Thursday, May 24, 2018

Philz Coffee to open at Bethesda Row

Those disappointed that downtown Bethesda is still lacking a Starbucks Reserve store may be interested to know that California-based Philz Coffee will open its newest location at Bethesda Row. Philz Coffee, which in recent years made the leap to the Washington, D.C. area, seeks serious coffee aficionados.

The Philz Coffee menu lacks the sugary specialty drinks found at Starbucks and other mainstream coffee shops. Instead, each cup is brewed to order from customized blends with as many as 7 beans in each. Staff are supposed to be be highly knowledgeable about coffee, and share that information with customers as a sommelier might at a wine bar, taking into account flavors and aromas.

Speaking of wine bars, Philz Coffee will move into the old Vino Volo space on Woodmont Avenue, between Fish Taco (opening in June) and Mon Ami Gabi. Will they be too close for comfort to juice and coffee bar neighbor Joe and the Juice? Stay tuned!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

So how much will they charge for a copy of coffee made by a "sommelier"?

Suze said...

I love me some coffee, but this does seem excessive...

At least it's a nice big space, so maybe it'll be more of a hangout spot than some of the other options in Bethesda.

Anonymous said...

There is one in Adams Morgan and the coffee is pretty good!

Anna said...

Sounds good to me!
Isn't 2018 The Year of Coffee?
Suze, Maybe like a coffee community?

Suze said...

Anna, I checked out their menu and it actually sounds kind of amazing. I am gonna have to check it out once they open.

Anonymous said...

Funny that there are no Philz Coffee shops in NoVa, just California, in DC and now Bethesda. Perhaps Phil has not read Roberts Blog about how terrible it is in Montgomery County and that NoVa is the place to be. This is a big deal that Bethesda is the second local (after DC) to get one of these much loved coffee shops. Just like how the new Amazon Books and the cool new Joe and The Juice that are not yet in NoVa.

It will be interesting to see how Philz compares to Joe and The Juice. Both offer welcoming and comfortable indoor and outdoor seating and fast free WiFi. Casual social spaces to relax with a drink, study, check your email, bring you pup for a drink and a treat, or meet a friend. Hey that sounds a bit like what folks seem to miss about the Barnes and Noble. Combined with the new Amazon Books, these two new coffee shops and the new Anthropologie and Co. Department Store with a new Terrain Cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating, methinks Federal Realty might know what they are doing here...

Robert Dyer said...

2:07: You could easily also cherry pick any number of other retail and restaurant chains that have only opened in Virginia, and not in MoCo. That's not exactly an economic benchmark. Montgomery County not having attracted a single major corporate HQ to the county in two decades is.

Your second paragraph, however, is on-point.

Anonymous said...

There is a location in Adams Morgan. The basil iced coffee is really good!

jasminesdad said...

I had Philz Coffee in San Francisco and Adams Morgan and i assure you it is FAR superior to Starbucks or even Pete's. I work on Montgomery Ave and I am so excited about Philz coming to Bethesda Row. It's a coffee lover's dream come true. My budget will be adjusted accordingly.

Robert Dyer said...

7:28: Good to know. Looking forward to it. I am often underwhelmed by Starbucks coffee.