Hello everyone!
For those of you who were not aware… a certain thing just happened in D.C. involving the colors white and pink and a mass of trees… and it happens every year… yes.
The cherry blossom festival.
BUT! This post has nothing to do with the cherry blossom festival, but a place we ate at following said cherry blossom festival!
Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe, located in the Dupont circle neighborhood of Washington D.C!
I never really knew that they actually served food, though to be fair I never actually bothered to check until recently when my sister in law suggested the location to me.
The seating area
The outdoor seating area is really nice when the weather is beautiful (like it was each time I went… yes I went twice).
It’s pretty cool that they convert their indoor seating into outdoor during the spring/summer.
Also is it me, or is there something about sitting outside in the afternoon that makes you really want to order some refreshing cocktails?
Maybe it’s me.
Maybe it’s the alcohol.
It’s definitely the alcohol.
The bookstore
The cafe entrance
The restaurant itself is attached to a *gasp* bookstore. I actually thought the idea of buying a book at the store and then going over to the cafe to start reading said book was actually pretty cool. The selection on books is also pretty nice, I saw plenty of history books that tickled my fancy (didn’t get any though… already behind on my reading enough as it is!).
Peanut Shrimp Stir fry
The first time I came here I ordered the peanut shrimp stir fry. I didn’t find anything spectacular about the stir fry, I liked the chopped up peanuts that were added, however I did not like that the top layer of noodles were dry (for texture and presentation.. however I really just do not enjoy uncooked noodles too much). The shrimp were good.
I may not order this again, however I don’t find too much wrong with it outside of the dry noodles.
Vegetarian Platter
Vegetarian platter, vegetarian friend ordered this. Apparently it was good, I didn’t actually taste any to make any comments. If anything the food on the order was quite plentiful!
Chicken Pot Pie
This is what I ordered after going to the cherry blossoms in D.C. with a few of my friends. Chicken pot pie with a side salad. This one was really great! The pastry was nice and puffy, the chicken filling was also great. The side salad was nice and refreshing (especially since the pie is served piping hot and you need something nice and cold to eat alongside it. The serving size of the chicken pot pie is also really nice!
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Butternut squash ravioli, one of my friends got this. It was really nice, I liked the filling. I can’t say the pasta was as good as some really good Italian restaurants (but, well that is a bit unfair). I liked the butternut squash filling. I’d say it is a great vegetarian option.
Crab Cake Pasta
I didn’t taste any of this one, but I swear the person across from me did not stop raving about this one. Crab cake with pasta, apparently a specialty at the cafe. This one looked really good and I was about to order it, had I not seen a waiter carry out an extremely appetizing looking pot pie to another table…
Pasta!
More pasta! I did a bad job here and I don’t even remember what this dish was… but here is a picture of it!
Alright so overall Kramerbooks is pretty good, I wouldn’t call it the absolute best place to eat in the… however I really enjoyed the atmosphere at the cafe. I would definitely come back again for a casual lunch or dinner if I was in the area! The service was really good, not overly attentive nor absolutely absent. It is also really easy to get to from the Dupont Circle metro station on the red line.
And hey, it’s fun to browse all the books in the store after you eat!
Overall, solid place to grab a casual meal and sit outside.
Location: 9/10 (Easily metro accessible, in Dupont Circle)
Food: 6/10 (Average overall, nothing too outstanding)
Atmosphere: 8/10 (comfortable outdoor seating area)
Service: 5/10 (Inconsistent, one day the service was good and attentive, another day the service was absent and not very helpful)
Price: Average (15-30$)
Overall Rating: 6.5/10 (Food, Atmosphere, Service)
Keep on forking!
Forking Around the Capital 