kramerbooks & afterwords cafe

wonderful breakfast spot!. stopped in here for quick breakfast and had a wonderful experience. the breakfast selection is full of interesting choices and specials. i ordered the soho omelet and it was delectable. the eggs were nicely fluffy and the fillings were delicious -- spinach (soft and fresh), bacon (slightly thicker cut and crispy) and swiss cheese (warm and full of stretchy goodness). next time i may have to try one of their three eggs benedict. the staff were attentive and very friendly and kept the coffee coming. they have outside seating and the front opens to make thecafevery airy on a nice spring day! what more could you ask for a nice breakfast.

interesting place, acafewithin a restaurant or a restaurant within a cafe, it all depends upon which door you enter. pasta dish is a must and the peach cobbler is tasty.

touring the neighborhood around dupont circle, my kids and i stumbled upon kramerbooks & afterwordscafeon connecticut street in washington, d.c.

kids were hungry and we seated ourselves on the outside covered patio. too late for lunch - too early for dinner, we decided upon appetizers. hicham was our server.

pow pow chicken (appetizer) for me - which is simply pow pow chicken with toasted peanuts and cilantro at $12.00; and macaroni and cheese (appetizer) for each of my three kids - which is simply macaroni and cheese with white cheddar sauce, elbow macaroni, and a bread crumb topping at $10.00 each. water as our beverage. total price with tax was $46.20.

food was timely prepared and very tasty. kids had no complaint and ate everything on their plate. the bread crumb topping was a delightful addition for my twins as they never get that at home when mom makes macaroni and cheese. as for the pow pow chicken, you could taste the heat and savor the sweetness. as an appetizer, i enjoyed it.

outside patio was well kept and clean. thecafewasn't that busy when we arrived but started to pick up as we left. hicham - our server - was friendly and polite. prices were competitive and not offensive.

interesting little place - wish we had more time to check out the book store itself.

william e. lewis jr.

vero beach, florida

i wanted to love it based on the premise of a book store and acafebut i merely liked it. we visited it for dessert one evening. the place was pretty crowded and very loud. it was hard to have a conversation. the bathrooms were inconveniently located a couple of flights up. however, the peach cobbler was amazing. the peaches were tender and juicy and not too sweet. the vanilla ice cream was crisp on top of the warm cobbler. i could have done without the raspberry puree on top but the dessert was enjoyable. it was a cute place for a late night dessert and cold brewed coffee was good.

i love this place - maybe because i once worked at the bookstore. but where else can you have an excellent selection of books to buy, a quaint and lively little bar tucked away in one corner and a big spaciouscafeon another side, all connected? crab cakes with poached eggs are excellent, salads are big and staff are friendly both those serving food/drinks and those at the bookstore, who really love to read and know their stuff and can give excellent recommendations.

fantastic breakfast - extremely generous portions.  delicious and fresh.  love that thecafeis hooked up with a book store.  clean, modern and enough folks employed to keep everything moving.  love good, local restaurants.

affectionately referred to just as "kramers," kramerbooks and afterwordscafefeels like a national monument in dc.  first opened in 1976, afterwordscafewas the first bookstore/cafe in the country to feature cappucino, espresso, a full bar, and food. back in the day, i spent a lot of time at kramers as it was one of the few places in the late 80's that was open 24 hours on the weekends. so, we'd find ourselves at thecafeat 3 a.m. enjoying a huge entree or salad and talking until the wee hours of the morning. my days of staying up late are over, but apparently the enjoyment of kramers can continue. kramers is now hosting author talks and book signings and after attending one, i went to the bar for drinks and dinner. i ordered the catcher in the rye, which was absolutely fantastic. it was made with rittenhouse rye, orange turbinado syrup, and peychaud bitters. i might have had two, but i'm not telling. i inquired if there was anything vegan and was told there was only one entree that was vegan as-is. i ordered it and patiently waited. after about 30 minutes, i inquired about the status and it was brought to the bar soon thereafter. i ordered thecafewhole grain and veggie platter. it didn't sound exciting, but it actually was. when it arrived on the bar, chris exclaimed, "it's a thanksgiving feast!" and, right, he was. this huge platter was loaded with all kinds of good stuff. the mushroom crostini made with wild mushrooms was spectacular. in fact, everything was quite good. my favorite veggie -- broccoli rabe had been sauteed with sliced garlic and roasted red peppers. there was a black bean and corn salad, quinoa salad, grilled corn, and pan-roasted root veggie hash with sweet potatoes. it was all seasoned well and tasted delish! for $17, kramers isn't the cheapest place in the city, but i was quite happy with my meal and drinks. and who couldn't love the vibe. it's a hip bookstore that existed before busboys and poets and continues to survive in this cutthroat

...when i saw grits on the menu, i said why not. after being greeted by the friendly staff and taken to a table, i had a look at the menu and settled on corn grits with thecafesausage. the menu description fails to leave out 2 freshly madecafebuns, butter, strawberry jam, and fruit. i loved the buns, very tasty. the sausage looked like a meat patty but was just formed in that shape. it’s very intense in flavour. lovely flavour but a little too intense. the corn meal grit is like polenta with just enough cheese mixed through. tasty and a very filling meal. service is very friendly and excellent. a great first start in the big us of a.

low key brunch and late nightsnacks. minimal decor in thecafepart and lovely brunch food that is much more low key than a lot of other spots in dc. this place is great to pop in early or late with a friend, browse the books, and chat over a drink.

once my eyes landed on thecafeveggie hash, i knew i wanted nothing else. it was like 116 state’s tri color hashbrowns, but with an extra slam of veggies in the form of turnip, parsnip, rutabaga, butternut squash
asparagus, carrot, red pepper, onion all roasted up real nice that i chose to have topped with my eggs sunnyside up. i think this breakfast is really what got me through the rest of the day until dinner.

kramerbooks & afterword’scafeis a washington d.c institution. conveniently located right by the dupont circle train station, this independent bookstore/cafe begins buzzing from early morning until the wee hours of the morning.

a wonder of dc. this shop is really lovely & quaint. the people who work here are all friendly (shop and cafe). the store sells a ton of books i can't even find in the bigger chains and thecafeis awesome. this place is open really late at night and you wouldn't think it at first glance because it's a bookstore front but it's truly a "hidden gem" just about. the food is good at thecafeand so is the service.

great buzz - nice place for weekend brunch. it was a lovely sunny winter's day when my friends took me to kramerbooks for saturday brunch as it's meant to be one of the trendy spots in dupont circle. there is a nice vibe to the place - a good space designed to satisfy both one's intellect and appetite.

it took us awhile to be showed our tables (the front of house was off somewhere and not simply doing what she was meant to be doing - showing guests their tables), and it seemed there was no clear demarcation of responsibilities for wait staff. but when we were eventually showed our table by the manager, our server was prompt and polite. our orders were taken efficiently and food was served quickly.

our entrees were tasty enough, though not the best i've ever had the pleasure of tasting in a bistro/café of similar ilk. the coffees were weak and somewhat forgettable.

but having said that, it's still a place that draws crowds which gives the café a great buzz. nice to have visited!

kramer and afterwords disappoints. if good service and reasonable pricing is what you're looking for in a nice, relaxing sunday brunch, kramerbooks & afterwordscafeis the wrong place to go. my criticism should not be taken lightly, as i am from downtown manhattan and am more than used to crowded, exclusive restaurants being too busy to go the extra mile for their customers in the courtesy department - but this place takes the cake.

we arrived for sunday brunch, put our names in and were issued a 20 minute wait - not terrible, but we asked if it might be possible to have a cup of coffee while we wait. at a cafe, this doesn't seem to be an unreasonable request, but apparently it was. the one-earringed manager looked around, and barked "not now." at us. this, however, is the least of my complaints.

we were given a table and issued menus. we were given our coffee, which was, by consensus of 3 avid coffeephiles at my table, absolutely terrible. burned beyond belief. i had never tasted worse.

ok. we moved on, opened the menus and discovered not a single item for less than $15.25. we mentioned this to our waiter, who laughed it off. the manager, the one who barked at us for asking for coffee at a cafe, came over and asked what the problem was. we told him and he replied "this is dupont, things are expensive." i have had many brunches on sunday mornings in greenwich village, a place slightly more well known for its cuisine than is dupont, and never have i come across such a gouge.

among the "cheapest" choices on the menu was the "oatmeal, granola, yogurt and fruit: slow-cooked steel-cut irish oatmeal
greek yogurt spiked w/honey; toasted granola
fresh berries & seasonal fruit." i'm pretty sure that i can purchase those ingredients and make a portion four times the size of theirs for half the price.

overall, this was one of the worst dining experiences of my life, and sure, the place is designed in a trendy way, but if you want more than trendy style in your food, i strongly recommend you reconsider visiting kramerbooks and afterwords cafe.

given that eating and reading are two of my addictions, i'm sort of surprised i haven't written about kramerbooks & afterwordscafein dupont sooner. the bookstore/cafe is a long-time staple of my neighborhood (it's been around longer than star wars, havi