Esprinto Cafe

Okay, so I thought that I would try something different this morning. I decided to get a waffle for breakfast with bananas and strawberries. I asked for the strawberries on the side. Needless to say the cashier took that literally. (lol) She put the strawberries in my hand and told me that she didn’t have any paper. Stems still on the strawberries in all. There were several other people waiting so I didn’t want to embarrass her, but I will have a conversation with her about that kind of service. #goodhelpishardtofind

Backstory: I have regularly brought work colleagues here for years and have recommended it widely. There was always a somewhat unfriendly guy that worked the register, but the coffee was really good so I didn’t mind. About a year ago, said guy disappeared, and there are always two ladies there (change of ownership?). Around the same time, I noticed that the coffee took a turn for the worst (think over-​roasted Starbucks style). They also have only had the Ethiopian (or whatever it actually is), and always seemed to be out of the lighter roast. Today I confirmed my suspicion that something fishy was going on…
I went in today to get a coffee as I regularly do and asked for the Costa Rican drip. The first woman told me they didn’t have it, so as I have been let down repeatedly by the «Ethiopian» over the last year or so, I started to walk away. They quickly conferred and then told me they did indeed have the Costa Rican. So I paid for a medium and waited and watched as the woman poured me a small coffee from a contained clearly marked Ethiopian (but didn’t notice it was the wrong size).
When I tasted it and it tasted off (like normal), I asked if it was the Costa Rican — they said yes. I asked why she poured it out of the Ethiopian container, and she said that the tag was wrong, and they knew which was which (though she clearly didn’t as I found out). So I asked for a taste of the Costa Rican, and she poured me a sample that tasted exactly the same. I asked for a sample of the other container, and it didn’t look like there was anything coming out, and it looked like she did a quick sleight of hand and poured the other one again. She then told me that they were the same coffee and that she would give me my money back.
She gave me a dollar and handful of change back — the cost of a small — and I asked her why she didn’t give me the $ 2.04 for the medium, mostly just not wanting a bunch of change. She pointed to my cup and said that I paid for a small. When I got back to the office, I checked my bank account to confirm they did indeed charge me for a medium. In effect, they gave me a smaller cup than I paid for then refunded me for the small. I don’t really care about the 30c, but it just shows that there is shadiness going on beyond the coffee bean situation.
In short, don’t go here if you care about your coffee and don’t want sold mediocre coffee under the moniker of single origin (which I doubt is even the case anymore). I will be happy to change this review if things turn around, but I may not be back to check anytime soon.

Love this place! It’s super convenient, especially now that I have my co-​workers hooked! Muffins, waffles, ham eggs and cheese are all amazing, but the soy spicy chai latte is my favorite!

I love this café. I work in the National Press Building and stop by this place on my way to work. Absolutely amazing lattes, pastries, coffee. Latte foams, coffee aroma, sweet and savory pastries, are just perfect. And price is decent and line in the morning is NEVER as long as Starbucks. I’m almost afraid to have people find this place, but it’s so much better than any other cafes I’ve been too! :)

Was around the area for the cherry blossoms and had to stop by for a delicious Nutella waffle. So good! My friend got the fresh strawberry and banana waffle, looked really good too. And as always their carmel frap was amazing!

The worst.
Angry man behind the counter yelling and «cooking».
Very brief, rude both to customers and his coworker.
My panini by definition should be warm, hot, our at least grilled I think-​correct me if i’m wrong. It was not grilled, and was definitely cold.
The“turkey“took up less than half the bread surface area.
I’m not sure with deals like this they deserve all the 4 and 5 star reviews they have-​maybe I need to check them out just for a bagel and cream cheese or coffee.
Yuck. Do they pay people to review highly?
Eek! Methinks not.

This is a pretty basic coffee place, but it won me over because it is the only place in the area that I know of that serves Danesi coffee, which is delicious and among my favorites. Kudos to the owner for having good taste.

I come to Esprinto sometimes for my breakfast. It is located in the National Place food court.
The food quality is great. Although I have never tried their famed waffles, the other things I have tried have been great. Their yogurt parfaits are mind blowing. I watched the man make my parfait with the most expert craftsmanship. The combination of real strawberries and bananas is great, but their granola. If you let it get just a teeny bit soggy, it is marvelous. My usual here is a bagel with herb cream cheese. The bagels are always fresh and to the perfect crunchy/​soft level where I like it. I like a lot of cream cheese. Make sure you tell them to glob it on because otherwise they can make it a little too thin for my liking.
I am a tea drinker and their selection of teas is great. They have some nice looking coffee beverages. One day I may have to try a mocha. I also want to try one of their soups. They sound really good (and homemade!) I believe the owner here is Turkish so there is some flare to some of the menu items (such as the soup) which is cool. :)
I had a strawberry smoothie here and they make it from a mix, not real strawberries. It is very sweet. Esprinto could certainly kick it up a notch by having real fruit smoothies. They use real fruit in their waffles and yogurt so why not for their drinks? I would gladly pay more to have real berry drink!

This was my go-​to breakfast spot when I worked in the building but I’d go for lunch too — everything looks so good!
Nutella waffles were to die for. Smoked salmon roll was slight on the salmon, but I’m kinda a snob in that area.
OH AND THE MUFFINS. What do they put in these things?! Is it magic? I think it’s magic.
Esprinto café puts magic in their muffins. Go eat there.

This place is the best! There coffee is good and fresh! Better then Starbucks coffee! The staff are so friendly! Best coffee in town!

I love Esprinto! When I feel like starting my day off with a dirty chai, I always head to Esprinto. It’s conveniently located in the center of the food court on 13^th and F. Their drinks are excellent and so is the food. I am especially a fan of their bagels and cream cheese (with smoked salmon or veggies). They put the bagel in a panini press, giving it a crusty exterior that I just can’t get enough of. The sweet potato cake is moist and their rocky road brownies will satisfy any sugar craving.
The people working are always friendly. I would gladly come here over Starbucks any day. Be sure to pick up a rewards card– buy 9 drinks, get one free!

This is a little coffee, tea and smoothie spot in the middle of National Shops food court.
Not really much I can say other than I had a really good Strawberry smoothie here, the price and size were right, the smoothie had great texture, not to thick, not too thin and had very nice flavor.
Definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

A small coffee stand inside a mall. The employees were pretty friendly, even if some of the customers were not. Got a latte — it was pretty good. Made quickly too. If I’m back at this particular mall, I would buy a beverage here again.

A little hard to find, but great coffee to be had! Also, the waffle is amazing.

Awesome waffles. Huge, crispy, & come w/​lots of accoutrements. Took us a while to find this place since w/​entered the building thru the hotel by the park side.

It’s mid-​December, the temperature is supposed to be 30 something degrees, and I’m scheduled to work outside for 8 hours. How do I plan to warm myself up? Stuff my face! I ordered a waffle from Esprinto Café around noon, right before my 12:30 shift, and it was everything I had hoped for (minus the price). It was a little over 5 dollars for one waffle, but it was the size of a plate, and came out warm and fluffy, with powdered sugar, whipped cream, butter, and syrup. Yum yum yum. I love when the butter melts in each of the individual square pockets of the waffle. I have a new found love for waffles, and think I will soon invest in my own waffle maker.
Customer service also gets 5 stars! When I went back to the register to pick up my waffle, the cashier asked me what my name was. When I told him my name, he looks down at a credit card and says I left this at the counter. I had paid with cash, so I must have placed my card on the counter while I was looking for the cash to pay with. Bonus points for that «security» question, and not just asking if the card was mine!
The waffle was my lunch, and I brought my coworkers back to this food court for our lunch/​dinner break, as there are only so many options near the National Mall that we can walk to and from, and still have time to eat! My coworker and I ended up going to Grill Kabob, but they didn’t have the Falafel she wanted (it was a Saturday) and I immediately sent her to Esprinto for vegetarian options.
I was planning to go back today, but just learned the food court is closed on Sundays. Womp Womp

Delisiozo!
Great cappuccino. Good price. I’ve never heard of this Italian coffee brand

I can’t believe there aren’t more reviews for this place. Esprinto Café is what every small business should be. The owner and his staff are polite, friendly, and hard working.
The coffee here is terrific. I’d rate it above Corner Bakery or Devon & Blakely anytime. Starbuck’s doesn’t even come close.
As for the menu, they have quite a bit to choose from. So far I’ve only had the biscotti (delicious) and the lox sandwich, which is served on your choice of bagel stick with cream cheese and fresh basil.
My thoughts:
If you work anywhere near National Place/​Freedom Plaza, you should make this your go to place for your daily caffeine fix.

I really like this place!
It’s a great lunchtime option in the middle of a food court that leaves much to be desired. Esprinto is a tiny little outfit, but it has a pretty extensive menu for its size. It offers salads and sandwiches (both cold deli and hot panini) with fresh ingredients. But I am writing this to rave about their soups — I had a white bean chicken soup today that was DEEEEElicious. And I mean, the last thing I wanted on a hot day was a hot soup. But the cashier gave me a free sample, and I was hooked!
One other thing that’s worth mentioning is the nice complement of beverages and desserts that Esprinto offers. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I think those who are might be happy here. I enjoyed the tasty passionfruit smoothie sample I tried, but I am more of a fan of the vanilla cupcake I had. If you’ve read my Crumbs and Cakelove reviews, then you know that I haven’t found a good cupcake in this city yet! But the cupcake at Esprinto was really good. It was very moist (and actually tasted like it had a slight carrot cake base) and was topped with a melt-​in-​your-​mouth whipped vanilla frosting. Best of all, it felt light and airy and wasn’t sickeningly sweet. It was just really good, and a nice treat!

Unpretentious, delicious coffee.
Overpriced, delicious waffles.
Wish you guys the best.