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Espresso and Ambition

A not-so-serious gal with some serious dreams.

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My Favorite DC Coffee Shops

July 18, 2017 by Taylor 1 Comment

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops - Espresso and Ambition

If you’ve hung around Espresso and Ambition for a while, you’re probably already pretty cognizant of my obsession with local coffee shops. (Heck, even if you’re new here, you probably could have guessed based on the name of this blog.) Now that I’ve almost hit the three-month mark of time in DC, I figured I should share some of my favorite places to get my caffeine fix here in the District. Whether you’re a local looking for a new place or a newbie hitting up the city for the first time, I hope this helps you find a stellar cup of coffee.

 

Chinatown Coffee Co.

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Chinatown Coffee Co - Espresso and Ambition

With all the construction going on right now in the area, this place is the definition of a hole in the wall. I almost didn’t notice the entrance, but this is a cute small coffee shop with high quality cold brew and a nice sized menu of single origin coffees. They also tend to bring in treats from other local DC companies, so I’ve seen District Doughnut pop up there a few times, as well as their own fresh scones.

 My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Chinatown Coffee Co - Espresso and Ambition

 

Compass Coffee

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Compass Coffee - Espresso and Ambition

This place is a DC staple – they roast their own beans and have a huge variety of drinks on their menu. Not only are their specific Compass Coffee shops (my favorite is the one on F Street near Chinatown), but a ton of other places serve Compass roasts. If the coffee alone wasn’t enough to sway you into stopping by, the food options should. They have a fabulous selection of items from DC Vegan, from barbecue wraps to breakfast bars, as well as the traditional pastry fare you come to expect from a coffee shop.

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Compass Coffee - Espresso and Ambition

 

Filter Coffeehouse & Espresso Bar

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Filter Coffeehouse - Espresso and Ambition

If you’re trying to increase your productivity, Filter is a great place for that. There’s no Wi-Fi, which forces you to actually get your work done or actively socialize. And on a note completely unrelated to coffee, I’m really into the orange and brown color scheme of the interior of this place – it’s remarkably soothing.

 

Grace Street Coffee

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Grace Street Coffee - Espresso and Ambition

If by chance you find yourself in Georgetown rather than the central part of DC, Grace Street is a fantastic little coffee spot. (Also, look how small and adorable this cup is.) It’s also part of this whole food hall set-up, so you can grab coffee here and turn around and get a smoothie/acai bowl from South Block all in one go. A+ for convenience.

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Grace Street Coffee - Espresso and Ambition

 

La Colombe

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: La Colombe - Espresso and Ambition

Also a DC staple – to the point that the canned version of their “draft” coffee is sold in almost every grocery store here. That’s completely justified, as their cold brew (which is what they have on draft) is phenomenal. I’ve also heard their chocolate croissants are fab, but I’ve yet to try one myself so I can’t speak from experience. Like Compass, they’ve got a number of locations throughout DC but the one I hit up the most is on the corner of 6th and I near Mount Vernon Square.

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: La Colombe - Espresso and Ambition

 

Peregrine Espresso

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Peregrine - Espresso and Ambition

This was the very first coffee shop I visited in DC. They make a solid cappuccino (my espresso drink of choice), and use Counter Culture beans to make their coffee. Since Counter Culture is what my favorite coffee shop in Athens uses as well, I was immediately a fan of this place. It’s smack in the middle of Eastern Market, which makes it really accessible for me from where I live.

 

Pineapple and Pearls

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Pineapple and Pearls - Espresso and Ambition

This place is half coffee shop, half ridiculously expensive restaurant. I can’t speak for the latter, but the coffee is pretty good and they have some unique pastry options. I will say, however, the iced chai featured in this picture wasn’t my fave, but that may be because I know a place in Athens that makes them perfectly so now I’m picky. Honestly, I’ll go back again pretty soon purely because the aesthetic of the place is so appealing (I love the gold foil packaging).

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Pineapple and Pearls - Espresso and Ambition

 

Wydown

My Favorite DC Coffee Shops: Wydown - Espresso and Ambition

If you’re looking for the perfect ~*coffee shop aesthetic*~, Wydown on H Street has you covered. (The other location on 14th also probably has you covered but I haven’t made it out there yet). Full of white marble countertops, succulents, and wicker chairs, there’s a 100% chance you’ll get a solid Instagram shot out of this place. Also, the cookies are fantastic and it eventually morphs into a cocktail bar in the evening. What more could you ask for from a coffee shop, really?

 

When it comes down to it, I think Compass is my all-time favorite coffee spot here in DC, although Wydown gets a very close second. Who knows though… I feel like I discover new spots daily, so Compass might lose its crown by the end of the summer. We’ll see!

xo, Taylor

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Filed Under: Etc., Travel

Comments

  1. Mia says

    July 20, 2017 at 7:48 pm

    I need to get up to DC soon and check these out! I love coffee shops. 🙂

    Reply

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Meet Taylor

A real-life combination of Elle Woods and Hermione Granger. Recent graduate of the University of Georgia, currently living and working in DC. New blog posts every Monday, new YouTube videos every Thursday. Subscribe by clicking the link below for post updates and exclusive content!

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tayy_kay

📍 dc
🔥 nasm certified personal trainer
✨ self-love + balance
🎥 2 new workouts per week!

tayy_kay
without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little c without heavy weights, it’s sometimes a little challenging to really feel like i’m working at my full potential on leg days 😶 enter: single-leg movements. since all the weight is in one leg, you’re putting way more emphasis on it than you do during two-leg movements - and you’ll definitely feel that 🔥 you also get some added bonuses in the form of ensuring you’re working each side of your body equally AND a balance challenge!!
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you can add in weights or bands to up the challenge level, or do it all bodyweight like i am here!
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1️⃣ 15 single-leg box squats per leg (use other leg as a kickstand for an easier modification!)
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2️⃣ 15 bulgarian split squats per leg
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3️⃣ 15 single-leg hip thrusts per leg
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4️⃣ 15 single-leg deadlifts per leg
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throw on at the end of a longer leg day workout or do it 3-4 times as a workout all on its own!!
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👚 @girlfriend 🎧 numb - neffex
🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time 🖤 go easy on yourself 🖤 this is a weird time to be alive, and it’s more important now than ever to listen to your body and stop being so hard on yourself. motivation is a fickle thing and working out when you don’t have all the equipment you love is weird. give yourself permission to take a break when you need it. don’t beat yourself up for missing workouts - exercise should be something you do because it makes you happy, not because you feel like you have to punish yourself. if it doesn’t make you happy that day, that’s okay. give yourself a break, come back and try again tomorrow. 💪🏼
circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not circuit-style upper body workout 🖤 honestly not kidding about how much i love this long resistance band, it’s so versatile! definitely worth getting your hands on one for home workouts 😊 (although almost all of these can be completely with dumbbells or heavy objects if that’s what you’ve got in hand)
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also please watch to the very end of the fourth video for quality footage of greg 😂
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1️⃣ 12 long band shoulder presses to standing chest presses
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2️⃣ 12 upright rows to bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 overhead triceps extensions per arm (the one leg stance is some bonus balance work!)
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4️⃣ 12 rear flies, featuring greg trying to fight my shadow
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5️⃣ 12 commandos
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6️⃣ 12 side-to-side pushups
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repeat 4x total!!
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👚 @underarmourwomen
🎧 best of me - neffex
giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, cra giveaway 🔥 we’re all handling this weird, crazy time in the world a little differently, and for me, it’s looked like a lot of establishing to and sticking to routines (seriously, sometimes it feels like my skincare routine and workout split are the only thing still giving meaning to days of the week, lol). my morning smoothies have been another important one - there’s a recipe in my story highlights and surprise surprise it uses this protein powder 😛
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anyways, onto the real reason you’re here! i’m giving away 25 $20 giftcards for @310nutrition with NO STRINGS ATTACHED 🤯 you hear that? you ain’t gotta do a thing to win - the first 25 people to use the code KAYGC20 on their order automatically win. get your hands on some fire plant-based protein powder, courtesy of me and 310 😋 (p.s. if you’re still seeing this caption, there are still giftcards available!!)
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#310gc20 #310shake
sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and sometimes you just gotta get hella dressed up and hold a fake photo shoot just to prove to yourself that you’re still a real human
posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangen posted a new youtube video. this picture is tangentially topical. link in bio.
upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating upper body circuit ‼️ i’ve been gravitating towards circuit-style workouts lately, because they really work up a sweat and home workouts just don’t feel as legit to me unless i’m hardcore sweating 🤷🏼‍♀️ i don’t mind not breaking much of a sweat at the gym, but it feels weird not to when i’m working out at home - anyone else feel this or am i just weird?? 😅
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do all exercises back to back with no rest in between!
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1️⃣ 10 push-ups to renegade rows
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2️⃣ 12 alternating bicep curls
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3️⃣ 12 diamond front raises
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4️⃣ 8 sets of 3 tricep pulses to this lil cross-body weight move that doesn’t have a name {keep your core tight to feel it on your obliques!}
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5️⃣ 15 bent-over rear delt rows
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6️⃣ finisher!! 🥵 10 burpees with 2 shoulder taps and 2 toe taps in the middle of each rep
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repeat 🔁 for a total of 3 rounds!!
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👚 top from @gymsharkwomen, shorts from @nike 🎧 dangerous - neffex
would be nice if both sides of my head could agree would be nice if both sides of my head could agree on whether my hair is wavy or straight, but apparently that’s a little too much to ask of it 😂
got a circuit-style leg workout for you today! 🥳 there are 3 sets of 3 exercises that you’ll complete back-to-back - once you’ve done those three moves, rest for 30 seconds before repeating them all over again 2 more times! rest for 1-2 minutes in between each circuit - keeping your heart rate up is the goal here, i was driiiiiiipping sweat by the end of this one 🥵
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circuit 1️⃣: 10 step-ups to reverse lunges per leg
10 reverse lunges to curtsy lunges per leg
20 lateral lunges
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circuit 2️⃣:
10 squats to surrenders (stop in a squat position before standing up at the end to really feel this one)
10 stagger-stance rdls
20 criss-cross squat jumps
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circuit 3️⃣:
15 leg lifts per side
10 single-leg glute bridges per side
15 frog pumps
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👚 top from @fabletics, joggers from @gymsharkwomen
🎧 watch me - neffex
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