This is another solid 3 star place. I had their iced coffee. It was OK but to be honest, not any better than Starbucks iced coffee. The place itself could use a makeover. Nice outdoor seating area. I think I may try it again one more time in the future. We'll see... read more

I had a bit of time to think about this review as I stood in line to order an iced coffee and a bagel, watching a fruit fly lumber across one of the muffins in their display case. I had been coming to this place several times a week for almost a year, and each time, the internal monologue weighing the pros and cons of returning echoed louder. The cons have gained weight. The service, as you may have picked up from the other reviews, is awful. Servers take ages to notice you at a table. Customers are treated with a brusqueness (by servers, and especially cashiers) that almost prompts you to apologize for being there as you place your order. I would actually enjoy the latter if it were directed at the hordes of wi-fi squatters - but the air of disdain for the customers is sprayed liberally and without discretion about the whole place. Should you sit down, and there are more than three occupied tables, expect to wait fifteen to twenty minutes for a simple order. Most importantly, however, is everyone's chronic inability to accurately receive and reproduce your order. I am a simple man, of simple needs - never ordering more than a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese, sometimes with bacon (if I'm feeling spicy). I would estimate over half the time I have ordered these things, I have had to send the bagel back because it was missing either the cream cheese or the bacon. Sometimes the staff is polite about this. Many times, they are not. More frustrating than the inaccuracy is how sloppily it's all produced. There is no consistency order-to-order. The freshness of the food varies profoundly. Sometimes that bagel is going to be fluffy and delicious, and sometimes it's going to crumble like the dead soil of Dust Bowl Oklahoma. Tom Joad would have passed on these bagels. In Java House's defense, it is quite nice to sit on their outside patio early in the morning and enjoy a cup of coffee, and that coffee isn't bad. But the food, and the service, is. I want to like this place; I have really tried. I love the 17th street corridor, and would much rather have it populated by small, charismatic businesses. It is time, however, for this coffee shop to change, fundamentally. They have lost a regular customer. If you're looking for coffee, there are myriad alternatives in the area. If you're looking for a bagel, head over to Bagels Etc. on P st. or even Bethesda Bagels on Conn. Ave. This place doesn't deserve the customers it gets. read more

This is quite possibly the worst coffeeshop I've ever been to, and I've been to some bad ones. This is the only coffeeshop in my neighborhood, or else I would never need to go there again. The service is rude and dull, the coffee unremarkable, and the decor terrible. The outside patio is ok, through no effort of the owners of this place. Seriously, they should sell it to someone who cares. read more

This place is great! I did not expect a lot from the outside or even when I first walked in. I was shocked to see a man actually roasting their own beans in the front of the shop. I love coffee, and am not a super sweet or "fancy" coffee drinker. I stick to Americanos. Their espresso is way better than Starbucks and about $1 less each drink. The espresso comes out and actually has that wonderful caramel colored froth on the top. The food is decent. The customer service is a little lacking but I think that is mostly because all of the workers are VERY quiet and shy. Everyone has always been very nice. They sometimes forget you order stuff, but it's not a big deal to remind them. It's never empty when I come in and they have a large patio that is great when the weather is nice. read more

Worst coffee place ever that deserves to go out of business. The cashier/barista did not pay attention when I tried to order. He stayed glued to his laptop for a good 30 seconds before acknowledging me. read more

Stopped in for breakfast while in DC on business. Great location in the DuPont Circle neighborhood and easy walking distance from my hotel. The place is spacious and clean and has a nice patio. My breakfast was perfect with gourmet smoked meats and fish, bagel, and an incredible cup of coffee. Service was great and the price was what's expected in DC. I'll definitely return. read more

My java house latte tastes like love. My java house house blend tastes like burn. I've given both drinks their fair shot at a spot in my heart - now you can understand by average star rating. I have some other likes and dislikes, too - since you asked. I like their toasty sandwiches and giant slices of cake. I don't like their high stool chairs that are not condusive to studying or laptoping (you know, things we do in a coffee shop). You can sit outside on the spacious patio, but then you get that awful laptop screen glare thing that makes you wish your screen were day-glo. I also don't like this new-fangled idea that coffee shops do by switching off the Internets to keep the traffic flowing. In a spot near 17th street, I cannot imagine that java house gets the foot traffic that a georgetown or dupont spot would get, so let's leave the internet on and let people do their coffee shop thing, right? read more

First, the good news. The food is fresh, well-prepared, delicious, and not too pricey. Now the bad news. Over the last 10 years, a model for the neighborhood café has emerged in D.C.: a business started by Americans is now run by people who did not grow up in America. Food allergies, it seems, are not something that people take seriously outside the U.S. and Europe. Time and again, staff from Africa or south of the border act like I walked off a UFO with my bizarre and annoying requests that MENUS SHOULD LIST ALL DAIRY ITEMS. If you serve a sandwich with cheese on it, SAY IT ON THE MENU. Most people don't pick up a paper menu at Java House, they look at the big wall menu. Multiple items on this wall menu have detailed lists of ingredients (lettuce, tomato, onion), but strangely omit cheese. Other wall menu items clearly state what kind of cheese is used. Even more strange, in about 90% of restaurants the traditional turkey-bacon club sandwich is not served with cheese, but the Java House club is, and it is not labeled on the menu. When I asked the staff to please write cheese under menu items that contain cheese, they treat me like I'm being entirely unreasonable. They have actually frowned and glared at me, and tried to talk me out of my request. If an owner or manager is reading this, your staff need to be sensitive to food allergies, conscious of how people interpret information, and importantly, also willing to receive reasonable requests from customers and push them up to management. Confusing menus are bad enough. Staff that are hostile to customer medical issues are far worse. read more

This place is half a block from where I live so I do come here often to grab a coffee. The service isn't fantastic and the staff isn't overly friendly, but when it's 11am on a Sunday and all you want is a coffee and a cheesy bacon and egg on a croissant to bring you back to life, it does a good job. read more

I am surprised that there are not more reviews for Java House. I have lived in DC for 8 years and Java House has always been part of this experience. The positive is mixed with the negative. They have absolutely fantastic coffee options for home-brewing. We have paid over $30 dollars a pound for fantastic beans. They roast them on the premises and early in the morning , the smell draws you in. However, ask the staff to help you grind the beans for a french press and they act like you're speaking a foreign language. The service there is always sub par. On the plus side, the staff is consistent so they must be treated well. Today, I stopped in for dessert after a great dinner. I pursued the options and found myself torn between a chocolate dipped macaroon and a fabulous looking oatmeal raisin cookie. I folded and purchased them both. $6 later and they were both stale. My huge splurge on my diet turned into a major disappointment- a consumed disappointment but who would serve stale food? It reminded me of all the injustices of the Java House- unfriendly, knowledgeable staff, too much milk in the cappuccinos and using nonfat when I requested full fat milk. Given, there are the happy memories like my first Breve` and their $.25 chocolate covered espresso beans machine. However, stale cookies are not cool. read more

This coffeeshop has a lot going for it. It has a huge selection of coffee beans for sale, the food tastes good, the interior feels cozy, and it's a great spot for watching the people who walk by along Q and 17th streets. That said, it does have one major problem: the service. I wouldn't exactly call the people working there surly, but they don't make much effort to make you feel welcome there. Also, it's sometimes unclear when they have full service and when they don't; and even if they do have full service, there's no guarantee that they'll actually serve you, or return with your order should you actually get to ask them for something. While this is awfully problematic, its other virtues are so strong I'm willing to overlook this major flaw. read more

Recently stopped in for a late evening (close to closing) coffee and pastry. The coffee was fine, but not the customer service or the rhum baba. I waited five minutes before the woman behind the counter stopped rummaging around and acknowledged my presence. The baba was dry and tasted stale... didn't finish it, tossed it after a couple of bites. Seemed like the type of place where pointing that out would have gone unheard. My pastry was certainly overpriced for the lack of quality. It would be helpful if Java House posted the prices for their desserts in the display case. read more

Slow, unfriendly service. I ordered a bagel with lox and cream cheese to go and 15 minutes later I'm served a bagel with the tiniest amount of cream cheese and no lox at all. Unfortunately, I was already out of there by then but essentially paid $6 for bagel. read more

If I could give this place a 0 I would! Went in tonight to grab and after dinner tea and what was supposed to be red velvet cake. After having 1 bite of the cake I had to ask myself, how could anyone serve this???! I can only assume the cake had been there for at least a week being that it was rock sold! Unable to believe what I was tasting, I had my girlfriend taste it to prove I wasn't crazy and sure enough the worst thing ever. Safe to say never going back. read more

I was there this evening at 5:30 p.m., and let me just say this: I was at the counter where the milk, sugar, and honey were, and it was INFESTED with fruit flies (or some kind of flies). Disgusting. I went to the front counter to tell the woman who was working (and texting). When she finished texting, I told her about the flies. Her reply was it was because of the milk! I said it didn't matter WHY there were flies all over the place - someone should get rid of them. I will not go there again. read more

Decent coffee. But ... seriously stale almond croissant (with barely any almond flavor). Super crowded with the home office crowd on their laptops - how anyone could get any work done here is beyond me. read more

Really I would give this a 2.5...It was alright, but I probably wouldn't give it another go. Walk in and there's a giant wall of coffee beans in all different varietals from all over the world, waiting to be ground in the adjacent massive industrial grinder. That was pretty cool, although the prices per bag seemed a little expensive for even the less exotic blends. Their baked goods looked mediocre, perhaps a few days old. I ordered decaf iced coffee, drank it black and it tasted like it was burnt. The couple next to me ordered bagel sandwiches that looked delicious (fresh cooked scrambled egg, which is always a step up from Micky D's microwave style) and might be worth going back to try. There was a nice ambiance and an interesting crowd on the patio. Great for people watching all Dupont-ers - dogs, gays, intellectuals, etc. and it seemed like they prepare food in their own cups, bowls, etc. instead of just offering disposables (reduce, reuse, recycle!) which I love. Service was eh. Slow order taker, didn't smile, and when I went to use the restroom a worker looked me in the eye and jumped in before me, only to take 10 minutes. Having worked in customer service, I was a little miffed at that - you should always let the customer go first. read more

I've been here a couple of times, and it's ok, not great, but ok. However, today was a bad experience. I ducked in out of the rain to grab a peppermint tea. Keep in mind that it's just hot water and a tea bag. I hand over my card, and the lady rings me up for $4.20. I look at the menu, and apparently my tea should be $1.91. I asked the lady behind the counter about it, and she just says "prices change." I try to make my point with her that $4.20 is absolutely absurd for hot water and a tea bag, but she just waves me away. I could go buy the box of tea bags for that price! Needless to say, I will not be returning. read more

While the service left something to be desired, the coffee is brilliant, the ham and Swiss panini was fantastic, and it has a cozy little neighborhood diner feel. read more

Coffee is good, reasonably priced. Food is ok. But only go for takeout. Table service is slow. Excruciatingly slow.

Java House is one of the gems of 17th st. NW. Great Coffee, great Pastries , friendly people! Working down the street at the JCC I come in at least 4 times a week for coffee or lunch. Try their Panini's or Bacon and Cream cheese bagel! read more

Great place to grab a coffee if you are in the area. It is very reasonably priced and its decorated accordingly, and I don't mind the trade off. The staff was very friendly and on top of every clean up as soon as a customer left. My only issue is that my computer would not connect to their wifi correctly. My computer has security software that wont allow me to connect to a wifi network that has a security issue, so I think you should be careful using the wifi there. You may be able to connect to TRIOs wifi across the street, which is what I did. I will keep coming here, with or without wifi. update After going here a few times I realized that the staff can be very moody depending on who you are working with. I went to order something from the counter when I walked in because I notice that the waitress only servers people outside. When I tried to order she cashier told me that they have table service. I didn't want table service but thought it would be fine so sat down and waited for the waitress. 20 minutes, nothing. Finally the cashier made her realize that I kept turning around. The food comes out and everything else is fine. And then I'm ready to close out my check. I can't get this woman's attention for 25 minutes. I end up getting fed up and telling the other cashier k want to close out. She tells the waitress to close me out. The waitress stands at the screen and does nothing because she is texting. I give her my credit and stand over her so she gives me the check right away. She acts as if I am the one with the problem. I'm not coming back for that type of service. read more

I stop most mornings on my way to work and visit frequently on weekends to either do a little work or read. The coffee is great and the patio is awesome spring, summer and fall. wifi is spotty so be prepared and bring a book in case you cant get wifi. read more

Stopped in for a quick lunch - there were a few folks sitting inside and out and the vibe was pleasant but the service was poor, the food choices were limited, and the quality was mediocre. I might go back if I lived or worked on the block but otherwise, there are many, many better options in Dupont. read more

Not the greatest coffee in the world. I saw a roach walking up the wall one day. Never went back. I needed coffee today and found myself with a decafe nasty coffee. I would not recommend. This place has gone down hill since the owner passed away. And if you want to use a credit card, they will charge you a fee of 25 cents if the item is less then 3.00 read more

Service is terrible (very slow), and the food is mediocre. However, free wi-fi is always a plus, and the outdoor area is a good place to work when it's nice outside. Hit or miss in terms of being busy, but you can usually get a table outside and they don't mind if you sit for hours reading or working. read more

I love it! the only reason why its only four stars is because their muesli was served hot. Normally muesli is like a cold oatmeal but they gave it to me hot with like three bannas on it and i was not impressed other than that their chai latte's are the best I have EVER had!!! Thier granola and fruit is good along with their breakfast sandwhiches on crossaints. I have yet to go their for lunch but it is amazing to sit out on the patio and people watch while attempting to do work on your computer slash facebook chatting on their free wifi instead! nice staff great food go!!! I live in foggybottom and go to GW and every sunday I walk there and back regardless of how far! read more

java house is pretty good, the food is ok, the coffee was so so, I did enjoy the atmosphere and eye candy all around. moderate pricing and the out door patio was well worth it. not too bad but defiantly in need of some new blood. read more

This place serves my favorite cup of coffee in Washington, DC. I buy my beans here. There is a large variety, they are roasted in house and are delicious. I have been coming here for 11 years. Everyone who has ever served me has been respectful and kind. I used to live 2 blocks from Java House. I now live 10 blocks away. The added distance has not changed my level of patronage. I highly recommend the coffee. read more

Terrible service! I ordered a grilled cheese panini at the counter and told them I was going to sit outside. The last time I did this (same staff) they brought it out to me. This time, I did the same thing and they never brought it out. When the waitress walked by I asked about my order and she said she would check on it. Even after several times in and out she never responded. Finally after 30 minutes of waiting (for a grilled cheese!) I went inside. I asked her about my order, she handed it to me, yelled at me in another language, rolled her eyes, shrugged her shoulders and walked away. Seriously?! Needless to say, they've lost a customer. read more

Coffe was ok. Muffins were good. Service not so great. But it's convenient so we'll probably go back.

I really love this place and I'm glad it's still around considering that other local places sometimes have to fold because of the Starbucks syndrome. Anyway, I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but I really like their coffee. It seems to be pretty full bodied and tastes fresh like the beans were just roasted or grinded. My favorites so far are iced white mocha and cafe au lait. The food is pretty good too -- bagels, as well as sandwiches, like the avacado, tomato and feta on croissant. I have to say that the soups of the day are usually very good. The people who work there are great too -- they seem to take care with service and take pride in their work. It usually doens't take too long for take-out. I only wish that they're baked goods were different -- I got a muffin one time and it tasted like it was mass-made and purchased from Costco. So, I would suggest JH making their own baked goods or purchasing them from a local bakery. And, the outdoor seating is nice and there is usually no push to move you along, which is nice too. I'm lucky to have such a good local coffee joint in my 'hood! read more

I came to the Java House recently on a Saturday around 2pm with my boyfriend to order some hot chocolate. We were the only people at the counter and a couple of patrons were seated. Two of the cashiers were behind the counter. One was writing notes and the other was counting money. Neither acknowledged us as we stood there. We looked at the menu briefly and several minutes passed. Neither woman acknowledged our presence as we stood there. I then said, excuse me are we able to order now? She responded curtly saying "can you wait a minute?" I looked at my boyfriend in disbelief and we just decided to leave. It was as though we were invisible and it was obvious that their treatment of us was deliberate. I'm a DC native and moved to the Dupont neighborhood relatively recently and have never in my life experienced such poor service. I will never return to this coffee shop again. The proper thing to do would have been to say something to the effect of, hello, welcome to the Java House and we will be with you shortly. Alternatively, they could have stopped counting money/writing notes at the counter, made our hot chocolate, and proceeded after we were finished. Unprofessional, rude, and disappointing. read more

would give this place 4 stars, but the service sucks! great price and delicious though! love their chili and bagels!