MQR Coffee & All Day Brunch in Falls Church — Restaurant in Bailey's Crossroads

To echo my comment on Instagram - this place is my vibe and I describe it with one word: perfection. From the staff to the food to the cafe itself is pure perfection.

It is family operated and I am a huge supporter of family businesses especially when they are also Muslim because it is our sacred duty to support our brethren.

Our first visit was right after I flew into DCA from a trip and we had planned on brunch. Having seen MQR on my Instagram feed we were anxious to try it out.

First visit and first impressions - it was BUSY and that was an indication of how the food was going to be. Secondly it is an extremely cozy little spot and the color/ambiance gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that you’ll enjoy it. I can describe it like one of the cute cozy cafes you’d find /around Europe. Did I mention that it is super clean!

Our host was Roona/Runa (apologies if I spelt it incorrectly!) and her hospitality was simply wonderful. After listening to her suggestions we decided on the kunafa French toast, the Mediterranean chopped cheese, chicken shawarma and zaatar fries.

Kunafa French toast - this can be an addiction in its own right not only because of the flavor but because of how unique the dish is. Paired with the orange syrup and pistachios makes it heavenly with each bite.

Mediterranean chopped cheese - the beef is perfectly seasoned and cooked and the portion is amazing. The medley of flavors with the Aleppo pepper, the harissa mayonnaise just went together and that little kick of spice was delightful. Half of it filled me up and the other half ended up being dinner.

Chicken shawarma - I haven’t found a decent shawarma in the DMV since I moved to America 10 years ago and I found it here. The chicken is seasoned and cooked just right with the blend of seasonings. The portion like the chopped cheese was excellent.

Zaatar fries - the right amount of seasoning and crisp and paired with the garlic mayonnaise made them very enjoyable,

Visit 2 the next evening - we ordered the hummus with chicken shawarma, sweet chili chicken sandwich and harissa fries.

Now if I had to pick between the zaatar friies and the harissa fries then I’m going with the harissa fries 🙂

In many cases there is always some critique of an eatery. In truth I can’t find anything at all to critique about MQR and that speaks volumes as to the quality of its food and staff. They take pride in what they do and it reflects in what they produce and the service they provide.

Runa, thank you for being awesome and kind to me and my family. We look forward to being your regular customers and supporting your business!

I intend to update this review with photos...

I recently visited MQR for breakfast with a friend and although the food was passable, the service and excessively loud environment would likely deter me from returning.

I ordered the Levantine Bagel with a side of beef bacon, and a hot chocolate with their house-made cardamom syrup. Of the items I tried, the hot chocolate stood out as the most enjoyable. The cardamom syrup was clearly crafted in-house, delivering a bold flavor without the artificial notes often found in commercial syrups.

Unfortunately, the overall experience was diminished by two major issues: the service and the noise levels. MQR’s interior is considerably more compact than its pictures online suggest, with tables densely packed. While practical for business, it results in constant movement and discomfort as people try to move to and from behind you, especially when the restaurant is at full capacity, as it was during my visit. The noise levels were to the point where holding a conversation with the person seated directly in front of me proved difficult. This loud environment also clashed with the restaurant’s operational flow. Despite offering table numbers, implying food would be delivered to diners, they instead relied on verbally calling out order numbers. Given the noise level, it was nearly impossible to hear these announcements. When my order was eventually brought to the table, the staff member remarked pointedly, “We’ve been calling your number but you didn’t hear us. Keep that in mind for next time.” The comment felt unnecessarily sharp and inconsiderate, particularly given the setting. Later however, I observed several other orders being delivered directly to tables, without similar remarks.

Before leaving, I decided to purchase a slice of cake as a gift. I was taken aback to learn that a single pre-packaged slice cost $10. In my opinion, this pricing is excessive—even renowned bakeries throughout D.C. rarely...

Update 9/1/24

In our local Annandale neighborhood. Only gone for breakfast but waiting to try burgers and sandwiches on the menu. Seems that a lot of stuff is in house made or cured which is great. Prices aren’t super cheap but aren’t unreasonable.

Ambiance is nice and modern with marble appearing tables and clean looking interior. It’s not that crowded (for now) on the weekdays in the morning/ pre lunch time but I wouldn’t be surprised as this new spot gains more recognition that people may come more often.

Drink highlight: -DEFINITELY the pistachio latte (iced). Have yet to have it hot as it’s summer time, but WOW! House made syrup, pistachio cold foam and a well pulled latte. We’ve gotten it every time -Cardamom latte is good. I don’t think as good as the pistachio latte… but if you’re a big cardamom fan then you may like -Tristan has been there in the morning and she is always kind and great at pulling lattes!

Breakfast highlights: -KUNAFA FRENCH TOAST: WOW! The French toast itself is crunchy with a light ashta (middle eastern cream) filling which is divine. It’s not too sweet for the French toast itself. There is a side of whipped cream which was very light but had great texture and flavor. The orange blossom syrup though takes the cake. Uniquely flavored, sweet and delicious. This is a complete, and well put together sweet dish and I highly recommend it

-harissa egg sandwich: beef bacon is yummy! Eggs were cooked well!

-Cairo omelette: basterma with the feta cheese cooked and melted inside. Delicious!

Sandwich: -chicken shawarma: okay I did have this for breakfast. It is awesome that you can get sandwich and burgers all day. Chicken was delicious and the garlic sauce with saj bread was a...