Love the vibes here! Great area to read/bring a laptop to work at. They have couches and tables around the cafe with a wall of books for sale. I visited Daydrift twice during my visit to Crystal City area for work. For lunch, I was able to get a cozy single table by myself. I ordered their turkey club and a vanilla bean latte. The sandwich wasn't the best I've ever had as it was pretty dry (didn't have much spread, if any). The vanilla bean latte was a tad sweet for me. The second time I visited was during morning rush hour around 7:30AM. It was super busy and there were only two ladies working behind the counter: one was taking orders and helping out whenever she can and the other was preparing the drink. It was a bit disorganized because it seems like the cashier girl was a bit overwhelmed. She forgot to place my drink order in the queue (after waiting for about 15 minutes) and it appears that another customer's order was also forgotten. I think they need another person behind the counter during the early hours. In any case, I ordered the Peaches and Cream Latte and it was the most delicious drink I got from this weeklong trip. Overall, I hope this place sticks around - would definitely visit again if I'm in the area for work. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Peaches & Cream Latte - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Came across this little hideaway while leaving a Navy Federal. It's cute, small but open space with comfy decor I ordered a Tuna Poke Rice Bowl which was delicious! So flavorful and fresh - the perfect portion. I tried one of their seasonal drinks to wash it down. The Cherry Blossom chai latte was good with a hint of cherry blossom - not much difference but still tasty. I'd come by early to get a good space. There's not much seating - a high top communal bar near the window, communal table in the middle with a number of small tables and plush sofa seats throughout. I chose the communal table for the outlets - the perfect spot to settle down and lock in for a few hours. I didn't get to browse the book collection but plenty of options for an avid reader. I will definitely return if I'm in the area read more

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We visited on a Friday afternoon and there was a steady stream of customers but didn't keep the place crowded. We got a table to hang out for a bit and read books. Love this vibe where you are actually encouraged to stay and read! Great selections from fiction-non fiction, spicy books, self help books. Etc, new releases and classics as well. Seating and interior is airy, staff is friendly, ample seating. Drinks are great as well! I had the berry vanilla blossom latte and an iced americano. Street parking and garages nearby. Would recommend! read more

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Daydrift Books and Cafe has all the right ingredients of a five-star business: - Friendly and fun baristas - Windows that let in the perfect amount of sunlight for a cozy morning - Comfortable seating for either coworking or lounging - A curated selection of impulse buys: laptop stickers, bookmarks, sweet treats, notebooks, pens, and more (Side note:I spent $25 on stickers ) - Delicious food: They have pastries, sandwiches, and a delicious avogolemeno that warmed me up on a cold, winter, day - Strong wifi - Cute book themed decor - The bookstore portion is not humongous (think airport bookstore) but it's got all of the heavy hitters on the shelves - Easy parking I wish there was one closer to me, I'd be here all the time! read more

I just adore this little cafe bookstore. It's calm, not too many chatty people. Large windows to people watch, lots of books to explore and an attentive staff. Iced matcha was smooth and not bitter. Sublime sour cherry brownie. I remember liking the pastries in the past but that brownie is unique and unforgettable! Gooey without being overly sweet yet rich. read more

Loved this place!!! The service was amazing and everyone was lovely. I got the honey pistachio latte and the breakfast burrito, both of which were delicious! I plan on going back and trying more things on their menu because everything looked appetizing. The space is really nice and clean. It's a great spot to get work done but I suggest going earlier in the day since it may be crowded. Taking the metro or walking is probably ideal since parking can be a bit tricky in the crystal city area. Highly recommend!! read more

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This is a bright little cafe with a focus on books: you can bring books for donation or come and read what's on the shelf. It would be a comfortable place to get some work done. I had a latte and a ricotta/butternut squash toast with mushrooms on top. They were both delicious. I will say the toast was messy to eat due to the sheer amount of spread compared to bread. All in all it's a nice cafe with good offerings. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - French vanilla latte and open faced ricotta toast - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I was so sad when Mah Ze Dar closed, but I think this little book shop/coffee shop has been a great job filling the space. It's often crowded so maybe not a great place to sit and do work, but it is very bright and spacious and pleasant feeling to sit in, a great place for a coffee and conversation. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I visited daydrift on a Friday and in the morning it was packed. You can get a seat, but know it might take some maneuvering. I had two iced matchas and the chopped chicken salad. Everything was delicious! I feel like the price is better than other coffee shops too. I spent the day working here and I'm excited to come back! read more

Daydrift Cafe tl;dr: A cute and cozy cafe that combines a delicious food and drink offerings with a bookstore. Daydrift Cafe is a newer cafe in Arlington that is really two stores in one: it's a bookstore and a cafe! It's like having a combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut--you have two of your favorites in one convenient spot. When you step into this combo bookstore/cafe, you'll see all of the book decor and shelves of books to purchase. I stopped by to try a few of their drinks and food. What I ordered: -Matcha Latte -- Well mixed! They had soy as a non-dairy milk. -Pistachio Honey Latte -- Pistachio wasn't overwhelming and it was just the right amount of sweetness -Silky Egg Breakfast Sandwich -- The fluffiest egg I've ever had on a breakfast sandwich! You can also add bacon Vibes: Lots of natural light, and enough places to sit and meet up with friends. Parking: There is a nearby garage next to Whole Foods. The Whole Foods will also validate even without a purchase for up to 60 minutes. read more

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Welcome to Crystal City, Daydrift! This now bookstore and cafe took over the long emptied space of Mah-Ze-Dahr, and their menu offers andwiches, bowls, soups, open-faced sandwiches, pastries, and coffee/smoothies! Try their coffee and eats, while you peruse their great selection of books. The Silky Egg Sandwich (prepared with egg custard, cheddar, and dijonnaise in a sesame-poppy seed potato bun) and the Soba Noodle bowl (prepared with chilled soba, edamame, shiitake, mango, radish, carrot, cashew, carrot, cilantro & soy egg, dressed in a rice wine tahini dressing and topped with sesame seed sprinkles) are good go-to orders! The Lavender and the Chai Latte were well-made! Staff and service were very friendly! They have great seating options, and there were also many who were doing some studying/remote work. The place does get a bit loud, though. I loved their little gift section, specifically the greeting cards and the basket full of strawberries magnet! Easily accessible from the Metro as well as garage parking is available in the area. +pastries +decent lattes +friendly staff and service read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Ok how did I miss the memo that this was here?! I'm at this Alamo all the time and I completely missed it. I'm so glad my friend suggested that we meet here to coworker for a bit so that I could check it out. I got one of their specialty lattes around Valentine's Day, the chocolate covered strawberry iced latte and it was amazing. Definitely the best one that I've had of that kind. For lunch, I got the turkey club at the recommendation of an employee who was very helpful since I was very indecisive. It was very tasty although a bit messy. The Wi-Fi works great. The vibes are immaculate and the staff is super friendly so I can definitely come back to you again. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Turkey club - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

The Greek lemon chicken soup & cold brew mocha smoothie!!! The soup was made from fresh ingredients and was delicious. The fresh dill (& I think I tasted basil?) brought the soup to the next level. The smoothie was also delicious. I was so glad I stopped in here after arriving from the airport. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Delicious Greek Lemon Chicken Soup - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I love Daydrict. I picked up this delightful seasonal coffee. It looks sweeter than it was. It was delicious, and it came with TWO Peeps! read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Sugar Bunny Latte - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Absolutely love the space and ambiance. A bookshop + cafe is one of my happy places and they curated this so well. The drinks are reasonably priced though I feel the food is overpriced, but everything was good so at least it is quality. The coffee cake muffin was probably the best thing we tasted. Will definitely come back here repeatedly. read more

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I went to Daydrift a couple times. The vibes were honestly great. It's one of those places where you feel super comfortable whether you're catching up with a friend or just sitting alone. The space feels open, relaxed, and easy to spend time in. The drinks and food, though, were pretty mediocre. Nothing was bad, but nothing really stood out either. It's not somewhere I'd go specifically for the menu. That said, the ambience really carries itself really well, I'd still recommend checking it out if you're in the area. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - raspberry white chocolate matcha muffin - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Really cute and very popular spot. There were books for sale, plenty of seating, and cute stationery for sale. They had a local author selling his books while we were there. I got their lucky latte and while the coffee was good, I overheard the worker say to another worker that they didn't have the cereal milk cold foam and it would take too long to make, but no one directly told me. I realized later that it tasted like regular cold foam because it probably was regular cold foam. Also the lucky charms and edible glitter topping was spooned (dumped) on, so it wasn't very pretty. The chocolate madeleine I had was pretty good. read more

Bright and airy coffee shop and book store offering up a wide variety of baked goods, bowls, and specialty lattes. The space is fairly small, so I could see it getting loud & hard to find a seat, but it does have a nice vibe with a huge windowed front I got a vanilla latte, overnight oats, and banana bread. The latte and banana bread were fantastic, however the overnight oats were not the best. read more

This quaint little book café on Crystal Drive has been a wonderful community third space since it opened. Solid coffee drinks, fresh baked goods, books for sale and a delightful reading/dining room. The staff has been very amiable and cordial every visit. Some reviewers keep saying it's little pricey, but it's comparable compared to the rest of the area, which is quite pricey as a whole, so not a demerit for me. Overall, a wonderful small business to support; would spend my time and money here anyday over Starbucks. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I saw this shop on my walk last weekend before I had to go home. I'm back this week and got to try this place immediately after getting out of the airport. It's a coffee bookshop and it's so charmingly cute and the stuff of dreams. It is a hopping place so I was scouring for a seat. I got a salted caramel cold brew (possibly the best I've ever had in my life). It's so smooth and they make it with fresh espresso and steamed milk to froth. So smooth, so tasting liquid caramel style. I also got a chocolate croissant and yum! Giant puffed pastry (and apparently pastries are 50% off on Thursdays between 3-6pm?) it's so buttery and flakey and the chocolate is rich! Delicious. Can I have one of these shops back home please? read more

***REVIEW FOR LATTE ONLY*** Stopped by after seeing that this place recently opened and decided to try their vanilla bean latte. The flavor was nice, and I loved that they use their own in-house vanilla syrup as it adds a fresh, homemade touch. That said, the latte itself was definitely on the lighter side. I'm usually more of a bold, robust latte girl, and this one leaned more toward the "sweet milk" end of the spectrum. Still tasty and smooth, just not strong enough for my usual preference. If you enjoy a lighter, milkier latte with subtle sweetness, you'll probably love it. But if you're after something with a little more punch, you might want to try a different roast or drink here. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Waited 20 minutes for the avocado toast and it came out as unsliced avocado on non-toasted bread. It was pretty disappointing after the wait and paying $16. It didn't even have salt or seasoning on it. This place is cute but gives off instagram-prioritized vibes. read more

Good experience! Decent coffee, really nice staff and....quiet, as in we could carry on a conversation. We are going back again today! Love the bookstore vibe. read more

My pastry was savory, tasty, flaky, and overall enjoyable... But not out of this world either. The space itself, though, very nice! I would go back to try more of their food, as their toast looked delicious. My coffee was decent and I enjoyed trying out the new spot. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Pastry - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I LOVE this cafe and bookstore! I swung by for lunch and spent the rest of the afternoon reading a book on the sofa. The customer service here was friendly and quick. I had the Greek Lemon Chicken Soup and the Vanilla Bean Latte. The soup was ok but I really liked my latte. Will definitely get again. There was a wall of books, not the biggest selection but has all of the popular books. There was also a section of cute novelty items. read more

Adorable little coffee shop in crystal city center. The coffee is great and they have lots of cozy seating. Sometimes it gets a little packed but usually by the time your order is ready there is a spot open to sit read more

Absolutely loved this cozy cafe/book store space. I visited to co-work amongst my boss and other co-workers and loved it. Great space to get work done and def will be back :) read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Tuna salad sandwich, turkey club, breakfast burrito, and greek lemon chicken soup - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Cute cafe! Panini is good -- comes with a side of potato salad. Very filling! Wish the staff would have been a little more engaging. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - mortadella & stracciatella panini - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I really love the atmosphere of this place and the coffee is great! I do wish this place was more allergy friendly though. I have a sesame and tree nut allergy and it knocks off a lot of the things on the menu for me. If it doesn't contain it then it's an issue with cross contamination (bakery). I noticed there were some new menu items that I could have which I'm excited about so I'll likely come a bit more now. I'd love to see more bakery goods and have it be above everything in the case so nothing with other allergens fall on it. Most cafe's have nut free things but they display it in a way that makes it still risky to eat. (Or maybe have some in the back that are separated?) Still 5 stars because It's not really their fault but I hope some or one of these things could be considered! :) read more

I really liked this cafe! Friendly staff, the iced latte was good and so was the quiche. There's a lot of seating but it does get busy. It was completely full while I was there. Nice place to get some work done for a few hours. And of course you can browse the books! It's a small selection but saw some books I'd be interested in. Parking is a little bit difficult but I managed to find street parking nearby but there's also a paid deck close. read more

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Such a cute coffee shop! So many spots to sit inside or outside. The lucky latte was so yummy. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - Lucky latte - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

This book cafe recently opened in Crystal City, Arlington, on Crystal Drive. It features a cozy, inviting atmosphere, surrounded by books and small gift items. The menu includes sandwiches, small bites, pastries, and specialty coffee drinks. The service from the friendly staff was excellent. The latte was good, but the brown sugar shaken espresso might not suit those who dislike cinnamon, and it was somewhat watered down. The silky egg breakfast sandwich was excellent, made with egg custard, cheddar, and dijonaise on a sesame-poppy seed potato bun--satisfying and filling. In contrast, the turkey club sandwich could have had better flavor, though it was served with potato salad. read more

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The raspberry and cream cheese croissant is Glorious. I'll recommend this for a good breakfast grab. read more

I was walking to go to a neighboring brunch place/chain this morning and noticed this place had a similar vibe, so my friend and I decided to try it out. I was floored when I walked in! Such a cool vibe, friendly people, comfortable seating. Delicious coffee. Fabulous food. Will certainly be coming back! read more

I went and ordered and paid for a large vanilla bean latte with cold foam. I received a small. I went to the barista to ask that my order be corrected and he apologized and said yes. He took my cup, dumped it into the large size (thus mixing the cold foam), and then asked me if I wanted ice or milk. I was confused by his question but I assumed he was asking if I wanted more of either of those items in my coffee, assuming he was also going to brew me more espresso (because larger lattes = more shots, in my experience). So I said milk. He then proceeds to fill the remainder of the larger cup with milk, not adding any additional espresso. So I paid a little over $8 for a smaller amount of espresso than I should have gotten, way more milk than I wanted, and my cold foam was gone. I was honestly too dumbfounded to ask him to fix it again but in what world does a 16 oz latte get the same amount of espresso as a 20 oz? Picture attached of my very milk heavy latte. read more

Daydrift Books & Cafe - vanilla bean latte 20oz - Cafes Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Excellent atmosphere, a curated book selection, and the best flat whites I've ever had -- we're lucky to have Daydrift in the neighborhood!