Espresso Vivace

Open since 1988, the no-frills Espresso Vivace stand on Capitol Hill has long been in the vanguard of the quality-coffee movement.

Co-owner David Schomer popularized the now famous practice of rosetta latte art and authored one of the bibles on espresso drinks, which is on its eighth printing and has been translated into Japanese, Russian, and Korean.

The focus here is very specific—no drip coffee, just espresso drinks made from arabica beans they have been roasting in the Northern Italian style since 1992. After a truly perfect cappuccino, head down the corridor next to the stand to pay your respects to Caffeina, Goddess of the Waking Day, a shrine—painted on a large rock—to all things coffee.