Fifteen Is My Limit On Schnitzengruben
On this blog we’ve discussed many times the lack of grocery stores in PQ, even the mom & pop varieties. Today we look at longtime downtown store that can help supplement your shopping options.
Cafe Mozart is at 1331 H ST NW, within the just outside the limits of the DNA. A German deli and general store (pastry shop & coffee shop too) in the front, bar and restaurant in the back.
The convenience store portion of Cafe Mozart is made up mostly of German/European candies, jelly’s, and cake mixes, but they do have breads, pickles, mustards, coffee, and other misc items.
The deli section is where the front half of Cafe Mozart really shines, with a variety of meats and cheeses (Mmmnnnnn, head cheese), including several varieties of sausage. Also worth noting that Cafe Mozart is open 7 days a week, so even on Sundays you can get your German deli fix.
The bar & restaurant of Cafe Mozart are decent, with the bar area being the nicer of the two. One friend remarked that the restaurant portion felt wooden, and that’s probably a pretty good way to describe it. They do have some live music in the restaurant, including a fun accordion musician playing beer hall songs on certain nights.
The bar has 3 beers on tap that change every so often, usually a lighter beer, darker beer, and stout, which you can order by the liter. The menu is packed with a variety of foods, but the only thing I’ve ever had is the sausage sampler & potato pancakes, both of which are relatively cheap and tasty enough to stop me from branching out on the menu .
All in all a fun little spot in Downtown DC. Grab a liter of beer after work then pick up some braunschweiger, mustard, and pumpernickel for the walk home.
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Comments
I love this restaurant! For a taste of authentic German food – this is your place. Great wienerschnitzel!!
For authentic German food, Old Europe in Glover Park has Mozart beat. Mozart, however, has a much better bar for relaxing in a non-pretension environment for after work drinks. The liters of their Octoberfest draft are an excellent choice this time of year.
Hate to be a snot, but the actual limits of the DNA are the west side of 13th St – Cafe Mozart is further west than that, so therefore, technically, not in the DNA. Nothing against Cafe Mozart itself however – great place.
Did you see the front page of The Examiner today? I quote, “Spezie no longer an afterthought. The Italian restaurant’s reinvented menu is well worth a visit to Penn Quarter.”
Nice. But Spezie is at 1736 L Street. Apparently PQ’s boundaries are expanding.
#10, The sauerkraut is excellent. It comes with the sausage sampler, as well as two big helpings of german potato salad. All for about $16. The potato pancakes (with apple sauce and sour cream) are about $5, you get two pancakes.
That platter with pancakes is enough to feed two.
The red cabbage is very good as well, it offered as an alternative to sauerkraut on the sausage plates. There is also a choice of German or Barvarian (no bacon) potato salad.
I have friends who have moved out of the area who always insist on going to Cafe Mozart whenever they come back to visit.
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Do they still do the $2 drafts and $3 wursts on Tuesday? It’s one of the better happy hour deals in the neighborhood.