A new cafe opened this week in Crystal City, offering espresso, tea and a selection of meals at an office undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation project.
Constellation is now in business at 2011 Crystal Drive, serving coffee, loose-leaf tea, entrees and house-made pastries along with grab-and-go items. The space can seat about 60 guests and is equipped with a “slow bar,” where customers can purchase beverages prepared in a more deliberate, intentional fashion than a typical fast-paced cafe.
Current tea offerings include sakura cherry blossom green tea, wild Thai banana tea and French breakfast tea from Chicago-based Rare Tea Cellar. There’s also single-origin coffee from Small Planes Coffee in D.C., and pistachio and banana-flavored lattes.
The menu offers sandwiches, salads, bowls, soups and heartier “plates,” including spaghetti primavera, frittatas and farrotto. Breakfast options include a “scramble toast” with ricotta, shallot and chives and a carbonara egg sandwich with guanciale pork, provolone and black pepper on a croissant.
“Our menu starts strong, stays steady, and offers little moments of delight along the way. Crafted for coffee breaks, creative bursts, and everything in between,” the business’ website reads.
The cafe also includes a small market area with ready-to-eat meals, snacks, drinks and paper goods like journals, notepads and pens.
Constellation is a sister establishment to the forthcoming Altitude Wine Bar, located nearby on the same floor. Both concepts, which are “inspired by the elegance of the golden age of travel and exploration,” are managed by Episcope Hospitality, the same operator behind Water Park and Daydrift Books & Cafe (1550 Crystal Drive).
The cafe is situated on the ground floor of an 11-story office building that is receiving $40 million in renovations as a new VRE station and pedestrian bridge connecting Crystal City to the National Airport are underway nearby.
The renovations were announced by JBG Smith in 2024 and include exterior facade changes, communal outdoor spaces and Concorde, a new, 12,000-square-foot conference and event center.
As Constellation serves its first customers, Altitude is still preparing to open. The wine bar is expected to open in early June.
Constellation’s hours are 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, until the end of July. Afterward, the cafe is expected to extend hours from 7:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, with 8 a.m.-5 p.m. hours on Saturday.
