Now that restaurants are opening back up, I decided to try one of math teacher Leland Casey’s favorite spots: DC’s beloved Busboys and Poets.

Busboys and Poets has seven locations in the DC area that serve traditional American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All of the restaurants also function as a bookstore and feature an array of performances from a diverse group of poets, singers, authors, and artists.

I joined some family friends for a Sunday brunch at the Takoma Central location to see if it was truly worth Casey’s praise. I immediately fell in love with the interior layout: the vibrantly colored bookstore is beautifully merged with the restaurant, giving the whole place an artistic feel. Despite the large amount of activity and options in a fairly small place, it didn’t appear overcrowded and each element seemed to complement the other well.

Sitting at the window table closest to the bookstore, I couldn’t help but feel right at home in the cozy environment. 

My first impression of the menu was the wide variety of options. Even my vegan sister was impressed by the selection of foods available to her.

She ordered the vegan burger with fries and was very happy with her meal. I got the buttermilk pancakes with a side of crab grits. The pancakes weren’t anything special, but they were still delicious and left me feeling full. The crab grits were great and were definitely a highlight of the visit. The fresh-squeezed orange juice was my favorite and the blackened salmon was fantastic, even though it was on the pricier side.  

The only problem we had was that a couple of the dishes came out cold or overcooked. While this is obviously not great, our servers were super friendly and quick to fix the problem. New food was brought out which ended up being very good. 

I’d give this restaurant a 7/10. Busboys and Poets is 100% worth checking out. It’s a great place to go to read a book, grab a quick and inexpensive meal, or even stay for a show. •