Kramerbooks & Afterwards Café Soft Opens New “Kramers Coffee Bar” within Bookstore

Kramerbooks, the DC institution, is simply a wonderful place to visit. It’s the perfect spot to browse novels of all kinds, to enjoy a leisurely brunch or late night cocktail, to read snippets of new epics, and generally, to delight the senses. The aroma of fresh brunch coming from the cafe, the texture of crisp book pages waiting patiently to be read, a quiet conversation from the patrons browsing… It’s magic. And now, you can step up to Kramers Coffee, its new indoor coffee bar and get a grab-n-go cup of joe and sip caffeine while you read, serene.

Very recently, perhaps a few weeks ago, Kramerbooks quietly restructured part of their back wall — or, let’s say — remodeled. What changed? Not a huge amount, never fear. The interior back entrance to the restaurant/cafe has been opened up so one of the walls on the left side now allows patrons to look into part of the kitchen. There’s a new counter facing the Connecticut Avenue entrance with an espresso machine peeking from around the corner. This is the new coffee bar! Now patrons can get coffee from the counter rather than sitting down in the restaurant/cafe, which is still a great option for more leisurely mornings. In the go-go-go culture of DC, this Kramerbooks coffee bar meets that culture, but provides the classic bookstore charm and ambiance that we all know and love.

We love scooping new coffee shops in DC. By opening this coffee bar, Kramerbooks has now strategically placed itself as a “coffee shop,” too. This business model strategy actually began long before 2020; have you noticed that Kramerbooks has served/serves “House Blend Coffee” on their exisiting breakfast/burnch menu? That’s because Kramerbooks is allegedly a coffee roaster, too! We had a conversation with a Kramers barista and apparently, Kramerbooks roasts their coffee beans in Maryland. More to come on that! We’ll promise to let you know as soon as we find out more.

In the meantime, check out the coffee bar for a cup of takeaway coffee — every day starting at around 8 am. It seems to be very soft launch, however, so please exercise some patience as the hours seem flexible this week. Find Kramerbooks & Afterwards at: 1517 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036