The perfect place to start your day and take in the feel of the activist-centered neighborhood. Think baristas in vintage L.L. Bean hats and avocado toast for under $5.

A spacious yet always packed Logan Circle joint offering an impressive list of brews and accompanying high-end pub fare. Located above the restaurant Birch & Barley, it is dark and welcoming. Claiming a table may require some professional negotiating skills.

Another hybrid bookstore, cafe, restaurant, and bar located in Dupont Circle. Kamer’s is always full of people browsing the shelves, sitting down for a full meal, or just stopping by for a glass of wine. Who said print was dead?

Part cafe, part bookstore, park community gathering place, the shop first opened in 2005 by an Iraqi-American artist and activist and has now grown to six locations throughout D.C. Driven by community activism, Busboys and Poets hosts a full range of events, from science talks to poetry open mics. It draws its name from Langston Hughes, who worked as a hotel busboy in the 1920s before gaining recognition as one of America’s greatest 20th-century poets.