Cameron Cafe — Restaurant in Alexandria

From the outside, the Cameron Cafe looks like your average, run of the mill coffee shop and, inside, it's nothing that'll blow your socks off.

The interior is simple, a little crowded and starting to hedge a little on the old-fashioned side of things.

BUT, I'm here to tell you, that's okay.

People often come to coffee shops with the expectation that they need to be wowed with the best cup of coffee they've ever had, sit in the perfect shop and have an experience that absolutely blows them out of the water.

I, however, would argue that good coffee, in a simple, comfortable environment with great people is what makes a coffee shop great. Cameron Cafe has captured that essence to perfection.

There are no frills about this place. Just a warm, comfortable sitting area, a menu that was probably printed 10 years ago and some of the nicest staff I've ever seen. They know many of the customers by name and the ones they don't, they treat like family. To me, that says a lot about the integrity of this place.

Not to mention, the coffee is good. I ordered a cup freshly brewed house coffee and, while it certainly didn't knock me to the floor, it was good and for $2, it's hard to be upset.

All in all, Cameron Cafe is a great place to visit. Come and get a little work done. Come and get coffee with a date. Come read a book. Come and enjoy some coffee.

There's plenty of parking, plenty of seating and plenty of food, tea and bread...

My son and his soccer carpool practice at nearby Breneman Park 3x a week. At least 1-2x a week, I hit up Cameron Cafe for an iced coffee while I work in the cafe while my carpool practices or if I have my younger son, to get a smoothie or hot chocolate. Ms. LemLem and the other staff are so friendly and welcoming. The best part about this cafe is that it brings together community. There are people of all ages, from the infants with their caregivers or families to the school children to people working or socializing to the senior adults in the neighborhood. My son notices the diversity of the patrons and how they are all friendly and know each other by name. Ms. LemLem knows my son's order and is so nice to him, making him feel like a big deal for a special treat. They have a nice selection of pastries, grab and go or hot sandwiches, drinks, beer and wine and specialty coffee infused cocktails. Since I am working and driving kids, I stick to my iced coffee. There is great places to sit and chat inside (cafe tables, high tops, couches) and on the sidewalk patio (Adirondack high top chairs, picnic benches cafes). The restrooms are available and clean and the there is always a big group inside after work and school. There needs to be more spaces like this in the city...

I'm a regular at Cameron Cafe that works remotely from the space, somewhere between 4-6 hours a day when I come in. Never once have I felt unwelcome in this space, seeing crucial representation of non-white business owners, warmth and coziness regardless of how much I buy, and state of the art seating and facilities. I've been coming to this cafe for a while now, and it's the only place I'm comfortable working long hours from in Alexandria. The space is cozy, inviting, and communal.

Sometimes when business picks up, it may be a bit packed; however, there is plenty seating inside and outside. All the staff and business owners have been more than excellent in their business practices, and I've seen consistently across all the months I've been here. I'm not much of a coffee drinker, but to support them I'd try a coffee or two. They have several different drink and food options that are locally sourced and fresh in store almost every day.

Please support this minority-owned business by coming to drop in, spend some time, buy a pastry or beverage, and enjoy the environment. Comes HIGHLY...