Tucked away inside Analog Coffee, B-Side Foods is a local cult favorite thanks to a rare alchemy of vibes and substance. Pastel subway tiles, cheerful strings of Christmas lights, a turntable spinning carefully curated tunes, and a compact menu of tidily executed breakfast and lunch dishes make this cafe the sort of place where you want to hang out all day.
Order coffee with the barista and food at the checkout counter. You’ll get a number, but they don’t do table service, so keep an eye out so you can grab your food when it comes out of the kitchen at the back of the cafe. Explore the selection of print newspapers and magazines while you wait.
This bite-sized restaurant inside Analog Coffee (get it? B-side?) is one of those “hidden gems” that’s hardly hidden — everyone knows about the breakfast sandwich here by now, surely? Ham, Beecher’s cheese, daikon pickles, charred onion aioli, and as the star ingredient, a thin omelet-y slice of egg dotted with scallions. Like much of what B-Side does, it’s casually impressive and shockingly good. Just be advised that this place can be extremely crowded, even on weekdays, and parking in this part of Capitol Hill is not for the faint of heart.