St Elmo’s Coffee Pub

So I tried ordering a draft beer and a sandwich, but struggled for ten minutes due to the server’s either language skills or mental ability (not sure which). Eventually I had to point to the beer list and still received the wrong beer. My sandwich was ok (the Randolph) but for $ 17+ (with tip) I’d expect some chips with my meal. Overall a bad bargain and I will not return again. The scene however was ok if a little boring.

Croissant, turkey sausage, egg, cheese sandwich:
Yes, you can get them all over the area, but this one is new on their new menu and it’s downright good. Served in mornings only. I highly recommend it.

I’ve been coming here for several years and love kicking back in the early morning with my cup of joe. The coffee and food are always good. In my opinion, this is the best coffee shop in Del Ray.

Great place in the neighborhood for coffee. Local people local flavors and located in the heart of del ray: it’s a stop that you have to do once you enter into the strip. It’s a great little coffee shop where you can conduct business or just get out of the apartment for a little bit. I recommend the quiches that they have. I was really hungry one time and I ate it in one big bite. I had to chew for the next five mins. I just couldn’t control myself. Some nights they have open mic so I always stop by if I’m in the neighborhood. Sophie made me one of the best chai lattes I’ve had in awhile. Thanks again guys.

It wasn’t bad. Just average. I got a mocha, it was a little too sweet but still better than Starbucks or any of the chain places. My roommate got a café au lait and it was decent. Nothing to rave about.
On a humorous note — the person taking down the names for orders didn’t seem to understand basic names like «Jessica» and «Chloe». The names written on the cups in no way resembled the correct name. The barista ended up calling out our orders instead. Too funny.

I love to support independent establishments like this one. With the Starbuckification of the world, it’s ever more important, when you find small independent shops, to try to give them some business!
The ambiance here is good — there’s a non-​rushed, off-​the-​beaten-​path feel to the place. Also like the food and pastry options offered, quite fresh looking and locally sourced.
The coffee is good, and the prices are great, but the baristas could use some training. Everything seems to come out latte. For the record, a cappuccino should be white on top. They have decent espresso equipment, so I think a week-​long training event for the staff by a pro barista would probably do the trick. Take pride in your espresso drinks. Maybe a field trip to Saxby’s is in order. Their latte art is top notch.
Overall, though, heartily recommend St. Elmo’s to spend a lazy afternoon writing a paper.

Lots of space, good lighting, and a great cup of coffee. I got the café au lait. It was creamy and delicious. Way better than Starbucks for $ 2.42. This is because the flavor of the coffee was better to start with. Satisfied my caffeine craving.

So glad this place is open at 6am. Kid friendly. Bike friendly. Dog friendly. Great place to study or read a book. Definitely a place to stop by if you are visiting this area.
5 stars: coffee quality improved, great environment and looks even better with the renovations.

We have been coming here for their chai whenever we are in Del Ray. We have not tried anything else, but their chai. Their chai is vanilla chai and powder (even better!!). Very rich and delicious.
The barista there are very friendly and they like to extend their friendliness to welcome their customers. A+++ for customer service!
They’re renovating their coffee shop a little by a little. I think as they progressed, it’s looking more cleaner, spacious and bright. (We also liked their establishment before renovations).
In the past they had live music. I’m not sure if it’s a regular thing or if it’s on occasions.
See you next time we are in the area for the chai!

Shared a pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin biscotti with my brother, both were very good. I want to return for my own of each.
The next table over 3 teens showed us a new way to eat a cupcake. One just never knows where the next lesson comes from, just be open to learning.
I like to check out the artwork while here as well as the choice of new books to borrow.

Really like the funky cool and laid back vibe of this place.
The staff is friendly helpful and knowledgeable of the coffee.
They had a really good Ethopian today that was excellent.
On street parking is easy and free on the weekends.

This coffee shop is adorable, like a Starbucks that isn’t trying. What I mean is there’s the standard seating, comfy couches and chairs for those looking to socialize, people watch or enjoy the street views, but there’s also tables and chairs of a more stiff nature, more suitable for those attempting to work or read.
I will say that the open air design of the two rooms makes privacy, reading or getting actual work done near impossible– however it is perfect for listening in on other people’s conversations.
But the real reason you come to a coffee shop is for the food and coffee, right?!
Well this place doesn’t disappoint on either of those. Great coffee and tea; the chai tea lattes are especially delicious. And the food is good and unique; check the bacon cheddar scones.
As to the service, top notch, friendly– truly a neighborhood coffee shop.

Del Ray is such a cute area. A coworker and I met here to do some work, and st. Elmo and del Ray as a whole have a great atmosphere for working.
I had a del Ray chai, which had coffee and almond milk. It was pretty good.
You can tell the place cares about local talent. They sold various goods from local artists and had a singer there doing acoustic guitar. I bought an adorable bottlecap magnet by a local artist.
In general, a relaxing local place to put you in a peaceful state of productivity.

It’s a typical traditional coffee place. I ordered the iced mocha banana special…it was good but I couldn’t taste the banana flavor. I like how they frown uplon using cell phones in the area. It’s nice to see that other local cafes have an anti-​talk on the cell phone policy. Not my first choice on the bike trail, but if I’m in del rey, it’s okay to chill, plus they have great acoustic music on Wednesdays.

Im a huge fan of St. Elmo’s! Its local and cute, the drinks are good, and the service is sweet. I came here a couple times over winter and had my usual hot chai tea latte. They were happy to make it with bagged chai tea which I prefer since I can control the amount of sugar. Anyhow. Today I stopped in and ordered my chai tea latte on ice as it felt like it was 100 degrees outside. It was probably the best iced chai I’ve had. Heavy on the cinnamon which I absolutely love! Ive also tried their apple cider donuts which are equally delicious.
One thing I didnt realize was that 1^st Thursdays is a big night in Del Ray so there were bands playing everywhere today, including inside St Elmo’s. I was in a quiet mood so I didnt stay but look forward to returning again for another pick-​me-​up on a night when there isnt a street festival going on.

I wish this was a 5-​star café but so many reasons it’s not. The coffee is not great (you’d expect that, at least), the food is worse and the staff generally grumpy at best (though there are a few great ones who are there now and then but never consistently) .the wifi is slow, the décor outdated and grungy. I like that they support local artists, musicians.
Del Ray could support another coffee shop but WOTS (from another shop owner in DR) is that the owner has the neighborhood locked down. So, for now, I’ll keep going…

I had forgotten how wonderful this coffee house was! On a Del Ray, VA corner, this very hip neighborhood joint reigns supreme. Great coffee, friendly vibe, and multi-​generational hipster heaven. Love it!

This place is so frustrating! It has the potential to be such a great hangout place, but it completely falls short. I pass by this place all the time when I’m walking down Mt. Vernon, and I used to always tell myself that I’d stop in soon because it looked like a great local coffee shop. One day I finally decided to make good on my word, and I stopped in. And I won’t make the same mistake again.
It was pretty empty when I stopped by. There were two people working the front and no line. Hungry, I wanted to get something to munch on in addition to a coffee. After much deliberation, I decided on a egg and cheese croissant sandwich. The price was written on the bottom so I couldn’t see it, but I caught a peek at the $ 6 egg salad sandwich and figured it’d be around the same price. Wrong. It was $ 8 for a prepackaged, lackluster sandwich. At least the offered to warm it for me. (Though there’s a microwave in the back, so I could’ve done it myself and saved them the 15 seconds of microwave time.) That and two $ 2 coffees brought my total to $ 12. I could’ve eaten at Morning Star and gotten fresh food for the same price!
So, yeah, I was a little peeved by the prices, but not checking/​asking about the egg and cheese croissant. The thing that really upset me was the conversation the two baristas were having while I was looking at the food selection. They were talking about how their tips were more than their hourly pay was, despite them not doing anything. They had the gall to laugh about how they were aware that they didn’t provide great service but got tips anyway. When I was being rung up, I understood why… The app they use for credit card purchases has a huge prompt for a 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% tip on it. In small text underneath, you can opt out of tipping. I would’ve tipped, but hearing their conversation made me so upset that I chose not to tip. Essentially, the app kind of guilts you into tipping.
I can tell that it’s trying to be a quirky little joint, but it completely misses the point. I’ve been to some amazing local coffee shops, and this one pales in comparison to even the worst that I’ve been to. I’d rather go to Starbucks, where at least they’re not trying to be a super-​hip place. I know I’ll be paying for overpriced coffee there.
PROS:
— Convenient location
— Decent music
— TONS of seating
CONS:
— Terrible workers
— Mediocre food (seriously, for that price the least you could do is make something in store)
— Basic, overpriced coffee
— Pretentious customers (seriously, just listen into some of their pseudo-​intellectual conversations and try not to laugh)
— Awful photography all over the walls (what happens when you spend all your money on a $ 2,000 camera and don’t have any money leftover for photography lessons)

Live music… not necessarily my favorite kind of music but at least you can bring the kids. I remember they were playing a catchy jazzed up version of «Rubber ducky» one evening. Family friendliness doesn’t stop there… they have La Leche League (breastfeeding peer support group) meetings here… so of course nursing mothers are a fairly common sight. YAY!!! What I usually order here is an iced chai latte… in fact they have several different types of chai, and brew fair trade Haitian coffee but I I’m so addicted to freshly roasted Harrar dark roast from Harrar Café/​Roastery on Georgia Ave, I have no interest in trying anything else (I mean, I often drive to DC from VA with an infant during rush hour addicted). They also have interesting food items like guava empanadas, which I recall having in Miami (yummy!)
Overall, it’s a comfortable and welcoming place with unique offerings for the whole family… glad it’s here!

I recently returned here for the first time in years. I’m an Alexandria native and remember when this place opened, but rarely have the chance to come by unless I’m back in town. The location is perfect, the space is huge and yet still cozy, and the vibe is great! Love the window seats, the book shelf and the cool art.
That being said, as cute as this place is, they are seriously lacking in service. The woman who took my order and my money seemed utterly bored and borderline disgusted with her job. No greeting, no intro, no «what can I get for you,» no thanks, just demanding money in a pissed off tone. I pity the person who asks her a question about the menu or inquires how her day is going. I really shouldn’t have tipped — obviously it wasn’t appreciated along with my objectionable presence. How can a business hire someone so miserable? Judging by other recent reviews, this is a reoccuring problem. There were two other employees who seemed very blasé about everything but at least they weren’t rude.
I got an iced chai. It was actually warm rather than cold. I guess that’s how they do it by making the chai concentrate then mixing with milk. It was okay. I also got a muffin. The food selection was decent.
I would return to give the service another chance. But I feel like they are riding on their neighborhood notoriety and not putting any emphasis on service (or cleanliness, the place was a mess). I’ll probably be given the cold shoulder yet again.
Other than that, I enjoyed listening to the conversations of all the coffee drinkers around me– I had forgotten what a liberal haven Alexandria coffee shops are. I’m talking politically charged! It was entertaining to hear the same people ranting about social justice issues who will probably speed away in 7-​series BMWs. I love my hometown… lol.
I hope St. Elmo’s takes these reviews to heart but I doubt they will since the established customer base doesn’t seem to mind bad service. Good luck with that.