Three Whistles Coffee Shop…read more This coffee shop just reminded me why I fell in love with coffee in the first place. I had my first cup of "Joe" as a teenager while enjoying a nice family breakfast in downtown DC. I recall my Pops saying, "Leave room for coffee in that cup of sugar!" Back then, I thought, wow... that was funny. I later learned that it was hacky, a commonly used joke for heavy sugar users. Nevertheless, the taste felt electrifying. I don't recall the brand. It was definitely either Maxwell House or Folgers, but... whatever it was, it was delicious. Over the years, I began to dabble with different brands, different brews and different coffee formulas until I discovered Starbucks. It was the mid-90s when I had my first... wait for it... wait for it... "Caramel Macchiato" or Hot Heaven in a Cup, as I best can describe it. Seemingly every day for 25-plus years, I would gladly offer Starbucks a small percentage of my salary to enjoy another cup of Hot Heaven. But something happened along the way. In the early years, Starbucks was premium. They gave tremendous regard to how each cup was crafted. However, as is often the case in life, as time went on, the care and craftsmanship began to wane. It wasn't an overnight decline. It was more insidious than that. I knew something was off, but again, like many things, I continued to blindly pour into it, hoping for a rebirth, chasing that cup that tasted like the first time... Well today that happened. Not at Starbucks. I stumbled across that rebirth at Three Whistles Coffee Shop, a lovely, community-style coffee shop located on Wilson Boulevard in Arlington. I requested my order exactly as I like it, a variation to the original recipe, one that I cultivated through 25 years of trial and error. The gentleman listened closely while maintaining a courteous conversation. I watched him prepare my order when I realized, he wasn't just going through the motions, as I've grown use to experiencing at that other shop. Something felt different, yet vaguely familiar, that seemingly dated attention to craftsmanship... a precise pour into a tilted cup to create that wonderful creamy blend. And then, just when I thought his attention to detail had reached its end, he topped-off my foam with a decorative design, all while maintaining his place in our conversation. Then came the moment of truth. I took my first sip, and instantly... I'm reminded of that pearly-gates-in-a-cup feeling. The rebirth. What a caramel macchiato tastes like without stockholders' influence. Without corporate meetings. Without commercials. Without a glitchy App. Without shelves of $25 merch. Just a cup of heaven made in a community-centric shop by a barista who prefers to go by his own name, not logos on an apron. Recommendation level: Go immediately if you want a great cup of Joe. But I should warn you... After Three Whistles coffee, Starbucks may never taste quite like coffee again.

I am kicking myself for not trying three whistles sooner. I live and work close by, but I always…read moreforget about it. The food and drinks are amazing and the vibe is superb! My friend and I had shrimp skewers and Brussels Sprouts. I had a grey lady no. 3 and my friend had an espresso martini. We both really enjoyed our choices and will definitely come back! I would love to WFH here one day. I would love to try the Brightwood location!

One of my favorite spots, and I consider myself a regular for good reason! The staff are always…read morecourteous, welcoming, and personable, which makes every visit a great experience. I've tried every variation of pizza they offer, and I love them all, but the Jambon Pizza is an absolute must-try! Their pastries and coffee are wonderful, too, making this café a great spot. Great food, great coffee, and even better people. Highly recommend!

This is my favorite study spot for coffee, vibes, and a variety of pastries. The staff are very…read morekind and the Persian pizza is incredible! The meat is all halal which is a very nice added bonus :) This is a family-owned business and their new breakfast menu is really good! They have many options for drinks as well.

I've been back now for lunch and had to recommend the spicy chicken mixed rice bowl! Great flavors…read moreand the portion size is crazy for the price.

Great find today!…read more This place makes some serious sandwiches and is packed with all your convenience store needs. It's fast and the perfect spot when needing to grab freshly, prepared food on the quick. There is a full deli that has a menu loaded with delicious sandwiches, subs, salads and delicious eats. They also sell salads teriyaki and grain bowls. The portions are generous and the price is right. My go to here are the Tuna Cheddar Melt Sandwich & Turkey Club. They are a no fail and no disappointment here and A-OK with me. Both sandwiches are loaded with meat and the right amount of fixin's to balance it all out! Plus there are many other toppings to choose from to complete your sandwich just the way you like it. This is mandatory for me!..... essentially by the time I'm finished adding toppings on my sandwich.... I pretty much created a side--for free!! LOL!! * Elite Tip: for a faster, ordering experience, there is a kiosk available as soon as you walk into the door to place your order to eliminate waiting in a line are for someone to assist you. Also, they accept call in orders for pick up! Both options are a winner and very convenient. This place has two thumbs up for me and I definitely recommend......& Get the Tuna Sandwich....& Thank Me Later!! You will be glad you did. :) I also notied that they sell all you regular conveniences that you would find at your local supermarkets and 7-Eleven stores such as beer, wine, chips, most popular beverages, snacks, candy....and the list goes on and on.

Great cozy place. Great interior! Lots of versatile seating options…read more Matcha was excellent and (finally) not sweetened. Good selection of food options and even wine is sold here! The staff was friendly and accommodating.

I came to check out this cafe after seeing that it is a social club as well as a cafe. This is…read moredefinitely one of the most comfortable cafes that I've been to. There are sofas and comfy seats spread out everywhere, however the sidewalk seating is very limited. I ordered a Tiramisu and bottled water and I've been here for about a half hour already. I would say about 3/4 of the people here are working, and the rest are actually socializing. It is the middle of the week and perhaps there is more social stuff happening on the weekend. It seems like a nice cafe to hang out.

I've been to this place several times, and they have some of the best cold brew in the DC/NoVA…read morearea! Their nitro cold brew was wonderfully foamy and aromatic. For a moment, I even thought it had added sugar because it tasted so naturally sweet, but it was just the magic of nitrogen! The cold brew itself was also excellent quality. No wonder it's award-winning! They also have an extensive cold brew menu with different foam and syrup combinations, which is pretty cool. The space is bright, chic, and inviting. I love it! The staff have always been super friendly, too. Definitely a favorite of mine!

I decided to stop by this coffee shop to do a little bit of work before heading off to my next…read moredestination, and let me tell you, this place has quickly become one of my favorite coffee shops I've been to! The ambiance is so cute, and the workers were so friendly. The place was pretty full with other professionals having coffee and getting some work done, but luckily there was still some room for me. Their fall menu just came out, so I got the toasted marshmallow iced latte, and it's definitely one of my favorite takes on a latte flavor that I've had yet. It was so good! Parking can be a little difficult since you have to find street parking or wait for a spot to open up, but it's definitely worth it. I'm so glad I decided to stumble upon this shop and stop by when I did. If I'm ever in the area again, there's no doubt I'll be stopping by again!

Delicious yeast (filled too!) and cake donuts, big and mini size! There are 20 types of donuts with…read more1/2 dozen new monthly special flavors. The donuts tend to get sold out later in the day. The small cafe is tucked on the street behind the Quarter Market (it's NOT inside the market) and just a few blocks from the metro. I've been to the D.C. Penn Quarter location many times and glad I made my way to the original location in Ballston. The cozy cafe has indoor seating with a few tables (no outdoor seating). The mini Cookie Dough donut, Sept monthly special) was delicious! The regular size was sold out! The Cookie Dough donut was so good that I returned for the regular size in D.C. the next day! My kids enjoyed the mini Triple Chocolate donut and I wasn't a big fan of the stuffed blueberry jam donut. Looking forward to coming back and trying out the new batch of monthly donut flavors!

This is a great breakfast spot in Ballston! I really appreciate that they have both sweet and…read moresavory options - and do both well. My husband had a chocolate cake donut and bagel with lox, while I had a turkey sausage breakfast sandwich and mini maple donut. We'd both order the same thing again - but would be happy to try something new as well. There is indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating is a bit noisy at the moment due to construction across the street. My only complaint is that $3.50 for a very small drip coffee felt a bit steep - the small felt smaller than usual.

MUST TRY their black sesame latte! Came by several times during my stay and the staff was always…read moresuper kind and helpful. Lots of fresh and healthy choices. Some other things we tried included the egg in a hole and the salmon lox sandwich on brioche, which were both delicious! Seating is plentiful, providing a nice peaceful start to the day or a nice quiet break in the day.

Honestly, I was pretty hesitant in trying out Tatte again, as my previous experiences with them had…read morebeen awful. We came here for a caffeine fix, and ordered a latte with oat milk, and a Tatte House Latte that supposed to have honey and halva - Both were super watered down, and they came out lukewarm, not 'extra hot' as we had requested. There seems to be only one barista, and he was struggling to keep up with orders. The seating area is not well kept at all, as it was hard to find clean tables without the gross surfaces. The place does get loud, so having a chat may be difficult. The place is continuously busy, and I just wished this visit was a positive one. +watered down drinks +lukewarm beverages +slow service +unkept seating areas

Oh my goodness, this place is so so wonderful. Some of the kindest staff and ownership I've ever…read moremet and such a lovely and wonderful atmosphere! Not to mention the menu is to die for. A huge selection of Viet coffees, fruit teas and milk teas, frozen drinks, the list goes on (including EGG COFFEE!!). We stayed for hours here at the floor seating section doing crafts and were treated kindly and felt welcomed the whole time. They even let my little dog hang out with us! Oh, and if you get hungry, we LOVED the shaky beef, basil fries and the coco peach sticky rice. I will absolutely be back again and again, next time I'd love to help with making paper cranes to add to their collection and decor! :)

Strange combination between a coffee shop & counter-service Vietnamese cafe…read more The place has a cozy vibe, but it is fairly small so there are somewhat limited seating options Tons of coffee, tea, and food options, though they don't have any breakfast foods Doesn't open until 10 AM, but is open 7 days/week and until 9 PM each day I tried a latte and a ban mi and both were great

This DuPont Circle staple is a must-visit. It's an indie…read morebookstore with a full restaurant and bar. The dining area is so comforting and relaxing. I love that it's a solarium with murals and greenery. Like most bookstores, they host events from signings and readings to book clubs and art classes. Lots of staff-recommended books at any given time. It's a lovely experience to shop books here whether for yourself or someone else. The food is pretty good too.

Stopped by Kramers for their new beach-themed tea time and it was great. The scones were warm and…read morebuttery, easily one of the best ive had. Got iced tea with mine (they do hot tea too, both really good). The loaded lobster roll was better than I expected. Plenty of actual lobster, not a bunch of filler. Sat out on the patio, which is a nice spot. Relaxed, easy to lose track of time. And the bookstore is the reason I keep coming back anyway. Huge selection, always find something. Books plus tea and a lobster roll is a solid afternoon after work!

After working for years nearby this small bodega below a Crystal City apartment building, I finally…read morewent with my eight-year-old daughter. With an impressively high Yelp rating, I was disappointed to hear the new owners say the glowing reviews are from the previous owner (though I respect the honesty). Despite that, we really enjoyed our visit. The new owners live up to the legacy. First of all, the service is excellent. An older man makes the food and who I assume is his daughter takes the orders. Both are kind. At the end, she gave my daughter a granola bar for free. The menu is a mix of Korean food and the small market in the back sells Korean products and more. It's very fun to browse and pick up some snacks and treats. My daughter loved the juicy grape fruit snacks. To eat, we ordered the Japanese curry and milk tea. Both were full of flavor and made with love. "This is my new favorite meal of all time," said my daughter. She devoured the bowl herself! There's a small parking lot in front of the cafe. It's within walking distance from the Crystal City Metro.

For lunch this past Sunday, a few of us stopped by Paramount Cafe since they actually have 卤肉饭…read more(Taiwanese braised pork over rice) here. Who knew that there would be a cafe in Pentagon City with this option? The interior is a bit cramped with many cardboard boxes piling up. We were able to order the food at the counter and waited about 5-10 minutes before the food was ready. BRAISED PORK OVER RICE (卤肉饭) - 15.49 Lots of rice, more rice than I could finish with the amount of braised pork belly they give. The pork was very fatty, which made it tasty and juicy, but it wasn't very saucy. There were two halves of a bokchoy and half of an incredibly boiled egg, which was meh. Still, I finished all the toppings and maybe a little less than half of the rice. I was full, but $15.49 for the food was not worth it. Overall, 3.5/5 but bump it to a 4/5 since there's a scarcity of food like this in the area. They sell other comfort Asian dishes too, like coconut chicken cutlet rice and Japanese eel rice.