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    Simona cafe

    4.1 (61 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 5:00 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Simona cafe Photos

    SIMONA CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for working
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Simona cafe

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    Ashleigh T.

    Simona is around the corner from my office. When I'm feeling like I want something premium this is where I come, it's a treat because they don't offer a variety of size options. That being said, the coffees, espressos and teas are definitely top notch the quality is superior to other coffee shops nearby. I've tried the banana chocolate chip bread (it goes quick) and it was delicious. If you are in the mood for well crafted coffee or tea this is the place for you.

    Shanelle Y.

    The baristas and chefs were so kind and accommodating to my dietary needs. They were happy to substitute ingredients for me and when the sandwich came out wrong the first time, they remade it right away. The latte was DELICIOUS and I wanted to order another one on the way out but had to hold myself back. All in all a great coffee shop!

    Lauren B.

    A great, bright cafe. A nice little spot tucked into Noma. As any city coffee shop, prices are a bit higher than I would like to see but the matcha and sandwich was great. Im a sucker for good foccacia and they had it for everything! It always bustling with activity but the staff is attentive and always ready to help.

    Carrot cake matcha
    John B.

    This used to be Sweet Science, and I liked that aesthetic better. This new cafe similarly offers distinctive beverages, and I tried something called a "carrot cake matcha". Matcha goes well with a lot of things, but it sometimes bombs, and I thought that this combination had the potential to fail. But I have to say, the spices and hint of carrot somehow worked quite well with the distinctively green flavor. It was, however, quite a small beverage for the price. The space is one where most people would be walking to work somewhere in the area, and it's a nice treat along the way but I wouldn't come a long way for that small of a beverage.

    Zaria S.

    Cozy spot in a Clarendon neighborhood. I had the fancy grilled cheese with their homemade focaccia bread, which was satisfying. A lemon lavender scone, and cupcake they get from local bakeries. It's a lowkey vibe, but worth a visit. Limited seating inside and out. Kind service.

    Latte
    Karla H.

    We walked here for a quick bite and we were very pleased. The coffee was delicious and the breakfast sandwiches were unique but tasty. It's not your usual croissant sandwich. It's more like a homemade french bread square sandwich. It was great! The place is pretty small and there is seating available outside, however BEWARE OF THE MOSQUITOS

    Midori G.

    Really lovely atmosphere and the taste of the coffee is great! I ordered and oatmilk latte which came to $7.15 pre-tip. I will say it felt a little overpriced and the service was subpar. Overall it is a good place to visit but not my favorite coffee shop experience.

    Morning Loaf, Drip Coffee, Cafe au Lait w/ oat milk
    Brayden V.

    any café that plays Dorothy Ashby's "Afro Harping" is an immediate winner in my book Simona is nothing special (aside from playing some deep cuts now and again, playlist promptly switched to edm...) BF says the Morning Loaf (a lovely combo of carrot, nut, zucchini, and possibly more) was a perfect balance of savory and sweet. They also say the drip was smooth and nutty. I say the Cafe au Lait was also very smooth, perfectly foamy and served in a chic mug. overall good experience, I've been before and I'll def be back since I'm new to the neighborhood

    Eisha K.

    This is a nice neighborhood café with a decent amount of drink options. I chose to go with my chai tea latte. I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but I love the ambience and just sitting there and journaling/reading.

    ELF (Elevated London Fogg)
    Chelsea C.

    It is one of those places that will make you end up paying for a $8-10 beverage but I will say, it's so good. Nice cafes like this are a nice luxury to yourself, especially if you're coming to do work. Take in the clean design and open seating. It's really made me fall in love with the London Fog, the tea was so aromatic, not too sweet to bring out the floral notes, and the fog had a perfectly creamy and foamed oat milk. Very pleasant to just even lounge and listen to the bustle and coffee sounds.

    Strawberry Basil Iced Matcha
    Fatu D.

    I have been to this place twice now. Once last year for the same exact thing I ordered today (as it is only offered in the summer) -The Strawberry Basil Iced Matcha! It is simply to die for! Not too sweet, the perfect ratio of matcha to syrup, and a variety of milk and milk-alternatives to choose from. The strawberry basil syrup is made in house and I have been on the search to find a comparable replacement for one year! Simona is a small, hole in the wall in NOMA DC which makes it the perfect little café gem of Northeast. Intimate seating and a cute, quick serve station in the middle of the cafe equipped with sugar, to-go utensils, and dish bin. An atmosphere made for to eat in or grab and go. The service is quick being that there is only one person manning the cashier and making the drink orders. I am sure there are staff in the back to cook the made to order breakfast items. You have to check out their seasonal menu!

    a view of the interior of the restaurant
    Nancy M.

    Cute cafe! Good amount of seats and they even have an outdoor patio, which will be amazing in the spring/summer. They have really good sandwich options. The menu was solid with some seasonal coffees too. I got the 5 spice chai and it was fantastic!! I also got a chocolate chip cookie that was super soft in the middle, it was perfect. Can't wait to come back here! Great for working.

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    2 years ago

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    Jad B.

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    1 year ago

    Bread on sandwich was rock hard -- not just stale but inedible and would have been obvious to the person who cut it

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    2 years ago

    My favorite coffee shop in DC. Love the ambiance, coffee and breakfast. I will definitely return!

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    2 years ago

    Friendly staff and a clean environment! The Wilson sandwich was a delight first thing in the morning.

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    Page 2 of 2

    Simona cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Simona cafe

    Nino's Bakery - Everything croissant

    Nino's Bakery

    4.8(213 reviews)
    1.2 miDowntown
    $$

    Top marks! Got there right at opening and there was a bit of a line but nothing too bad. We grabbed…read morea pistachio croissant, a savory za'atar gruyere pastry, and a blueberry danish. All the pastry was delightfully flaky and appropriately filled. Pistachio croissant was dancing on the edge of being a bit too sweet but went very well with my latte. Latte and cappuccino were nothing to write home about, potentially underextracted as there wasn't too much flavor coming through. Totally inoffensive and wouldn't hesitate to get another espresso drink if we were grabbing pastries again. Nice quaint limited outdoor seating. Had a nice chat while we demolished our goods right out front. Very knowledgeable and friendly staff that knows how to move the line quickly!

    We were finally able to make it to Nino's after having it on our list for a long time. We went on a…read moreweekday somewhat after the morning rush, and even then it was still busy! We were lucky enough to snag some goodies and got a bit of everything, we just weren't patient enough to wait to photograph everything. We did the Za'atar Gruyère Croissant, chocolate croissant, the cheese biscuit item they had (don't remember exact name) and the sfogliatelle. I'm in search of the best croissant in DC, so I regret not getting the regular croissant on this visit, but the chocolate croissant gave me an idea of what to expect. Buttery, flaky, crispy, with just the perfect amount of sweetness. The typical chocolate croissant was my personal favorite. When we asked what the most popular items were, we were surprised it wasn't the more classic bakery items, but we enjoyed what we tried. We want to go back soon to try some other items as well. My friend got a coffee and also enjoyed that! This is the perfect place to stop by for a treat if you make it in time!

    Photos
    Nino's Bakery - Hazelnut Kiss

    Hazelnut Kiss

    Nino's Bakery - Gluten free Pistachio Sicilian cookie

    Gluten free Pistachio Sicilian cookie

    Nino's Bakery - Sfogliattele

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    Sfogliattele

    Sharbat Bakery And Cafe - Honey Cake

    Sharbat Bakery And Cafe

    4.6(130 reviews)
    2.1 miAdams Morgan

    I had one of those days where I went for a walk in an area I've been to many times before but never…read morestopping to notice all the little shops here and there. That's when I stumbled onto Sharbat. It's a rather quaint and cute Azerbaijani bakery and as I was window shopping all the cakes and baklavas, someone across the counter says "let me know if you have any questions" and I look up to see an angelic beautiful woman (this does not affect my rating haha) but I guess I wasn't expecting to see that. Anyway, she went through explaining various pastries and had a couple Turkish ones as well. I went with a pistachio baklava and a slice of honey cake. Honestly, I wanted to try all the cakes and even though they say honey cake is their most popular, there were a few that looked more appetizing. However, slightly convinced by the one other customer there eating her slice of honey cake, I decided to try it. I've only had honey cake once before so I won't act like I know what's best but that time the layers were thinner which I prefer but I like how it wasn't overly sweet despite it being honey forward. The baklava was one of the best, but I probably say that about most baklavas.

    Previously I wrote that Sharbat is a bakery for people who think they don't like baked goods. I was…read morewon over by the silky apricot cake. But still I shunned the baklava, my friends' favorite but at the very top of my list of pastries I could do without. I find it papery and drenched in syrup - way too sweet! But now I suggest that Sharbat is a bakery for people who think they don't like baklava. My friends finally persuaded me to try some, and oh man is it good. It's nothing like the baklava I know. Perhaps because it is made Azerbaijani style - at the eastern end of Turkish culinary reach. It is more cakey and less sweet. But still plenty sweet, with a nice nutty crunch. I don't know whether to kiss or curse my friends for turning me on to this, but now I know. And now so do you.

    Photos
    Sharbat Bakery And Cafe - Inside

    Inside

    Sharbat Bakery And Cafe - Pistachio Cake

    Pistachio Cake

    Sharbat Bakery And Cafe

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    Sylvan Cafe & Restaurant

    Sylvan Cafe & Restaurant

    4.0(147 reviews)
    0.6 miBloomingdale
    $
    Locally owned & operated
    Women-owned & operated

    Great place to WFH. They have a few breakfast items and coffee. The neighborhood is walkable and…read morethe staff member who took my order was nice. I was only in town for the weekend, so I didn't spend much time here, but I could see why the locals like it. I believe the owners are Ethiopian so the menu items reflect that. I would gladly visit again.

    The food was below subpar; the drinks were made like someone who didn't know the cafe's recipes;…read moreand more important, the server was rude. To say, I am disappointed in my experience here is an understatement. I don't normally write review, however, I want to warn others before they waste their money. I went with a friend to support local businesses. We were excited because the reviews were pretty solid. However, once we ordered, we were greatly disappointed. I ordered a Matcha Latte and the servers simply poured milk into a dirty worn out cafeteria plastic cup and dumped matcha powder in it without stirring or blending or adding any flavor. The picture shown below is after I mixed the powder into the milk more. My friend ordered a caramel frappe (not pictured) and the drink lacked caramel. It was simply blended milk and ice. The making of our drinks did not reflect a "cafe" style nor experience. Moreover, the food was below lackluster. The Northern Capital sandwich looked amazing in theory; however, I received one small piece of chicken on a large hoagie roll drenched in mayo with 3 pieces of spinach and a slice of avocado. In my opinion, the portions definitely did not match the price of the sandwich. Furthermore, my friend ordered the Steak & Cheese which came without cheese. After this, my friend and I did not drink the Latte and Frappe. We ate a small portion of the sandwiches to give the restaurant a fair chance, but we were beyond disgusted with the drinks. Therefore, we asked for a refund or the server to re-make them. To which the server laughed in our face with a nasty attitude replying, "Absolutely not!" I absolutely hate to leave a 1-star review on a local restaurant, but I could not go on without warning others to avoid the "cafe" portion of this place if you value your money. Fortunately, we went to a local restaurant nearby afterward to cleanse our palette and thoroughly enjoyed the service and food. More importantly, the prices were comparable to this place but they provided much larger portions and great service.

    Photos
    Sylvan Cafe & Restaurant
    Sylvan Cafe & Restaurant  - Ethiopian veggie meal

    Ethiopian veggie meal

    Sylvan Cafe & Restaurant  - Lox bagel

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    Lox bagel

    Simona cafe - coffee - Updated June 2026

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