Lake Anne Coffee House & Wine Bar — Restaurant in Reston

A must avoid!!!!

If I ever wished to return to the Lake Anne Coffee House, I might ask you to come along. "We can paint it," in the words of DEFENDING YOUR LIFE writer and actor Albert Brooks, whose experience of that waystation we go to after we die to have our lives put on trial to determine whether we move on to Heaven, was a far worse one than that of co-star Merryl Streep. Streep made courageously noble & charitable use of her 29 years of earth before drowning in her pool, and her post-life accommodations included a four star hotel and only the best restaurants, while poor Albert -- who was not expecting a favorable verdict -- had to be content with places like ... well, like the Lake Anne Coffee House.

This is a pretentious little prick of a place that thinks it can get by on a charming location. And no doubt it will always have the support of proud natives who believe it anchors the hood -- and 20 something hipsters who pine for the coffee house back on campus. It sits on the edge of a lake, but not close enough to fall in -- unfortunately. Perhaps it reminds some of you of the Central Perk from the popular 90s TV series, Friends. I would not be penning this critique if it were sofas and not servers that separated Central Perk's wheat from Lake Anne's chafe. While I'm sure Joey, Ross, and Phoebe enjoyed a more aesthetic and sanitary class of seat, I found myself more preoccupied philosophically with the role of servers in a dining experience. My Lake Anne brush with hospitality really made me think about it. Servers are not merely convenient. They are downright "mission-critical." And we could not find one in our first 15 minutes there.

There were no hostesses. No greeters. No signs. No uniforms for employees. No idea how to put in a food order. We finally identified someone who resembled an employee, but only after scanning faces for expressions that could only belong to those of us who are grossly underpaid and demoralized (a phenomenon which managed the jump from exception to norm even after the Federally mandated and humanitarian increase in the minimum wage).

I dispatched my wife downstairs to ask this server if we could put in an order and she said we needed our credit card. When my wife told her the card was upstairs with her husband and son, the server replied "okay" and appeared to type our order into some device. We sat upstairs for 30 more minutes before my wife returned downstairs, where the same server -- who my wife described as "dumb as a post" -- told us that because my wife didn't have the card with her when she placed the order, that the order was never really taken. (I suppose that the initial encounter served as a dress rehearsal or non-virtual simulation).

I agree with 5 other reviewers who have the same complaints about the service and who struggle mightily to fathom all the positive reviews, which I can only imagine were the work of volunteers hired by the Reston Chamber of Commerce. I might feel differently if it were at all possible to dine there.

I understand from something I read on the menu that the establishment had come under new management / ownership in 2016. My only other encounter here was as the site of a blind date in 2008. If my memories are to be trusted, the place has gone...

Do NOT come here. Extremely rude staff. You’re not welcomed (especially women by cashier Koran). I visited here on Oct. 20th with my son for brunch options. I’m a lifelong Restonian and have visited Lake Anne’s Coffee House since its opening. I’ve never had the experience I did with cashier Koran (or similar name, tall middle eastern). He clearly was having a very bad day when we entered.

We weren’t greeted and he did not speak til we ordered. Koran was cold, short, and seemed agitated. When ordering my son’s sausage & biscuits, he expressed offense to the way I ordered his eggs. I did correct this then proceeded to order. But instead, Koran (being in a very bad mood) began to escalate and condescendingly question the way I ordered the eggs. I expressed that I didn’t understand why he was so argumentative and he raised his voice, said I didn’t greet him while my son went over the menu, and how uncourteous I was as a customer. (As if it wasn’t my intention to feed my kid and support their business like I have throughout the years.)

Koran then mocked and yelled at me to calm down, while I simply asked for the transaction to be voided and so we may leave. After all this, he continued to ask what the problem was (as if I wanted their business now). I would love the establishment to review their audio and camera footage, I sincerely felt belittled and disrespected as a woman and a customer. Koran felt comfortable to tower over 5”2 mother and attempt to gaslight, mock, and argue for absolutely no reason in front of my son. Regardless of how a customer orders, if they’re tired and improperly make a mistake: there’s no excuse to argue, belittle and take their anger out on them. The way this man began to escalate in mere seconds is concerning and I would make a strong bet that he does NOT...

On a Sunday morning (Nov 1) there were just two people working and only one of them was making drinks and taking orders (I couldn’t tell what the other person was doing). It was pouring rain so I tried to order ahead on the phone but the first call got disconnected after I was placed on hold and then every time I called back there wasn’t any answer. The recording suggested placing an order online so I went to their website and the immediate pickup option said it would be ready in 30-35 minutes (too slow). When I showed up the person making drinks had to walk around the counter to get to the front window to take orders and collect payment. The people in front of me waited at the window for their order to be ready. When they were done and left, I stepped forward to place my order & pay and then stepped back to allow the person behind me to place an order (thinking this was more efficient). That person had a pickup order that did not appear to be ready yet so they made his order and then made mine after. I tried to order a soy iced latte and they did not have soy milk which was a bit surprising for a coffee shop. The straws are paper and turn to mush unless you chug your drink. The coffee itself was good, but the ordering process and staffing could use some improvement. I’d suggest biodegradable straws that aren’t made of paper or sippable lids like they have at Starbucks to avoid the straws altogether.

I haven’t tried the food options yet as they seemed a bit pricey for grab and go. Perhaps in a non-Covid, nice day outdoor dining experience it would...