Java Nation

Great place to eat a quick delicious breakfast! Their popusas and huevos rancheros were phenomenal!

No coffee brewed this morning. Prices keep going up but no change in service quality: poor.

I have come here for coffee. The coffee is very good and the service was excellent. Place is located off Howard avenue next to five guys burgers.

I got here at 4:47 on a Sunday and they were closed. The door was locked and an employee was sweeping the floor. The hours listed on the window, as well as online, said they were open until 5:00. If you are going to close at 4:30, or 4:45 — or whenever — then your hours need to reflect that. I wasted my time going to this store because they had incorrect hours listed on the door and website. And I am not going back because I have no reason to believe the hours posted will be correct the next time I try, either. They simply are not worth my time or money considering how they treat potential customers. Deal with this company at your own peril.

I live in Kensington and I’ve been meaning to try this place. Came here for lunch today and had chicken pupusas. Quite good, and I see several things on the menu I’d like to try.

Finds like this is why I love Unilocal… I’ve driven on this stretch of Connecticut Avenue for years now, but never noticed Java Nation since it’s set back from the road, hidden from view by another business when it should be front-​and-​center in the Kensington Shopping Center!
I like the feel of Java Nation — a low-​key place with comfortable seating and good music playing lightly in the background where you can while away an hour or two catching up with a friend or reading the paper.
The staff is very friendly, and I had one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve had in a while — the Classic, featuring two eggs (fried or scrambled), sausage or bacon (pick bacon!), and your choice of Swiss, American, or provolone on a fresh, lightly toasted Kaiser roll — delicious and prepared to order, beating the local competition by a mile. I also had the Vigilante dark roast, a great coffee from a local roaster that has really good depth of flavor.
Java Nation’s definitely earned a spot in my regular weekend coffee rotation!

Very nice and patient barista. A little bit overwhelmed on a Saturday morning but nevertheless gracious with impatient customer like me :-) Croissants — freshly baked, melting in mouth, not the big rough things they sell for croissants elsewhere.
I tried the Italian macchiato. They make it correctly but I give one star less because of the coffee blend. It is something too over-​roasted, too bitter, too strong. Suggestion — maybe have as alternative some proven coffee brand from Italy. I also do not argue with people who say — the coffee blend is good — obviously my acquired taste is different.

Their E.A.T. breakfast sandwich was freshly made and tasted delicious. Combination with a latte made it just perfect. Even forgot to take a picture before inhaling everything.

Consistently great coffee and love the EAT breakfast sandwich. My biggest complaint is the wait for the food-​usually 15min for an egg sandwich…

I came here for the second time, last time was about a year ago. I was unimpressed. It’s great that they cook fresh eggs but the breakfast sandwich was damp and greasy. The coffee? Sadly brewed. Quality vigilante coffee made by folks who don’t appreciate it.

Very good coffee, excellent sandwiches, solid wifi and reasonable prices. Service is spotty, though, lacking the pace and warmth you’d expect from an establishment getting a steady stream of mostly local customers. And the chairs make a horrendous scraping noise on the floor!
Still, this is a nice place to take care of a few hours of work on the laptop, to grab a bite or just observe a slice of life in a sleepy D.C. suburb.

I am a sucker for a cute barista. He was staring off into space when I arrived. Colombian, of course! Not at all the grumpy server I was expecting. And the otherr worker was very helpful as well, cleaning up my messy spill on the condiments counter.
We chatted in Spanish about Colombia, he served the coffee– did not offer a mug– do they do that any more? I am a novice coffee drinker, just learned this summer in Colombia, but what they serve there is what’s not food enough to export, and many households use instant, so just about anything here is better.
Ordered a cuban sandwich. Not quite authenic-​it was not pressed flat– but tasted good all the same.
Lots of small groups meeting to work or chat, a steady stream of customers. Jazzy/​new age music in the background.
Not a bad way to pass time waiting for my car to be repaired…

Yum! Their Java house brew is so nutty and good! Definitely not the cardboard tasting coffee you get sometimes from some smaller coffee shops! They also have lots of smoothies and breakfast/​sandwich options and pastries which I can’t wait to try! And… Free wifi! Everyone is also super nice! (& they have cocktails too!)

I’ve given this nice little mom & pop shop a go for a few times now, and I generally like it and would go back.
The food in particular is a step up from the usual coffee shop fare. You can get a legit sandwich here that rivals anything else in this neighborhood.
The coffee is ok.
The thing that gets me is, every time I’ve been in there, a fundamental human element seems lacking. Perhaps they are unaware of the «customers pay our salary» principle and instead adhere to the less popular principle of «the store is always right».
Case in point: I inquired about getting a refill my first time there. I had gotten a cup of coffee in a mug, which was pretty small. Upon leaving I wanted to get a refill to go and was told I would have to buy another full priced cup. When I mentioned that the large size to-​go container far exceeded the volume capacity of the ceramic mug, and had I simply asked for the to go cup in the first place (same price as the mug) I wouldn’t have needed a refill, the young girl behind the counter said «yeah but getting it in a mug is better for the environment».
Yes. I did that. But now I just paid full price for another cup, in a to-​go cup, which you handed me. So I have already ruined the environment. You just charged me extra for doing it and treated me like a dolt.
In her defense, she didn’t know that I’ve written web copy for an environmental startup, had her same job 15 years ago, and managed two similar establishments to Java Nation, and was thus not fooled by her clever rouse of complaint deflection. Because I’ve been in her shoes, I’m not the guy who will get angry and demand to see the manager. Instead, I’ll think «Gee really? Fascinating. Tell me more, person who is 25 years younger than me» then let it rattle around in my brain for a few days before unloading my lexicon bazooka on Unilocal.
In general. overcharging and arguing with customers like they just fell off a cabbage truck might not be the best idea. You’re welcome for that pro tip.
The atmosphere could use a little upgrade as well from a layout standpoint. Zero coziness. It’s small so there are only so many options I suppose.
The wifi was very robust however — more so than the coffee. It worked immediately, no splash page, and just streamed a delicious waterfall of megabytes in and out of my laptop. I’ll probably go back for that alone, and bring the coffee mug in the photo with me to avoid their «small cup, charge twice, save the environment, try Jedi mind trick on customers» policy.

For my visit I got the crêpe and a chai latte. The crêpe was delicious. I asked for strawberry and banana and they made it! It Nutella wasn’t too over powering because of all the fruits, not sure what it would taste like if you only ask for one fruit or no fruit — might be on the sweeter side because of the Nutella. The chai was too strong for me. I guess for the price you pay for, you get a better quality chai? IMO it had a really strong taste that it have me a headache after. It was good for the first 10 gulps, but after that it was too much. I wasn’t able to finish the regular size that I got.
My bf got the Cuban sandwich and he said it was really good. He also got the coffee and said that compared to other coffees, it was better quality.
Overall everything was good. The prices are a little too high, but still good. One thing that really needs improvement is the staff. The girl who rung us up needed to be more alive. When you work in a coffee shop you need high spirits that you can transfer to grumpy, need-​my-​morning-​coffee customers.

I have a service dog. While placing my order, I was repeatedly asked to sit outside with her even though I showed all paperwork and ID proving she is a service dog. Moreover she was wearing her service vest.
I come here frequently with my dog to work and have never been bothered. Why is today any different? She was doing was she was trained to do and stand to my left.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act access is required by federal law. As a result I have lodged a complaint with the department of justice.
For reference under the ADA, privately owned businesses that serve the public such as restaurants, hotels, retail stores, taxi cabs, theaters, concert halls and sports facilities are prohibited from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. The ADA requires these businesses to allow people with disabilities to bring their service animals into business premises in whatever areas customers are generally allowed.
I am legally deaf, and as a result usually walk here. I struggle to hear every day and my dog is a tool for me to live as much of a normal life as possible. I felt embarrassed and ashamed that I wasn’t welcomed with my service animal in front of other people. I felt as a second class individual again. So thanks a lot for making me feel like crap.
Won’t be returning here and that’s a shame. I loved coming here

Decided to try it while waiting for appt at Kaiser.
Got the turkey club. Not sure what they put in their mayo or whatever sauce, but it was AWESOME.
It was a pretty nice enviornment to have breakfast or lunch at. I do recommend and I will be coming back soon.

One of the few great places to work in the MD burbs. Quality drinks, treats & food, plenty of seating & plugs, and solid wifi. They also don’t care if you stay for hours :)
My only complaint is that it’s always chilly in here — so bring a sweater!

Cute, local, comfy coffee shop vibes. Lattes are great and the batistas were nice and welcoming. Convenient spot on Connecticut Ave and lots of parking. I really want to try the food… especially pupusas :)
UPDATE: I got the pupusas. They were amazing! Cheese and beans. WOW.

I was in the area and in need of free WiFi juice. I did a quick Unilocal search and Java Nation quickly popped out as the must go place in a sea of Dunkin’ Doughnuts, Starbucks and Panera Bread. I programmed the address to my GPS and off I went!
Here are the deets:
+ Hello local superstar coffee brand, Vigilante!
+ Breakfast sandwiches all day son!
+ Their bacon is cut extra thick, extra crispy and tons of porky flavor.
+ Free WiFi — — I actually had trouble logging in but luckily my Verizon WiFi stick cured me instantly.
+ Lots of tables to camp out at
+ Room temps are unseasonably cold
+ Almond milk, FTW!
Kensington is lucky to have such a quaint, friendly neighborhood coffee shop!