SoHo Coffee & Tea - DuPont Circle
SoHo Coffee & Tea
2050 P St NW
Washington, DC
DuPont Circle is a highly competitive market for a coffee shop. There are dozens of shops in the area, each one vying for the frequent foot traffic of the young, trendy throngs which flock to the area. With its location several blocks from the metro, SoHo Coffee & Tea is hardly the most convenient coffee shop in the area. It is, however, very close to the popular Brickskeller - and with SoHo’s incredibly late night hours that’s a major bonus.
During the day, SoHo is mainly frequented by students. With rows of tables and of course a wide array of food and caffeinated drinks, SoHo makes an ideal environment to study. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of couches, and while an individual shouldn’t have any trouble finding a seat there’s seldom enough free seats for a large group of people. As a result, SoHo really isn’t the place to take a group of friends to relax.
Later at night, SoHo empties out a bit. Since they’re open as late as 4:30 am, it’s a great spot for a late-night snack, someplace to recover from clubbing or for the night owls to hang out. As a nice bonus, SoHo even serves beer and wine.
SoHo is a great place for the younger crowd, especially students. The only major drawback is the cost: most drinks run about $4, and lunch can easily end up costing $15 or more. While that’s not too surprising for DuPont Circle, it can still be daunting on a limited budget. Even so, it’s well worth visiting.
The ratings:
(0-4) Regular coffee - 3. They grind their own, though they don’t seem to roast it there.
(0-2) Iced coffee - 2. Definitely what you need on a hot day, and as good as iced coffees anywhere.
(0-2) Latte - 2. Their mixed coffee drinks are excellent. I enjoyed a "Hello Gorgeous macchiato", which isn't anything like a real macchiato but was nonetheless quite tasty. A bit pricey though, at $4.
(0-2) Espresso - 2. I seldom drink straight espresso when a macchiato is available. The macchiato here is HUGE, the same size as a normal cup of coffee, with excellent foam and just the right flavor. Even stuffed up, that aroma came through beautifully. Perfect.
(0-2) Tea - 2. They have an excellent selection of loose leaf teas available iced and hot, with both classic blinds and some more innovative options.
(0-2) Non-caffeinated drinks - 2. There's a good selection of smoothies, soft drinks, and juice options.
(0-2) Pastries - 2. SoHo seems to have a deal with a nearby bakery, and the results are very positive indeed.
(0-2) Sandwiches - 2. SoHo has an excellent selection of sandwiches, wraps, and paninis, not to mention bagels, other breakfast foods and some incredible soups. The chicken bisque I tried was excellent.
(0-2) Ice cream - 2. Ice cream, milkshakes, and other concoctions hold a well-deserved place on the menu.
(0-2) Internet access - 2. Easy connection. It's only 802.11b, but even though the coffee shop was crowded I didn’t notice any lag; it's fine for regular web use, just not for hefty downloads. They also require a minimum $5 purchase to use their access, though there's no authentication or anything, it's simply a notice that they'll kick you out if all you're doing is using their connection.
(0-4) Comfort - 2. It's a largish place, but seems to be pretty crowded all the same. It's mostly oriented toward students, with a good number of tables and chairs for people with laptops or books. There are only a few couches along the far wall. To be fair, when I came it was almost entirely populated by kids studying for finals. On a definite plus, everyone was very polite and in spite of being crowded was still relaxing. Unfortunately, they only have a single unisex bathroom, which is rather vexatious for how many people were there.
(0-4) Hours - 4. Open until well into the am every night, the earliest they close is 12:30 am. On Fridays and Saturdays they close at 4 am. Can't ask for better.
(0-4) Staff - 3. I had the opportunity to observe a new staff member being trained. The staff is friendly and takes pride in their work. There was obvious care to make sure the new member was initiated into the intricacies of coffee, and not just taught to make some mixed drinks by rote.
(0-2) Music - 1. Background music, nothing to write home about but not intrusive either. The speakers are pretty well placed to get good coverage, but the acoustics of the place aren’t so great.
Total score of 29 out of a possible 36.
2050 P St NW
Washington, DC
DuPont Circle is a highly competitive market for a coffee shop. There are dozens of shops in the area, each one vying for the frequent foot traffic of the young, trendy throngs which flock to the area. With its location several blocks from the metro, SoHo Coffee & Tea is hardly the most convenient coffee shop in the area. It is, however, very close to the popular Brickskeller - and with SoHo’s incredibly late night hours that’s a major bonus.
During the day, SoHo is mainly frequented by students. With rows of tables and of course a wide array of food and caffeinated drinks, SoHo makes an ideal environment to study. Unfortunately, there are only a couple of couches, and while an individual shouldn’t have any trouble finding a seat there’s seldom enough free seats for a large group of people. As a result, SoHo really isn’t the place to take a group of friends to relax.
Later at night, SoHo empties out a bit. Since they’re open as late as 4:30 am, it’s a great spot for a late-night snack, someplace to recover from clubbing or for the night owls to hang out. As a nice bonus, SoHo even serves beer and wine.
SoHo is a great place for the younger crowd, especially students. The only major drawback is the cost: most drinks run about $4, and lunch can easily end up costing $15 or more. While that’s not too surprising for DuPont Circle, it can still be daunting on a limited budget. Even so, it’s well worth visiting.
The ratings:
(0-4) Regular coffee - 3. They grind their own, though they don’t seem to roast it there.
(0-2) Iced coffee - 2. Definitely what you need on a hot day, and as good as iced coffees anywhere.
(0-2) Latte - 2. Their mixed coffee drinks are excellent. I enjoyed a "Hello Gorgeous macchiato", which isn't anything like a real macchiato but was nonetheless quite tasty. A bit pricey though, at $4.
(0-2) Espresso - 2. I seldom drink straight espresso when a macchiato is available. The macchiato here is HUGE, the same size as a normal cup of coffee, with excellent foam and just the right flavor. Even stuffed up, that aroma came through beautifully. Perfect.
(0-2) Tea - 2. They have an excellent selection of loose leaf teas available iced and hot, with both classic blinds and some more innovative options.
(0-2) Non-caffeinated drinks - 2. There's a good selection of smoothies, soft drinks, and juice options.
(0-2) Pastries - 2. SoHo seems to have a deal with a nearby bakery, and the results are very positive indeed.
(0-2) Sandwiches - 2. SoHo has an excellent selection of sandwiches, wraps, and paninis, not to mention bagels, other breakfast foods and some incredible soups. The chicken bisque I tried was excellent.
(0-2) Ice cream - 2. Ice cream, milkshakes, and other concoctions hold a well-deserved place on the menu.
(0-2) Internet access - 2. Easy connection. It's only 802.11b, but even though the coffee shop was crowded I didn’t notice any lag; it's fine for regular web use, just not for hefty downloads. They also require a minimum $5 purchase to use their access, though there's no authentication or anything, it's simply a notice that they'll kick you out if all you're doing is using their connection.
(0-4) Comfort - 2. It's a largish place, but seems to be pretty crowded all the same. It's mostly oriented toward students, with a good number of tables and chairs for people with laptops or books. There are only a few couches along the far wall. To be fair, when I came it was almost entirely populated by kids studying for finals. On a definite plus, everyone was very polite and in spite of being crowded was still relaxing. Unfortunately, they only have a single unisex bathroom, which is rather vexatious for how many people were there.
(0-4) Hours - 4. Open until well into the am every night, the earliest they close is 12:30 am. On Fridays and Saturdays they close at 4 am. Can't ask for better.
(0-4) Staff - 3. I had the opportunity to observe a new staff member being trained. The staff is friendly and takes pride in their work. There was obvious care to make sure the new member was initiated into the intricacies of coffee, and not just taught to make some mixed drinks by rote.
(0-2) Music - 1. Background music, nothing to write home about but not intrusive either. The speakers are pretty well placed to get good coverage, but the acoustics of the place aren’t so great.
Total score of 29 out of a possible 36.