I was getting a little worried about the Silver Spring - Takoma Park coffee scene when I saw that Mayorga in Silver Spring, Savory in Takoma Park and the Drifting Nomad in Takoma, DC would all be closed by the end of 2009. However, according to their web site, Mayorga is actually planning on reopening a store at 314 Carroll St. NW in the Takoma neighborhood of DC by January 25th. This former home of the Drifting Nomad is across the street from the Takoma metro station (on the red line) and within eye-shot of Takoma Park, MD.
I have mixed feelings about Mayorga; from my visits to its Silver Spring location, I have doubts about the freshness of what they serve and especially what they sell to the public (even though they roast their own). However, this is a great addition to the Takoma area; I can attest that Mayorga is pretty good and probably was the best in Silver Spring. And, with the opening of Cedar Crossing Tavern, a bistro, and a couple of new apartment developments (the new Mayorga location itself has new apartments above it) in the immediate vicinity, I think this neighborhood is one of the potential up and coming areas that is off most peoples’ maps. And this location is certainly better for Mayorga than the out-of-the-way spot they previously had along Georgia Ave., which lacked both pedestrian traffic (being far away from the urban core of Silver Spring) and parking. The new location only lacks parking, which is fine in my book.
Relatedly, I have yet to find a daily (or even weekly) news source for the Takoma DC - Takoma Park area on the internet; this is common in other neighborhoods of DC and seems to help an area cohere. Hopefully I’ll stumble upon someone doing such a thankless task….