Mancini’s Cafe & Bakery

Pros: it’s close to my house? I dunno.
Cons: food is mediocre at best and the price of the food does not match the quality. Also takes too long. In contrast, food also takes a while at Stompin Ground, but it’s actually worth the wait. Coffee is also mediocre (which is strange given that Swings roasting company is nearby and literally every other place on the block brews it). In another review, someone mentioned they charge $.25 for a cup of water… actually, they charge .25 for a CUP… I asked for a cup to pour my step son’s juice into and they would not give me a damn cup.
Fuck this place. 0 stars. Will not return. I’ve given it three tries and each time has sucked.

I got a breakfast sandwich and coffee and it was just «okay». I would try it again if I was in a hurry (although it took about 10 minutes to get the bacon, egg, cheese sandwich). It costs me $ 9.17 for the little sandwich and small coffee. Totally not worth the price. It took a while to make, but it was Sunday morning, so I’ll give them a break. The more I write about this place, the worse I feel about my visit, especially after realizing I paid $ 9.17…:)
P. S. The desserts looked nice here, but I didn’t try them, so I can’t say if they are good or not!

She is the breakfast nazi of Alexandria. You and your children have to behave or else! The food is good to average. I like the Swing coffee there. I wish they would cook their breakfast potatoes more or cut them into smaller chunks as they are often under-​cooked.

The reviews were all pretty much consistent with my experience here. The food is the worst and not at all worth the price. The omelettes are greasy, the benedict dishes are disgusting, overloaded with a painfully average hollondaise sauce.
I’ve also heard of horrific customer service experiences. The owner letting her friend cut the line while others are waiting. The friend says «she’s in a rush». I wish I had been there to witness that b.s. I guess people in Del Rey are just desperate, especially people with small children seem to enjoy this hellhole of an establishment.
25 cents for a cup for water is absurd. Their coffee tastes like sh*t and should not be more than 2 dollars. Worst of all, after paying too much for mediocre food, you’re expected to bus your own table. If I ever have the unfortunate displeasure of having to dine there again under some sort of life or death circumstance, I will leave it all on the table. They can suck it.

I’m one of those who have been here on and off for more than 10 years now. While I admit it used to be a bit better overall in the past (maybe just over 3.5 stars), it is still a pretty decent hybrid of a deli and a pastry shop, with certain aspects of it deserving close to 5 stars (bright spacious dining area, high quality deli meats, and many great breakfast offerings, particularly the pancakes and the tea breads) and other aspects meriting 1 star at best (the horrid coffee that is worst than McD’s leading the charge).
So then, to go or not to go? That depends entirely on your interpretation of their service. As one reviewer accurately stated, the owner and frequent sever (Barbara) is Del Ray’s version of the Soup Nazi. Yes, she is one bad-​tempered Italian mama and can be very off-​putting at times, but then again, some might view this as a bizarre form of «kitschy» charm. Just look at the numerous (and seemingly purposeful) nasty notes she has posted all over the place vying for your attention. Examples – no free water or ice, no coffee/​drink refills, no requests for altering items ordered, no strollers, no cell phones (which I actually sorta like), no this, no that, and so on and so forth. Is this atrocious customer service or is it entertainment? You decide.

I live two blocks from this place and it is super convenient which is always a plus. I have only been there for coffee and for brunch, so I can’t speak about the sandwiches but the lunch menu does look remarkable. The coffee is alright and their breakfast is quite delicious. The ambiance is quite alright and the pastry and deli case is an absolute work of art.
My only real problem with this place, however — and it’s a HUGE one — is the service. Based on the other reviews I’ve seen, it seems to be the way it is But that’s still no excuse. Every time I’ve ever gone in there — and I will admit that it’s becoming less and less frequent over time — I have been treated as a nuisance. It’s usually the same woman that helps me and she always acts like I am an unnecessary distraction, barely paying attention, refusing to engage in chat, rolling her eyes, huffing and puffing, and rushing me through the transaction. And, oh yeah, you better know damn sight what you want when it’s time to order and order it without hesitation or she will get more and more sour. One time I went and I ordered something that they wound up being out of and so I had to quickly come up with a substitute, her eyes and sighs flinging daggers at me the whole time.
Being that Mancini’s is in Del Ray where there are about two dozen places you can get breakfast/​brunch, you would think they would try to go that extra mile in order to ensure repeat business. The place is always pretty crowded so I guess they just don’t care.
I gave this place three stars because of the food. Because, while it’s nothing out of this world, it is quite tasty. And, honestly, I am sure I will go back there. Probably sometime this month. And I am sure I will catch a bad attitude while I am there and it will irritate the hell out of me. And I will start this whole process all over again…

Nice little café in the middle of the Del Ray Avenue.
There’s nothing flashy or unusual about Mancini’s. They do everything well, and have a nice pastry section and coffee selection to go along with mostly standard breakfast fare. What makes them a great spot is that they have a large space, they move a large volume of folks through breakfast without missing a beat, and do it with a smile.
If you’re looking for a less crowded option for breakfast OR a quick stop for a bite or a coffee, this is a great option. They also have a nice little outdoor seating area for those cool spring mornings.

The food is very mediocre at best. The service is quite lacking. They make their espresso using a prepackaged pouch of coffee, not freshly ground.

Bad attitude service, bad quality food. The waffle is dry and tasteless, chicken tenders are dry as well. The breading just fell off. I feel McD has better food. We will not be here again. The only upside is the space.

Wow. this place lacks focus. The majority of the pastries are beautiful and at least ¹⁄₃^rd have great flavor and texture. Looks like a garage sale of every pastry or treat one may eat. Not to mention high prices.
Breakfast ($$$$) not impressive, you would think they would at least make the effort to make home made corn beef hash. Or not deep fry the hash browns then slam them into a grill to feign home made standards. Two days of omlets and other items. Try. McDonald’s for better quality and better prices!
Lunch: $$$$. Great ideas and nice flavors on some however too many choices and not enough focus and poor consistent food products.
This place was once a gem on Eisenhower Ave. Then moved to Del Rey. Now it’s simply over priced and poor quality. True shame!

I really want to like Mancini’s. The bright sunflower mural makes me happy but…
I stopped in on my way to work around 1130, I ordered a chocolate chip cookie and a tuna wrap to go. The cookie was hard as a rock. The tuna wrap was generally awful — half the wrap was hard and dry, the other half was wet & slimy from the tuna fish. The ribs of the romaine lettuce in the wrap were brown, clearly old. All too expensive at $ 10.

Wow, I am so surprised with this place! It’s literally less than 100 meters from where I live and I pass it every single day. And every single time I’ve passed it, I’ve always cringed. It’s exterior just screams middle-​age crafting mom (no offense to all you cool middle-​aged crafting mamas out there!) It’s just someplace that I would never step foot in… Or so I thought.
During a productive «work from home» day on New Year’s Eve, I wanted to get some lunch. I foolishly headed to Evening Star, hoping to get some Chicken & Waffles. I should’ve known that practically everything along Mt. Vernon would be closed… As a last resort, I went into Mancini’s hoping that I could at least get a cup of coffee there.
I went in and the décor was similar to its exterior, but not nearly as bad. It wasn’t super crowded, and there was plenty of seating. There was no line, so I got to stare at the menu board for as long as I wanted. (Which ended up being almost 15 minutes.) I ended up getting the Brooklyn-​something-​or-​another which was basically a roll featuring eggplant and a bunch of veggies with the salad of the day (ended up being potato salad unfortunately) and a coffee. It came out to about $ 9.
They have a bin of mugs at the front that you can grab (all the mugs are different so choose the one that best suits your personality!) and there are 3 towers of coffee in the back. All three are different blends, and because the refills are bottomless (as long as you’re in the store) you can try the different blends they have. Since I’ve only been once, I’m not sure if they switch out the blends, but I’d be okay if they didn’t because they were all so delicious!
I took a seat near the magazine rack and my food was delivered quickly. It took less than 10 minutes for me to get everything. I guess since it was almost empty, my order was the only one in queue. It didn’t look like much (in fact, it didn’t look like what I was expecting at all – I thought I was getting fried eggplant slices but it was grilled) and I was bracing myself for disappointment. After my first bite, though, I was so surprised at how flavorful it was! The potato salad had bell peppers in it (something I had never tried before) and I liked that a lot also. My only (minor) gripe is that my sandwich was pretty room temperature (despite my veggies supposedly coming right off the grill) but it was still a great sandwich.
I judged this place by its exterior and I don’t think I’ve ever been more wrong. I thought it was going to be expensive but pretty to look at food with a fake taste, but I was very wrong! I’m sorry Mancini’s for being so quick to judge… To make it up to you, I promise I’ll be back often. :)

Top notch cannoli.
I’m a baked good snob. I grew up in New York surrounded by delicious Italian bakeries. Since moving to DC the closest thing I’ve found to a bakery is a cupcakery. Not the same.
Last weekend I spotted Mancini’s. It looked traditional, old school, and delish. So I vowed to return. I stopped in today with my mind set on a cannoli. Lo and behold THEY HAD THEM! I’ve been disappointed by cannolis in the past but this did not disappoint! It was the real deal! The cream was perfect. The shell was light and crunchy. You heard me, at 8 tonight when I had it for dessert it was CRUNCHY.
I was tempted to try some other treats like the fruit tart or raspberry coconut bar. I did try a bite of banana bread they had samples of and it was some of the best banana bread I’ve ever had.

Wraps at too salty, almost like it’s catering to people with no tastebuds. Clean, strange coffee delivery, expensive…

I give it 3 ½ stars.
I was driving to Mama Reacer“s Soul Food just a block away and they were not open, even though the sign sez…“New Hours, Sun open at 9am. I waited about 15min… nothing. This is the 2^nd time that’s happened. It’s one of my favorite breakfast places.
Well…this is what is called a «Happy Accident». I looked in the window and it was packed, so i went in. You order from the counter, pay, sit and they deliver it to you. It was’nt quick service, waited about 20min… but it was a pleasant surprise. Scrambled eggs (silky w/​cheese added), home fries (not crispy and not cooked enuff, but fresh), sausage gravy (not hot enuff, but good flavor) and a bisquit, split in 2. Good bisquit, but this is also a bakery, so that should be a given.
Overall good meal. Next time i’ll ask for crispy and welldone potatoes and for my gravy to be hotter. At $ 10.49+tx, it was well worth it.
I’m glad Mama’s was closed.

Good food, at somewhat high prices. A pleasant interior and lots of free parking. Often they get the orders wrong there, because lots of the staff members don’t speak English fluently. We got used to this, and just ate whatever they brought out of the kitchen. It was easier than verbally wrestling with the staff and sending the orders back repeatedly. Then, one day, we did this, and one of the staff fussed about it, because we’d consumed meals belonging to another table. The meals were similar to our order, so we just went with it, as we did customarily. And got fussed at anyway.
So…you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. Overall, we’d still recommend this restaurant; the pluses are more numerous than the minuses. Just go in cognizant of the reality of things.

Pretty bland eggs Benedict. They put a raw tomato on the muffin which I didn’t like. Took a long time to get food and was not worth the wait. The place is like a bakery that happens to be a café restaurant.

This is the second time around I’ve been to this café and I could easily become a regular. This part of Va., (Del Ray/Mount.Vernon)) I really like the variety of shops, more café’s and specialty shops along the avenue. There’s a cozy/​chic vibe about this café and I like the display of pastries, quiches, sandwiches, and other food and juice drinks.
Coming again, I got the buckwheat pancakes with real blueberries and not the glazed stuff, scrambled eggs as I requested, and turkey sausage links. I had green tea in one of those porcelain white mugs you see in those diners on the highway. I enjoyed everything and then the waist of my pants were getting tighter and my beau had to finish it off, which all six-​five of him had no problem.
Btw, service was good and both dishes came looking good. I know I’ll be coming back to this café with the cozy and chic vibe, and definitely good food. So I truly owe it to myself to try something different the next time I return.

Cute local breakfast/​lunch spot & bakery. We’re usually there for brunch on Sunday. Never to gets too crowded. Love the bright, sunflower mural.
Price: Slightly steep
Quality: Mediocre
Portion: Huge
Cleaniliness: Average, maybe b/​c the place is a bit old
Selection: Plenty of breakfast & lunch varieties & mMmm dessert/​cold pastas.
Worth a visit :)

Love the many choices, including Gluten Free. Cute sit in small dinning area, healthy choices and yummy various baked goods as well as full breakfast offered.
Prices are kinda high for location and quantity. Staff could be a little more friendly.