Simona Cafe — Restaurant in Washington

I was looking for a place to meet up with a friend, and so I googled "Best specialty coffee in DC" on a whim, and this was the first café that popped up. Now that I've been, I feel comfortable saying that the sentiment behind this label is well-earned. The nerd branding is spot-on. The staff is enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and the food is novel and delicious.

SERVICE Upon arriving, I spoke at length with the barista about the coffee selections and suggested items from the menu. She shared the flavor profiles of the available beans and discussed her own favorites, which sounded delicious.

During this conversation, I learned that Sweet Science doesn't "do" dark roast, even in their espresso, which they understand is unconventional. They had a medium roast option, if you're looking for something more traditional. However, all their beans are high-quality. They're light-to-medium specialty roasted in MD and have single-origin options.

My friend and I ordered light roast single origin cortados, "biscuit sammies", and a coffee cake muffin.

I did not mind waiting for our sandwiches, (and actually I don't know if I even would have noticed how long they took), but the barista would periodically give us updates, was really apologetic about the wait, and gave us free drinks of our choice for "our trouble". It was a very nice gesture that speaks to the quality of the service here.

CORTADO: I've never had a cortado before, and I enjoyed it. The presentation in the glass cup was impressive as well (pictured). The cortado flavor had a little bit of an edge to it, as light roast espresso is a little more astringent, but the texture was was creamy and smooth. I would order it again, if I was in the mood for something smaller.

I'm usually the kind of person that puts some kind of sugar in my coffee, but that did not feel necessary. The taste was pleasant, even with the astringency.

COFFEE CAKE MUFFIN The muffin was great, and I feel like the sweetness had been really dialed in enough to be satisfying without overwhelming. I'm glad I went for it.

BISCUIT SAMMY The biscuit in the biscuit sammy is a cheddar jalapeño biscuit with a heavenly texture and a noticable but moderate kick that really elevates the sandwich. The eggplant, onion jam, egg, and greens are a great compliment to the biscuit. I'm a real sucker for a good egg and biscuit sandwich, and this one did not disappoint.

LATTE: I also got a hot Latté with the single-origin light roast. The milk foam was surprisingly thick and creamy compared to other milk foams I've had. As before, I felt no need to put anything additional in the latte like I usually do, as the astringency wasn't overpowering and the flavor was bright and enjoyable.

I also noticed that the temperature was also just right. Starbucks coffee will burn your tongue because high temps keep the coffee fresher for longer, but this coffee was good to drink fairly quickly. This is also kind of weird, but I loved the ceramic cup it came in. It didn't have a handle, but it didn't need one. the finned design looked very stylish and provided comfortable temperatures on the surface of the cup. It was very chique.

VIBES The vibe was nerdy and cute. There's coffee cherry mural on the wall, little caffeine molecules on the floor, and some pipe-based-decor behind the counter. It was pretty quiet at 1PM even with jazz playing on the speakers. The vibe was very relaxed.

SUMMARY I typically end these reviews by considering whether or not I'd hypothetically come back again at some point, under what conditions, and for what items exactly.

Well. I'm making concrete plans to go back and do work in the corner with a biscuit sammy and a latte to keep me company. And I live an hour away. So I don't think hypotheticals and conditions are necessary. It's going to happen. I guess that means I'll have to rate Sweet Science an 11/10. See...

I found out about sweet science coffee in the daily coffee news. I realized I had to go and I walked over 40 minutes to get there and back. I would have walked much, much further. I have been to many coffee shops in many cities in the United States and most have pastries.This coffee shop pastries are beyond outstanding. So much so that I left with two bags of the pastries. Even if you are not a coffee drinker it's worth going simply for the pastries. They have two talented pastry chefs on-site and that makes all the difference. It is also my understanding that in the afternoon there is a different pastry offering which I have not yet had the pleasure of trying. When it comes to the coffee this is a very unique shop in that they have your typical espresso drinks but with very great coffees. In the multiple brewing area, which opens at 10:00 a.m. daily, those really interested exploring the limitless bounds of coffee flavors will be delighted with all the options. Hopefully, the photos will give you a good idea of the ever-changing coffee options and the available brewing methods. One of the very unique aspects of this coffee shop is that they determine which brew method is the best for a specific coffee and yes you should leave it to the professionals. I see this more and more at the better coffee shops where they will use the brew method that best suits the coffees flavor profile. You will have the opportunity to taste coffee flavors that you would never think are...

First I would like to start with the only positive part of this experience was the food and the coffee. Other than that we were kicked out of our seats by a tall black employee on 7-14 at 11:00 am because a party of three came in and they wanted our table. We had been there around 40 minutes. And also everyone else that had a table had been there longer than us but somehow we were the targets. We hadn’t even finished our coffees yet and it was in a glass so it’s not like we could take it with us. It was extremely rude and my husband and I were honestly so shocked that we just left. If that’s how they treat customers that have already paid them then they definitely will not be seeing us again. We paid $45 for two lattes and two sandwiches only to be kicked out of our seats while just trying to have a nice Sunday. Do not come to this place if you expect a relaxing coffee shop experience apparently it’s a high stakes restaurant that needs to turn tables quickly. And will pressure you into giving tables to people who come in after you. Update The owner replied to this and it’s a lie. We were not asked to switch seats. We were asked if we were almost done because there is a party that needs to sit there. And it was so rude that we just left. No do you need to go cups no customer service at all. The only reason we were sitting at a four top table was that was the only one available when we came in. At any other coffee shop it’s first come...