Uptowner Cafe

There’ll be those who slam this place for no WiFi or offbeat jazz music. There’ll be those who make fun of them for not wearing uniformed cliché clothing. There’ll be those that think it looks slapped together and a little amateur. To those people, I will simply say, there’s a Starbucks down the road. Get out of this amazing little gem and go be a sheep in the herd. But to the rest of you, who maybe go to a coffee shop for the coffee, this place, is a true diamond in the rough.
My girlfriend and I were walking her daughter to daycare close by and decided to stop into the Uptowner Café on our walk back, since we prefer to support small businesses rather than huge corporations. We first noticed that this place was «totes adorbs» as she put it. Yeah. We were just going to get warm cups of coffee and split, but we noticed that they had delicious looking bagels, so naturally, we had to try them. We were right to do so. The bagels were the best I’ve ever had outside NYC and they were made for us very quickly. Now, let’s talk coffee. First off, they only charge $ 2.40 for my iced coffee. In my eyes, they could be charging a dollar more for everything and I’d still think it’s a good deal. But, you cannot beat that price. And the taste. Oh! This was not the best coffee I’ve ever had but I was astonished that it was this tasty at that price. It was way better than Starbucks and cost me way less AND supported a small business.
To sum it all up, you cannot go wrong with this place. On a nice day, it’s a great place to sit outside, on King Street, with your dog and your coffee. In the winter, or a cold rainy day, it’s a great place to come inside with a group of friends and actually have a conversation rather than spending your time glued to your laptop or phone. It’s not the flashiest of places and it’s not the fanciest. But it’s not trying to be. It is simple, affordable, delicious and part of the community. My community. And that, to me, is worth 5 stars.

Very good Latte. Salty soup, but tasty. Interesting sandwiches, with adequate value. Wifi– ??
Comfortable, well worn, but homey

seem like they know what they are doing with coffee

No wifi or trendy music in the place.
This place tends to attract older client base. Visited this place in the mornings at least twice a week during the last month. The breakfast/​lunch sandwiches are hearty (you can have a lunch sandwich during breakfast time), and their baked goods are from a local Bread & Chocolate bakery in DC.
The Lee Street sandwich is good. I tried the low-​fat cappuccino muffin once. Once only. Tend to be dry and it didn’t remind me of any cappuccino flavor. (Again, from Bread & Chocolate). Tried their seasonal pumpkin muffin. That was better. Also tried the bread pudding. Now, it’s my *go to* place for a slice of bread pudding if/​when I want something sweet and moist when I’m in Old Town.
Customer service is okay. It could be better. During my second visit, a guy who made my sandwich one time was engaging, chatty and informative, while the other two staff persons stood back and didn’t say anything when I looked at them or asked a single question. Though not talkative, they are consistently efficient/​quick in getting my orders completed.
Not certain if I’ll try their coffees. There are better places for that in Old Town.

Great Sandwiches! I had the Prince Street sandwich (Smoked Turkey Breast, Cucumber, Lettuce, Sprouts, and Tomato with Scallion Cream Cheese on a Bagel).

I thought that this was great. Ordered a ‘Union Street’ (Grilled Cheese with Provolone, Cheddar, and Swiss). The cashier was welcoming and friendly, and the sandwich tasted really, REALLY good. Overall, an enjoyable experience. Thank you for your hospitality!

No wifi. Plan accordingly.
Prefer their iced coffee to Starbucks .
Stupid length requirements. I have nothing more to say.

I thought this was a pretty good local place– only downside was that there was no air conditioning, and by the time I walked out with my to go latte and bagel, I was sweating. Staff was efficient but could’ve been friendlier. I felt like an afterthought.

My husband and I frequent this place some mornings when we’re looking for a decent sausage and egg sandwich. The eggs are microwaved and he doesn’t have a grill, but that seems to be the norm around here.
We’ve only had the coffee and breakfast sandwiches. Once we had a bagel with cream cheese and lox and it was pretty good.
It’s comfortable in there and as other reviewers have mentioned, I agree that the guy running the place could crack a smile once in a while. He’s sort of unfriendly.
Overall it’s not a bad place and it’s a good stop for breakfast when we want to walk instead of drive.

Quaint and quick. The strawberry smoothie was great if you like them less creamy — which we do! Bagel and lox sandwich was passable — needs onions and capers — the bagel was a little dense/​dry for my taste. Cappuccino passable but more like a latte then cappuccino — although that seems to be the norm around here. I’ll be back if only for the convenience and a second chance on the coffee.

Ok so here it goes… Why four stars because they make the most delicious bread pudding I’ve ever had it’s like pudding meets cake super yum. The iced latte had way too strong of a coffee taste and I couldn’t finish it. Would I go back? For sure! Why? Cause to be fair they seemed to be short staff and were very busy. Beside I saw on their board the «uptowner sandwich» and it sounded delish.

This place is so cute! Quaintly decorated with a homey feel, it’s a great place to get a coffee or a sandwich and catch up with a friend. Service is fast and friendly!

Dude makes a killer almond milk cappuccino. Fresh, decent selection of muffins, great sandwiches. A go to spot for a quick breakfast.

While the coffee was almost potable, the sandwich ingredients couldn’t have been any worse. The «sub rolls» this place serves are entirely tasteless and squishy — the mass-​produced variety you buy 12 for a dollar at a discount supermarket. Overloaded with awful vinegar, I’m not sure if two pieces of slimy water-​injected lunchmeat and a bit of processed provolone can even qualify as a «sandwich».
I wouldn’t be so concerned except for the fact the sandwich and coffee cost me nearly $ 9…

I’ve been here twice now and both times there were no smiles to be had. A little weird if you ask me. You don’t have to be over-​the-​top, but it’s not like I threw a burning hot cup of coffee in your lap…
Lattes were good both times and my daughter liked the pastries, but I don’t think I’ll be back. Too bad.

I just had the tastiest, smoothest latte from this small café. The sandwich was light and tasty well. Good price for the area and early hours all week.

Solid, but not spectacur place for breakfast. I went on a Saturday morning and had a breakfast sandwich on rye that was pretty good. The coffee was also pretty good, but the service was just ok.

The bubble teas here are no bueno!
I got the taro bubble tea and it did not taste anything like what I’m used to getting at other bubble tea places. It tastes like vanilla bubble tea. Very disappointed actually because the person who ordered before me got the green tea bubble tea and left without saying anything. Maybe I should have gotten the green tea one instead because after 3 sips of the taro I thought I was going to hurl.
Sad that the bubble tea didn’t quite taste what it’s supposed to taste like, I ordered the King Street sandwich and the Hazlenut latte. Honestly, I could have easily made this at home. The sandwich is nothing special. The hazlenut latte was extremely watered down and bland. I was expecting at least one of the three food items I ordered to be at least decent but sadly. am very disappointed. Just threw $ 15 down the drain. Marking this one off the list of cafes to never go again.

I used to work a couple of blocks away from Uptowner and I was so thankful to get an iced americano from here every morning. I still get coffee from there whenever I’m in the area. I also loved their lox/​cream cheese bagel on days when I needed some breakfast. It’s a bit pricey but it’s old town. I agree with others that the inside is very cozy. It’s definitely my favorite small business in Old Town to support. Staff is always friendly and quick.

I’m a little disappointed to find out that Uptowner Café is a chain, but it’s not going to stop me from going there.
You won’t find any complaints from me here. If you ever need a morning pick-​me-​up, head over to Uptowner Café these guys make a mean smoothie and they will deliver it with a smile.