Tatte Bakery & Cafe | Capitol Crossing — Restaurant in Washington

Hubby and I came here early evening (5ish?) so we probably ended up avoiding the main customer rush time, probably hence good atmosphere and service rating from us. It is a well lit cafe, smells good, neatly organized and cleanly - well kept. There is wheelchair access ramp in addition to steps to walk down into the cafe from the entrance. Interesting choice of layout - it is nice to get a somewhat aerial view of the cafe as you enter for the first time and get a chance to see whether if there is adequate seating or not. The service kiosk is surrounded by a pastry display and counter seating, in-person orders are made there, including coffee (the coffee bar is physically separate from the service kiosk, but the coffee orders are sent to the coffee bar I assume so don’t place your orders at the coffee bar? - I hope this is helpful information for the socially anxious). The pastries, if you order based on the display, are given to you at the service kiosk then and there and you are handed a table number to which they will later bring your coffee or perhaps brunch order. The individual who helped us order was very quick, courteous and friendly. Other environmental things - there is free public WiFi and the seating is comfy and boothlike against the walls with small round tables and wooden chairs, but there are larger tables available if you desire a larger workspace. Many people who appeared here on this evening seemed to be on their way home from work or studious - it’s a quiet place at this time, but still family friendly. In terms of beverage/food - we got the house latte, passion fruit krembo, and honey apple cake. The honey apple cake was probably the best tasting of the 3 and it has the appearance of being in fussy and homemade, like you would curl up on the couch and snuggle while eating it. It was on display and when we had arrived and had not been cut into, which was surprising. It was delicately sweet with good crunch texture - it had an apple puree at the bottom? I don’t know, it was akin to applesauce (if it was supposed to be baked apple slices, then those slices had become mush :-/). Perhaps I’m a bit nitpicky, my only con for this item was that it was a tiny bit stale - perhaps from sitting in the display. Would order again, if I can get there earlier the next time, I bet it would be heavenly fresh. The latte (I got it hot) flavored with halva and cardamom, was a bit sour on the first sip (not in the citrus-y, acidic way). But after that taste had mellowed out, it was a delicious latte that wasn’t too sweet. I am unfamiliar with halva as a flavor, so I cannot speak to whether it was present, but the cardamom was definitely there. As for the passionfruit krembo - it was sweet, almost sickly. It was very pretty, but perhaps not order again. Overall, I would come back here to take family to show them how pretty of a cafe/bakestore it is. I’d like to try their brunch menu and seasonal drinks in the future. All 3 items, with tip, cost over $20 - so this really more of a special treat than a...

The manager at the Tatte Capitol Crossing location takes the cake for being unprofessional. Make sure to get a receipt (even if you use your credit card and Tatte gives you the option of no receipt) because they will give you the hardest time to give you a refund and try to humiliate you so that you would go home.

Those reading the review can decide for themselves:

Facts: I ordered four items: the crumbs cheese cake ($6.50), the chocolate sandwich cookie($3.00), dark chocolate moose cake ($8.00), lemon raspberry pavlova ($7.00). I was charged 26.95 which is the full amount for the 4 items. However, the employee handling the matter did not provide the chocolate sandwich cookie ($3.00). This review is not so much about the employee handing the packing of the food because people make mistakes. It is about the failed remediation and service by Tatte’s manager.

After getting home, I opened the containers that I thought contained the 4 items. However the chocolate sandwich cookie was missing. I therefore contacted via phone, the Tatte Capitol crossing location for a refund of the $3.00 because I did not want the inconvenience of going back. The original employee could hear everything I said and passed me onto the alleged “manager.” The manager was rude and a difficult person to deal with.

First, he pretended that he could not hear me (even though the previous employee heard my request). When I called back, he initially refused to refund because I did not have a receipt. I pointed out that it is Tatte who gives the option not to providr the receipt and I would instead provide my CC to verify the purchase. After hearing that the manager begrudgingly said, “that’s what I was asking for.”

After giving him the number he hung up. Seeing that the manager was not going to issue a refund, I returned the store with the purchased items (it was clear that he was not going to give me a partial refund based on his interaction) and the credit card statement on the phone App to seek a full refund. Again, the manager was condescending in his response saying that “he was busy” after 20-25 minutes has passed. Typically such reverse transactions are done over the phone and 20-25 minutes sounds ridiculous. Second, he continued to question the veracity of my refund request of $3.00. At this point, I asked for a full refund.

Ultimately, the manager agreed to a refund but he then condescendingly (in a sing-song sarcastic way) said some training manual language of “come again” in a very loud voice to make a point that he wasn’t sorry. From start to finish there was no apology for the mistake and no genuine empathy to assist. Every action he took was to embarrass me, delay the discussion and break my morale so that the store could keep the extra $3.00.

I just wanted a refund for the items I paid for (and did not receive) without any inconvenience. Tatte just decided to ruin my day with their...

We ordered the Spinach Jerusalem Artichoke Egg Plate, the Scrambled Egg Plate with Tomato and Goat Cheese, and the Orange Upside-Down Cake. The first issue was that they were only accepting “take-out” orders at the time, though we were still allowed to dine in—apparently because they had run out of table service numbers. Given how busy it was, this was understandable, but it set the tone for a less-than-ideal experience.

Hoping for some compromise, I asked if we could at least get our meals on proper plates instead of disposable plastic ones. Unfortunately, this was not possible, and no real effort was made to accommodate the request. I’m not sure if the owners have ever been to France, let alone a proper French establishment, but serving food on flimsy plastic plates with cheap cutlery is far from the refined experience they seem to be aiming for.

Once we got past that, our food was ready to “take out.” To our surprise, the sourdough that was supposed to come with the egg plate was missing, as was the orange cake. After a second request, we received both, though the cake had been squeezed into a box far too small for it.

As for the food itself, the Egg Plate and Scrambled Eggs were well-prepared and flavorful, but eating them out of those containers completely undermined the atmosphere. The experience felt more like eating IHOP in a parking lot than a French-inspired café.

The Orange Upside-Down Cake was another disappointment. It was far too heavy, with a dense, overly thick batter. Ideally, an upside-down cake should have a texture somewhere between a rich butter cake and a light sponge, allowing the delicate orange topping to shine. A simple adjustment—such as separating the eggs and beating the whites—could help achieve a much-needed lighter consistency.

Overall, while the food itself showed potential, the service approach and presentation completely detracted from the experience. If they truly want to maintain a sophisticated café atmosphere, they need to rethink how they handle busy periods without compromising quality...