The Coupe

Food was overall pretty good. Kids scarfed down their eggs and pancakes. A/C didn't seem to be working on an extremely hot day which negatively affected the sit down experience. Got our order wrong and when we corrected them, it never came out (didn't even seem particularly busy). Worst part was the $10 pickle chips (pic). I can't believe there were seven pickle chips for $10. I literally asked them if that was really it, it was... Anyway, have had slightly better experiences here before.

Rain outside. Packed house inside. The sort of neighborhood breakfast joint where nobody is trying to reinvent brunch and yet somehow they accidentally have. We ended up at The Coupe, a little outside the usual tourist drift in DC. The place was overflowing with locals on a gray rainy morning, always a good sign. Cappuccinos landing on tables nonstop. Servers moving at speed. That loud roar of conversation that only exists in places people genuinely return to. Nannette ordered the Coupe Royale with eggs, pancakes, sausage, and one of their signature hashbrown squares. I went for the cheddar jalapeño biscuit and the chorizo scramble. The hashbrown squares arrived looking almost too uniform to trust. Dense as a paving stone, crisp like properly fried potatoes should be, and mercifully free of onions. Somebody in that kitchen understands restraint. They crack apart with that deeply satisfying crunch before giving way to soft potato inside. The jalapeño biscuit was exactly right. Not one of those overworked flaky things that explodes into dust and somehow still tastes undercooked. This had backbone. Crunch on the outside, dense and savory in the middle, loaded with cheddar and jalapeño flavor. The butter was basically decorative. Then I stole a bite of Nannette’s pancake and immediately understood the assignment. Sweet already, heavy with vanilla, somewhere between diner pancake and birthday cake batter in the best possible way. Syrup felt unnecessary. But the chorizo scramble ruined everything else on the table simply by existing. Smoky pork, soft eggs, cheddar, tomato, cilantro crema, all collapsing together into one perfect greasy harmony. Every bite tasted like somebody finally realized scrambled eggs never needed to be bland in the first place. Ordinary scrambled eggs now feel like an administrative error. I don’t usually recommend places outright. I write about what happened to me, what I ate, what worked, what didn’t. But this place is worth the trip. If you’re in DC for breakfast, I honestly can’t imagine doing better. I’ve been here hundreds of times and eaten all over the city. I cannot remember another breakfast here that made this kind of dent.

So this is how I learn that the Coupe, Tryst, the Diner and Open City are all under the same management…. Seems like I’m drawn to their style of food services! Or maybe they just all have great WiFi…. Very lovely place, came to work and was placed right next to an outlet. Woody chairs are not the most comfortable for long sessions of work but WiFi holds well The staff was by far the best part, the waitress came to check on me often enough that I felt cared for. The cook also messed with me a few times, really funny dude! I took the quesadilla and the black iced tea, both super good. Lots of great vegetarian options, very similar menu to all the restaurants listed above (hence my discovery!) Great place, great food, great people. I understand why people like it.

We had Heather as our waiter and our experience was one of the best we’ve ever had. She had such a bubbly and pleasant attitude and very attentive. The restaurant had delicious vegan options and food. And the bartender was great (I loved the nondairy version of the maple espresso martini and their specialty matcha drinks!).

This was easily one of the top three worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. I ordered something simple—scrambled eggs with cheese—but the dish came out without cheese. I politely let the server know, and they took it back to fix it. When it returned just five minutes later, it had a slice of American cheese thrown on top, unmelted. I asked to speak with the manager to understand if this met their standards. His response was that “everyone makes scrambled eggs with cheese differently,” which felt dismissive for such a basic request. He offered to remake the plate, but the second attempt was even worse—the eggs were extremely soggy and inedible, and the chicken sausage was tough on the outside. Overall, the food was bland and poorly prepared. The service didn’t improve the experience. I had four different employees come over separately to ask what was wrong, which felt disorganized. At one point, while my food was still being remade, my server asked if I wanted the check, which made me feel rushed despite not having received an edible meal yet. To top it off, the espresso martini was also disappointing and had to be sent back. Save your time and money.