We tried the small bite-sized biscuits, baci di dama, by the counter. There is also parking available in the lot next to Renaissance and Courtyard. Highly recommended!! read more

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Best coffee in the area for sure! illy is top of the line in my book his and this cozy little spot is a winner. Attached to a Marriott property in Crystal City the location has a progressive inside with a conservative selection of food options. Lol... The illy Coffee is a smooth coffee compared to others. Reminds me of the taste difference between drip coffee and a pour over, the way you can lose the acidity and truly taste the flavor of your coffee is what you get with illy in my opinion. Contrasting this is the espresso bean which is bold and full of flavor. Whatever drink you get it should be a winner. . read more

If I have to sum it up in a sentence....I LOVE Illy coffee!! All of their speciality coffees are delicious! My favorites are the mocha( if I am in the mood for some rich creamy chocolate therapy) & the lattes... Hmm... so divine! This location is in the vicinity of the a few hotels, sharing a wall with the Renaissance hotel. You can walk into the hotel through this barista. The person behind the counter was efficient & had our perfectly made drinks ready with no real wait time. I loved the fact that I was allowed to take my pooch into the cafe,as it was a real cold day & would have hated having to leave him out...hence I was more appreciative of it (being pet friendly adds brownie points in my books!). The only real downside is the parking situation. There isn't any street parking close by. Most parking spots are a little over a block away which is no fun on a cold winter eve. Other than that... What can I say... It's Illy!! :) read more

Hmm...pleasant surprise for a place connected to a hotel...I decided to go for a walk before work and happened to see a nearby coffee shop. Perhaps Yelp steered me towards this place. I did spot some latte art photos however I didn't really have time for a sit down coffee. The Menu was minimal in that has your staples espresso,lattes,blended drinks and iced coffees. I decided I needed a extra boost for the day and ordered a Caramellato caldo....Illy espresso caramel sauce topped with frothed milk. Basically it was a fancy name for a caramel latte. I didn't really taste a caramel sauce perhaps a hint of caramel it just tasted like a caramel macchiato. It still had my full roasted taste of my espresso but it was just a bit too sweet for me. Overall decent cup of java...is it my drink of choice probably not but the other menu items do sound interesting Illy in generally is a well known coffee brand. read more

Random place (connected to the hotel) to grab one of my favorite coffees... I had a soccer tournament at Long Bridge Park, and I had some time to kill. This was the closest place with good coffee options. In addition to good coffee, I had a prosciutto and arugula wrap with chips and a drink for $8! Sweet deal! read more

Closes early with no notice and no hours posted on the door. I wish I could say something good about Illy because I generally like their coffee. But not this one. read more

Espressamente Illy - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

If you are in search of a really good espresso or cappuccino, Espressamente illy is your place! If you want something delicious, you might want to keep walking. The egg white and spinach on an English muffin was average in the extreme. The cappuccino was outstanding! read more

I love this place. Great service and good coffee and expresso drinks. It's nice to have a place to grab coffee in Crystal City that's not Starbucks. Loved my ice coffe today. read more

Nothing special! Although they were polite and tried to be helpful, the staff's English skills were poor. So communication was difficult. The breakfast sandwiches were expensive for what you get. There are better options, I'm sure! read more

One of only 9 or 10 Illy cafés in the country. Inside the Renaissance hotel. I had a caramel cappuccino. So delicious! read more

Espressamente Illy - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The espresso drinks here are much better than other options in the area. It also doesn't get too crowded, presumably because it's half a block away from all the "action" of Crystal City, which is a plus for me. They have a small patio with two tables and a couple of couches. It's a nice, quiet spot for reading or peoplewatching at the Renaissance hotel that it's attached to. The pastries look good, but I haven't tried them yet. read more

It's the best option in the area, but it's not good. This is a spectacularly beautiful, custom coffee shop. Everything is custom and everything has a really nice functional design. I wish that all shops could invest this much money in beauty as they see it. However the coffee is just not that good. The problem is that Illy coffee isn't that good to begin with, it taste stale and old because they vacuum packet in those tens for a long time. It's mass-produced coffee and it tastes like it. That is to say that it can't be good, but the baristas are awful--it's like they were never trained. In the end the bad baristas here prettiest coffee that just isn't very good. They don't even understand how to steam milk. Mine was scalded. The only other option here is a big green chain of stores who also make terrible coffee, so you might as well come to the Ellie place because at least it's nice looking and unique. It almost has a feel of a miniature museum. I really liked the design. With regard to baked goods I guess it's worth pointing out that they have some reasonably good-looking donuts, as well as the usual array of bagels which did not look good and scones and muffins which looked okay. I didn't get any baked goods so this is all based on looks. This café is connected to the Renaissance Hotel, and it has very short hours ending around five or 6 PM in the evening. There really aren't great place the said but there is an excellent standing desk type of bar area, which might be of interest to those needing to work. Plugs are plentiful and artfully hidden. Very little parking is available on the street. read more

This is my second visit to this illy espressamente. I've also been to two others (1 in Ronald Regan building; 1 in the hotel at New Hampshire & M). At this location, the coffee is just meh. And the service (though bubbly and friendly) is just meh. On the coffee, it is so mild and borderline weak, I wonder if it will ever get my engines going. It is always super scalding hot. And I love the white cup, white lid, white cup cozy color scheme. But the coffee. It's just so weak...and off-tasting. And you order by the ounce: 16 ounces of this weak coffee will cost you $1.90. And the pastries in the case look worn out, tired, and stale. They are not labeled (as to what it is or price) and (aside from the bagels) are unrecognizable. Final coffee gripe: THERE IS NO SPLENDA. What?!?! Why? Come into the 2K11 illy. Maybe I'm addicted to that coffee competitor with the green mermaid on the cup. On the service, like I said, it is bubbly and friendly. But it still needs work. You know what really bugs me in a coffee shop? It really bugs me when the barista yells out to people in line "May I take your order?". Yes, this might be an attempt to speed things along. But no. I don't want to yell my order out all across the whole coffee shop for everyone to hear and for the barista to get wrong. On both my visits here, that is what happened. The first time, I ordered a soy latte. The barista (the yeller) only heard latte. When the cashier and barista finally interacted, Ms. Eager Beaver Barista had to remake my latte into a soy latte. Today, I ordered a 16 oz coffee. Well, Ms. Eager Beaver Barista promptly poured my cup of coffee. All the while Ms. Cashier took person after person after person ahead of me and my coffee just sat there. I was the last to pay. I should have asked for a fresh, hot cup, but was in a hurry. Ugh. If I am ever desperate for a cup of weak, off-tasting, non-splenda coffee, I might just return here because this place is just meh. I've experienced better. read more

Espressamente Illy - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Don't trust their hours. I have to reiterate someone else's review that they randomly close in the middle of the day. I was really in need of a coffee at 2pm on a Saturday and found not a soul in the store with the doors locked. I can understand closing early like half an hour when there aren't any customers and business is slow, but closing in the middle of the day is unacceptable. Not sure who runs this restaurant but they really need to rethink their policies. read more

I love Illy coffee, so it wasn't too hard to impress me here. The girl behind the counter was really sweet and made my friend and I a great cappuccino and latte. I'd recommend this place to anyone nearby as a great alternative to Starbucks. read more

Best coffee ever! If you are ever in the DC/Arlington area this place is a must! Perfect every time! Wish they had more cafes because it would definitely be my regular spot. read more

I had a three-day conference in the adjoining Renaissance hotel. To be present, both physically and mentally, for entire days starting at 7am, I needed a lot of caffeine. The watered down conference coffee was simply not cutting it. Thank God for this coffee shop! The illy coffee is smooth and rich and, most importantly, gives me the morning and afternoon jolt I needed. read more

Good coffee, nice staff. No real seating inside (room in the hotel area) and not much in the way of food. I had a panini that was pretty good. No free wifi when I was there in October. They wanted you to pay for the hotel service, which woud have been fine if I was staying at that hotel... read more