Sidamo Coffee and Tea, Ethiopian Coffee House on 4th and H Street on the H Street Corridor

[ktmoomau]

Website Here. Fulton Thread Here.

After tasting a skim iced chai at Sidamo yesterday I thought to myself... how can I get them to put one of these in Old Town. The chai was the best I have ever had. Spicy and full bodied, made with real chai tea. You didn't even notice the type of milk selection because all you could taste was how good the tea was. I wish I was a coffee drinker because I bet they make great coffee just from smelling them roast and grind it. Ginger molasses cookies... lovely. I also stole a sip of one of the smoothies, we were taking to a friend. Very fresh with real fruit.

I love the atmosphere and back patio. They had a nice little menu and by how good the place smelled something on the menu has to be good. I look forward to going back here more often. I just really wish it was closer to my house.

* I didn't see a thread for Sidamo, if there is one please merge.

[darkstar965]

In the ongoing effort to get independent coffee house threads going, I found this one with a google search after making my first Sidamo visit this week. Lots more about Sidamo on the general coffee house thread but, though my perspective is still very limited based on only one visit, I experienced enough to believe readily that Sidamo deserves its own thread (however we decide that )

Totally agree with ktmoomau's post from a year ago. Atmosphere is cool, sensible, practical and authentic. In the up and coming (or at least much hyped) Atlas District on the 400 block of H St NE, Sidamo is a nice space. Love the Dietrich roaster in the window which the owner used while I was there. Reasonable number of tables. Pleasant decor with coffee burlap sacks and medium toned woods. The patio is very nice (maybe 4 or 5 more tables back there up the stairs). Owners and staff all very nice, efficient and serious about the menu.

So, the menu:

I really like that Sidamo is a bit broader than some other coffee houses in two important ways. First, food. They have a nice lineup of sandwiches and breakfast items upon which I can't comment but many others have. Second, tea. They have a much more robust tea program here than nearly every other coffee house in DC. All quality loose leaf served in bodum glass french presses. I had a nice green jasmine.

On the coffee side, I went for a double "Sidamo macchiato." Very good. Just the slight touch of steamed milk it should have with rich, deep, flavorful bean and no bitterness. Sidamo is definitely an Ethiopian coffee house. Love that inasmuch as it's something different done to a high level with quality product. Forgot to ask from whom they source but know that's already posted somewhere.

Thumbs up on Sidamo. Now how about a NW outpost to give Filter some competition?

[ktmoomau]

I actually was there again a while back and had a very good sandwich there. And the addictive chai on the patio. I like that they have nice umbrellas on the patio too.

[porcupine]

The chai was the best I have ever had. Spicy and full bodied, made with real chai tea.

As a lover of chai*, I am intrigued. But I'm not sure what you mean by "real chai tea". ("Chai" is one of those recently adopted words whose meaning can vary.) Would you elaborate?

*I think I posted several recipes in S&C.

eta - does it have rooibos?

[DaRiv18]

With all this renewed focus on coffee, I was wondering if anyone had revisited Sidamo lately. The H Street location is ridiculously close to me, yet I regularly walk 10 times further to Union Market to drink coffee there. I just don't get it, but would be thrilled to discover whatever it is I am missing here. Great people, but the coffee give me the shakes and I'm not really into the cup either.

[Pat]

Sidamo on H was quite busy when I stopped in at 11:30 yesterday morning, populated by a diverse group of people (though I think I was the oldest customer in the place  ) - people working or reading, mothers with babies, a guy with a big skateboard...clearly a very popular place in the neighborhood.  I don't think I'd been in since I wrote this, yikes, almost 7 years ago.

I remembered liking the breakfast sandwich I had before but was hoofing my way back home from the Giant with groceries, including perishables, so I decided I'd better get back to hoofing and just ordered coffee to go.  I got a single Americano, for $2 and some change.  I'm not a big coffee drinker these days, and I'd say it compared well to the last Americano I ordered, at Peregrine.  Very smooth (re: ^, no shakes, fortunately).

Just to note:  other people were ordering the breakfast sandwiches, so they're still serving them at a time approaching noon.  I don't know if they serve them all day or not.