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    ​Gen Cafe

    3.5 (30 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 1:00 pm

    ​Gen Cafe Photos

    ​GEN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - ​Gen Cafe

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    black and white tiled counter and shelves
    Colette H.

    Love this place! I was in the area for a week for week, and I found this spot for breakfast. I'd highly recommend coming here! I've tried their coffee, omelettes, salad and breakfast sandwich. Everything I've tried here was delicious. I can't wait to come back to DC and stop by here again. If you're in the area, I highly recommend checking this spot out for breakfast. They are connected to the Generator Hotel; they're in the lobby. They have seating available inside; they also have outdoor seating available for customers. The servers were friendly and helpful. There were also other options available for food and drinks, but I was just looking for good coffee and a delicious breakfast sandwich. I'm glad I found this spot.

    the interior of a restaurant
    Stacy S.

    I'm staying at the Washington Hilton and have been seeing Cafe Integral all week, wondering what visits they might have over there across the street. Today, I finally made it over to check it out. It's clean, swanky and a bit small. And now that I've picked my jaw off the floor from the price I paid for two items, I'll tell you about it. First, I ordered a Chai with oat milk in my personal cup. It was tasty. Not filled to the top of the cup, and not the hottest. But still tasty. I asked for an avocado toast with egg to go. While waiting, I observed that the one person writing continued to offer the same friendly service to everyone. He brought my food to me, where I was waiting, after 5 minutes or so. I noticed utensils in the bag, and gave them back. Perhaps they could just hand them out by request. The avocado toast and egg was GOOOD. While the egg was cooked a bit more than I'd prefer, it wasn't too hard. And the avocado was perfectly ripe and piled high. Yum. And no utensils needed.

    Breakfast sandwich (cut in half)
    Susan K.

    Happy discovery while staying at neighboring hotel while on professional visit to DC. The cafe's summer 2022 breakfast menu is smaller than what is posted on website, but is wide enough to satisfy anyone's preference. Recommended by the barista (and now me) is the breakfast sandwich, composed of moist fennel sausage, egg, raspberry mustard, and baby arugula on a brioche bun. The coffees are expertly crafted, with the cafe offering some creative iterations, including the horchata latte. Interior and exterior seating overlooking the Generator Hotel entrance ramp are available.

    My $15 avocado toast.
    Chi K.

    Disappointed. I was hoping for something spectacular and was very underwhelmed. Ordered the avocado toast. $15! Yes, $15! The bread was thick and the avocado scanty. Not worth the money paid. If it had been half the price, I would've tolerated it better. They had one guy working out front. He was very kind but one staff person in front is not enough. One lady came in and stood at the register for several minutes cause the guy working the register left to get my food from the kitchen. There was no one else there to help him. Sadly, despite the nice guy trying to do his best, this would be a "don't recommend".

    Samira S.

    Overall, the coffee shop had a lovely ambiance and aesthetic, creating a pleasant atmosphere. However, the service left something to be desired, as it was not the greatest. The food was merely average, which didn't quite meet expectations.

    Asada burrito

    The burrito came with nothing but meat. They told me there would be beans and there wasn't. Also very small burrito. All for $18 definitely not worth it. Meat was good but would never buy this again.

    Decaf americano
    Sarah C.

    $12 for avocado toast? A bit steep, but the other items on the menu seemed normally priced. Having said that the avocado toast was good. High quality bread and ample avocado. Breakfast burrito was also good Decaf americano spot on. Nice and clean space, some outdoor seating. A bit slower on the food than I'd expect for a cafe but nothing crazy.

    Latte
    Rachel F.

    This was a great, stylish place for a break during a busy conference at the Washington Hilton, which is just across the street. Sure, the Hilton has a Starbucks, but I never can stand the cheap, burnt taste of Starbucks coffee. I loved the delicious coffee here, and would absolutely come back again!

    Latte and breakfast burrito on the nice outdoor table

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    1 year ago

    Really expensive, but everything is these days. Baked goods and coffee good. Small seating area. Woman behind counter very nice.

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Get the avocado toast! And the atmosphere is great for a quick breakfast while working!

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    3 years ago

    Hidden gem with delicious espresso! Love the prosciutto sandwich. Nice atmosphere. A little pricey sure, but you get what you pay for.

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    3 years ago

    Awesome breakfast and reasonably priced. Definitely will be back for the food and great service from the baristas.

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    The Pembroke

    4.1(411 reviews)
    0.4 miDupont Circle

    Penbrook delivered a genuinely impressive breakfast experience, starting with amazing service and…read moreconsistently great food. The standout of the morning was the breakfast side potatoes--crispy, seasoned perfectly, and easily something I'd come back for. The breadbasket came with three pastries, which felt a bit smaller than expected, but the almond croissant more than made up for it. On the heartier side, the chicken and waffles were extremely filling thanks to the dense waffles, so definitely a dish to tackle with an appetite. One of the biggest surprises was the brunch salad with salmon, which ended up being one of the best salads I've had in a long time--fresh, balanced, and satisfying. The breakfast sandwich was another highlight: so good that it's now the new standard I'll compare all other breakfast sandwiches to. The smoked salmon bagel was also a fun experience, served deconstructed so you can build each bite exactly how you like it. Not everything was a hit--the French toast wasn't my favorite--but the overall meal was strong enough that it barely detracted from the experience. Brunch offers a few additions beyond the regular breakfast menu, but overall it's very similar to their standard breakfast, just with a couple of extra options. It tends to get full on the weekends to make a reservation. Bottom line: Penbrook is a beautiful hotel restaurant that punches above its weight--excellent service, memorable dishes, and several items worth returning for.

    Service: A+ Food: A+…read moreAmbiance: A+ Highly recommend! Our sever, Mr. Michel, was A+ Centrally located, close to everything

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    Unconventional Diner - Tip-Top Chop

    Unconventional Diner

    4.4(3.4k reviews)
    1.4 miShaw, Downtown
    $$

    Excellent and loved the sopa criolla! So many great brunch options. Clean, good service and good…read morelocation.

    A group of four of us went here for dinner after searching for a while. We had a tough group to…read moresatisfy-a picky eater whose isn't adventurous and just wants Taco Bell all the time, a self proclaimed foodie who likes to seek out the Michelin star restaurants but actually isn't as adventurous in trying new foods as he thinks he is (hopefully he doesn't see this post haha), another who is willing to try most things but is also happy just eating low key and doesn't like to spend money, and then there's me who wants to try new things, willing to spend a little to try it and is happy going with the flow too. Thankfully we ended up at the Unconventional Diner and it was perfect for satisfying everyone in the group!! We were all able to get tasty drinks- from n/a Hibiscus Citrus lemonade, white wine, a cinnamon toast old fashioned (what? A cereal inspired old fashioned, yes please and it was fantastic!), and a Bourbon basil smash. Then the crew settled on some food-the waiter was patient with the questions and contemplation from the table (thank you!). We started with the SKILLET CORNBREAD with Habanero Honey Butter | Sea Salt (v) And that was melt in your mouth cornbread. Damn. Real cornbread seems hard to come by any more and this is the real deal. And the honey butter and flake sea salt-can't go wrong. I'm a spice weeny-for reals-and this was incredible. It's a MUST get. Across the table we had two of the double cheese burgers (I warned, we have a lack of adventurous eaters) -and they both said the burgers were the best they've had. I had the Philly French double dip, with horseradish cream and caramelized onions-so fantastic-the roast beef was melt in your mouth and the broth was the perfect saltiness. Our fourth got the fried chicken sandwich and really loved the dill pickle slaw that came with it, and the chicken was not over cooked and not raw-perfect! We all had fries with our meals, the thinner kind with light seasoning and none of us could stop eating them, even when we were clearly full, the fries just kept disappearing.

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    Unconventional Diner - Space is large, bright, and contemporary.  Reservations recommended.

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    Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Farragut Square - Dark Chocolate Muffin (GF)

    Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Farragut Square

    4.2(147 reviews)
    1.1 miDowntown
    $$

    Great place to get lunch! They have so many different food options--sandwiches, salads, soups,…read moreShakshuka, bowls, pastries, etc. The place is spacious inside with tons of seating--during weekday lunch it can get busy so you might need to wait a few minutes for a table or high top. You order your food first, then find seating. Food comes out fairly quick. Dishes I've tried and would recommend: Chicken Pita, Turkey BLAT, Spiced Shrimp & Avocado Mousse Salad, Chickpea & Fava Plate, Lamb Meatball & Labneh Shakshuka, and Short Rib Grilled Cheese Sandwich--there's so much I want to try but haven't yet! Their cookies are delicious too, my favorite is the Halva Chocolate Chunk Cookie.

    My favorite bakery and coffee shop while visiting the D.C. area during the cherry blossoms…read morefestival. A five-minute walk towards downtown from the Mayflower hotel made Tatte Bakery an ideal spot for breakfast. It also has nice views of Farragut Square. I went with the House Full breakfast that included Applewood bacon, eggs, potato fritters with tomato jam and mint parmasean, and house made sourdough. I was curious to try one of their best sellers - monkey bread, and it didn't disapoint. A solid breakfast with on point service before catching the metro to Virginia. I really enjoyed my visit here and would return in a heartbeat.

    Photos
    Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Farragut Square - Monday a.m .

    Monday a.m .

    Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Farragut Square - Biscuit cheddar and egg

    Biscuit cheddar and egg

    Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Farragut Square - Iced Honey Halva Latte - 12 oz

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    ​Gen Cafe - coffee - Updated June 2026

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