Photo courtesy Chinatown Coffee Company

Earlier this week I met with the big man himself, Sean Bonner (the father of Metblogs and all around mysterious person.) We talked about all sorts of business and other matters over a coffee at Chinatown Coffee Comapny. I learned while I was there that it’s operated by former Murky Coffee owner Nick Cho. I’m happy to see that their operations and some of the baristas found a new home in DC after they left Clarendon.

The coffee is definitely top notch and the baristas make sure that your special cup is perfect before they hand it off, all hallmarks of Murky, and from my view the experience was rather drama free. I didn’t know how expressive Chinatown Coffee Company’s current Coffee guru was until I read the write-up on WCP’s Young & Hungry.

Besides great coffee I was intrigued by the environment. Fans of Murky would remember a hodge-podge of second-hand couches and chairs. For Chinatown Coffee, owners Max & Katie Brown enlisted Robert Gurney to create a space that is both minimalistic and modern. When you walk in you’ll see an undecorated orange wall on the right side of the store and exposed brick on the left. Don’t write off the design as lacking however, I thought the metallic finishes and bare lights above the prep areas tell you that the design was thought out- not unfinished.

I walked in to see the typical crowd of laptops, indicating that the store’s Wi-Fi was alive and kicking; and I was happy to have been able to grab a street parking spot right next to the store- however the easy parking was probably more because the store’s location is on the fringes of Chinatown. Despite it’s somewhat odd location, Chinatown Coffee Company should be a hit to those in the neighborhood looking to escape the corporate chain brews and environments.

Chinatown Coffee Company
475 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 559-7656
www.chinatowncoffee.com

As a nearby resident, I’m sad to hear the news- I’ve had it on my list of possible third places to spend my time, however it was always crowded much to the benefit of Murky.

So what’s going up in it’s place? The Going Out Gurus have the latest on that, it looks like the ownership of nearby Liberty Tavern is teaming up with pastry chef Davis Guas to turn the space into a bakery called Bayou Bakery. The shop will have a southern theme in decor and offerings.  So who’s this Guas person? Well Guas runs a culinary consulting group that’s played a role into the cuisines at local eateries such as  Ceiba and DC Coast. He also has a new cookbook coming out called, DamGoodSweet.

He also knows how to show Kathie Lee and Hoda how to cook a mean Zuchinni pound cake.

In an effort to keep Murky’s coffee crowd, Gaus plans to hire a Batista manager to work on a “coffee program.”