Java Nation - Kensington

Tasty Food-Great Service!Invited a friend to join me for lunch @Java Nation/Kensington last Saturday. Our first time @Kensington location. Arrived mid-afternoon busy place. We got seats @bar height communal table.The inside dining area looks smaller more dim lighting than the North Bethesda location we've visited in the past. Not to worry daylight streams in the big front window. Large outdoor covered seating also available. On to the food/service:We ordered the "Tricolor Quinoa Bowl" w/Grilled Salmon addition. It arrived on a plate-quinoa atop hummus w/arugula, onions, olive oil & lemon dressing. Very fresh tasting veggies/moist Delicious salmon. Also the "Turkey BLT" (turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato) sandwich w/chips. My friend enjoyed the BLT. We requested sandwich be made w/sourdough bread instead of multigrain. Generous meal portions. medium latte arrived in a huge cup. See Photos! Great Customer Service.

I really like this Java Nation - it's so pretty on the inside, with lots of light and artwork. The coffee is good too - I recommend the cardamom latte. However, I had some seriously bad service there today.I ordered my latte and spelled out my name to them for the order. I sat down, met my friend, she ordered, several other orders came out, finally her order came out, mine never did. I asked the barista, and mine was the drink that had been sitting on the bar for 10 minutes. Why hadn't I picked it up, you ask? Well, even though I SPELLED MY NAME, it came out as a totally different (traditionally male!) name. Also, the whole time she was shouting out said name, the barista also kept saying "caramel latte for..."Seems hard to figure out it was my drink with the wrong name and what sounded like the wrong drink. She did not offer to remake my drink even though it had been sitting there for like 10 min.For $8.50 for one latte (an extra $1 for oat milk plus a tip...oof!), I'm not sure I'll frequent them that much unless their service improves.

I've given Java Nation at different locations a try because I am under the impression that it is a great food group doing great things with coffee farmers abroad, so I am always down to support good causes.But I don't know why, there's always something wrong with my food or with the service, something that lacks every time or maybe I am just the lucky one.This location offers a nice ambiance but the service is so s-l-o-w... coffee takes forever to come out and if you order food the wait is even longer. The front staff is not even apologetic about it. More than a 15 minutes wait for a sandwich, an omelette or a salad is way too much, especially for such a small kitchen. It's not that the food is horrible, it is just not memorable, nothing special about it, really.Additionally, this time I ordered take out. When I got home my order was wrong. I had ordered a mushroom and feta omelette and got the one with ham instead. I can't even eat ham at the moment! Since I just didn't have the time to go back there to ask for a change (nor the patience) I just did not eat it.I also think it is overpriced. Paying $42 for a burger and an omelette is way too much.I guess this is just not a spot for me.

Overall, I thought Java Nation was a great spot to pick up a quick and easy breakfast. During my visit, I went with a ham and (gruyere) cheese omelette, which came with two sides (a selection of potatoes, small salad, very small bowl of fruit) for about $14. Besides coffee (obviously), Java Nation has a nice selection of breakfast and pastry items. I thought my food was quite delicious, and I was a bit surprised (in a good way) with how much ham the omelette contained. The restaurant has plenty of indoors and outdoors seating. The layout and the decor of the restaurant are nice, and I thought this location was very clean. I thought the service was quite wonderful - especially the recently hired cashier that took my order. This might be a bit controversial (but it did not affect my review). Since I was dining in, I provided a tip after ordering at the counter because I assumed the food would be brought to my table. However, I was kind of surprised that I had to pick up my food from the service counter AND bust my own table after eating. Perhaps, during my next visit, I might not tip the full 20%.

A nice place to meet friends for coffee if you're in Kensington. The lunch/brunch offerings are fine, but not extraordinary. My wife and I were greeted warmly when we stopped in for lunch the other day. We both enjoyed sitting outside in their patio area. Lots of good protection from the elements, but still bright and pleasant in the warm fall afternoon. My wife got the lentil soup, scrambled eggs and a cappuccino. I got a chicken taco platter and a steak taco platter. (I was hungry.) My wife liked her eggs and thought that her lentil soup was solid. Cappuccino was good as well. My tacos were just OK. They bill them as taco "platters", which suggests that they might come with a small side salad, or maybe some beans and rice, but you just get the tacos. They weren't especially flavorful, but they were tasty. Also thought that they could've been a bit bigger--especially because there was no side salad or side item. All in all, a nice and friendly place. Just not sure it's worth a trip across town for the lunch offerings. But, if you're meeting friends in Kensington for a quick coffee or a bite to eat, you can do a lot worse!

Cosy spot, went for brunch on Saturday morning around 10am, got seating for two quickly, they have both to go/for there options for their drinks. Pay at counter and they'll call order/buzzer ring. I had the carne asada arepa and the portion size was sufficient for me although I tend to eat smaller portions. Food was delicious, enjoyed my time there, would go again!

We tried their crepes and enjoyed it. Drinks were nice. So packed with people. Nice workers!

Wonderful Nice outdoor seating, and inside is very nice as well. Good people and a friendly local Kensington environment.

Great spot for a quick bite to eat for brunch! It's a small space and bustling. The chicken pupusas were delicious - portion was big, I couldn't finish it by myself. My fiancé got the ham and cheese omelet, which he said was good. The home fries were well seasoned. They got my drink order wrong (made me an iced latte when I asked for an iced mocha), which was a bummer. Overall a nice spot that I recommend checking out.

Service was incredibly slow and not very friendly. Things were advertised on the menu that they didn't have and I had to ask for the coffee I ordered because it never came. The salad I had was really good but I will likely not go back.