Monday, August 31, 2026

The Top 48 Coffee Shops in Washington

The best coffee shops in Washington, by the professional record: Michelin Guide, The Rammys, and Bon Appétit have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Yellow comes out on top.

Ellē and Maketto hold the next two places. Time Out shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with Washingtonian next.

  1. Rank 1. Yellow

    Levantine

    A wood-burning oven anchors this fast-casual Levantine cafe in Georgetown, where the line out the door reorganizes itself around whatever Michael Rafidi's team pulled from it most recently. Mornings run on pastries and shakshuka; afternoons shift to stuffed pitas and batata tots with urfa sauce. By night it flips to table service and a dinner menu. The Michelin Guide gave it a Bib Gourmand, which tracks.


  2. Rank 2. Ellē

    American

    The former Heller's Bakery space now runs all day as a cafe, from morning lattes and egg sandwiches on potato rolls through a pastrami Reuben at lunch and on to dinner plates that get genuinely ambitious: fried halloumi with farro, chicken Milanese with romesco, ravioli with mushrooms and hazelnuts. The kitchen leans into fermentation and seasonal quirks in a way that keeps things interesting without making you feel like you're being lectured. Michelin Bib Gourmand.


  3. Rank 2. Maketto

    Cambodian Taiwanese Coffee Shop

    Sneakers mounted on the wall are, in fact, for sale, which tells you everything about the vibe before you've ordered. Erik Bruner-Yang's café and all-day dining room on H Street blends a retail shop with Cambodian and Taiwanese cooking, all meant for the table to share. The caramel fried chicken has been on the menu long enough to qualify as a classic, and the Michelin Bib Gourmand suggests the kitchen isn't coasting on that.


  4. Rank 4. Yellow

    Levantine Middle Eastern



  5. The arepa arrives wrapped like a little gift, seared masa around a fried egg, tomato, cotija, and avocado. This all-day Latin American spot on Florida Avenue runs from morning coffee through dinner without any of the fuss, and the price point reflects that. Upstairs, an intimate room with original details fills with regulars chasing the pork empanadas and masa gnocchi with braised beef.







  6. Rank 11. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert


  7. Rank 11. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert


  8. Rank 11. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert


  9. Rank 11. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert


  10. Rank 11. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert



  11. Rank 11. Dua Coffee

    Indonesian Coffee


  12. Rank 11. La Coop Coffee Company

    Guatemalan Coffee



  13. Rank 21. Café Unido

    Panamanian Coffee


  14. Rank 21. Teaism

    Japanese Coffee Shop













  15. Rank 23. Dolcezza

    Italian Dessert













  16. Rank 23. Unido

    Panamanian Coffee




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The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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    Drink Score

    The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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      Stay Score

      The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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        Do Score

        The score comes from the awards it's won, weighted by who gave them: a Michelin star outweighs a listicle. When you sort by what's nearby, distance changes the order, never the score.

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