As warmer weather slowly rolls into the District, a below-ground cafe near Logan Circle draws crowds with seasonal specials and a growing social-media buzz.
Former Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma, who now plays for Milwaukee Bucks, partnered with his chef Joe Perez to open Childhood Cafe in 2024. Inspired by Kuzma’s lifestyle and apparel brand Childhood Dreams, the cafe serves seasonal drinks, pastries and grab-and-go sandwiches that Washingtonians regularly review across Instagram and TikTok.
After a 30-minute walk of admiring the colorful townhouses and blooming magnolia trees, I arrived at the modest space on Wednesday afternoon, right off U Street NW on 17th Street.
Outside, eight black tables and blue umbrellas offered seating for customers, which I can only imagine gets packed on the weekend. The bay window peeked out at just about ground level, filled with tall blue potted plants, while a blue and white “Childhood Cafe” sign rested on the top of the shingled window covering.
The cafe was busier than I expected for a Wednesday afternoon, with three people seated at the bar in the front window and four seated at the bar on the side wall, either working on their laptops or chatting among themselves.
The space itself is small, with low ceilings and fake vines across the ceilings and fake pink flowers strung on the white tiled counter. In the pastry case on the counter, I found the offerings appealing as they were different from the usual croissants I see in cafes, including a strawberry cinnamon roll ($5.45) and chocolate croissant French toast ($5.47). Though I was tempted to order one, I was full from lunch and decided to focus on ordering a drink.
After spotting the spring menu on Instagram, I spent the walk over imagining how each drink might taste as they all pushed beyond my usual iced vanilla latte. The lineup leaned bright, sweet and distinctively spring, evidenced by the blueberry cobbler latte ($5.20) and the mango matcha ($5.77).
Although I was drawn to the strawberry- and banana-flavored matcha drinks, I decided to go for one with espresso as I was eager for a caffeine boost before my two-and-a-half-hour Wednesday afternoon class.
I asked the barista what their favorite drink was, as I was between the creme brulee latte ($5.82) and the carrot cake latte ($5.82). They told me the carrot cake latte was similar to that of pumpkin spice, which I was immediately drawn to because of my love for the fall flavor, and made my choice.
While I waited for my order, I glanced into the to-go case, stocked with sandwiches and yogurt cups. The item that caught my attention most was a glass jar of sea moss gel, featured in the café’s ube sea moss matcha. It’s not something I’ve seen offered at a D.C. café before — only at high-end grocery stores like Erewhon.
After a barista placed my drink on the counter, I grabbed it and found a table outside to sit in the pleasant, yet windy conditions. Although I am not a fan of carrot cake, as I have issues with its texture, the latte seemed more appealing in a drink form, with the spice-flavored syrups.
The latte was a mild brown cover and topped with a cream cheese cold foam and a dusting of spices on top. The cold foam was lighter than expected. It was fluffy and tasted only slightly like cream cheese frosting, balancing with the nutty flavors of the drink.
The latte itself was smooth and had hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, flavors all found in carrot cake. I enjoyed the subtle spices with hints of espresso in each sip, and I was glad it did not taste like straight up carrots. Although I was hesitant with my choice at first, I was satisfied with my drink, and hope to return to test out a matcha.
