GMS Vignettes: Upcoming Businesses to Look Out For
By • August 14, 2024 0 545
By Sophia Hall
Two new businesses, coincidentally, both born out of the Grace Street Collective, are now gracing the streets of Georgetown. Grace Street Coffee Roasters and My Little Chamomile—a coffee shop and a fine dining restaurant—while different on the surface, share many things in common. Most importantly, both of these businesses incorporate love, joy and heart into their fare.
Grace Street Coffee Roasters
“Specialty, local, and high-quality” is how Adam Hong, COO of Grace Street Coffee Roasters, would describe the coffee shop. This independent, locally-owned coffee company recently relocated to 3299 K Street, right off the pedestrian and cyclist pathways along the Potomac River. The cafe sells over thirteen different and seasonal coffees from all over the world. They also offer different blends, such as the 3210 House Blend, in honor of their prior location on 3210 Grace St. They receive 20 bags (the equivalent of 3,200 pounds) of coffee beans monthly. The shop roasts all coffee in-house.
“We’re re-imaging the workflow,” Hong said.
The interior space is perfect for catching up with your friends or getting some work done, as it features plenty of tables and standing bar space, as well as a bleacher-style bench area with moveable trays.
The shop also has a special tie with the biking community. The outdoor picnic benches and bike racks welcome bikers both beginning or ending their ride through the beautiful area trails, and the delicious coffee doesn’t hurt, either! A few bikers located outside the cafe testified to the quality and taste of the offerings inside, as well as their excitement for the recent inclusion of Monstera burritos on the menu.
In addition to supporting bikers, the cafe also helps lift up other members of the local community. Through their wholesale business, they helped a single mom moving between homeless shelters make a living with her own self-branded coffee shop. They also donated an offer for a lifetime of free coffee to an auction supporting Rose Park. They also donate empty coffee bags to the Swiss Embassy, who use the material to smoke the bee houses while extracting honey, and then give some honey back to the coffee shop as a thank you.
Check out Grace Street Coffee Roasters any day of the week, from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M during the week, and 8 A.M. to 6 P.M. on the weekends.
My Little Chamomile
If you dare to wander through a hidden alley in the heart of Georgetown, your adventurous spirit will be rewarded with delicious Turkish fare. Fresh focaccias, lamb meatballs and stuffed peppers are just the few highlights of My Little Chamomile, the full-service, dinner-only restaurant opening soon on 3210 Grace Street. Named after Chef Cagla Onal-Urel’s nickname for her blonde granddaughter—“my little yellow chamomile”—the restaurant runs on a mother’s love for family and for food.
The new fine dining option shares an adjoining kitchen with Onal-Urel’s other delectable venture: Green Almond Pantry, a small but mighty lunch counter and market. The name stems from the English meaning of Cagla, which is unripe, or green, almonds. The original wood-painted sign from her first farmer’s market hangs on the wall of the eatery, as a testament to how much she has grown.
In My Little Chamomile, the new sibling restaurant, you will be able to enjoy homemade butter, roasted meat, whole salt-baked fish, fresh salads, and then wash it down with Turkish coffee, beers and wines. The star of the show is the mezze display bar, a nod to the traditions of cafes in Turkey.
The restaurant will open in late summer, but if you are eager to have a taste, stop by Green Almond Pantry 11 A.M. to 3 P.M., Tuesday through Sunday.
GMS VIGNETTES brought to you by Georgetown Main Street and The Georgetowner.
