I have passed through Silver Spring so much without realizing this little hidden gem is here. An Ethiopian friend introduced me to this place one Saturday afternoon. And I will be keeping it on my list to drop in every once in a while. Now, keep in mind I'm NOT a coffee drinker. So I cannot speak to the quality of their brews personally. (All I know is that there's a big map on the wall with information about the source of all the blends -- and you can choose the coffee you want based on the region it's grown in. But again, I can't tell you how any of that actually tastes.) But as far as aesthetics go, this place has a great vibe. It's spacious, clean, and comfortable -- and it feels way more upscale and upbeat than SBUX does. It seems like a place where a lot in the Ethiopian community go to socialize rather than simply sit with a laptop and headphones (though you can certainly do that here, too, if you wish). They have a tantalizing menu and a full kitchen on site. But I was unable to try any of their salads or sandwiches because the kitchen had already closed (at like 4 pm on a Saturday?!?!), even though that's not posted anywhere. So I ended up choosing a pastry (almond croissant) from their bakery case and--let me just tell you--it was DIVINE! So, so, so, so, SOOOOO good! Quite possibly the best one I've ever had in the city. I'll definitely be back to get another one and, hopefully this time, try out some of the actual food. read more

The coffee was excellent and the pastries delicious! The sandwiches are also good. The staff was very friendly and helpful with my drink selection. There is a lot of seating (which is good because they seem pretty busy!) with nice spaces for working. My main suggestion would be to make sure you check out the dessert case past the register before you make your final decisions. It's easy to get distracted by pastries right at the front (although you can't go wrong there either). read more

Black Lion Cafe - I love this logo! - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Grabbed some breakfast here between some appointments. This cute spot was so busy there was not single place to sit. There is big variety of drinks and eats to choose from. All the pastries (Nutella scone, bread pudding and pumpkin danish) we chose were delicious. The coffees (caramel latte, dirty chai and caramel macchiato) we ordered were mostly good. Both caramel drinks were great but the dirty chai was so heavy on the espresso you could not tell any chai tea was in the cup. Overall a nice experience and I would try it again. read more

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Great vibe to sit and work. Yummy coffee and gluten free chocolate chip cookie is ‍ The lemonade is very refreshing read more

Great space to work and mingle! You will need to sit around the perimeter to get an outlet but no issue finding one on a Tuesday afternoon. Really friendly and young staff, smooth jazz playing, jungle theme, warm and welcoming. Aesthetically pleasing for sure. Also, the cake display is so attractive, I am doing my best to refrain! I order a cortado and the coffee here is delicious. read more

Top tier coffee on the level of Dua or Vigilante! Incredible roast, work friendly seating, and meter parking outside. Service is a little off but the coffee overshadows that! read more

Black Lion Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

It's a nice, brightly lit cafe to come get some work done or meet up for chats. Drinks ordered: 3/5 London Fog Tea w/ almond milk (one size) - didn't have much flavor. Might be b/c I substituted the Earl Grey with Masala Chai tea. 5/5 Chai Latte w/ oat milk (small) - delicious. The service was great, was greeted warmly and served quickly. I'd come back again, but will order something else. Parking is easily available at the parking garage across the street, or just street parking. read more

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Coffee was great. Staff was helpful and prompt. I was surprised to find out that they had some great food options along with pastries. Vegan options were also available. Ambience is inviting, plenty of seating, Wi-Fi, and lighting. read more

Black Lion Cafe - Mocha & Cappuccino - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Very cozy vibe, great for working from a coffee shop. I only ordered hot chocolate but was able to get it with oat milk. It came quickly and was decently tasty! read more

This place is my go-to for work meetings in the area. There is free wifi, it is a do-able walk from the metro station, service is fast, and it is fairly easy to find a table for two. I am never wowed by the food and the servers have not known much about the menu the past few times I have been there, but the spot gets the job done. read more

The atmosphere is by far the strongest feature of this cafe: high ceilings, ample seating, dark and inviting colors and rich wood throughout! It's spacious while still maintaining a cozy feeling. Lots of spaces to work, and I saw many people doing so while enjoying their coffee. The coffee/pastries were a solid 4/5-very good! The service was pretty quick and friendly. read more

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A relatively new cafe. We arrived there after lunch time, and the place was pretty packed. We got a dirty chai and mocha. Both were solid and good. Dirty chai was too sweet for me, but full of flavor and tasty. The service was good although staff seemed a bit confused about which order is for who at the counter. Easily found a street parking near by. read more

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My wife and I were looking forward to Black Lion Cafe finally opening in Downtown Silver Spring and we tried it last week and we were very impressed and thought it was some of the best we've ever tried. For food, we shared both a latte and a chai which were amazing as well as tasty Reuben and tuna melt sandwiches that came with the best potato chips we've ever had which tasted homemade. My wife went in and did takeout but she said they were very friendly and have plenty of seating inside so it would be a good place to meet with friends. We look forward to coming here many times in the future! read more

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The downtown Silver Spring area has its fair share of coffeeshops, but Black Lion definitely has its own unique atmosphere to set it apart from the rest. To have only been open since late January 2023, this location seems to be running very smoothly. My first visit was on March 8th. I ordered the dirty chai latte and the Egg Cheese Sandwich on a croissant with bacon added. My second visit was on March 23, and I ordered the dirty chai latte (again!) and the kids' grilled cheese. Before I get into the food and drink, I have the say that what I loved most about my visit at Black Lion was the design of the space. It's beautifully decorated, but more importantly, the seating is arranged in such a way that it can easily accommodate individuals or small to large (5+) groups. I visited during weekdays both times and most people were there solo, working or focusing on some other task. This would be a great spot to read or get work done if you need to change up the scenery. Now, on to the food and drink. The dirty chai lattes were excellent both times and although they were made by different baristas, they were equally as good. The chai was sweet and spicy, but not too overwhelming; the presentation was perfect! The Egg Cheese Sandwich was not fancy, but was pretty tasty. The bacon, egg, and croissant all tasted fresh unlike some coffeeshops that tend to use frozen, prepackaged sandwiches. The grilled cheese was a pretty regular grilled cheese; my only criticism is that I wish there was more cheese, but I realize that it's meant to be for a child, so I don't knock the cafe for this. Overall, I enjoyed my experience and I'm really glad Black Lion is adding another option to the coffee offerings in downtown Silver Spring! read more

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Negatives: --Baked products are frequently STALE. Even if you go there when they open, you'll likely find products made the previous day. I experienced this four times, and the products were INEDIBLE. The leftover stale products are put out before the fresh products. The croissants are a safe bet. -- The floors are DIRTY. They might sweep and mop once a week at most. ANTS WERE EATING CRUMBS UNDER MY TABLE this morning. --Some products might be UNSAFE. The drink fridge was not working on a recent morning. Perhaps it had been turned off. Available for purchase were products like "fresh" orange juice and Odwalla smoothies. Employees were indifferent when informed. I suspect these products were sold at some point. Positives: The space is very attractive and a lot of thought was put into its design. The positives do not compensate for its serious flaws, however. read more

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Hands down the best coffee in the County! The service is excellent and the staff is amazing

Love this cute coffee shop!!! owned!!! It is a great place to people watch and bring your friends. I come here to work, although the music is so that it takes me a minute to get started on my work. Lol!!! Pastries, sandwiches, and coffee drinks are absolutely delicious. Everything that I have had here, I have liked and I've been many times. This is one of my favorite spots in the DMV. read more

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The coffee and matcha latte are awesome. The sandwiches taste great. I recommend the Black Lion Special. This is a good place to study and do remote work if you like a lively place and background music. read more

Service is poor. Staff is mostly rude. Except for the young lady who works on Thursdays.

Grreeeaatt Study Spot for the Weekday! The caramel macchiato was fantastic and the sandwiches were solid. They have a pretty large case of pastries as well! It's the vibes that make this place- plenty of room to study, outlets for your laptop, and the music matched the mood. The weekend gets a bit busy so not sure I would recommend studying then here! read more

Black Lion Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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If you're going to charge someone $12 for a turkey and pastrami sandwich, have the decency to put more than one piece of each on it. The fresh orange juice is $5 for a few sips. It's a 4 oz, maybe 6 oz cup. I also notice that while the cashiers are never rude, they are never friendly or helpful. read more

Black Lion Cafe - The OJ has gotta be $5 for 6 oz, if the cup to the right is 12 oz - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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mango smoothie was delicious! the atmosphere is so jazzy and aesthetically pleasing! 10/10 will be back read more

Black Lion Cafe - mango smoothie - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I'm not completely sure how I feel about this place yet. I think it depends on what you get. The pastries are a miss. The scones are very dry and dense. The spinach and leek pastries are standard and can be found in many other places. The apple turnover is just okay. The set-up is confusing because there is a display for the pastries right as you walk in but then off to the very side there are more pastries that are easily missed. For the drinks, the chai is a concentrate so it's way too sweet. Now that we've gotten that out of the way...their drip coffee is really good and so are their espresso drinks. I was incredibly impressed with the matcha. They use real matcha!!! Also the ambiance is so nice. It's a great place to just relax or study. Overall, I love this neighborhood spot. It's not my absolute favorite but the ambiance and good coffee are enough to keep me coming back. read more

I live really close to Black Lion and used to love going there to work with friends. At first, everything was great--the coffee, pastries, location, ambiance, and even the food. But over time, things have gone downhill. They seem to have new staff every week, and many of them come off as rude or like they just don't care. I've also heard they don't treat their employees fairly, which might explain the constant turnover. The chefs are super inconsistent too; half the time they're either 'not there,' 'on a break,' or the kitchen is closed early for some reason. If you're lucky enough to catch them actually serving food, it's a rare treat. The drinks have also become really watered down and lack flavor, which is disappointing given all the positive reviews. I do still enjoy their pastries, especially the 'Buy 1, Get 1 Free' deal after 4 PM. But honestly, I've started going up the street to Java Nation instead--it's just more reliable. Black Lion is still an okay spot for co-working with friends since there's plenty of seating (though it fills up fast). Just a heads up: it's usually freezing inside, so dress warmly! read more

The interior design is modern yet cozy with lots of alcoves to set up and work on your computer. They have a self serve pastry display with a wide range of goodies. I always go for the chocolate croissant and it is magnificent! The coffee is really good too, I had a vanilla latte and it was not too sweet. The staff was friendly and I will definitely be going back again soon. This is a must try! read more

I found my new favorite place to "work from home." Black Lion Cafe is a fresh open space with plenty of seating or can accommodate take out service. The pastry cabinet is filled with freshly baked French pastries muffins and desserts. I tried the chai latte and it had deliciously unique spices. Milk alternatives are available. The menu also includes sandwiches if you want something more substantial. read more

Black Lion Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Weird layout makes ordering and retrieving food difficult and awkward. They charged $1.00 for oat milk and $0.50 to have my food and coffee for dine-in. read more

Black Lion Cafe - Egg and cheese croissant. Cafe au lait. Juice box. - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Black Lion Café has a great atmosphere, whether meeting someone for lunch or working remotely. The staff at the register are usually very nice, and some of the pastries are very good (tomato and olive breakfast pastry in particular!) However, I've had a few bad experiences. I bought 2 slices of cake there recently, and I didn't think cake could be bad, but it was so disappointing!! Very bland and not even sweet. :( The last time I went, my food was never given to me, and when I asked about it, the staff member I spoke to was incredibly rude to me and rolled her eyes at me saying that she gave it to the person I was eating lunch with. It was honestly just strange, because clearly there weren't any plates at my table. read more

Great atmosphere and the best lattes. Always a good crowd. We enjoy being there. Service is always friendly.

Lovely atmosphere, great staff and love the food. I love the option of packaged coffee from available for purchase

We were visiting my dad and he brought us here, we loved everything about this Cafe! Amazing coffee, the setting is beautiful with a wonderful service. I recommend this place highly. read more

Okay atmosphere, but the service was extremely slow and the food I got did not match the description of what I ordered. I ordered an egg and cheese panini, and what I got was an egg and cheese sandwich on a warm croissant. read more

Placed an order for a hot quad shot caramel latte, then saw the barista steaming the milk and noticed that they weren't cleaning the pitchers between each drink so there was crusted milk all over the inside (huge risk for people with nut or dairy allergies as there is a lot of cross contamination). Asked the cashier to switch my drink to an iced drink for safety reasons, but then the barista gave me extra syrup instead of an extra shot, it was undrinkable and I tossed it after a couple sips. Cashier also forgot to check for out food, I had to go up and ask her about it and it had be sitting in the window for so long that the chips were soggy from the steam. Sandwich was good enough and baked goods looked tasty but I would not recommend getting anything else from them until they have a health inspection. read more

This place is an oasis if you are looking for a place to work or study. It is beautifully designed, has delicious food/coffee, multiple strategically placed electrical outlets and excellent customer service. read more

Black Lion Cafe - Caramel macchiato - Cafes Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

We stopped by on a whim as the boy needed a pick me up snack on our way home post packet pickup. The boy got 2 cookies and i got a sticky bun. The sticky bun was ok, but was a bit too brown and the boy said his cookie was good but just a bit over. So overall, we wanted to love it, but we felt it was just, meh. ok. read more

My favorite things about BLC is the chill ambiance & the great customer service. They have the best lattes in town, no matter what time I go they always come out great. They don't have a lot of food options & I get It, is a coffee shop. However they have amazing sweets & pastries. So if you are looking for a place to sit for a couple of hours with your laptop, your book or a friend. This is the spot. Enjoy! read more

Ordered a chocolate cake for my wife's birthday. Absolutely delicious! Appreciated the friendly, attentive service and on-time efficiency. This will become my go-to bakery for future celebrations. read more

30 minutes for 2 sandwiches on Sunday at noontime Coffee and pastries served right away but if you have lots of time to kill order a sandwich!! read more

The coffee sucked. I asked for a decaf and they give me caffeinated. I thought they would put at least some effort into the presentation of the coffee. I had a pistachio croissant and it was alright. If you want to try a similar level of food quality (mediocre), just go to Panera and save some bucks. read more

They say the code is medium roast so I asked for a shot of espresso. The result is sipping on a cup that taste like burnt beans.