5 Coffee Shops I’d Text You About (Baltimore + DC)

Baltimore Coffee Tour: 5 Cool Coffee in Baltimore

Let’s talk Baltimore coffee! After drinking our way through DC and surviving a very delayed Acela ride, we made it to Baltimore with one goal: find the coffee shops worth lingering in.

Here’s the Baltimore coffee tour, the spots I’d tell my friends to go to, no hesitation. also this is the first look video is coming out this week!

• Cafe Dear Leon Address 

  • a viral coffee shop that definitely lives up to it’s hype. While they are known for their crab dip bagels that has people lining up down the street, their coffee and pastries are equally as amazing! All the baristas here were so kind. & Heads up, this coffee shop is SMALL! So def a grab and go spot. I ordered a smore’s cookie (10/10) and a cold brew which was very good!!

• Matriarch Coffee Address 

  • a Black owned Rwandan coffee shop right on the Baltimore harbor. They had really great coffee and an intriguing whisky cold brew, which is what I am holding up in the photo! I was so curious about the whisky cold brew, you already know we had to give it a go. What they do is ferment the coffee beans in the same barrels they fermented the whisky. So the beans end up tasting like whisky without any alcohol content. Think virgin Irish Coffee, when you add cream and sugar!

• Black Acres Roastery Address 

  • Probably the best coffee I had during this tour! While I accidentally went to their second location which was… what could considered something like a study center… and not the lexington location i was SO PLEASED! My mother got the velvet hot chocolate which she LOVED and I got the brown sugar cold brew latte! truly a spot to hit up!

• OneDo Coffee Address 

  • A coffee shop i’d love to linger in time and time again. For starters, the interior! The dark wood finish contrasted by all of the dark leafy plants! I was in heaven, I felt like I could go there and write a novel or do deep work. They also roast in house which was nice to learn. I got a brown sugar latte here because it was below freezing outside and I already had an ice coffee right before. balance.

• Cafe Los Sueños Address 

  • Final stop on the tour and I actually got there right before closing! Crazy I know, but while things on the map look close in Baltimore, 1 mile takes like 10-15 minutes! As the highest rated coffee shop on the list, I knew I had to get there come hell or high water. It’s a Salvadorian owned coffee shop and they make some good coffee. I got the last of their cold brew and I definitely cannot wait to come back and try more of their drinks. The seating in there feels like an old timey diner which was such a cool concept I havent seen in a coffee shop.

The video of these coffee shops will be uploaded this week!! But I just HAD to share with you before!

January’s Coffee Shop Exploration:

[this is your inside scoop of what coffee shops we visited this month]

1. Allelo: Address + Video

   • Located in Logan Circle this coffee shop gets an A+ in cozy. It’s a spot I’d recommend taking someone to if you just want to chat.

2. Sook DC : Address (video coming out this week)

   1. Located right off of 14th street (careful its kind of hidden) this coffee shop is such a good spot to do work with headphones in or meet up with a friend. oh! it is also a wine bar in the evening!

3. The Coffee Bar: Address 

   1. Located in Shaw this coffee shop is such a great spot to bring a friend who is visiting town or to just grab a coffee before a walk. would i pull out my laptop - not really. only when its summer and they have the tables out.

4. Coffee Republic Address 

   1. Located right off Metro Center this place gets an A+ in vibes. Its a cool coffee shop with really inventive flavors that definitely make your taste buds water.

5. Dua DC Address

   1. A DC coffee shop legend, love revisiting this coffee shop its a greet catch up coffee shop or a stop and go.

6. Zeke’s Address 

   1. DMV staple and one of my most frequented. Love their nitro cold brew but minimal seating in their downtown location.

7. Yellow Address 

   1. A coffee shop with such amazing food. Definitely have frequented more for their breakfast options but if you don’t mind waiting in line its def a place to go.

8. Frame Roasters (VA): Address + Video

   1. Located in Vienna Virginia, this coffee shop was such a great find. Great seating indoors and really good coffee. They also have an omakase experience that I’ll share later this week!

The DOM Take™

Coffee shops are meant for lingering. God forbid a girl wants to sit at a coffee shop and do a little work for a few hours. If you hadn’t heard, there was a whole discourse on whether or not coffee shops are for lingering. Granted, the story that sparked this conversation, has a bit of nuance to it and…. the concept of courtesy, however the question still remains: are coffee shops meant for lingering? 

My hot take is that they are. Coffee shops are third spaces where people can grab a cup of their favorite caffeinated beverage and chat with friends, do work, write a story, scroll on Pinterest, or just read. Hell, its also cool to just look out the window if you wanted. 

I don’t think policing how people utilize a third space is a way to create lasting community, & I also think that if its a crowded coffee shop maybe don’t assume you can get a seat or someone owes you theirs.