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New coffeehouse Restituo is the latest addition to the expanding Shaw neighborhood. Located at 4100 Shenandoah Ave., the shop opened doors April 5.
According to owner Nicole McCormack, Restituo is now brewing up a coffeehouse lineup of esperesso-based drinks, drip coffee, teas, smoothies and even snow cones. McCormack’s food menu consists of a daily spread of pastries and treats from local bakers, but she will offer a full cafe menu featuring soups and New York-style paninis in May. “I don’t brag about many things, but my soups are off the hook,” McCormack said.
In homage to the 10 years she spent living in Manhattan, McCormack even imports her coffee beans from Porto Rico Importing Co. “(Porto Rico) just has a beautiful pH. Their balance is superb without being acidic or burnt-tasting,” she said.
A potter, musician and entrepreneur, McCormack returned to her hometown to be closer to family and said she soon fell in the love with the city all over again. “I had a friend say to me, ‘I feel so much culture in this place,'” she said. “I recognized a niche (in Shaw) for a cafe and my pottery.”
McCormack has outfitted her latest venture with vintage upcycled furniture reminiscent of New York City’s cozy, urban, boutique aesthetic. Restituo’s offbeat decor sprawls across a casual living room layout and includes a fish tank retrofitted from an old television, a manual typewriter open for typing letters or crowd-sourced poetry, and even a vintage turntable where patrons can spin their favorite album while sipping their coffee.
Plus, McCormack uses her own hand-potted mugs and dishes to serve customers, and regulars can even purchase and store a personal mug in one of the site’s dedicated cubbies.
The coffeehouse is currently open weekdays at 7 a.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. A dog-friendly, 10-seat outdoor patio is slated to open once warmer climes arrive.
-photo courtesy of Restituo
This article appears in April 2014.