Masks are required indoors - as in most places in DCOutdoor Seating is available as well as indoor, the staff was friendly.Drinks ordered came quickly. Food took a bit longer but only 10-15 min at the most.I got the parfait which was great!! Cant speak for the other food since I didnt order anything else. Great spot from sitting and chatting to low key professional meetings.

Plenty of outdoor and indoor seating; a variety of small plates; and delicious coffee! The space was cute and the staff was friendly.The espresso was a bit fruity and bright— not what I expected.Wish there were more breakfast pastries/breads available throughout the day as the food menu was a bit on the expensive side.

Good coffee. Cute bar in the back with unique cocktails. It gets a little annoying when the college kids take over the space with their laptops, but the space is very romantic when that isn’t occurring. The food is honestly very good - cute and easy spot for brunch.

This place is a cool and chick place to hang out. LBGT are welcome. good coffee, tea and smoothie. this place is for relaxing and mellow services. if you are in a rush, its not recommended.

Like the atmosphere here. Parking is hard around the area though. Staffs are friendly. Golden milk latte is okay. If only the WiFi worked better for working.

Great hipster like coffeeshop. Loved their oat milk lavender latte. I just wish that the service was faster. Went there in the morning and waiting in line+ coffee for almost 20 minutes (only one guy to take orders and make the coffee). I also wish they had Gluten free pastries (they do have gluten free options if you want to order food).

Really a lovely place. I usually am averse to cafes that are underground, given the lack of natural light. But The Emissary does a beautiful job of pulling in the natural light across all the walls (despite the small windows) and lighting up the space with candles and beautiful exposed bring.It’s a great cafe to work out of and truly the food is also amazing.Also the coffee is amazing. They really know how to make espresso well.

Emissary never disappoints !! Great spot with friendly service and great coffee/food !Menu options are not many but delicious anyway!

Always a vibe. My dirty chai latte was made with love. Barista was very sweet and charming. Perfect comfort for a rainy day.

Great coffee and nice place to relax. Lots of seating inside and out two bars as well.

The drinks are really yummy. The atmosphere is good and it’s a great place to spend some time at lunch or do some work, huge perk that they’re open later than most coffee shops and serve alcohol! The service is kinda lame and slow but I don’t mind. Some people do. Later in the day they change to table service and it is confusing and not always clear especially if they never come to the table, haha. Just be patient and spend some time there and the drinks and food will be gooe

The almond toast was fantastic!! Didnt care for the smoothies. Great atmosphere and staff

The avocado toast was great. They definitely did not skimp on the toppings. Very pleasant experience. They did not have any decaf options for coffee.

Amazing oat milk matcha here! so much seating and great vibes overall. such nice staff too.

Came in on a Saturday afternoon with some friends. Seating inside was ample and socially distant. Amazing water and delightful croissants. The iced matcha is really good as well. Good music

This is a place for delicious coffee. What it is not is a place to plug in ANY plugs, there are zero outlets. Beware. Other than that - great spot for a spot of coffee or tea or pastry with a friend. Theres also a bar in the back and the coffee shop converts into a nightlife spot when the sun goes down. Fun stuff.

Plenty of outdoor seating, happy hour, and light food options. If you’re looking for decaf late in the day, they sometimes run out but always have good non caffeinated teas too.

The coffee ( l had a decaf Americano with oat milk) was really good. The egg and avocado sandwich was good also. The service was a little slow, but it was a Saturday morning. Overall a nice experience.

I stopped in for a cheese plate one evening, after spending a little time at a bookstore. I was able to find a nice quiet corner, where I could read my new purchase and enjoy several different cheeses. It’s a wonderful place, and even though I only went there for a light bite to eat, I left feeling satisfied and delighted with my choice. I will definitely be back the next time I am back in town.

Best avocado toast in town!

Great location great atmosphere, good food. Service is inconsistent. Sometimes the place is packed and Ive had to clean my own table.

I moved to DC 2 days ago and run into this place while looking for apartments. I love the ambience plus the coffee. Im a coffee lover and really like this place. The grilled cheese sandwich is amazing

I order an egg and avocado wrap and my husband an egg and cheese brioche sandwich. It was good but is quite small and expensive for what you order. We also waited a little bit too long. If the place was packed I think it would be hard to keep up with the orders. Overall positive 🙃

Great coffee but the food was just ok and a bit genetic, i wouldnt go back for it. Service was also very slow and we visited when it wasnt busy -- 30 minutes for a breakfast burrito and a lox bagel sandwich. Theres a nice bar tucked away in the back.

Good food, decent service. I had the tomato basil scramble and enjoyed it. The dish was on the smaller side and wasnt out of this world but the ambience was nice and server friendly. Would come back!

The setting is cool. The espresso only so, so; seemingly from a varietal more light-bodied w/fruity notes (blueberry?) than dark-roasted and cocoa. I was baffled when my request to put a traditional macchiato on ice was refused. Its a simple enough drink to make, and very tasty on a hot DC day.

The food was delicious, we had 2 orders of tacos. The drinks were... well one of them was good. We both ordered iced lattes, but one was brought out as a hot latte. No big deal, we asked for the order to be corrected. Barista did not seem to mind. The corrected coffee came out really quick. Well, turns out it was just the hot latte poured over ice.There’s two main reasons this doesn’t work... and it was kind of disappointing that they didn’t know better. An iced latte doesn’t have the milk frothed, and the hot latte instantly melted all the ice and left a watery latte.

Excellent food. Limited menu -- Cafe foods. Excellent service.

Personally my favorite coffee in the area, really cool setting with a cocktail bar in the back. Wait time can be a bit long but that’s expected from a place which garners such popularity. Great place all around

One of the best coffee shops in the area but WiFi almost never works. Table service is also non existent even though they insist you do table service when dining in, which often results in waiting 15 minutes with no server showing up and then just giving up and ordering at the bar anyway. Otherwise an awesome little place.

This place is the best. Delicious good, great space, wonderful staff. Highly recommend.

The coffee here always taste amazing, not to mention the service is fast and friendly too. I do recommend trying them out when you have a chance.

Wow. Garbage food. Chilaquilles was an egg over salsa chips for $17. Burrito is the size of an egg roll. Seriously angry about this $35 meal that would have been $4 from a 7-11. Went straight into the trash. Decent coffee and nice people though.

Amazing ambience, customer service, and good coffee and the avocado toast was kn point and very fresh

Recommended

One of my favorite places to chill and get some work done. I like sitting outside on summer evenings. The service here was excellent our waitress was very tentative and sweet. I had an iced matcha which was really good. There is WiFi here and a lot of seating here so its a good place to study.

The food and coffee were really good, very friendly staff. Highly recommended.

My favorite coffee place to go to in DC. Cozy and cute atmosphere with great customer service! They have a great selection of all day breakfast items such as avocado toast and fluffy egg sandwiches that pair well with their selection of pour overs. Turns into a low-key bar at night. Expect hipster vibes with exposed brick facades, edison style sconces, and very chic furniture.If youre not a coffee person they have tea as well!

Took over an hour for soggy nachos (chilaquiles) and a tiny avocado burrito, without even being busy. Wouldn’t recommend the food/service. There are much better nearby options!

Really great place with a nice vibe 🎶

Customer service very good but quality of food was OK. We ordered the egg and cheese sandwich, it tasted nothing like it.

An ok coffee shop with good location near Dupont Circle with lots of space. Since it is located in the walk down part of the building, the ceilings are rather low which usually doesnt bother me, but these are quite low. Most of the seating is in a rather dark back room. They dont serve breakfast when they open so not totally convenient. My matcha was ok otherwise and the pastry did look good. Will consider trying other local coffee shops before coming back to this location.

Low ceilings and brick interior make it cozy and the coffee is smooth. Good place for a small morning meeting.

Cute, trendy new coffee shop, lunch place, and bar that embodies all hipsters love - organic food, responsibly sourced coffee and tea, smoothies and alcohol in a cool historic building. A great addition to the DuPont Circle food scene.

Great place to get quick bites & coffee. Very friendly staff.

This place is pretty. Copious spaces to relax and socialize or study (whichever is your pleasure), but their alcoholic beverage portions are not as cup filling as their non-alcoholic ones, nor do they have a fair ambundancr of outlets for laptop chargers (yet their noted as a great place to do laptop work). Also, they dont put lids on the drinks....so be mindful of that when you come, as well. When I ordered a chia tea, they filled my cup so high (without a lid) that the drink spilled moments after it touched the table. When I ordered an alcoholic beverage, however, my drink (twice as expensive) was brought to me in a regular drinking glass half full with very little tangible evidence of alcohol. For this place to be as pricey as it is with its alcoholic beverages especially, I would expect better portioning than that. The ambience is worth coming to this café for, however. As for the drinks ... not so much. If youre a chia tea drinker (like myself), this place isnt the best. Their chias not very flavorful and they have a tendency not to mix the milk and chia tea together before serving it to you. I had the avocado egg wrap .... very tasteless, also. They had a sauce accompanied with it and it had to be the blandest colorful sauce Ive ever eaten in my life--let down. The greens that came with it were VERY good, however, so Im to assume their salad selection is worth exploring if you decide to come here. All-in-all, I would come back here full, with beverages in my tote, and a fully charged laptop which is why despite the few negative remarks rendered in this review it still receives a 3/5 rating.

I wish I could give this place 4 or even 5 stars because the atmosphere is really enjoyable. And honestly the avocado toast was really yummy. Sadly the service from both the cashier and the waitress was rude and unapologetic. Also the coffee was terrible. And the menu is so tiny it’s confusing and overwhelming to read.So, go here if you want to have a meeting or do work in a cool comfy place. But if you want good coffee or reliable service where the workers actually demonstrate they care about you, go somewhere else.

Glorified Starbucks. Found this place online as is one of the view places in DC that claims to offer a pour over. I show up and the cashier, who clearly knows nothing about coffee, makes it. No technique whatsoever. Disappointing. Avoid this place if you like real coffee.

Great spot to get some work done

If you think covid is destroying everthing, if you think there is no place to go, and everyting is not like before, I felt you! At least you can find spot to feel like NORMAL! as we all need! This place is good for studying, working & date :) I tried hot chocolate, but I bet their food & coffee are good too! I will definetely come again!

Pretty decent place to work but it can be hard to find an outlet.They serve counter culture coffee and can pull a shot.I recommend the avocado toast with egg.

Endless seating options - bar, tables, couches, comfy chairs. Yummy food and coffee plus alcohol. Great addition to the neighborhood.

I visited for the first time on Saturday morning and absolutely love this place. The inside was cozy with nice lighting for a rainy day. I ordered tea which came out on a wood tray and its own pot. But mostly I have to compliment the staff. My waitress (I dont remember her name) was super friendly and knowledgeable and helped to talk me through the coffee and food menu, and everything I ordered came out hot and delicious. The rest of the staff was very cheery and the overall mood was just a great atmosphere to be in. Would definitely recommend and will be coming here again!

The coffee was very good! I enjoyed the chicken kale Caesar wrap as well and the shop was cozy cute! The only thing I would do is skip the avocado and egg burrito... very small to be $14. It really did just have 2 ingredients. For a dollar more you could get chicken and lots of veggies with the wrap

Great atmosphere, incredibly delicious breakfast, and fantastic coffee!! One of my favorite spots in DC!! ❤️☕️

One of the best espresso shots Ive had in DC. Very cozy atmosphere, great staff, and a free wifi. Would be great to have more power sockets around, but who am I to complain. Overall, a great place to sit down and do some work. Highly recommend!

1. Great ambiance. Loved the customer service; both pleasant and professional. Food served quickly. Menu options are okay. Glad they had healthy options and not just pastries.2. Salad presented well, but lacked fullness in flavor as if something was missing. Maybe a higher quality cheese, more herbs in the vinagrete, or some acidity (lemon, lime) added would of given it that missing piece.3. Needs way more outlets, extension cords, etc.Good experience overall 👍

A very great counter culture account; highly suggest for great pour overs and coffee in general.

This is my one of my favorite places in DC, and I’ve been going here pretty religiously since moving into town. The environment is relaxed, all of the staff is friendly, and it’s an overall welcoming space. My only issue has always been table service- it’s always been very slow. Sometimes I’ve come in and it’s taken over 30 minutes for someone to come get my coffee order, even when I stop by the counter to ask for help. I also think they should bring your check along early, as that is also something I consistently have to wait a while on. I make sure to never come in a rush as a result, but it could be worked on. That being said, the WiFi isn’t an issue for me, because I either use a hotspot or work offline if necessary, but I can understand for some people it can be troublesome, so just something to consider. Overall, I recommend this place to people time and time again, because it’s really just a total gem. Also, the barista (I think his name is Eugene) is really friendly and makes some cool latte art- if I can suggest getting that man a raise I absolutely suggest it.In general, if you take issue with slow service and wifi, might not be the spot for you. Any other occasion, or for grinding out hours of work, totally recommend.

Love the atmosphere and of course the coffee is amazing here.

Great atmosphere for hanging out with friends. Good service.

Stopped to grab food and drinks on a Sunday, it was busy but not slammed. First, the server lied and told us that the kitchen was closed--we later overheard her tell a different table that her shift was ending so Ill assume she told us the kitchen was closed to save herself the trouble of serving us.Second, we ordered two entrees at the counter, avocado toast and a caesar wrap. We waited 35 minutes to receive our food, and in the time we were waiting only two other food orders went out, so the kitchen wasnt slammed. When the food arrived, the toast was burned black. Will not be returning.

Amazing staff! Laura is such a nice person and hard worker! Thanks for all the good coffee and supporting the bike community!

Great staff, service and coffee.

The wait was terribly long! After waiting for a about 45 min for the avocado toast with fried egg, asked to pack it to go. Didn’t check and only at home discovered no egg, no micro greens, but was charged extra for an egg. It is also completely tasteless! No salt, pepper or at her seasoning. Very disappointed!

Lovely to sit outside on the patio and enjoy brunch on a sunny Saturday!

Great croissant, cool interior with plenty of space right off of DuPont Circle.

I liked this place, very comfortable to work with laptop and chocolate muffin is great. But, the WiFi was very unreliable. Maybe it’s not always the issue, but this single time we spent a day there and either WiFi was slow, or it was ending frequently, but on both my and my husband’s laptops we struggled with connection.

There was actually service! COVID DC has been really bad with service recently. But I guess you cant have everything, since the table we sat at wasnt totally clean

One of DCs best espresso bars.

Great cappuccino, croissants that melt in your mouth and attentive staff. Definitely my favorite cafe in DC.

Loved the outdoor setting on a beautiful afternoon in DC. My chilaquiles were so yummy and festive. My daughter had the breakfast tres tacos. Perfect Americano. Enjoyed it so much I came back later in the day for Prosecco and truffle Parmesan popcorn. Highly recommend.

Elizabeth was so sweet and nice, I love this place!!!

One word to describe this place is RUDE! I did not try anything from this place nor would I want to at this point. The workers here have no class or customer service. They clearly need to learn people skills. My friends and I left this place and found an amazing cafe down the street.

Very low lighting around the menu, barista mumbled and didnt seem very happy he was there. My pastry was cold, and all the outdoor seating, which I had to sit at, was very wet. Food and coffee was quite good though

My biggest complaint was the superfood smoothie. It was literally warm like they made it with room temp fruits... and it tasted like they used some type of nasty chocolate powder that had a weird flavor in it instead of raw cacao powder. Just a real let down. They also took 30 mins to make coffee and smoothie... and then got the order wrong. They have a problem with not having good workers. Coffee was ok but I wouldn’t go back for it.

First timer. Had a Hot Choc Mocha and sat outside. Mocha was delicious! Nice outside area, clean and social-distancing! Will definitely go back for seconds!

Perfect for outdoor coffee and had a delicious croissant!

I want to say thank you to this Wonderful Cafe, Good coffee and also very nice and helpful people, was needing to use a phone and the person at the front was more than helpful. Thanks again for everything.

Nice Underground Coffee ☕️ Spot.Really enjoyed the Mojito Iced-Coffee.

Friendly staff and nice place to have a coffee and camp for a while. Turns into a more restaurant/bar/dinner space after 5.Food and coffees not bad.

Consistently good food and coffee. And always friendly service.

Food is always amazing. best place to study with a studious green atmosphere. energy is immaculate ✨✨✨ cold brew is also fire here

Everything is amazing @Emissary, food, coffee, service, people!

Lovely spot for coffee and a quick bite. Cozy and well designed.

This place is great half the time and otherwise shoots itself in the foot. Latest example is a college-kid barista lecturing me on how bad heat lamps are for the environment when I asked whether they might be installed outside this winter...you know, so I can help keep your doors open...then making a pointlessly snotty comment that groggy morning me couldn’t even fathom. Good morning!

This is a cozy coffee shop. One of the best cups of coffee I had in town (and this town has great coffee) Perfect place for light work, casual meetings, or hang out. Not too loud, not to quiet. Everybody is welcomed. Come by, you wont regret it.

The avocado sandwich and iced coffee were both delicious. Its a little on the pricey side but thats not surprising for the neighborhood. Lots of outdoor seating!

Great, independent coffee shop. Everything we had was amazing. The avocado toast is delicious; the almond croissant is full of flavor; and the coffee was excellent. There is more space on the inside from what you imagine when you first step into the shop. They also have a bar and happy hour every day. Its great! I would definitely come again if Im in the DC area.

Im in town for the weekend and stopped by Emissary for a quick cold brew. I ended up sitting down and enjoying myself for a bit because of how enjoyable the atmosphere is here!

Its a great location with a cool feel to it. I normally just grab brunch stuff here but their menu for that is tasty. I like their mochas and they also make a mean health smoothie, and chilaquiles.

Nice spot. A bit noisy and dark for a cafe, and yet not quite a bar either.

A restful and quaint respite from the DC pace with healthy light meals.

Stopped by to grab some breakfast. It was incredible. The Avocado toast and burrito were excellent. Im putting this on my fav list

Really unsatisfactory service. The snobbish waitresses are forgetful and incredibly slow. We waited for our food for over 40 minutes. Two of our orders had add-ons, and the waitress forgot to bring BOTH OF THEM over. While the waitress offered to bring us our add-ons, it took forever AGAIN. The other staff stopped to talk to other patrons while we asked her twice to bring us straws. At some point, I got tired of waiting on her and got them myself. Highly dissatisfied in this place that I used to love.

Delicious coffee- a lot of locals, great food- stopped there several times in my visit to DC! If you blink you will miss the building- Happy I found!

Nice coffee

Yeah it’s a pretty darn good cafe, drip coffee is itself real good, but I usually get lattes. Def nice outdoor seating to go to socially distanced

Wifi do not work... 😤

Some of the freshest ingredients I have tasted in food in a very long time. Great atmosphere. Even better service 10/10 would recommend!!