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    Emma's Torch

    4.7 (25 reviews)

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    EMMA'S TORCH ATMOSPHERE

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    Bacon egg and cheese
    Jordan M.

    I hate to to give this place such a poor review because they seem to support refugee communities and run by quite good people. However the food and coffee were exceptionally underwhelming. I got an iced oat milk latte with brown cinnamon sugar. It tasted like 11 ounces of oat milk with half a shot of espresso. The bacon egg and cheese and chicken sausage egg and cheese my partner and I had were also not good. The biscuits were really dry. The bacon was overcooked and burnt. Would not recommend

    Breakfast wrap!
    Julia G.

    Cute, relaxing ambiance, delicious drinks and food - the breakfast wrap was HEAVENLY. Service was good.

    Austin G.

    Emma's Torch is more than a coffee shop. They employ refugees and asylees, providing culinary and employability training. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., some items on the menu are inspired by flavors from around the world- homemade chai, hawaij (a Yemeni spice blend) mocha, shakshuka, chai spiced donuts. There are open seats and WiFi. My little family of three went Sunday around 9 a.m. and there wasn't a wait despite a few other customers in the cafe. We ordered the donut, blueberry muffin, and banana bread. My wife got the hawaij mocha and I the latte. (They use Zeke's coffee beans.) Everything was great! Not loving sweet drinks, my wife really enjoyed the hawaij mocha. The cafe has water for everyone and restrooms.

    Cherry blossom lemonade and chocolate chip cookie.

    I came here at the very beginning when they offered a family style brunch and it was delicious. This visit, we had matcha, dirty chai, cherry blossom lemonade, breakfast burrito, chocolate chip cookie, and the Caesar salad wrap. Everything was delicious. The wrap was a bit dry and could use more dressing but I brought it home and put some additional sauce on it and it held up for the next day as a late lunch. Highly recommend Emma's Torch. 6/05- went back for lunch today and split the burger and chicken sandwich. Burger tasted chargrilled and the chicken sandwich had a delicious homemade slaw in it. The crinkle fries were salted to perfection. Emma's Torch is really delightful!

    Half the order of salmon bagel. Look out thick the salmon pieces are!
    Dana T.

    The food was spot; price was a bit high but the entire experience was worth it. The salmon bagel was topped with thick pieces of salmon (pictured is only half the order) and the cream cheese tasted whipped (light and fluffy). The avocado toast was so flavorful on a small, thick slice of bread (sourdough?) and also had a spicy kick to it. The chai latte was not overpowering, smooth and tasty. We came on a rainy Saturday, and the ambiance was wonderful for brunch. Music level was appropriate, welcoming staff, and the herb propagator in the corner was a lovely touch. The space is small with 7 tables but plenty of seating as many customers took their orders to go. If dining indoors, the food comes on recycled throwaway plates. They ask that you "don't bus your dishes" as you're part of their culinary training program for students learning restaurant skills. Standout notes: eco friendly plates and cups! Diaper changing station in bathroom! Free water!

    THE MENU
    Boobie D.

    so in love with this place && mad it took me this long to come visit as its been on my yelp list probably since they opened! simply from coming in && learning their mission && the education they offer to refugees to empower them through culinary is amazingggg! everything is fresh and the coffee comes from zekes which is next door! the customer service is great as long as you have patience as everyone seems to be learning (but i loved it)! its a smaller eatery but they offer outside seating when weather permits && the music is a vibe. the leaders here teaching everyone is great! thank you boss lady for my first matcha that i couldnt stop thinking about -i told you i would be back! i look forward to keeping visiting as i lived in the neighborhood!

    Egg and cheese

    The egg and cheese breakfast sandwich comes on a delicious biscuit. The coffee is great too. Very nice laid back setting on a Saturday morning.

    Love the mission!
    Suzanne B.

    Love the mission which led us to try Emma's Torch - the art, the coziness and friendliness of the staff was so welcoming. The food was fresh and delicious. Lots of different choices with reasonable prices. The black eye pea fritter salad was unique with great flavor. Suggest - please use less wasteful plates, utensils, etc. Otherwise, love it!

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    9 months ago

    Great food great service. Had excellent avocado toast and latte. The employees were very attentive and the service was very speedy.

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    5 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Had a breakfast bowl and some coffee. Reasonably priced. Nice atmosphere and good cause. Glad it is in the neighborhood.

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    2 years ago

    Fantastic breakfast. The breakfast wrap is absolutely delish. Staff is incredibly friendly and attentive. Highly recommend!

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    2 years ago

    everything that i ate here was really good. all of the staff was super friendly and helpful! would definitely recommend stopping by.

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    Ask the Community - Emma's Torch

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    The Hill Cafe

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    This place is really cute and convenient to get to! We walked from our place to get lunch. The…read moreinside had a little diner feel. There wasn't anything spectacular about it though. The service was great. We got there a little before they were starting their lunch menu and they allowed us to order lunch anyway. So, it was nice that they were accommodating. I ordered the Reuben and it was really good! It had a lot of flavor, was fresh, not too greasy, and was filling! If we were ever in town again we will definitely go back!

    I really want to go here more often since it's right around the corner. The place is really awesome…read morein the spring/summer to sit outside and in the winter nice and convenient if snowed in or it's really cold. The staff are friendly and the food is fresh, which I absolutely appreciate. However, there are a couple of adjustments which would make me a regular in a heartbeat: 1. Upgrade the coffee/espresso to be stronger and more robust and 2. Have pricing congruent to the menu item. I concur with the previous reviewers description of the current coffee/espresso drinks and that even in NYC breakfast sandwiches from neighborhood shops are less than 5 bucks. I really want to support this place more because I do think they put out great food and the staff are so friendly but for now, it has to be an occasional indulgence rather than going on the regular. ‍

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    Maketto - Spicy cauliflower

    Maketto

    4.2(1.4k reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$$

    Two of my favorite cuisines, coming together in one DC institution by the name of Maketto. With…read morefood that is inspired by Taiwan and Cambodia, the dishes vary in taste and flavor that makes me quite happy. In my first visit to Maketto, I came for their dim sum lunch on the weekend, and even though I had high expectations coming in, it met my every desire. We started with the pork steamed bao, and man it didn't disappoint. With a hoisin sauce spread on the plate and plenty of hoisin sauce flavoring the pork, this homemade beauty was my favorite of the lot. Having eaten so many bao buns in my past, this one stood out among many I've eaten across Asia. We also ordered the Xaio Long Bao, the Cambodian Noodle Soup, and the Rice Roll with Shrimp. The star of these was the Rice Roll w/shrimp. The shrimp was excellent, the Rice Roll itself was perfect and the toppings and sauce made me want to order more. The Cambodian Noodle Soup was great as well. True to form, we had it with the chicken and it was a perfect encapsulation of the Cambodian soups that I so loved when visiting. Service was good, but most importantly the food came out piping hot. A must with this style of cuisine. The only exception was the Xaio Long Bao, but that could have been due to the sauce cooling the dumplings. As for ambiance, it is a unique model as it is a coffee shop before 11, and then a restaurant and coffee shop after 11. We came around 11:30 and it was in between selling out of all their pop-up pastries and ramping up the kitchen. I will be back, many times indeed.

    LOVED the dinner I had at Maketto the other night. I'd heard about this place for years and only…read morenow did I finally stop in while grabbing drinks at another spot on H street. First things first did you know that Maketto has been around for 11 years! That's amazing, especially for a small business. And I fully understand why, because this place is a gem. Maketto is a Cambodian, Taiwanese blend restaurant that is surprisingly open from 9 am- 10 pm most days. I love the vibes, the exposed brick, the food, drinks, and the bartender was super friendly. So my friend was telling me that the restaurant used to be half retail store and half restaurant. I'm sure I would've wanted to come in here just to browse all the time because they're definitely trendy and in tune with the culture. Now to my experience. I tried their fried chicken wings and the lo mein. Both are medium plates and large portions. Between my friend and I we were stuffed at the end of dinner and still took some food to-go. All of their dishes come family style and they are not skimping you with the portions. The food was all fresh and soooo flavorful! Kudos to chef Erik, who also owns/created Providencia up the street. I'm so excited to come back to try more because everything sounds delicious. One little word of advice is to check if the restaurant has a private event booked before heading over. I recently tried to go for an early dinner on a Saturday and there was a wedding getting ready to happen. BRAVOOO Maketto, I will be supporting frequently :)

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    Emma's Torch - cafes - Updated May 2026

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