Cuisine: The long pastry case is filled with elaborate bombes and tortes, but the real draw at this Austrian-style kaffeehaus is the savories, from perfectly measured salads to elegant schnitzels and bratwursts.
Mood: Set amid the sleek furniture shops of Cady’s Alley—and away from Georgetown’s hectic M Street—this glass-enclosed cafe looks like a page out of Wallpaper magazine, from the Euro-mod furniture to the manicured customers who wile away the hours over espresso.
Best for: Caffeine refuelings, leisurely catch-ups, solo dining.
Best dishes: A kale salad of raw, thinly sliced leaves with balsamic vinegar and shavings of Parmesan; watermelon and feta salad (enough to share); cucumber salad with yogurt and honey; curried pumpkin soup; farmhouse-cheese-and-apple and egg-salad tea sandwiches; veal schnitzel topped with arugula in a mustard-lemon dressing; skirt steak with skinny fries; bratwurst and sauerkraut; quark cheesecake; sable cookies and almond tuiles.
Insider tips: Leopold’s does one of the best weekday breakfasts around, with Belgian waffles and egg soufflés served until 4 pm. On weekends you’ll battle bleary-eyed Georgetown University kids for a brunch table.
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Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
