Lot 38 Espresso Bar

Great place to buy coffee and support your neighborhood small business! Line moves quick. Seating upstairs is great if you are meeting for business or pleasure! Be sure to get a RedEye-​Coffee/​espresso before you head to work or the metro. Won’t be disappointed! #MYDCNavyYard

I was so happy to find a tiny, non-​chain coffee & bagel place adjacent to my hotel while I was in town for business. I would stop by each morning (and sometimes in the afternoon) for my coffee and bagel fix.
The coffee was always hot and fresh, and the latte I ordered was delicious. The food (bagel breakfast sandwiches) hit the spot — hearty and HOT and quick. It would take about 5 – 10 minutes to get the sandwich, but it was always extra hot and fresh, and packed up with care.
The staff behind the counter could not have been nicer or more friendly. All of the pastries in the case looked good, too!

Forget Starbucks and grab your morning cup of joe at Lot 38. While you are at it, order a bagel or pastry then sit upstairs and enjoy the view of Canal Park. Great, friendly, neighborhood service. Ample table space to do a little work as well. It can get a little crowded in the mornings but it’s worth it!

I love this place. I used to work nearby and would go everyday. Customer service was alway fantastic; Would order lattes or iced coffees which were consistently good; and thier breakfastand lunch sandwiches are great.

Really friendly and helpful staff. Good coffee. Space is bright but not inspired and the temperature is often to cold with AC even in cold outside temp.
Internet is very slow and not reliable. Although staff is happy to reset router which is necessary often.
The location is excellent and parking is often available on the street.

I got an coffee here a while back and as well as food. I can’t review the food because I never ate it but the coffee is definitely amazing! The flavor of the coffee was good and I can drink it black if I wanted to. The people working there are very nice and friendly and it definitely is worth the walk of you want good coffee and not Starbucks!

I love this place, and their cappuccino is amazing. Breakfast sandwiches and salmon bagel are also delicious. Leagues better than Starbucks, in my opinion.

Very nice owners and fantastic espressos! Nice place to get coffee… highly recommend this coffee house.

I love this coffee shop and the owners are so sweet. Great piping hot illy coffee is just what I need on my way to work. I can also usually find a parking spot right in front on the weekdays (no I do not pay the meter). I haven’t tried any food but they have some massive sweet breads I’m interested in trying and people are always ordering their egg sandwiches.

My go-​to spot for over 4 years now! Great coffee, especially their iced coffee and cappuccino and great service. Large area upstairs to sit and relax.

It’s a sweet little coffee shop in an area that doesn’t really have them (Starbucks does not count).
Lot 38 offers a variety of coffee and espresso beverages made with Illy. Prices are fine and service is quite speedy. You can come by for breakfast and get breakfast sandwiches or you can get lunch sandwiches and paninis. The pastry selection is limited.
The place has an upstairs sitting area that is good for relaxing and eating. My one nitpick is that I wish they had proper cappuccino mugs in case you’re having it in.

I stopped in to lot 38 based on the recommendation of the young lady at the front desk of the hotel I was staying at. Starbucks is always a back up for me and when I can I prefer to support the local mom and pop coffee shops. From what I saw, Lot 38 is exactly that.
I went at a little after 7 a.m. and the place was hopping. Lots of people in and out ordering coffee pastries and breakfast sandwiches. I decided to order a large latte and a egg and sausage bagel sandwich. The coffee was terrific, and the sandwich was very tasty. The sandwich was also a lot bigger than I had anticipated, half the sandwich probably contains what a full sandwich would at most other places.
The seating area is upstairs. I decided to go upstairs, take a seat, and enjoy my coffee while listening to coffee house type music.
For me this coffee shop was extremely convenient due to its location. The overall experience was a good one and I recommend this spot if you are in the area and need a good cup of joe.

I have a feeling I may frequent this place more this year, but this is a very *reliable* breakfast (and per my friend’s stories, lunch) place to go to for a quick bite and very much needed Illy caffeine. And when it comes to a quick bite, we all need a bit of reliability. I haven’t sat down to enjoy the actual space, but it is very clean and seems conducive to studying/​chilling.

Excellent coffee and other beverages!

Nice spot to grab a good coffee. Free wifi and plush couches on the top floor are a great spot to relax, read, or do some work. Fresh fruit and snacks are also available to grab with your drink. The view out the windows of the park are a nice plus which helps to create a relaxing environment.

Great place to purchase a tasty «illy» expresso and relax. Purchase your beverage and snack down stairs then head upstairs to relax and enjoy. Definitely a go to spot for us while in the area.

Got a very nice cup of Americano here. Everything is Illy brand coffee and espresso, and the quality shows. This is a well designed coffee place in easy walking distance of Navy Yard metro. Everything is clean and well maintained. They offer very reasonably priced sandwiches (about $ 6.50-$ 7.50) plus breakfast sandwiches, too.
Upstairs, there’s a good amount of seating, with 4+ person tables, one larger table, and plenty of 1 – 2 person tables with a nice view out the window. There’s wifi and a decent amount of outlets, if you’re here to study. Only thing missing are some coffee chairs or couches to sprawl in, but that’s a personal preference.
What really sold me, though, was the park across the street. It’s a small park, with a wading pool for children on one side and long benches with nice tall backs in the shade on the other side. Perfect place to drink my coffee and read on a lazy Sunday. I was able to pop right back into Lot 38 with my drink (as proof of purchase) to use the restroom downstairs and to get a small cup of free water.
Would definitely go back on a nice spring or fall day!

Convenient little coffee shop just blocks from the Navy Yard Metro. We swung by for a mug after Truckeroo, and it was a nice spot to chat and relax before heading back home. Would be great for a pre/​post-​Nats cup of coffee!

This is a decent place for coffee and other assorted coffee-​house related items. I come here frequently. Recommend it over Starbucks.
As a tea drinker, I don’t find their offerings particularly appealing and have thought about bringing my own teabag and just buying the hot water. Breakfast sandwiches are solid.
The upstairs seating area is the only seating area in the place (none downstairs); and there is no elevator for those with wheelchairs or other mobility issues. I mention this in particular because this was relevant. There is no outside seating (however, there is a park across the street with some seating, but not decent seating for a group or meeting).
The WiFi is strong and appreciated. As stated by others, you don’t need to log-​in or deal with codes. It would be nice to have outside seating in order to use the WiFi — I would actually stop over far more frequently if I could.
All-​in-​all, an ‘a-​ok’ place (aka a 3-​star Unilocal review).

What an absolute gem in the Navy Yard. I remember a decade ago when I’d say I’m heading to the Navy Yard, folks would ask why. There weren’t many options in terms of places to relax and sip coffee with fellow Washingtonians.
Lot 38 Espresso Bar is located near the Courtyard Marriott and a block and a half away from Navy Yard-​Ballpark green line Metro. There is a skinny sign hanging from the side you can barely see so pay attention or you’ll miss it. I came in on a weekday morning amid the A.M. rush. Despite a good seven or eight people ahead of me in line ordering coffee, espresso drinks, fruit smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, and other café food, it only took several minutes to get my espresso from the moment I walked through the door. It appears to be a family business… and this family is friendly, efficient, and seems to have a loyal following from federal workers around the corner.
They serve Illy coffee & espresso. I love that the music piping in is calming: Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, blues… They provide free wifi (with no password). On the main floor, it’s a bit narrow. It’s really meant for grabbing your drink/​food and heading out. To the left of the entrance, you’ll notice a stairwell. Head up and you’ll find a bounty of tables and chairs. Some are cushioned, some are not. There are doubles, tables for four, and one large communal table. There are several electrical outlets, but not many. There is plenty of light thanks to large windows. High ceilings help with the ambiance as well. This is a fantastic place to write, read, or work… ideally, you wouldn’t be doing any of the latter because it’s too awesome of a space to do something work-​related. Nevertheless, I appreciate Lot 38 for providing a straight-​up coffeehouse. So many coffee shops these days are petite and deterring guests from hanging out. I get that. But folks still enjoy going places where they know they can stay without judgement or feeling cramped.
If only this spot were closer to my flat… I’d come here on the reg! This is a must-​try place.