Sylvan Cafe

"Stopped in for coffee while staying at a nearby Airbnb. Coffee was excellent, and the pastry selections were varied with a great Ethiopian selections as well. Plenty of places to sit and child friendly!"

"Hit & Miss. Visiting the area and came here because it was close to our Airbnb and in walking distance. The first day I tried their spinach pastry and their ham & cheese pastry. It was warm & flaky and had good flavor! I also tried their egg & cheese on ciabatta and it was pretty good. Decided to come back the next day to try their lattes and was unfortunately very disappointed, we couldn’t even finish the drinks and had to get coffee elsewhere. I ordered a chai latte and my fiancé got a hazelnut latte. Both tasted like burnt milk water and had no added flavor whatsoever. The pastry’s that day were old and hard and didn’t taste fresh and flaky like it had the day before. Both visits were around the same time, about 9:30-10 am. I’d maybe give their food another chance but wouldn’t risk the coffee again."

"Good coffee, cool atmosphere and clean bathrooms. Didn’t eat, but the food coming out of the kitchen looks fantastic. Will absolutely come back."

"A great neighborhood cafe. Excellent sandwiches, I love the Ethiopian menu offerings, and the artwork is cute and local. It could be an AMAZING cafe with some changes: 1) bring back fresh bread. Bloomingdale is a bread desert. 2) put a couple good, creative salads on the menu. Bloomingdale is also a salad desert! 3) make more pastries- the shelves are always empty by 10:30am and the bagels are kept out of sight, so the cafe looks sparse on its offerings 4) the ham and cheese croissants, in fact all the croissants, need a new recipe. The pastry is not well made. 5) Stay open till 4pm. It closes at 2pm and sometimes before. Some days it's randomly not open at all. If I want a good coffee or iced tea nearby, there is nowhere but Big Bear to get one after 2pm. 6) play a good sound track. The owners are Ethiopian and I'm sure they have some good tunes. This could be a nice place to work if it had more atmosphere. The outdoor tables and umbrella they just added are a nice bonus."

"I love this place! It's a small business with a calm, pleasant atmosphere, a big menu, and a kind + quick staff. The space itself is fantastic as well - there's a nice seating area with big tables and window seats, a piano by the counter that anyone is allowed to play, and a cool marquee sign out front! I love working in this cozy cafe on cold and rainy mornings. I spent a few months living in DC, and while I was there, I made it my mission to find the best lox bagel. I've visited a LOT of DC bagelries in my day (including CYM), and Sylvan Cafe was my favorite of all of them. (You can trust my judgement; I'm Jewish.) The bagels are toasty and well-seasoned - I always get an everything bagel, and they don't skimp on the seeds. The fish is fresh, the fixins are neatly-stacked, and the ratio of lox:vegetables:cream cheese was just right for me. I've been back a few times, and the quality is consistently high. If lox bagels aren't your thing, there's a wide variety of sandwiches, paninis, pastries, and Ethiopian veggies for you to try instead! This place has something for everyone. It's perfect for all of your breakfast/brunch/lunch/snack needs, and is a wonderful local business to support!"