Puro Gusto Cafe

The baked goods were amazing! The atmosphere was friendly. Only downside was the restrooms were out of service and the only option we were given was “try someplace down the street.”

I’m a tourist and I walked 30 mins to this place because it came up in Google recommendations. When I walked in with my husband, we ordered from the kiosk and tipped 15% - don’t even know why we did that because the server slammed the coffee at our table and rushed away indignantly as we said thank you, as of she couldn’t be bothered. And the food was simply heated up and given, nothing fresh. The Nutella coffee tasted terrible not sure what they put inside it. I had the pizza and honestly it wasn’t all bad, but the server and her attitude ruined everything. After this I realised as I went through google reviews that this feedback had been echoed by so many people before me already. If the owner already knows this is an issue not sure why this isn’t already addressed, and not sure if me sharing feedback will make a difference but my recommendation to all tourists: SKIP this place.

Nice place for breakfast/snacks. They have some premade sandwiches that heat up for paninis. They have pastries and coffees. I got an avocado toast which was loaded and delicious. Probably the best value avocado toast I've ever ordered. I also got a coffee that had too much creamer in it, as they add it in, but that's nobody's fault. Excellent breakfast, will return.

Puro Gusto Cafe serves the slowest lunch in town. They offer tasty sandwiches but take ages to make them. I ordered their prosciutto-mozzarella panini which took 35 minutes to make. For a downtown DC lunch spot, this is unacceptable. I couldn’t enjoy my sandwich because I had to devour it and run to my next meeting. There were only 4 guests in a massive cafe… so, I have no clue what took them so long! Don’t waste your time, there’re plenty of options nearby. Otherwise, the sandwich was tasty, servers were okay, and prices are great. My sandwich was $9.99 - unheard of in downtown DC. For the price, the taste was amazing and the room was spacious. I wish they didn’t take ages - probably the reason why they didn’t have many clients during peak lunch hours.

Wonderful ambiance! I like the overall vibe of Puro Gusto. This is a great place to host a happy hour, which I actually do on a regular basis. The management is very accommodating to the needs of a group, providing drink or food specials as needed.

Updates Kiosk is still stupid. No options to make my drinks customized. Can't edit the ice, sweetness or anything! Coffee tasted bad. Nutella latte doesn't taste like it has any Nutella in it. Nice pastry selections but please work on coffee... also the kiosk system is very confusing. It does not have any function to choose such as light ice, no foam, extra hot buttons... The patio area is not being maintained at all. So many bugs and ants.

This is the worst cafe place I have ever been to… and I’ve been to a lot. For background, I was in DC for one day. Considering it’s the capital of the country, I’d expect the establishments in the area to be of high quality. However, this cafe complete de-established this idea for me. To start off, customers are not acknowledged as they are walked in. This is not a big deal but it makes a difference in these types of atmospheres. The store itself was not very clean as well. For my food, I ordered a Nutella Cornetto ($6.50) and it was so bad I threw it away. The croissant itself tasted weeks old and was so dry that it hurt to bite into. In addition to the aged cornetto, I ordered a salted caramel latte ($6.97) … worst coffee i’ve ever had. I took one sip and could not bear to take another, so that also ended up in the trash. I wish I had gone to Corner Bakery Cafe across the street (which I went to after my terrible experience with this cafe) where I was treated with delicious food and perfect customer service. If you are thinking of entering this store, I highly recommend you rethink your decision. Update: despite them reaching out to me under this thread, they never responded to my complaints after I emailed them. Just reflects their professional standards🤷‍♀️

Fried chicken panini was not fried. It was more like frozen breaded chicken that was heated in the microwave, which by the way some bites were still freezer cold. “Fried” gives expectation of crispy chicken inside. This was not. The bread was delicious and toasty. We also ordered the bacon and the ham cornettos. That was delicious. The Nutella latte, did not taste like Nutella. But it was ok. Similar to Starbucks vanilla latte. The place is not bad, but not that special either.

Hopped in for a quick and light dinner after strolling through downtown DC. The café is really cute! The café is the cashless café so you ordered at a kiosk and then there was staff behind the counter that processed and delivered your order to your table. The place has seating outside and inside and if you sit inside, you can sit along the large picture windows. Will you order a prosciutto and fig flatbread and a chicken Alfredo flatbread and both were delicious. I also ordered a cherry lemonade, and that was OK. The cherry part of the lemonade tasted fairy artificial. The place has prepared food and other beverages you can grab and go if you do not have time to put in an order and wait for it. They offer the flatbread, sandwiches, and salads and have an adult bar where you can get alcoholic drinks which I thought was a nice touch. The place was very clean and had ample seating and it looked like it would be a cool place to also chill and do a little bit of work. There was a nice bathroom and it too was clean. I will definitely go again to try some of their other items Enjoy!

I wanted something outside of my normal work spots and saw this place. It's not going to be my go to place or anything. I got a chai latte and it was just alright. I ordered it hot and it was more lukewarm! I got a blueberry muffin to accompany my drink. The muffin was not fresh (was slightly warmed up). The space is nice and on the other side there's a decent amount of seating. It was pretty empty. Maybe one other customer. They offer more than just breakfast. The service was good, but it's a meh for me.

I heard this cafe from colleagues at work and I'm always down to try a new coffee spot. they have the electronic devices where you order electronically, so that was convenient. I ordered a pesto sandwich with a latte. the bread was very stale and the taste was mehhhhh. Coffee was great either. I don't know if we came at the wrong time, but I was anticipating for this spot to be a bit better. Great place to hang out or work.

I generally like this place as it is a slice of Italy in downtown DC. I usually just get some snacks and a drink since I'm not much into the paninis. I notice that every time there are new people working, they make the experience worse. A lot of times I go and the place is empty. I asked for the bathroom code once and they said only open to the public. Yes and I needed to go to the bathroom before I ordered my food. It's best to just best to order at the kiosk and not deal with anyone. Some of the staff is nice, but those are usually the longer-term people who have been there a while.

Puro Gusto is THE spot for a summer happy hour in the city! My friend and I ventured to Metro Center to dive into some tasty pizza and PG's Spritz happy hour deal. The restaurant is very spacious with plenty of seating and a bright, classic design. I appreciated all of the colored decor and felt very relaxed here after a long day at work. While they were unable to get the Aperol Spritz on tap, we enjoyed rounds of Campari flavored spritz drinks which were delicious! To eat, I ordered the Margherita Pizza which was perfectly cheesy, peppered, and had large pieces of basil on top. Each bite was flavorful and paired perfectly with the drinks. The service was fantastic with the staff being very accommodating and friendly. All items came out fast and tasted wonderful. Will definitely be back for another happy hour soon!

I went here for good coffee and cherry blossomed themed coffee. We ordered from the self order kiosk since there was no one taking orders. It was easy, we took a number, and sat down. I ordered one of the cherry blossom lattes. We also got an iced mocha. The staff brought our order to our tables promptly. My coffee was nice and hot, sweet, but I didn't taste any cherry blossom/floral tastes. Just a good cup of coffee. I'd still come here just for a quick coffee too. As we got through our drinks, I found the cherry flavorings at the bottom of my cup. So make sure to stir your coffee to distribute the flavors!

We ordered on a kiosk and I had the option to customize my order. Then the server comes to our table and tells me that they can't make any substitutions because the sandwich comes pre-made. I asked why they had the customized option and she just shrugged. I told her to take it off the check and she said okay. A few minutes later, I notice she never went to the counter so I approached her again. She stated that she did not take it off and I will have to go to another worker at the counter to get it refunded. So they would've charged me for it if I didn't ask again. eventually got that sandwich taken off. The rest of my group had to wait over 45 min for their pre made food. And they lost my friend's order after my husband's food came. My friends eventually got their order. Horrible experience. Will never come back.

We got the happy hour deal which was decent, wish it came with more snacks. This is one of the few places in DC where you can get a happy hour during the weekend. We are outside which was nice weather, the seating and area outside is only so-so

This place was completely empty in the morning and the two people working in there were very obviously not motivated. They were just leaning on the counter with their elbows up and head resting on their arms. Was not very inviting for customers. Openly yawning was also not great. It was 8.45am, so not too early. We ordered coffee and a bagel. The coffee was great, but the bagel?! They only had plain white bagel and it was tiny. I have never seen such a small bagel, more the size of a mini donut. It was $4.29 with cream cheese and tasted like a grocery store one. Even Safeway has better bagels than here. Very disappointing. The atmosphere was ok, nice seating but the music was too loud...

The Tall man manager was always great and helpful. Food is okay the coffee is bomb! The ambiance is really nice & comforting &clean.

My book club meets at this spot most months, so I've been here a good number of times! They have great seating and a decent range of breakfast and lunch options along with their coffee. It's a little pricey for the quality, but I still like their paninis and egg cornettos as a solid, simple meal. Service isn't always the friendliest and their ordering set-up can be confusing, but I like Puro Gusto a lot as a meeting spot (quiet, tons of space, plenty of drink and food options for a group) or as a quick stop for coffee.

The pesto chicken panini that I ordered blew me away - they were generous with sundried tomatoes and pesto but a lil skimpy on chicken. Either way it was soo delicious.

Very very average milkshakes. Their shakes were very icy and tasteless and sugary. The concept of the place was great but everything here tasted mediocre!

Good sandwiches. Indifferent and unfriendly counter staff. I work near here and go frequently.

Look at how much Nutella is on the sides of the cup for the iced Nutella latte. Yet some reviews say it doesn't taste like Nutella--how? The issue is that it's real Nutella so it's not going to melt in cold milk. I recommend using a straw to scrape the Nutella off the sides. This will disperse flecks of Nutella into the drink. To taste them properly, don't simply sip through the straw and swallow. Hold the sip in the back of your mouth, and/or kind of chew it a little? Anyway, the point is, I really like the iced Nutella latte. The decaf espresso I get it with is nicely bitter and goes with the Nutella. The default also comes with whipped cream and hazelnut syrup, but I prefer it without.

The ordering process was very easy. I thought that I was going to be getting a great latte because it sounded like it was a coffee bar, but it might have been one of the worst lattes that I've ever had.

Came here because it was one of the few restaurants opened at 6AM in DC. Had plenty of options for breakfast and their paninis are also available as well. They have limited vegetarian options. It was 0630 AM so it was pretty quiet since I was the only one there. I got the veggies panini and it was ok. There were plenty of slices of eggplant albeit a bit salty. Hubby got the pepperoni cheese bagel. Also decided to try their coffee - got the caramel frap with oat milk. Delicious. Better coffee than Starbucks. Once you enter you can order on the screen and customize everything as you like. Noticed that they had a sign for 25% off on Online orders every Monday so it's a good time for you to try them out.

I like the overall vibe of Puro Gusto. This is a great place to host a happy hour, which I actually do on a regular basis. The management is very accommodating to the needs of a group, providing drink or food specials as needed.

Staff was great, They were helpful, flexible and very nice. The restaurant is inviting with several types of seating choices. It's also very clean. The food was fresh. I had a salad. They have nice options and add ons. First time I've been. I'm go back.

Stopped by the cafe, and love the atmosphere the cafe provides. It offers a variety of food, coffee, and alcoholic beverages as well! The good: I had the 3 cheese panini, and it was absolutely delicious! I would definitely go back for the panini. I also had the croissant, and loved the texture and flavor of it. Overall, the cafe is definitely worth stopping by to do your work, studies, or to hang out for some coffee.

Decided on a whim to try this place out and I'm so glad we did. The store is super colorful, and overall kind of wakes you up and gets you energized. The front has a wall of drinks that range from unique coffees, sodas, and alcoholic drinks. The menu included a wide variety of different drinks, pastries, and lunch items. We ordered two paninis and the soup of the day. The soup was kind of mid, but the paninis were very wonderfully done. We also got a coffee and chocolate muffin. I really enjoyed the crispy texture of the muffin and the coffee was very strong (really good since we were spending the day walking around DC). I would definitely come back to this place just to explore some of the drinks on their wall and order some new stuff. Give this place a try if you are in the area!

I returned to try the cornetto, and I thought it was just okay. The sweet flavor of the dough was good, but the execution of making the cornetto could be much more improved as it was dense and not flakey, almost as if it was a dense brioche roll. I just have a preference for a more fake kind, but I'm aware a cornetto has several variations. The savory options for it make it nice to have around for a breakfast run, since it goes far beyond a typically uninspired breakfast egg sandwich around DC. The market inside is quite small and limited - half of it being prepared foods ready packaged to go. Coffee was good, and so is their rewards program.

The staff was friendly. But I was disappointed at the quality of the good we got the Nutella croissant and it had been warmed but when we got it it must have been warmed in a microwave it was a bit hard. We had never been to one it was a new experience for us and just by the name we were excited to try but it was like a fast food version of breakfast pastry. The place was clean and well lit.

Started our morning off a little early and wanted to grab a quick breakfast, we stopped by Puro Gusto on Wednesday at around 730AM. We walked in as a female, and male were coming out to probably set up the chained tabled and chairs. As they saw us walk up, they walked right back in without greeting us at all. I caught the males' attention and started our order while walking towards the cashier. She muttered something to only which i assumed "ready to pay?" I said sure and tapped my card, she had undercharged us and immediately decided to blame me for not noticing, once i settled the difference with 0 pushback, she said nothing and went to go hide beside her coworkers for the duration of our service. Terrible attitude, what a great start of the morning.

This is a full service cafe. Meaning it has coffee, some food selection, desserts, and a seating area. The place is in the heart of DC and very easy to find. The seating area is large for this town, with multiple seating arrangements. The atmosphere has a cool vibe to it and relaxing. Their food selection includes sandwiches, which I didn't try but they seem nicely presented. The coffee was very good. Service was also great.

I previously reviewed this place almost a year ago. I hadn't been back since but today I was in the area and decided to stop by. My partner and I grabbed an iced matcha latte. We tried to mobile order it since I had some reward points to use, but it wouldn't allow me to use my reward points so I had to order in person. My reward points worked in person and the employee taking our order was very nice but unfortunately the matcha was a little bit of a disappointment. We ordered a large but after a few minutes the foam at the top of drink dissolved and it was clear it was more the amount of a medium. See photo for a picture before we even had any of the drink. The matcha tasted fine but was nothing special.

So first glance this is a cute coffee shop. Second more in depth glance at 5pm this is where you wanna be after work lol. Coffee is strong but tasty, hard to find actual espresso in the city. I came after work one day and I was hooked on their Summer Aperol Spritz Special.

First time being here and I love it. Very chill, clean, lots of social space for studying, working, reading... a few group tables too. My mocha was delicious! Staff is friendly as well. If anything is a hidden gem in this city it's this place. I'm sure not hidden for regulars, but it's been on my list of independent owned cafes to visit and I'll definitely be coming back.

The food here is good, but the service is not the best. There's a gentleman that works in the morning whose customer service is great. However, there are two females when working together and alone ignore customers, disregard online orders, and all in all are not warm. They come across as though they don't want to be there. It's been years since I've came into contact with the level of service, including staff not knowing that their organization has online ordering. My coworkers have experienced the same and we will no longer go here, there's a lot of other options nearby this location that has great service morning to evening - the service stays the same.

I'm loving their outdoor and indoor vibes and decor. Their happy hour for bottomless Aperol spritz is delicious!! Highly recommend to go there after work to sip and chat! However I wish they have happy hour foods but they have couples of foods on their menu but I have not tried it yet.

Granted, I'm judging this place on one drink but I couldn't help but be disappointed. Came here looking for a quick drink to keep warm in these unseasonably cool temperatures. Inside is jam packed with classic cafe fare and Italian goodies galore. Placed an order for a decaf nutella latte and a chai latte for a friend. Service was pretty quick and friendly, but what I received wasn't really what I expected? The latte itself, came with a smear of nutella around the cup's interior which, assumedly would melt into the hot espresso and milk. Upon drinking it though, all you could taste was espresso and milk with a la croix whisper of nutella. As a standard latte, it was quite good. But for a flavored latte, it was just wasn't to my liking. My friend enjoyed her chai latte though, so that's a plus! Would definitely come back here to stock up on some Italian snacks, but maybe choose a different drink next time...

I really enjoyed my time here!!! The cafe is cute and spacious, plus the staff were SOOOOO friendly! We got the Margherita Pangusto, Cornetto Egg Sausage Cheese, Cornetto Pistachio Cream, Chicken Parmesan Panini, and Crema Shakerato. I loved everything we got. My favorite was the Chicken Parmesan, especially with the hint of lemon. The cornettos were FILLED! Loved the steamed egg and melted mozzarella. I really liked the Shakerato, but it was a bit too sweet. Will be back to try other things, especially the drinks!!

I tried to email per the owner's comment and the message was returned undeliverable. I hope it wasn't intentional (meaning this was a performative response) and would much appreciate if someone from Puro Gusto would follow up with me on this.

average downtown cafe. Everything (I saw) is pre-cooked and warmed to order. croissant with bacon egg and cheese was heated too much which burned the bacon and cheese, overall was fine but not something I need to eat again. Coffee and latte were fine, Nutella latte a touch sweet but drinkable. Not a bad stop but not a place I'm going out of my way for

This place is expensive for what you get. And the electronic ordering is wonky at best. It takes a long time for you to get your food. They sell bottles without a bottle opener so you can't drink your drinks. The food was good. But I won't be going back.

My mom and I stumbled late one day onto this little cafe. Feeling in the mood for tea more than coffee we were not sure about what this place had to offer. Below is a breakdown of our experience and what we noticed about the cafe. - This place has a limited specialty coffee menu with all the general flavors for add-ins. We ordered a Nutella latte and white chocolate latte, which were very tasty and exactly what we needed, even though we were craving tea at the moment. Speaking of tea, their tea listing is very limited and looks to only have the basics. - The staff are extremely friendly and helpful with navigating the menu. They spoke with us about anything we wanted to know (i.e., flavors, what we should try, coffee listings, etc.). - They have a refrigerated section for a quick grab-and-go. Their pastries look amazing and I regret my decision of not getting one. The menu appears to have a considerable amount of food items available like sandwiches, salads, and breakfast items (see picture for details). Personally, they sound extremely tasty and looked even better. We will definitely be back ready to try a few pastries and sandwiches along with some more delicious coffee.

Ambience very nice and clean. Coffee was bland and poor flavor. Ham cheese bagel was flavorless and rubbery.

I recommend the manager, Haley, gain a smile and personality. she was rude, underwhelming , unwelcoming, uncommunicative, devoid of human interaction skills. a factory job may better suit her pan personality Or a regime of prozac and social skills programs I recommend somewhere else or just staying home. you will feel better when you begin your day. coffee is coffee. it's personalty that warms your day

Have passed this place a million times and finally stopped in for a work lunch. Overall GREAT experience, I was pleasantly surprised. What looks like a casual wok lunch spot with pre-made sandwiches and tons of grab and go items is secretly a hidden little gem. I had the spicy chicken vegetable panini which was AMAZING. Since everything is pre-made I was surprised by how tasty it was. The service was also incredibly fast and they brought the toasted sandwich out quickly. They also have a ton of fruits, chips, pastries, and alcoholic and non-alcoholic options. They do a bottomless happy hour which I'd be excited to try and they also have coffee. There is secretly a ton space inside and a few tables outside too. Overall a great option for lunch or happy hour with coworkers or friends or solo.

I came here on a Sunday morning. It was very crowded, and we waited in line for about 15 minutes. After ordering, the food came pretty quick though. There were no seats inside, but luckily it was a beautiful morning, so we were able to enjoy coffee and breakfast outside. If you check in on Yelp they give you a free small coffee. The food was okay, nothing special, but still tasted good. I enjoyed the Lemon Pound Cake. Many of the lunch options looked good though.

Cute little bistro. We had the fig and prosciutto pan gusto. It was so much better than our overpriced lunch. Hit the spot for an early evening snack/light dinner. The building itself was stuffy and hot and service was meh.

Self-service spot which means you place your order on a kiosk. The coffee is really good and the croissants are good too. It looks like you can also get drinks here which is cool. Since you place the order at a kiosk you don't really interact with the staff though one in particular was attentive and asked if we needed help with the kiosk itself.

very cute café. The color palette is very calming there's Wi-Fi here and the seats are pretty comfortable. The café menu is pretty expensive and there's a lot of breakfast sandwiches and pastries to pick from... There's also a bar which I don't know if it's open I'm here on a Sunday at 10 AM lol

Came here for breakfast on a Sunday morning. The restaurant was empty and very inviting. I ordered at the front desk some cappuccino, lattes, cornettos, cheese Danish and a cream bun. The food was all pretty good but the egg inside my egg and veggie cornetto was still cold. The coffee was great and hot. Overall pretty good breakfast

They seem to have a good espresso, but the grind setting was a bit off and they way overheated the milk denaturing it and losing all the sweetness. Maybe start using a thermometer so your barista can keep it under 160F My tongue is not so happy either after the scalding from the first sip

Came to Puro Gusto for the bottomless happy hour from 4-6pm on week nights. I can say bottomless was not necessary haha. I only got through two drinks and they were very large and strong! You can just order one or two for $12 each any time! The seasonal spritz and the aperol spritz were both very good. They gave us some chips and cookies with the bottomless happy hour deal. We did not eat other food, but it is cafe fare. It looked pretty good. Service was a little spotty and confusing, but it is a cute little cafe and a good place to get a reasonably priced spritz!

My favorite spot near the monuments! Management has been fantastic in organizing group events here, employees are very kind, and there is ample space. Also has one of the best Iced Americanos and a ton of tasty treats!

Quick, delicious, and affordable! The tables are made from recycled plastic. Friendly and fast service.

The food was spectacular, the latte was perfection! The customer service was less than stellar and kinda snarly. It's unfortunate that negativity is present in such a lovely place. The caprese salad would be better with aoili sauce that was on the panini. Pizza was over cooked but tasty.