Caribou Coffee

My husband and I stopped by Caribou Coffee while waiting for the local attractions to open. I was so happy that they were opened early, and we decided to stop by to get some hot beverage to warm up while we wait. They offer lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, macchiatos, smoothies, teas, juices, and even beverages for kids. I had the Campfire Mocha, which you get to choose dark, milk, or white chocolate — I opted for the milk chocolate; this came melted in steamed milk and combined with espresso and toasted marshmallow flavor, topped with whipped cream, mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. I like how they were generous with the mini marshmallows, and the drink itself was very nice — not too thick and not too watered down; a little gritty, but I still enjoyed it! Service was friendly, and the place itself was nice and cozy. :D
+Campfire Mocha: D

Great coffee. If you like strong coffee this is your place. It is only a few steps from the White House. The shop has lots of seating inside as well as outside. Morning staff during the week is friendly and courteous.

Funnily enough, despite its location, I’ve never had to wait very long to place my order or get my coffee at this location.
I’m so upset they discontinued their biscotti mocha. That was what started me going here instead of Starbucks.
If they get rid of their lemon ginger pomegranate sparkling, I don’t know what I’ll do!
I have had a few of their fancy coffee drinks and haven’t found the right one for me – the caramel and mocha drinks I’ve had have just been too disgustingly sweet for me, which is why I’ve held off on trying the pumpkin chai (two ingredients I LOVE).
This said, I love the fact that if you order a mocha, you’re given a choice of chocolate: white, milk, or dark.

Coffee was alright but the lines were just terrible and the barista actually had my order wrong the first time around. Not what you would expect of caribou coffee.

Ahhhh. Always hits the spot. Got to have the cinnamon in the coffee

Stumbled upon this place while my friend and I were playing tourist downtown. What a great find! It’s kind of like a starbucks but I think way better. They have some interesting flavor combinations and they work so well together. I got myself a turtle mocha made with white chocolate, so rich and so delicious. My friend got the raspberry mocha, it was perfect! I like how they have daily trivia questions that take off .10 from your bill, nice little touch. Wish we had one of these here in California where I live!

These people were super nice and super fast. I love the white hot chocolate. Simply amazing an you can’t beat it on a cold day!

What a great little shop!
First off, the location is ideal (steps from the White House) and on a well-​traveled street corner. It’s easily visible from across the street and down the block. It’s a fantastic change of pace from the myriad Starbucks in DC.
They also have a fabulous staff. They are super friendly, smile a lot, and make your drink in a very speedy fashion. I love being greeted with a smile and standing in a short line.
The drinks are very tasty and there are many cushy seats in the shop upon which to enjoy said hot beverage and also some wi-​fi. While it is usually a bit overrun by tourists, there is ample seating both inside and outside. I love the sleek modern décor and well-​lit areas. Also, the huge windows let in a ton of natural light, making it ideal to do a bit of work on your laptop.
Well done, Caribou!

Well, it is another Caribou, but for some reason, everyone is extremely friendly here. I like it.

Nice chain coffee shop.

So weird. I cannot find this coffee shop on my Unilocal mobile app anymore.
I was here again to grab coffee with a friend. He was also new to DC so he was like let’s meet at this coffee shop on 17^th and Penn Ave. I was like I know what you are talking about but let me double check the address on Unilocal to make sure. I could not find this coffee shop on my Unilocal app whatsoever!
Staff was friendly. Coffee was okay, not the best. It has been pretty crowded during my past visits here. Not very easy to find a table.

Always GREAT Coffee
Wish there were more of these and less of the others

1. Internet here was terribly slow.
2. Coffee wasn’t very good.
3. The bathrooms were also out of order.
Where am I supposed to pee after drinking a big glass of their mediocre coffee?!

Caribou has decent coffee… however it has a burnt taste, yet it’s smooth. I like it once in a while, don’t love it. It’s much better than Starbucks in my opinion.
This location was fairly empty, but it was on a Saturday and DC is well… pretty dead most of the time lol. It closed early which was a bummer. I wanted to sit down and just chill. The service at this Caribou was so-​so. The people in the counter are not so chipper and customer service-​oriented like the other national coffee chains. I guess the surge of caffeine doesn’t do it for them…

I was wandering around the area in search of a Starbucks so I could use the wi-​fi and grab lunch. Google Maps led me to this block because there’s a Starbucks in the middle of it, but I spotted Caribou on the corner and decided to give it a try since I’m not a fan of Starbucks’ overpriced food and beverages. The staff behind the counter were friendly (a rarity nowadays at Starbucks), the place was clean and comfortable, and the food and coffee were good. Minus 1 star for the slow wi-​fi.

Food/​Cost: (3.75÷5) I just wanted to say that the Daybreak Sandwiches (~$ 3) here are really good — much better than the Starbucks breakfast sandwiches. I got the Egg White and Turkey Bacon Sandwich this past Sunday. Though I was initially disappointed by the smallish size, the flavor and freshly toasted quality more than made up for it. Between my Chai and the Sandwich, I was left happily, comfortably full. Though I’m not a big coffee drinker, I do love the Lattes here. The Chai Tea Latte (~$ 3) isn’t bad either. Also, I just noticed this, they have a good selection of teas here! More than other commercial coffee chains at least.
Ambiance: (⁴⁄₅) I like the mountain cabin /​ski lodge décor of Caribou stores. It just feels so cozy. I”m not sure I’d like it as much in the summers, but in the fall, winter, and early spring, it totally works. Though this Caribou isn’t huge, there’s a good amount of tables and tall tables with stools. As this location is near the White House, there are a lot of tourists here during the weekends. During the weekdays, there are more students and business people, though there are still no shortage of tourists. Though there’s free wifi I’m not sure I’d be productive studying here unless I have a table in a corner; it always seems to be bustling.
Location: (⁵⁄₅) This Caribou is just a couple steps from the White House, so its a great place to reenergize after some sightseeing. It’s also just south of the Farragut West metro stop, which is itself just south of the Farragut North stop.
Service: (³⁄₅) The baristas here are friendly, though nothing too special. The drinks come out at a decent rate, but you’ll have to wait a few minutes for heated sandwiches as they oven them to order.
Overall: (3.75÷5) They don’t have any Caribous in California so I’ll miss it after I leave DC, but I don’t think the cozy mountain cabin theme will work so well in sunny California. If you’re in need of a quick breakfast or some coffee beverages, please come here!

Coffee’s okay (though way too hot); staff is friendly but slightly disengaged, and inefficient; pastry selection is middling (which, for your standard franchise coffee shop translates to, «rather limited and never quite what you’re hungry for»). Location near the White House is kind of fun, and there’s free WiFi (though it is unreliable and sometimes kind of slow). There is nothing particularly wrong with the place, but nothing particularly compelling either. If you need to take a few minutes out of a busy touristing day for a cup of coffee and a place to sit, this Caribou will be fine. If you are a local, head for Swing’s a block south.

Believe it or not, this was my first time going to a Caribou Coffee.
After taking some photos at the truly horrible looking National Christmas Tree, it was imperative that we find a place for warm drinks. I knew there was a Caribou nearby but we could only find the Cosi. I thought I was going crazy because I swore it was here but we didn’t find it right away. Kevin vetoed Cosi so we walked a little further to see what else we could find and located Caribou on the next block. Whew! I’m not crazy!
Having had coffee while I waited at Farragut North for Tim and Alicia [C], I opted for a cup of green tea. I have to admit, I am a huge fan of the red cups at Starbucks, but the cups here were also pretty cute. [Packaging is everything with me.]
The place was pretty busy so we did have to wait a bit before our group could sit down. After some hovering near a table who looked like they were going to leave, we did manage to snag seats.
The décor has a definite ski-​lodge feel to it and I like it. Tables, leather seats, counter top/​stools by the window, fireplace… loved it all.
I could definitely see myself coming back to a Caribou for a warm beverage when I’m sick of Starbucks. The tea was good and did the trick — but I mean, you can’t really mess up green tea, can you?

Holy crap. Apparently this is –the– tourist destination of choice when looking for a coffee shop near the White House! Stopped in here for a warm beverage to take some of the chill off of us after the Unilocaler photowalk at the hideous (there’s really no getting around that fact) National Christmas Tree.
Random aside: where’s the National Kwanzaa Bush? Or the National Festivus Pole?! Anyway…
Hot steamy apple cider (my latest addiction) of the Hot Apple Blast variety without whip was a solid selection. Perfect to warm up from the frigid windy outside without caffeine.
The boy and I both had tons of work to try and catch up on, so after other Unilocalers headed off to continue their wanderings, we set up shop with our laptops for the remainder of the afternoon (another good couple hours)… and it just kept getting busier! Yes. There wasn’t a single moment all afternoon, and well into the evening (think like… 1800 – 1900), where a single seat was available, where there wasn’t a line at the counter, and where the door didn’t keep opening and closing, letting in drafts of frosty air.
Where do these people come from?! It’s Saturday! Go home! Let me work in peace!
P. S. The free wi-​fi cut out after about an hour of working. Not sure what happened; perhaps their router crapped out? Fortunately, we both have our own wireless dongles. After all, the work must go on!

When I was going to George Washington University for grad school, I enjoyed stopping by this Caribou Coffee that’s near the Farrugut West metro stop.
With its «cabin in the woods» décor, Caribou Coffee is a great stop during a cold winter afternoon. I really like coming here the weeks leading up to Christmas to have some of their holiday drinks. Their signature coffee drinks are basically desserts in drink form. The campfire mocha and turtle mocha are awesome. The mixture of the cream, with the chocolate and the coffee goes straight to your brain.