Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C.

Busboys and Poets is a large coffee shop, bar, and restaurant on the corner of 5th and K Street Northwest in Washington, D.C.

Sign outside Busboys and Poets

Busboys & Poets sign outside their 5th and K Street NW location.


The 5th and K St Busboys spot is one of two locations they have in downtown Washington, D.C. This place is huge, with two floors and a large outdoor patio. On weekends it can get extremely crowded for brunch. During the week there's a relaxed atmosphere and you can pretty much hang out on your laptop all day without anyone minding.

This is a great spot for getting some coding done. There is fast, open wifi with great coverage. Electric outlets are plentiful under the bar and near some tables - particularly the booths against the back wall.

The music loudness varies. Sometimes I found I could easily listen to my headphones at normal volume while other times I had to turn the sound up. On weekends the place is loud with large crowds talking so it's less comfortable to sit and work for hours at a time.

Map with the location of Busboys and Poets on 5th St Northwest

Busboys and Poets, 5th Street Northwest, Washington, DC


View outside Busboys and Poets.

Outside the patio area at Busboys and Poets.


Downstairs at Busboys.

A view of downstairs inside Busboys.


Upstairs at Busboys.

Upstairs bar, usually not manned during weekday regular hours.


Patio seating outside Busboys.

Patio seating. Canopy cover allows you to work outside on a laptop easily if it's a cloudy or rainy day.


For more information on this spot check out Busboys and Poets' website.

If you found my writing in this post interesting you should also check out my post on Vigilante Coffee. Also read my perspectives on the four types of software development communities for startups.