The Best Coffee Shops in Shaw, Mt. Vernon and by the Convention Center, Washington, DC

This weekend is the National Book Festival in DC’s Convention Center! We always love seeing convention-goers, especially if they are in anime outfits! And beloved Shaw, DC, has some of the BEST restaurants in the entire city, especially if you visit Blagden Alley. Where can you grab some delicious coffee in this industrial and charming pocket of the District? Look no further than our guide.

Where to start? We’re highlighting 7 of our favorite coffee shops in Shaw, Mt. Vernon and DC’s Convention Center DC, below!

Cafe Unido

Brand new! You simply must check out this new Shaw addition! Their coffee and ambiance are both wonderful. Strongly recommend for anyone on 901 W St NW. View our pictures from the venue, here.

The Royal

Pretty much our favorite place to enjoy coffee in DC, this shop has made a few of our posts for everything — their hot chocolate, matcha, ambiance, and food! We cannot recommend The Royal enough. It has a charm that is perfect for a casual date with friends. Absolutely visit them for their unique coffee drinks, and soak up the special culture of this DC bar and kitchen. The Royal is just quintessential Shaw. Enjoy! Outdoor seating = check.

Seylou Bakery & Mill

How many more times can we swoon over Seylou? At least once more. We cannot help ourselves. Read our article about this bakery that has an excellent coffee shop alter-ego. We implore you. Nay, we BEG you to go to Seylou if you’re a DC tourist. Exceptional whole grain pastries. Any word that you can think of that evokes luxury, insert it for Seylou. Please go. Outdoor seating = check.

Brew’d

Not quite sure why Brew’d hasn’t broken the internet, this lesser known coffee shop has minimalist aesthetic and wonderful coffee. What brings us back over-and-over to this locale is actually their branding. It’s simply charming. Outdoor seating = check.

A Baked Joint

A Baked Joint is a DC cult favorite and we are fans as well. You may want to go for breakfast food, but we of course are focused on the coffee. Their sister restaurant is Baked & Wired, so you know it’s good 🙂 Outdoor seating = as far as we know!

Compass Coffee

Compass Coffee is just reliable. You always know what you’ll get from this roaster, and it’s great coffee. We wrote an article about Compass Coffee here. Compass Coffee has a shop right on 7th near the Convention Center! Their Shaw location is their actual roastery, so you get the added charm of coffee beans gently stirring and cracking in the roasters in the back, and a nice amount of (indoor) seating if you choose to work remotely. What we’re tyring to say is: the Compass Coffee roastery has a next level of flair. A tried-and-true option. Outdoor seating = check, but it’s a fairly small bench, so you may need to stroll instead.

Chez Lily

Another very solid choice for you to pick up fresh coffee before your Convention Center jaunts! This coffee shop is about 10 minutes from the Convention Center, walking, and is brewing up MD roaster, Vigilante Coffee, which we love. Chez Lily has a sweet interior and the customer service feels homey and kind. We love the dog of the month and dog pictures that this coffee shop shares 🙂 Outdoor seating = not that we are aware of.

Roasted Boon

We really like the Roasted Boon. It stole our hearts during the COVID pandemic for its ample space (somewhat rare in DC), cleanliness, and good coffee. Read our article about The Roasted Boon, here! Outdoor seating = check. In fact, there’s ample seating inside too!

Honorable mention: We hear that there’s a coffee shop inside of the Convention Center! We haven’t tried it out and can’t find the name online so we won’t review it yet 🙂

Thanks for joining us on a coffee shop tour of Shaw, Mt. Vernon and DC’s Convention Center.

Which coffee shop on this list is your favorite? Let us know! Comment with a 5-star rating (5 the best) and your experience, below.