Across Washington DC, of the 189 cafes we list, 164 give a phone number and 132 have a website. 8 are branches of national chains — Au Bon Pain (3), Cosi (2), Pret A Manger (2); the remaining 181 are independent. By what they offer: 15 are tea rooms, 11 are bakery cafes, 7 serve breakfast. Most often named on their own websites: breakfast (21), lunch (19) and brunch (7). The longest-running is E-Tea, in business since 1964. 2 describe themselves as family-owned.
Top 10 cafes in Washington DC
Ranked by how complete and owner-verified the listing info is — hours, phone, website, services. No pay-to-play. Full 2026 ranking
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1Café UnidoWashington
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2Licht CafeWashington
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3Yours Cafe DCWashington
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4Peacock CaféWashington
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5Teaism Dupont CircleWashington
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6Gallery CafeWashington
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7Ahra CafeWashington
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8Any Day NowWashington
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9Aroma ExpressWashington
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10Atrium CafeWashington
Cities
Largest first. Towns with a single cafe are listed further down this page.
Other towns in Washington DC
One cafe each — too few for a page of their own, so they live here.
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mamanWashington, DC
141 N St SE, Washington, DC, DC 20303
Salads · Sandwiches · Pastries
BEFORE YOU GO
Make your cafe visit work
Choose a setting, check laptop policies and plan a meetup.
