Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe

I used to live in Washington DC and this is one of the places I miss the very most! A wide selection of books and a menu that can't be beat. Whenever I visit it's definitely a must stop on my list. Great for dates too. more

Kramer Books and the attached Afterwords cafe in the back is one of the cornerstones of the Dupont Circle neighborhood. The independent bookstore seems to be most popular among the 20-30-something lobbyist/Hill crowd, but other folks come here too. If you're looking for discount books, go down the street to the discount bookstore right on the circle. Come here for the wide variety of literature and nonfiction, right down to the very obscure. You could spend hours in here reading off the shelves -- there's even a whole shelf of travel essays and diaries. Kramer's was doing the mix of book shopping and eating long before Border's and other big chains. Afterwords is not the kind of place that would draw you for the food alone, but the menu is decent, the enclosed sidewalk cafe has some atmosphere and entrées are inexpensive or moderately priced. Last I checked, they were open all night Fridays and Saturdays (but check ahead on this). more

Very well stocked independent bookstore and coffee shop. You feel comfortable browsing through their wide selection of interesting books. They bring the best sellers, but also a lot of the very unique books that are harder to find at the larger chain bookstores. They have a nice little coffee shop in the back that has readings and a great crowd at all times of the day! more

Kramer has food as well as books, but I skipped the main dish and went straight for the desert. They are sweet and scrumptious. The frozen drinks are to die for! Amaretto and Bailey's Irish cream in a frozen milk shake form is just what the doctor ordered at 11p.m. after a hard day's work! more

One of my favorite places in DC! It's a combination cafe, bar and independent bookstore. Unlike some cafe/bookshops, the food is creatively prepared and delicious. Check out the basil shrimp pasta and the incredibly decadent brownie sundae. The crowd tends to be a friendly mix of young and old, heavy on locals and yuppies with many reading their new purchases over a class of wine on the outdoor patio. more

This is a fun bookstore/restaurant combo in Dupont- less than a block from the metro. The restaurant is a great place for a snack after a night out in Dupont- the trick is to know that you have to ask your server for a coin to get into the bathrooms! It's also a nice place for for a full dinner. The dinner menu has a lot of variety with a lot of international influence. For desert, I recommend the brownie sundae. They also make pretty good coffee drinks. more

Kramerbooks has an awesome selection of new books. In the heart of Dupont Circle, the store is open 24 hours on weekend and runs a popular restaurant/cafe with regular live music. I would say the food is pretty overpriced but that doesn't stop the place from being packed every weekend. A good bookstore. more

Kramer's is more than just a bookstore - it's a local hangout in DC that's near Dupont Circle. It's got a nice collection of books, is open late everyday and 24-hours on Friday and Saturday. Kramer's is fairly small so it feels very quaint. The bookstore is kind of split into two sections just by the nature of the space it's in. Because it's small, the collection of books is a bit smaller, but it also allows you to peruse a lot more titles in a lot of sections you probably wouldn't look through. In the back of Kramer's is Afterwords, their coffee house serving beer, wine, breakfast, brunch, dinner, and desserts. There's live music overlooking the bookstore on the second level Wed-Sat night and free internet at the bar. more

For those living in DC that have guests coming in from out of town, a great alternative to the usual tourist destinations is Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe. It's open late every night, and 24 hours on the weekends. The bookstore itself is a great place to spend a few hours, and on weekends they've got live music and desserts. more

Kramerbooks knows their DuPont audience well, so if you live near them they have most of the books you want when and where you want them. The discount chain Books-A-Million is just a few steps away, but the two bookstores manage to coexist peacefully, perhaps even symbiotically, as they work together to exclude homeless people from their bathrooms and encourage as little browsing as possible. Possibly an ingenious Republican front allowing the RNC to conduct surveillance on the DC liberal elite. more

This bookstores has an awesome selection. In addition to their stock of books, they frequently have live music on the weekends and they have a small cafe/bar in the back with some amazing looking deserts. The prices are more expensive than at the huge chain bookstores but it is easy to walk in and instantly find books that look interesting. more

Located in Dupont Circle, Kramerbooks & Afterwords has everything -- an amazing selection of books, great desserts, coffee, a full bar, live music, and indoor & outdoor dining all day and night. (Though I am a little impartial; my husband & I had our first date here -- so, needless to say, I think it's an excellent date spot!) more

DC has plenty of places where you can buy a good book, but not all of them have the atmosphere and intelligent staff that Kramer's does. They have a wide selection of popular and alternative books on hand, and it's hard to resist their displays. I have often bought books as gifts here, and there are always new ones that seem to bubble up out of nowhere. This place is the kind of crowded cozy bookstore where you could lose hours of your life just browsing. more