Coffee Nature, Tenleytown, Washington, DC

My visit to Coffee Nature was prompted by a report that there had been break-in at three businesses on Fessenden Street, Coffee Nature, Sol, and DeLouise Custom Tailors. You can see that the door, now covered with cardboard, had been smashed.

Usually I go to Starbucks to chat with a group of friends or, more recently, the Italian Bar. I figured that they could use some love, so I stopped by for a medium coffee.

Coffee nature occupies a smallish place, but it offers a surprising amount and variety of seating — at a handful of tables inside, tables out, at a counter along a wall,

and at an area with upholstered chairs and a miscellany of books.  There are all sorts of works by local artists on display and for sale, and jazz plays softly in the background. It’s a very homey place, a nice place to be.

I ordered a medium Cafe Americano. That involved a glance at the menu, and that glance prompted me to give Coffee Nature, and perhaps myself, some additional love. I ordered a bacon, egg, and cheese on a sesame bagel. With the coffee, the total was under $10.  Here it is.

The bacon especially was good. Well, duh. Bacon is always very good, but this was well above average, and it combined very well with a freshly cooked egg and nicely melted cheese. The bagel itself was on the soft side, but the sandwich hit the spot. The coffee was good, too. I’d rate it better than Starbucks, but a notch below the Italian Bar.

As I enjoyed my breakfast, I looked around and saw that in addition to predictable sandwiches and wraps, Coffee Nature offers a number of Korean dishes — salad bowls, rice bowls, and bibimbap with ribeye or spicy pork bulgogi, or Korean barbecued chicken.  I’ll be back to Coffee Nature for lunch to try those. I hope to see you there. This is just the sort of small independent place that has been hammered by the pandemic controls, and is now being hammered by inflation, supply chain, and labor supply issues. It’s the sort of place that adds so much to a neighborhood and community. I hope you’ll give it a try

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