At two seemingly disjointed Western Market eateries, the scent of fresh coffee beans wafts from a cafe counter, while the sounds of clinking cutlery echo from the Italian restaurant next door.
The self-described “Italian-ish” Tigerella blends quick breakfast with a sit-down lunch and dinner menu between two neighboring joins in Western Market after they opened in late July and early August. The two-sided establishment serves up creative and classic coffee drinks, baked goods, salads and sandwiches in the cafe portion alongside a somewhat casual yet tasteful date-worthy setting if you’re looking to kick up your dining atmosphere at the sit-down restaurant just feet away.
Tigerella takes inspiration from classic Italian coffee, pizza, pastas and baked goods to make for a fresh menu with lots of traditional Italian flavors. I tried out the spot’s best dishes, so be sure to give these orders a try next time you’re in Western Market.
Sun-drenched and coffee-scented, the cafe is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers a variety of espresso and drip coffee drinks along with pastries, breakfast items, salads and sandwiches. The cafe feels like the ideal late-morning spot – open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., including weekend hours coming in the near future – with the likes of Kali Uchis, The Internet and Steve Lacy playing over the sound of grinding coffee beans.
The espresso drinks are a must-try. Beans sourced from Pause Coffee are brewed into classic drinks, like the iced Americano (small $3.5/large $4), which I would dare to call the most well crafted of its kind in Foggy Bottom. This drink highlights the natural sweetness of the coffee along with a hint of acidity, leaving you pleasantly refreshed, caffeinated and ready for the day.
Their breakfast sandwich ($9) – a rolled cheddar omelet in a potato bun that comes with brisket for an extra $3 – stands out as their signature sandwich, served in a foil to-go wrapper alongside a mild house-made hot sauce. The bun, baked fresh every morning, melts in your mouth as the cheese omelet takes center stage. Cooked to perfection, the omelet is fluffy, carries the right amount of cheese and doesn’t feel too heavy, so it works as a light grab-and-go breakfast on the way to class. Add brisket for a more filling start to a lazy Sunday morning. Not to mention, it’s offered as one of the business’ student specials – drip coffee and a breakfast sandwich for $10 on GWorld.
In the adjacent space next door, the eclectic sit-down restaurant and bar portion of Tigerella opens for lunch and dinner from 12 to 9 p.m.
Upon entering the restaurant, you will find yourself face-to-face with a team of chefs who work in an open-plan kitchen where they prep, cook and plate dishes in plain view. An intimate setting surrounds a bar with dim, low-hanging pendant lights and exposed brick walls.
Guests can also sit at an indoor courtyard-style dining area with several larger tables, where sun streams in through the skylights, the perfect setting to enjoy lunch with a classic Italian plaza.
Toeing the line between classic and contemporary, the all-day sit-down dining menu contrasts the typical breakfast options found at the cafe. Boasting original dishes like a vegetable rigatoni ($21), daily house-baked sourdough and butter ($5) and a pickle pie pizza ($14) – made with garlic cream, giardiniera and pattypan squash – the restaurant portion brings a chic lunch and dining experience to GW’s campus.
The menu features five small-plate, appetizer-style dishes, the ideal first order for the table. Tigerella’s devilishly summery tomato & peaches salad ($13), serves as a great opener to lunch this summer, next to options like fried artichokes, broccoli rabe and a green salad. Dressed generously with olive oil, tomato water, basil and tangy flakes of pecorino romano, the rough-cut heirloom tomatoes and ripe peaches are sweet, refreshing and light, paying homage to classic summer flavors.
The salad complemented the summer vegetable tartine ($14) to match the similar sweet and savory combination elicited from the zesty salad. Served on floral, vintage-styled plates and adorned delicately with Nasturtium petals – a bright red flower used as a sweet and peppery herb – Tigerella’s tartine is undoubtedly the standout dish both visually and in terms of taste.
This order features rich and distinctly sweet eggplant puree spread thick over a slice of sourdough and whipped ricotta piped over top along with tart roasted peppers, basil and a bright, zesty gremolata – an Italian green sauce traditionally made with parsley, lemon zest and garlic. The brightness from the red pepper alongside the richer taste of the eggplant crafted the optimal balance of opulent and fresh flavors.
Don’t leave without ordering the Blood Orange Latte – espresso and your choice of milk with a blended blood orange and vanilla syrup – available on the student specials menu for $4 with a valid student ID. A fresh take on the flavored latte trend, it is a must-try along with the salad and tartine. Overall, the quirky, upscale menu and multifunctional layout make Tigerella a hopeful contender for Western Market’s trendiest lunch spot.
From espresso to summer salads, Tigerella offers a classically inspired breakfast, lunch and dinner that transition your taste buds seamlessly from summer to fall, so be sure to stop by while the peaches are ripe and nasturtiums are in bloom.
