Pluma by Bluebird Bakery — Restaurant in Washington

I’ve been a local waiting for this location to open for quite some time! Another cafe at the wharf was definitely needed. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed on this first visit. A Saturday afternoon, very quiet.

Pros: the lamination on the ham and cheese croissant is some of the best I’ve seen in the city. This is worth the venture, I think. The latte was really good. Time taken to get it right as opposed to rushed through to please the line out the door (although not busy when I visited). The natural light is also welcomed thanks to the skylight.

Cons: no real customer service. Felt just blasé, without a desire to obtain repeat business. Seemed odd given the newness. Asks for drinks ‘for here’ were ignored, and although the ham and cheese was good, it wasn’t quite heated through. Lastly, although the big tables along the wall are nice, it’s difficult to navigate around them, or in between them. They’re just too big.

I hope this spot gets even better, but right now it’s not a must hit...

I was trying to find a cute yet artisanal coffee shop while in DC and a friend found this one for me. I was pleasantly surprised by my flat white, although it was slightly more foamy than I would prefer as a barista. But the flavor of the beans was quite nice, and I enjoyed sipping it in the cafe. There isn’t much seating inside and the design is fairly minimalist. I thought it was cute to have the bookstore right next door. I didn’t try any of the baked goods so I can’t vouch for those, but I’d say this is a solid place to get a nice espresso drink for here. It’s right on the Wharf and is a nice area to walk around. It was on the expensive side but I wouldn’t expect any different...

We’ve been waiting for Pluma to expand ever since we went to the Union Market location. This Pluma is just as delicious, however the space itself is larger.

One of us grew up in France and this is the best ham & cheese croissant we’ve experienced on this side of the Atlantic.

Their pistachio croissant au chocolat is also delectable. See the picture.

The service was very kind. We accidentally ordered an item with dairy and they let us replace it for an item without any free of charge.

In terms of improvements if they had some sugar free syrups for the coffee that would be great. Right now they have lavender, vanilla, and simple syrup.

We’ll be coming back...