A Bit More Internet With Your Coffee….
Updated 7/8/2005: Restaurants and cafes with Wi-fi seem to be popping up through town and, since I’ve been slacking over here at DCFUD and haven’t updated this list in forever, I figured now was a good time. Thanks to the numerous people who’ve written in with suggestions, this list is now updated. Please keep the updates coming in to dcfud.writers@gmail.com.
There are those among us here at DCFUD who cannot be separated from our computers. I’m among the worst, especially as I often spend large portions of my day working in coffee shops. For those of you with the same addictions as me, here are a list of places I know of with wireless (wifi) internet for partrons.
|
Name
|
Location
|
Closest Metro
|
$$
|
Comments
|
| Soho Tea & Coffee |
2150 P St NW |
Dupont Circle | Free | You and your computer are never alone at Soho. I’ve never seen less than 3 people on laptops working there. At peak times, the network can crawl because so many people are on it. Good tea and coffee; tons of power outlets, and great atmosphere. The food is a bit boring, though. |
| Tryst |
2459 18th Street NW |
Woodley Park/Zoo, then 98 Bus or about a 10 minute walk | Free | Tryst is, well, the place to drink coffee and use your laptop in the greater Adams Morgan corridor. The sandwiches are pretty good, as is the tea, coffee, and booze. Wireless is free and plentiful (runs off a T-1 line) and the wait staff have no problem serving you a drink and then letting you sit for 2, 3, or even 6 hours. Don’t try it late at night, though, as Tryst turns into a bar after about 10 — and now turns the Wireless off for weekend evenings. |
| Love Cafe |
1501 U St., NW |
U Street/ Cardozo or walkable from Dupont Circle | Free | Cake Love is glorious food; Love Cafe lets you eat that glorious food while not missing a minute of your high-speed Internet access. Readers note that Love Cafe’s wireless is often out, however. |
| Murky Coffee Arlington (nee Common Grounds) |
3211 Wilson Blvd, Arlington | Clarendon | Free | Even though it is in Arlington (shudder), patrons claim Murky Coffee has excellent coffee and espresso. I haven’t been since the change from Common Grounds. |
| Murky Coffee | 660 Pennsylvania Ave, SE | Free | I’ve never been to Murky Coffee, but people who live nearby swear by it. So give it a try and report back here. |
|
| Java Shack | 2507 North Franklin Street, Arlington | Courthouse | $6.95/day | An astute reader reported this one. I’ve never been, so no comments. |
| Dr. Dremo’s Taphouse | 2001 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington | Free | A bar/taphouse, rather than a coffee shop. I’ve only been to Dremo’s to drink, but they now offer free Wireless for when work requires a shot of Jaegermeister rather than a shot of espresso. | |
| Sparky’s Espresso Cafe | 1720 14th St NW | U Street/Cardozo | Free | Another reader recommendation. Sparky’s sells booze and coffee, but reports indicate that it’s often loud and not conducive to large groups. |
| Mayorga Coffee Roasters | 8040 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring | Silver Spring | Free | Another reader recommendation. I’ve never been – any thoughts? |
| Greenberry’s Coffee and Tea Company | 1737 Wilson Blvd., Arlington | WiseZone | Another reader recommendation. Wireless Internet is ~$0.20/minute or $24.95+ a month. Any comments on the coffee/food? | |
| Caribou Coffee | 1101 17th Street NW; 1400 14th Street NW; and 1701 Pennysylvania Ave | Farragut North; McPherson Square; and Farragut North | SBC FreedomLink | For some reason, people who hate Starbucks love Caribou Coffee, ignoring the fact that it, too, is a large evil corporation. Regardless, Caribou now offers wifi to customers along with a pretty darn good cup of coffee. SBC FreedomLink memberships are $19.95-$39.95/mo or $25 pre-paid for 3 connections. |
| Starbucks |
Stand on any street corner. Turn around. Welcome to Starbucks. |
T-mobile | Daily, pay-as-you-go, or monthly subscriptions used anywhere T-mobile provides service. $20-$40/mo unlimited use. |
|
| Borders |
1801 K Street NW |
Farragut North | T-mobile | Decent coffee and hot tea. Often have inexpensive and decent soup. Daily, pay-as-you-go, or monthly subscriptions used anywhere T-mobile provides service. $20-$40/mo unlimited use. |
| Barnes & Noble |
555 12th St NW (Metro Center); 3040 M Street NW (Georgetown) |
Metro Center | SBC FreedomLink | Don’t let the Starbucks-serving coffee shops inside confuse you. Barnes & Noble’s new wireless network doesn’t function off the T-mobile network like Starbucks; instead, it runs of SBC FreedomLink. But, the bookstore is known for letting you hang around for hours on end. |
| Cosi |
Various locations |
Farragut North; Dupont Circle | Surf-and-Sip | Coffee is decent at best, although they do have good, but quite expensive, sandwiches. Internet is $5 for a single day or $10-$30/mo on an unlimited usage basis. |
| Foster Brothers |
3515 Connecticut Avenue NW |
Cleveland Park | Boingo | Haven’t been there in forever, but it is in the shopping center directly across from the metro. Internet is $7.95/day or $21.95/month. |
| FedEx Kinkos |
Various locations |
T-mobile | Their coffee sucks (its generally been sitting there for hours) but its free. FedEx Kinkos is best for drive-by wi-fi usage — you can stand in the parking lot, pick up the wireless network, post your musings, and be on your way. |
|
| CyberStop Cafe |
1513 17th Street NW |
Dupont Circle | Free | Free Wifi for customers. I pass this place all the time but have never gone in. DCSOB seems to have taken it up as his temporary residence, however. Also offers pay-per-minute computers for the laptop-challenged. For a high-tech shop, they sure have an out-of-date website though. |
| Uni, A Sushi Place |
2122 P Street, NW |
Dupont Circle | Free | No idea how the service is, but a sign in the window now proclaims they offer free Wi-fi Internet to customers. |
| R&B Cafe |
1359 H St, NE |
Unknown | A loyal reader notes, “Don’t blink or you’ll miss it–the sign is very small. The owner was manning the counter and made me a decent cappuccino.” | |
| Windows Market & Cafe |
101 Rhode Island Ave NW (at 1st St) |
Free | A reader notes, “It’s a little neighborhood market and adjoining cafe, very bright and cheery place where they make some pretty damn good sandwiches.” |
|
| Warehouse Cafe |
1021 7th St, NW |
Gallery Place/Chinatown | Free | Haven’t been to this one ourselves, yet. Any thoughts? |
| Rappahannock Coffee |
2406 Columbia Pike, Arlington |
Free | “Free WiFi and Ethernet. They also have live music on many Friday evenings,” says a commenter. | |
| College Perk |
9078 Baltimore Ave, College Park |
Free | Free wireless & great quesadillas, according to a commenter. | |
| Kabob Palace |
Eads (just of 23rd), Crystal City |
Unknown | Commenter recommendation; we know nothing about it. Thoughts? |
Previous Updates
Update 2/17/2005: Express loves us!
Updated 2/12/2005 & 1/21/2005 with recommendations from readers! Thanks to everyone who contributed their suggestions – keep them coming.
27 Responses
Oh, lay off Arlington. I grew up there; it’s not all like the Clarendon Grill. Also, Common Grounds is literally across the street from the Clarendon Metro. Oh, and Yahoo claims that the Java Shack — also in Clarendon — offers wifi for $7 a day (http://mobile.yahoo.com/wifi/search?hsid=40188). Come to think of it, Dremo’s offers it too (for free), although what with it being a bar (and possibly not open during the day) I have no idea if anyone actually uses it.
Couple corrections/addenda: Murky VA no longer offers sandwiches, and for that matter I’ve not seen a smoothie made since their conversion from Common Grounds. Still a fine place, though. Coffee and espresso has improved muchly under the new management.
Also, it’s worth noting that the wireless at Love Cafe is out constantly, marring an otherwise lovely spot to surf and nosh.
Murky Coffee, by the way, has by far the best coffee in DC.
Another for the list: Sparky’s Espresso Cafe, on 14th St NW just north of R St. I’ve been by it several times but never tried it.
Sparky’s is good, and has the advantage (over all the others above besides Tryst, as far as I know) of serving booze. However: the music is always too loud, and seating is uncomfortable for groups of more than three.
For those whose stomping grounds trend a bit further north, the excellent Mayorga Coffee Roasters location in Silver Spring (near the intersection of Georgia Ave. and East-West Highway) offers free wifi. And all the Starbucks have that T-mobile jazz.
Here’s a great site listing a bunch of wifi hotspots in the area: wi-fihotspotlist.com/browse/us/2000231/2013271/
Actually, KARMA at 19th & I – NW has the best coffee (no wireless, however).
UVa grads will be happy to learn that Greenberrys now has franchises and company stores in the metro DC area (mostly on the Virginia store. I believe wireless is free. Good coffee too!
Tryst to Turn Off Wifi on Weekend Evenings
Popular Adams Morgan coffee shop/bar Tryst is planning to turn off their free WiFi at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. We noticed the news on local blog prod & ponder, who thought it was “really disturbing” and even called to double check. “Tha…
Tryst to Turn Off Wifi on Weekend Evenings
Popular Adams Morgan coffee shop/bar Tryst is planning to turn off their free WiFi at 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. We noticed the news on local blog prod & ponder, who thought it was “really disturbing” and even called to double check. “Tha…
FYI – the Warehouse Cafe on 7th Street also has free wi-fi. It’s a nice place.
Kabob Palace on Eads (just of 23rd) in Crystal City has free wi-fi, and I think St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub on Mt. Vernon in Del Ray has it as well.
College Perk in (northern) College Park has free wireless. They have great quesadillas.
New Deal Cafe in (old) Greenbelt has free wireless. In fact, the wireless is free in Roosevelt Center, though it’s been too cold to sit outside and use it (in my opinion).
Tryst recently announced that it’s going to be turning off their WiFi after 8:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights.
Tryst recently announced that it’s going to be turning off their WiFi after 8:30pm on Friday and Saturday nights.
windows cafe at first and rhode island nw has free wifi.
Rappahannock Coffee (http://www.kyycoffeeinc.com/), on Columbia Pike in Arlington (a block from the original Bob & Edith’s), has free wireless WiFi and Ethernet. They also have live music on many Friday evenings.
Sparky’s is great, but the WiFi is not free.
The coffee at Java Shack tastes like dirt on top of the wireless not being free. Avoid at all costs. The word “Java” went out of style quite some time ago too.
Mocha Hut, a new coffee place in the Ellington Apartment building on U and 13th, has free wi-fi, okay coffee, good muffins and breakfast/lunch items.
Tryst is not no longer a wi-fi spot on the weekend – their T-1 is off starting Friday evening till Sunday night. Too bad.
Free Wifi Coming to Dupont Circle
This post is by DCist contributor Tom Lee. Free wifi is coming to Dupont Circle. Today’s Post reports that area consulting firm TechAssist LLC will begin offering free wireless access this Friday. Web users will fire up their laptops or PDAs, select th…
Hey, did you ever make it to Murky when they were starting out on Wisconsin in Georgetown? Charming little place. There wasn’t even standing room for even three customers at a time, not two if someone was overly large or carrying something sizable. But the coffee was as excellent then as it is now.
But my real reason for comment is to talk about Mayorga, in Silver Spring. The actually space inside Mayorga can’t be beat. There is tons of space and nice, comfortable chairs. There is also a quiet room. It is a short hike from the metro. I am not going to vouch for their coffee. It is decent, but not my personal favorite. The wi-fi works really well, and during the day it is mostly people on laptops you will see. You can get a really good sandwhich for lunch if you order well.
It can get loud at night, though, as they often have live band or poetry performances. Also, I think there is a discount for coffee or something if you go see a movie at the AFI Silver Docs theatre before you go.
I’m at Big Hunt right now typing this on their wifi. Not the fastest, and I happen to be the only one on a Sat night (yeah, I’m a serious geek) but the good beers & tunes help. Their wifi runs through the Internet jukebox system & its free.
Woops, just remembered that Wonderland Ballroom, at 13th and Kenyon NW also has Wifi. Can you sense a theme to my free wifi knowledge? Yes, I drunk email often.
St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub does indeed offer free WiFi: http://www.stelmoscoffeepub.com/ Usually you can find a quiet spot late afternoons. And if you come in the mornings you can find a spot and camp out as long as you make a purchase. Very friendly staff with a wide selection of breakfast and lunch items.
You can’t seriously mock Arlington when it has the best coffeehouse (Murky) in the entire metro area and is the only place that reminds me of my native Seattle. When I moved here I expected DC would have tons of great coffeehouses, and have been severely disappointed – coffee is usually terrible, baristas don’t have a clue (might as well visit the automation line at Starbucks) and atmosphere is terrible – some combination of no couches/comfy chairs and bad music (like top 40). I was particularly disappointed by the coffee at Love Cafe, but their bedhead pastry was good. Tryst has excellent coffee but it’s not really a coffeehouse since it has wait staff and whatever you order requires a tip, and besides is ridiculously busy at all hours.
Caribou offers 1 hour of free wifi to everyone, and you can get a little code from the barista when you get your coffee to extend that for another hour.