The Scoop: Tryst has everything you need to succeed in DC: caffeine to fuel you during the workday, plenty of seating options where you can look official with your laptop, and most importantly, sweet, sweet alcohol to help you unwind after that hard day on the job. It’s not like these Internet videos were gonna meme themselves! Yet while most people already know about the superiority of Tryst’s coffee and café menus, many might be surprised to learn they’re also on top of their craft cocktail game. Rickey month? They’ve got it covered with their “Summer Lovin’ Rickey.” And now they tell us they’re starting up Tiki Tuesdays, featuring 10 new cocktails, with one of them called the Volcano Bowl? Mind ‘splode.

Scout Finds: There’s nowhere else in DC that has the same vibe as Tryst. “We wanted to create something different, something that wasn’t already in DC,” said Jocelyne DeHaas over a peanut-butter bagel, as she recalled Tryst’s beginnings 13 years ago. “We wanted to become DC’s 3rd place, not your home or your office but your home away from home, that 3rd place in your life where you spend much of your time and feel most comfortable.” And they do: it’s become the go-to venue to get free weekday wifi with your iced coffee; a great place to catch up with old or new friends over a tasty breakfast, lunch or dinner (we recommend the homemade granola, the green apple and brie sandwich, and the nachos locos, respectively); and finally, it’s increasingly a laidback spot to keep up with the latest in what’s happening in the magical world of booze.

For that last one, we have mixmaster David Fritzler, a finalist in the DC Craft Bartender Guild’s rickey competition last year, to thank. This man is a vision behind the bar and not just because we like his glasses, but because we love watching him make cocktails about as much as we love drinking them. THE MAN SETS SH*T ON FIRE! But we digress… Some of the highlights from the cocktail selection include: the Muppets Take Manhattan, which features rye whiskey, Carpano Antico vermouth, and muddled brandied cherries; the Afternoon Delight, which includes 209 gin, fresh blackberries (!), lemon juice and soda; and the Orange-Thyme Royal, which just might be our favorite. It’s made up of Cocchi Americano vermouth, orange-thyme syrup and cava served over ice. Yup, life is good.

Menu Highlights:
Iced Coffee, $1.50 (small) or $2.25 (large)
Granola & Yogurt, $4.99
Dan’n’Edith Sandwich (green apple and brie combined with honey and dried lavender, served open faced on barbari), $8.25
Nachos Locos, $9.95
Craft Cocktails, $8 to $10
Walnut Brownie, $3

Hours:
Monday – Wednesday, 6:30 a.m. to midnight
Thursday, 6:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Friday – Saturday, 6:30 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Sunday, 7 a.m. to midnight