Café Rumi
44650 Waxpool Rd, Ste. 100 Ashburn, VA
703-729-0005
Let’s do a quick, abridged Ashburn dining checklist:
6 Italian restaurants- √
6 chain sandwich shops- √
8 Thai restaurants- wait, only 7- another one just closed-
√ 5 non-fast food burger joints-
√ 12 Starbucks- wait 13- another one just opened- √
and bakeries… wait- how many non-chain, non-supermarket bakeries with baked on-premise croissants, pastries, cookies, cakes and muffins? None. Well now, much to the demise of my waistline, there is one: Café Rumi.
At first glance I intended to ignore Café Rumi- I had been to Daily Grind (its humdrum predecessor in this location) during its short life in Ashburn, and wasn’t impressed. I thought Café Rumi would be the same old routine coffee shop with a different name. But my interest was piqued when I saw a post about the café on a local message board. So in spite of it being a wet morning- which spells “danger” for anyone in a cast from ankle surgery- I grabbed my crutches and carefully schlepped my way across slick stones to see what the fuss was about.
When I opened the door, to quote the legendary Yogi Berra- “it was déjà vu all over again.” The décor is the same as before- neutral, blonde wood accented with coffee-themed pictures and accessories. It is clean, smells nice, and fits the typical Ashburn coffee shop mold to a tea- umm- tee. But a peek in the display case changed everything: flaky, fluffy croissants the size of my hand, glistening Danishes filled with fruit & cheese, and other delightful edibles that belong next to a superior cup of coffee. And are those biscotti in different flavors…?!? Oh- yumm!
I’m a U.S. Navy veteran, and while we are known for drinking thick, sour, sludge that would not pass as coffee anywhere else in the world- I can recognize a good cup of joe- it’s hot, it’s smooth, not bitter- and it tastes like coffee. You use sweeteners, milk or cream just enough to enhance the coffee’s flavor, not to cover its shortcomings. With my expectations high, I placed my order and hoped for the best. A cheese Danish and a skim latte later, I officially became a fan of Café Rumi. Sam, the owner is a kind and charismatic man who carried my coffee and Danish (plus 2 croissants for my visiting in-laws) to my car for me- either he didn’t want to see my juggling act on crutches, or he is simply a gentleman.
Back to the Danish- it was very European- not overly sweet and literally stuffed with light, cheese ( and no- not cream cheese) filling. It was baked just right so that the pastry didn’t flake apart with every bite, but rather- it held its shape so not a crumb was wasted… I bet that’s what that thin, clear, sugary glaze is for! My latte required less than a teaspoon of sugar- the espresso was richly flavored and balanced just right with the milk to start my morning off with a delicious buzz!
Café Rumi also has wonderful sandwiches- I enjoyed a fresh tuna sandwich with slices of brie on 7 grain bread just the other day. There are hearty salads, boxed chocolates, amazing cakes for special occasions- which- you can also sample at Silk Road Afghan Restuarant in Lansdowne, and gelato.
It’s definitely worth a second glance. I am glad I took the time to give a new local business a chance! You will be impressed, because-
Café Rumi Passes with Flying Colors!
“Everyone is kneaded out of the same dough but not baked in the same oven.” ~Yiddish Proverb
I visited Cafe Rumi after reading about your recommendation. I told the owners how I heard about their cafe. The owners offered my children and me two samples of one of their cakes (White Chocolate Truffle Cake) and it was delicious!!! I selected a Raspberry Cheesecake and single serving Tiramisu for dessert later in the evening. They had some problems with their credit card machine so they told me to take my purchases and pay for them later (wow! an honor system!).
We ate the cheesecake this evening and it was, as the Germans say, lecker! It was light and creamy, but not too ‘cheesy’. I enjoyed the graham cracker crumb crust – then again, I’m not a fan of the nutty crusts or granola crusts. The size was perfect (11″ maybe?) as half of it fed 3 adults and 3 children.
My experience there was very warming and welcoming and the cakes were delicious. I will be back again soon!
Went to Cafe Rumi on a nasty day and it really brightened my spirits. I had a turkey sandwich, side salad and a slice of the most divine chocolate cake. Nothing was too rich, the environment is cozy casual, and I never felt rushed. In fact, we did not pay until after we ate
Charming. Glad you have discovered this spot for us.
Got the white chocolate truffle cake for my wife’s birthday.
It was a hit!
I wanted a fancy cake to serve for dessert at a dinner party I was having so I went to Rumi Cafe based on some things I had heard about it. Once there, I couldn’t decide what to get! I ended up getting eight different individual cakes and wow – were they a hit! We ended up passing them around so we could each try all of them (germs be darned! We had enough alcohol in our systems to kill anything). It was a fun and elegant way to end our evening. Than you, Rumi Cafe!
Just tried Cafe Rumi based on all the positive reviews. We got a mini chocolate cake and strawberry-something…both were fab! The chocolate cake just metled in our mouths. Both cakes tasted very fresh…def better than the pastries you get from wegmans. I’m glad gave this place a try, def will be back!