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Mia's Coffeehouse - Independent Coffeehouse at 15th and A NE - Closed


Pat

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Somehow this place has passed me by with stealth.  I just really noticed it today, and it's apparently going to open in mid-May.  (Well, that's the target.)  Two of us spoke with a man working outside I assume is the owner, and he said that he plans outdoor seating and will also be applying for an alcohol permit to serve wine (or at least wine).  Projected hours:  6AM to 9PM Mondays through Thursdays and 6 to 10 on Fridays and Saturdays.  Closed Sundays.

 

Since it has completely passed me by, I have no idea how far he has gotten with any of the permitting for outdoor seating or alcohol.  I'm not sure how the immediate neighbors will react to those two facets of the operation.  There is a decent space for a patio outside.  (Visually, this is catty-corner from the northeast corner of the Car Barn, at 101 15th Street.)

 

Their website is up and functioning:  http://www.miascoffeehouse.com

 

I wasn't sure if this was the right forum for the posting, but given that this is the coffee menu, I figured here:

Espresso 
Americano 
Flat White
French Press Pour Over
Macchiato
Cortado
Cappucino
Latte
Cold Brew Iced Coffee
Decaf

House Blend

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It's not open yet, but there are four permits in the window, with dates ranging across the past six weeks.  One is a COA.  Another is for the above mentioned sidewalk cafe.  One is a building permit (for stuff like sinks, espresso machine, and display cases), and the last is for plumbing.  So, they're getting there.

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For anyone nearby, they're open today for a sneak peek and are giving out some free drinks.  I had a cup of their light roast and it was about my speed.  Someone after me got a horchata.  I saw some coffee appliances around, including what looked like some French presses (but I'm not good on coffee terminology).

I don't know how long they'll be there today.  The current scheduled grand opening date is in two weeks.  They are getting their espresso machine installed this coming week.  The space has some minimal furnishings at this point, including a few chairs and a coffee table for lounging.  The floor is pretty unfinished.  I imagine they'll be doing something with that, but I didn't ask.  It's a small space, but I can see it working well for this purpose.  The owners seem to know what they're doing.

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Opening on June 29, 2015 via email posted on PoPville.  The email posted on PoPville also says:

As a thank you for your support please join us for our Pre-Opening Party on June 27, 2015 from 9am-11am and from 5pm-7pm where you will have the opportunity to try our delicious coffee and all espresso based drinks for free. We will also have cotton candy for all the kids to enjoy.

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They're doing the free coffee drinks during two blocks of time today, as per above, and also have some muffins, bagels, croissants, etc. for sale.  They've got a selection of several loose teas as well.  I got a cup of the house blend, which I think is the lighter roast that I also had before.

I overheard someone behind the counter say that their official opening date has been pushed back to Tuesday, the 30th.  I'm not sure what kind of informal hours they might be open in the interim.

The floor looks the same, so I guess it's staying unfinished as part of their rustic look.  The place has a consistent rough-hewn feel to it, so that works.

I also heard someone (maybe the owner; my back was turned) say they expect to get their alcohol license in September.  I know they just came up before the local ANC within the past week or two re: the alcohol permitting.  It sounds like their hours will be mostly 6 to 6 until they have the ability to sell alcohol.

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Beginning this Sunday (the 19th) Mia's is going to be open on Sundays as well, from 7 to 3.

I had thought they were closing by 6 at nights, but they were open later than that one evening when I ducked in out of an unexpected rainstorm.  Currently, the website gives their hours as

Mon - Thu 6am to 8pm

Fri 6am to 9pm
Sat 7am to 9pm
 
and now
Sun 7am to 3pm
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They have just started doing "Taco Night" on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 to 8 PM.   I believe the prices ran $3-4 for each type, but I didn't take special note.  I'll pay more attention next time I go.

The website doesn't give the prices but has this information:

Mia's Coffeehouse will be converted to an LA-inspired grab-and-go taqueria focusing on freshly prepared tacos every Friday and Saturday from 5-8pm. All of our salsas and marinades will be made from scratch. Tacos will be served on soft corn tortillas.

Tacos - with cilantro and onion

Carnitas - pork braised in beer, citrus

Barbacoa - beef, chipotle peppers, guajillo chilis

Chicken Tinga - pulled chicken braised with chipotle peppers and tomatoes

Earthy Taco - roasted tomatoes, spinach, spicy cucumbers, brown rice

Rotating Taco - chefs choice

Sauces/Salsas - served on the side

Salsa Verde

Chipotle Aioli

Serrano Crema

Habanero Pineapple

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Hopefully it's just so they can get some time off - this could be a case of the owner working around the clock and needing rest.

That's what I think it is.  They originally had time off built into the schedule but expanded hours due to customer demand.

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Mia's is now open daily, but they have cut their hours back so as not to be open in the evening.  New hours: Monday to Friday  7am - 4pm and 
Saturday & Sunday 8am - 4pm.

The food options have expanded but the taco nights are now gone due to the constriction in hours. They tend to run out of certain items at busy times (e..g., one weekend morning they were out of eggs). They now have a notice up on their chalkboard that things are available until they run out.

 

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The price for drip coffee has gone up a little and presumably some other prices have changed too.  I haven't kept track of anything but the thing I order most. There seems to be a fair amount of staff turnover, and sometimes it's the owner and members of his family working.  

Still, this place keeps chugging along.  It's a great little neighborhood spot. It can be quite crowded on weekend mornings, especially if there's any kind of event that has people out. Occasionally they're closed for a day with little or no notice, but that kind of adds to the mom-and-pop charm of the place (except when I'm in need of coffee and encounter a locked door).

Right now they've got a nice display of art up from several artists:  origami mobiles, bright abstract paintings, and black and white photos.

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After increasingly random hours (they were closed the last several times I tried to go there late morning), Mia's has closed. According to postings from neighbors, the new shop in its place is Loaf Coffee, a bricks-and-mortar outpost of an online coffee brand.  I will try to go by there later and see what things look like.

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It's pretty empty inside. They kept the furniture and layout but there's not much else in there. They have a pastry case over by the living room type seating area instead of in front of the cashier.  They're selling bags of their Loaf branded coffee above the pastry.  I didn't order any coffee so I don't know how it is.  

The "Mia's" on the signs in the window has been removed but remains of the inside sign. It looks like a rather quick and abrupt turnover, though there had been rumors for quite a while that the shop was up for sale.

This is the portion of their online (I dunno, lifestyle?) site devoted to coffee: https://loafcompanies.com/coffee

The "about us" section on the larger site is, uh, interesting.  They take the coffee/caffeine as a drug metaphor pretty far.

Capital Candy Jar a block away sells Zeke's coffee, so that's probably their biggest nearby competition.

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Thanks. I hadn't seen the Popville story yet. The source for that is the same woman who wrote the original message on nextdoor, which is where I first saw that Mia's had closed.  Their coffee might be good (don't know), but their carryover branding is turning lots of people off.  I'd be interested to know if any of the people behind it went to business school, because it seems pretty amateur.  It doesn't seem well thought out at all. If they were going to take a sharp turn and change the way they marketed themselves, they should have scrubbed the media beforehand. It would still have been available with a bit of work but not something people with a casual interest would find.

Both the Candy Jar and the Cupboard (1500 block of East Capitol) have coffee to go. That's not the same as a sit-down place, but...yikes.

I will miss Mia's for what it was at its best. Jeff was always friendly and pleasant, and it was a space welcoming to all kinds of people, including small children.

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The new ownership has renamed this to The Hill Cafe. It seems to be getting a good buzz in the neighborhood, but I haven't been in here since the new ownership took over the space. They have breakfast and lunch sandwiches, pastries, various coffee preparations. Their yelp.

This is NOT related to the soon-to-open 7th St Hill Cafe across from Eastern Market.

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