Davenport Coffee Lounge

It’s a student staffed campus coffee shop. When I visited it was extremely crowded, waited 10 min for a drink, and had to tell the staff member what was in a chai latte (listed on the menu).
In the future I will pass on this unless I happen to be on campus.
No wifi unless you have an AU campus wifi account.

The almond milk latte was really tasty! Good vibe, free wifi and in good company of students that want to better serve and understand the world! Thumbs up!

The only thing I miss about going to school at AU.

Bottom line: a student run coffee shop that’s fine if you’re not in a hurry. Best coffee on the AU campus.
Pros: Fair trade coffee, decent espresso. Pretty good prices overall. Friendly staff.
Cons: if you have an appointment or class in under 30 minutes, forget it. Most customers are getting specialty drinks which makes the line move slowly, and sometimes the baristas would rather talk to their friends than take your money so that you can get to class. Outside of their control, but there isn’t a whole lot of room to wait for your drink when it’s really crowded. Loud terrible music for 18 year olds.

I have been going to the Dav for almost three years as a student at American University. I have always loved the atmosphere and the people that worked there. When you’re at the Dav you never want to leave. However, as one of two legitimate coffee shops on campus (the other being Starbucks) the line can get crazy in-​between classes.
If you time it right, the service is fast, the drinks are amazing, and it is a great place to be. A staff member once told me that the drink prices are lower than most coffee places since the Dav is a non-​profit. I am not sure if this is true or not but the prices seem fairly cheap. The quality of the drinks can be hit or miss, but the staff members recently went through advance training and the drinks have improved greatly.
I would recommend going to the Davenport Coffee Lounge if you are visiting American University or if you live in the area.
It should also be noted that they do not accept credit cards, so cash is the best option if you want to pay for your drinks.

Everything about the Dav is okay. Nothing great yet nothing bad. Nice atmosphere, okay coffee, and mediocre food.

One of the best coffee shops in DC and the best kept secret of American University. Just ask yourself — why does David Gregory formerly of Meet the Press still hang out here? They don’t take credit card only cash which is a huge pain but it’s hard to find such high quality coffee in Washington. Get a dirty chai and be surprised.

Good Iced Coffee

I wish I could give a better review.
But the 20+ minute waits for a basic latte, the complete lack of urgency of the employees, the unreasonable prices, the lack of capacity to make more than one drink at a time, the absurdly sweet drinks, and the inexplicable practice of allowing employees to play whatever awful music they want at an uncomfortable volume leave a lot to wish for.
It’s convenient if you’re at AU, and the (mediocre) coffee is fair-​trade, which is nice. But the Dav just isn’t worth the wait and the price.

Great coffee, slow service

The best iced mocha lattes I’ve ever had – perfectly made.
I’d rather pay the extra 50 cents to a cute, student-​operated, independent nonprofit shop that loans out real mugs to AU-​affiliated people than go anywhere else!

Probably the best chai latte I have ever had, I get it every time I go.
The vibe of the places is really great and the people are really friendly.
It’s a litte pricey, but it’s partially because small children don’t have to be over worked and under paid to get you the coffee beans.
The service is also a little slow, but it’s just because there are only so many staffers who can fit behind the counters and a million people come in to order.
Overall, really amazing and I highly recommend it.

I wanted to like you, Dav, I REALLY did. I dig your sense of social responsibility and chill vibe. I love how I can take a mug instead of using paper and then returning it later. I love checking out the map, using your natural sweeteners, and I have even grown to love those smelly couches. And the prices! Amazingly more than affordable for my starving-​college-​student budget.
But we are never getting back together. Like, ever.
Because honestly, your products are terrible. Mainly the espresso drinks. Who trained your staff? Why do they burn my espresso? Why do they let it sit and expire while they talk about their favorite «jams» before mixing it with milk? Why must they dramatically over-​flavor when I get a vanilla shot. Yuck. Ew. It’s great that you’re fair trade and non-​profit, but just STOP IT. Right now. Please back up your awesome social entrepreneurship with solid services and products. I don’t know how you stay alive.
Your muffins are okay.

Short and sweet
Like my espresso:
The Dav oozes humanitarian-​vibes and flavor
If it were any cheaper, you should probably worry
The faces behind the counter are mostly students. If service ever slips, it’s merely because they’re doing their best and this place’s popularity is it’s biggest challenge!
Oh and did I mention it’s a non-​profit! Sweet!

This is the best place on the AU campus for coffee. Where can you get a 75 cent Americano? The new pour over coffee is amazing as well.

Really happy with the coffee here, especially since espresso is just $ 0.75! Every now and then I have had a bit of mix-​up about prices, but it’s beginning of semester and a lot of the staff are still new.

I like this place. It’s full of students (of course) but has a lot of seating, mugs instead of take-​away cups and a cool atmosphere. Baristas generally know how to make good drinks.

I can’t believe I’ve been working near American University for almost four years, and I just now discovered this place! That is four long years of thinking Starbucks was my only option when I needed a caffeine fix. As of today though, that is no longer the case!
Not only is the Dav cute and cozy, with fair trade coffee, but they also have Vietnamese iced coffee, which I am happily cracked out on right now. I may have been tired and hungover an hour ago, but now, I’m in super caffeinated sugary bliss.

This is the best spot for coffee on the American University campus, and probably in the surrounding neighborhood as well. $ 1.50 for a large coffee? Great deal, and it’s good.
They have all the other espresso based drinks as well, and pastries in the morning.
Cash only.
Also, be warned, if you show up during the turnover time when classes just got out, or are about to start, there can be a long line.

I remember the days when a coffee shop was a place that people went to find some solace, some tranquility, some knowledge or maybe a pleasant encounter. Forget all this…
This place is so dull, even a hangover won’t drag me to get in. The fact it is in the middle of the American University campus, that in itself would have you believe that this place is the nucleus of gallant uprisings of intellectual revolution and meetings of professors and their beloved student, far from it!
Its dull, over priced, bad service and certainly a hangout out of necessity because the nearest starbucks is far from a block away!