Busboys and Poets
“Hipster Hotspot”
1025 5th Street NW (5th and K St)
Washington DC 20001
I’m struggling to put my finger on Busboys and Poets: part restaurant, part bookstore, part slam poetry venue, and all-around hipster. Their website describes their location as a “gathering place where people can discuss issues of social justice and peace [in] an environment where shared conversations over food and drink allow the progressive, artistic and literary communities to dialogue, educate and interact.” Sounds like something the Bohemians would say in the Moulin Rouge.
As someone with no sense of poetic understanding or ideological ambitions, I still found myself thoroughly enjoying my weekend brunch. It was a little hard navigating their menu decorated with Langston Hughes stanzas and pictures of Gandhi, but I chose a pomegranate lemonade ($3) and the Oaxaca omelet, filled with black beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole, served with a side of home fries ($10). I also recommend the chicken salad sandwich, served on bread with great texture, and the Neptune, an eggs benedict with crab.
Busboys and Poets is also open for dinner and has another location in the District (U Street). Overall, the service, decorations, and menu options make this a less vegetarian-friendly version of Boston’s Other Side Café on Newbury Street. Interns and weekend visitors alike will enjoy the unique experience that is Busboys and Poets offers.