I was a big fan of Teaism before it got Rachel Ray-d. She’s right: Their hot Chai is awesome. But my favorite menu item is the French toast. For $8, you get two giant pieces. Sharing with a hungry friend? Order the cilantro eggs to balance out the sugar. Unfortunately, my token breakfast item is only served on Saturday and Sunday. The rest of the week, they serve waffles instead. If you’ve tried one, please give us the report! And, for those of you worker bees looking for an afternoon refreshment, nothing in Dupont beats their $2.75 chai shake.

They serve lunch and dinner items as well (bento boxes and sandwiches), but I’ve never been plowed over by their savory food. Sure, it’s healthy, fast, and relatively inexpensive, but you kind of forget the taste when you leave…unless you’ve ordered the Salmon Ochazuke! On my first visit to Teaism (out of say 20), an employee encouraged me to try this green tea and rice soup. I can eat just about everything, but I literally had to dump this out. It was super fishy, hot, and slimy and I just couldn’t get it down.

Teaism has three locations, but my favorite is the one that’s closest to me (pictured): Connecticut and R Streets, NW.