The Freshman VA

Restaurant · Crystal City

The Freshman VA

Restaurant · Crystal City

2011 Crystal Dr, Arlington, VA 22202

Highlights

Hip, industrial eatery for coffee, cocktails & brunch, plus hearty fare like pasta & steak frites.

2011 Crystal Dr, Arlington, VA 22202 Get directions

@eater

"The Freshman, an all-day cafe, has recently rebooted its service with a fresh new menu curated by chef Tim Ma. The menu spans from breakfast through dinner, featuring snacks like Buffalo wings and shrimp skewers, and heartier plates such as lemon pepper chicken, lemongrass pork spaghetti, and steak frites. The cafe is open from Tuesday to Sunday, with specific hours for breakfast and an all-day menu." - Tierney Plumb

Chef Tim Ma Revamps a Crystal City Cafe With Lemongrass Pork Spaghetti - Eater DC

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@eater

"This new all-day cafe right by the Crystal City Metro stop stocks plenty of local beer, cider, and seltzer. There are close to 20 wines offered by the glass or the bottle, and a tight list of cocktails includes a mule that’s made with London dry gin and St. Germaine. Happy hour runs Wednesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with $5 beers, $6 sangria, and other specials for food and drinks. — Gabe Hiatt" - Kalina Newman

Where to Grab a Drink Outside in Arlington, Virginia - Eater DC

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@eater

"The Freshman, an all-day cafe near the soon-to-open Amazon HQ, in D.C." - Amanda Kludt

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@eater

"The Freshman is a new all-day cafe destination for coffee, food, and cocktails set to open in early 2020 in a 3,400-square-foot space formerly occupied by Noodles & Company. Located at 2011 Crystal Drive, it's a part of the initiative by developer JBG Smith to bring homegrown businesses to the area influenced by Amazon HQ2's arrival. The cafe aims to serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner with local ingredients and features a full-service bar, with seating for 120 inside and a 50-seat outdoor patio. The design, by Studio 3877, aims for simplicity and timelessness, avoiding fleeting trends. It is owned by Mothersauce Partners, with Nick Freshman as the founder." - Tierney Plumb

The Freshman All-Day Cafe Will Open Near Amazon’s Crystal City HQ2 in 2020 - Eater DC

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鄭育順

Google

Have come here twice and we all got a great seat. It's a good place to get some drinks and bar food, although I like the egg-based breakfast more🙌🏻 We ordered breakfast for lunch on the first visit. I thought Omelette was like a plate of eggs but it came as a breakfast sandwich. Food was all fine and I like their latte ✨ Had bar food on my second visit. Spinach & artichoke dip and fried calamari were good too. Just me hoping we got more calamari inside the dish tho 🤣 but it was cool that it came with some fried jalapenos, pepper and arugula. There was only one server at the time for each visit, but we didn't wait a long time for the food and drinks and the servers were nice. Both of the time they kinda forgot our request tho🤣 (1. Empty box 2. Small plates)

Steve Perry

Google

I stopped to try this place out for the first time. I only had the veggie omelette and coffee. The service was very good and prompt. It was also friendly. The omelette was over cooked and dry and the little salad it came with was not very fresh. I hoped I would really like this place. I will go back and try something else at some point. Maybe later in the day. My first impression was fair from being impressed. Great location though and it has potential.

Jane L

Google

Disclosure: I won a gift card from National Landing. I've visited the Freshman three times and I finally found the perfect order for me! An iced latte with oat milk and breakfast sandwich with bacon! They were so simple and delicious! Didn't need any additional modifications and truly enjoyed them. The staff is always very nice and welcoming. I have eaten alone each time and didn't have any issues with delays or needing to get their attention. The space is very large with indoor, bar, and outdoor seating. I think the only odd drawback is the name... For some reason it doesn't reflect the food or service and just isn't catchy. But otherwise I recommend it for breakfast! Giving three stars for food bc the non breakfast items I had on previous visits are not that great. But four stars overall including service, location, ambience, etc.

UAE Spotlights

Google

I was on a rush today and I couldn’t dine in but this place is so inviting, the street view seating area seems to be perfect for a nice dining experience. I ordered my food over the phone and It was so easy to chat with the person who took my order, he noted all the details and made sure to get the food prepared the way I asked for. I found it difficult in the beginning to find a parking space but when I got to the restaurant I noted that there was a sign showing some information about Free Parking (check the photos) Eggs, Cheese & veggies was the sandwich I ordered for my breakfast and it was really flavorful and fresh, I enjoyed every bite. Overall I love The Freshman and I recommend you trying it

Kathryn Goins

Google

Party of 2, dining in. This is our second time here. The avocado toast is amazing! The other party enjoyed their veggie omelet as well. Our server was Dennis and he's simply the best. Serving with a smile can be difficult, but he does it with such ease and warmth.

Kyle Denton

Google

We had an amazing breakfast. Their vegetarian options are great. The egg sandwich and the frittata were delicious. Their coffee is great. We had americanos plain and they had a nice nutty caramel taste.

Kerry Lebel

Google

The food was ok at best. Presentation was nice, but who puts basically a whole bowl of salad on top of avocado toast? It was basically to hide how little avocado was on it. The huevos ranchero was ok but the tortillas were stale. The atmosphere was nice and it didn’t hurt the weather was beautiful while sat outside. The service was terrible though. The server never came back one from the time someone else brought our food. The manager even cleaned away our empty plates and I had to ask him for more coffee. 10 minutes later our server finally came back just to drop off the bill. He was useless and hung out at the bar talking with other servers the whole time. We won’t be back.

Catherine Carlisle

Google

We needed a last minute breakfast and this was a lovely find! The food was beautiful and yummy. They have seasonal lattes that are delicious. They have a patio and indoor dining as well as a bar. Cool atmosphere. Friendly service. 10/10