Three Whistles - Eat Drink Work

Had a great experience at Three Whistles in Arlington. The ambiance is fantastic—cozy, welcoming, and perfect for relaxing or catching up with friends. Sameer and Tyreke were both amazing: friendly, attentive, and made us feel very well taken care of. Highly recommend checking this place out!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Three whistles is great for coffee and pastries to go or a romantic sit down meal in the evening. Tyreek was our server and he treated us so well! Definitely coming back!

I had a wonderful experience thanks to Tyreke and Chef Sameer. I really enjoyed the Three Whistles Sliders and crepe cheesecake (ask for more strawberry sauce).

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We went to Three Whistles for the first time last year to hear the David Palmer Jazz Trio. We had a great time. We have returned to this sweet little cafe/coffee shop/co-work space. It is a peaceful, plant filled and the food by Chef Sameer is wonderful. The menu is a great selection of small plates along side big plates and sweet crepes. The sauces are delicious and range from elegant vegan to traditional. The service by Tyreke and Chris is attentive but not intrusive. Don’t forget to try out the great bar, coffee, pastries and gelato. Something for everyone in chill, cool space.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Ordered a simple cappuccino. $5.50 added $1 tip. Nowhere to sit to sat at bar and watched barista make the person’s behind me drink first. Got a bad cappuccino and asked for 1 sugar. Instead of giving to me she pointed to it right in front of her and said I could get it. To top it off the cup was chipped. See pic of bad cappuccino. Sorry won’t be coming back here.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Honey lavender latte is amazing

Not coming back. Atmosphere is nice when quiet, but coffee is just ok and bar service is terrible. One of the bartenders talked shit within earshot about how I never tip (not true, I tip $1.50 per drink which I feel is very fair considering they never fill my cup with less than 2cm of head--this beer was literally 5cm of head--and I have to bus my own table, and am not getting any particularly friendly service or good conversation). The other bartender corrected him saying I do tip but he said $1.50 isn't enough. Ridiculous thing to be mad about. Don't offer $1.50 as a preset tip amount if it's not enough for you. They have the audacity to charge $11 for a pint and never pour it correctly. Go next door to Galaxy Hut for actually good service and correctly poured beers that aren't 1/2 head. Shame because (when there isn't a dance party meetup or some annoying cause du jour rally going on) it's a nice place to have a pint and get some work done. Used to come here fairly often but never again.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 1

Three Whistles in Arlington is a fantastic spot with a cozy atmosphere perfect for work and gatherings. The coffee is amazing, and the food is consistently good. Erwin provides friendly, attentive service and crafts standout drinks like the caramel Latte. Whether you need a great cup of coffee to power your workday or a pleasant place to relax, Three Whistles is a top pick in Clarendon.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Not the worst place but not worth repeating
Decent ish for working
Wifi slow
Coffee semi decent
Food overpriced and trash

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 3

Highly recommend! I was looking for a place to wind down and enjoy a glass of wine, and I found more! Incredible environment, service, and food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great coffee and delicious pastries. Very nice atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

Been coming to the cafe for a while now & I would prefer to support small local businesses than any chain cafes. I love the concept of the co-working space and the late hours! (Where you truly don’t get anywhere else) All the employees I’ve interacted with has been such a welcoming experience, if there’s any problems with your drink they’ll address/remake it. Would definitely recommend Three Whistles!

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

I love Three Whistles.
Why I'm qualified to give a review: I've been working at this cafe for over a year, and it's now a staple in my routine.

Who am I: I'm in school part-time and work remotely, and frequent the place on weekdays and weekends. I'm always working and locked in to my computer and tablet.

Atmosphere: People are mostly working/reading, and those who aren't aren't super loud or distracting. A massive win for me is that when my headphones die, I'm not too upset because the music is always excellent. It's varied and always hits the right balance between motivating/hype and not distracting. The volume is perfect for dampening ambient noise distractions, but not so loud that you can't hear yourself think or take calls if you need to. They have a variety of seating options, including tables, benches, couches, and chairs. And I've always found a place to sit, even on super busy days. The staff is also super friendly and will help you with whatever you need.

Food/Drink: Great coffee, great tea selection, and they have alcohol, but I haven't tried it (see: I work from here lol). I even like their fridges' beverage selection. Food-wise, the coffee cake muffin is so freaking good, and they've expanded their pastry menu since I started working here. Not only that, but their full kitchen is open again (apparently it used to exist and was closed for a few years). So far, the food is good, especially if you're working full days and don't want to disrupt your flow to grab a meal.

Possible cons: 1) During the week, a section is set aside for their co-working members. I've still been able to find space, but not all seating options are available. 2) Occasionally, finding an outlet can be difficult, but the staff will help you if you mention it. They know the best options for getting power. 3) Wi-Fi uses 3-hour codes, so if you're doing a test or something where you can't get disconnected, time your Wi-Fi accordingly. They aren't too prohibitive about you getting a code, though, and I often have to get two since I use a tablet and a computer.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I stopped going to this cafe after being a regular customer during COVID. I used to come here almost daily to do work in the non paying area. Although at first it was a nice vibe, after several problematic experiences I no longer come back. First, the coffee and food is disgusting. After some bad food orders I stopped buying food. I would literally come here for the work space and order coffee just to work here. The coffee was almost undrinkable. Second, it takes 10-15 minutes to be served a simple cup of coffee. On many occasions I’d have to remind the barista that hey, I never did get my order. After coming here daily for months and being served by the same baristas, some of them remembered me and said hello and one even remembered my order (coffee or americano every single time). Most of them looked disgruntled every time they served me and acted as if they’ve never seen me. Definitely not a friendly local cafe vibe. I don’t really care if I’m recognized but this comes into my final gripe and what made me never come back. After supplying this cafe with my business for months and spending hundreds of dollars there, I came in one evening and sat down for about 5 minutes without immediately placing my order. I did this partially because I started to wait until the line died down so I wouldn’t have to wait in line for 10 minutes and then wait for my order for another 15, a common occurrence. Although the barista who in the past forgot my order after I’d placed it and didn’t seem bothered by my existence without said coffee after I paid for it, this same guy approached me and demanded that I order something immediately or I’d have to leave. In a rude way, not “May I get you something” way. This has never happened to me in any cafe across US or even abroad! Most cafes know that if you’re in there you’ll buy something or you’re waiting on someone and give you the benefit of trust and want you to have a good experience. Not here.
After this I asked myself, why am I choking on lukewarm poorly made coffee or getting reprimanded like a criminal when I can go to multiple excellent cafes around here that are more professional, cleaner, have plenty of space and serve fresh, high quality product? So that’s what I did. Now Northside Social, Compass, Kaldis and all the other fantastic places in the area get my business.

My friend and I stopped in to grab drinks and chat on a Wednesday evening. We just got to the side bar seating area, and the baristas turned the music up so loud it was like being in a club.

If we wanted to go to a club, we would have gone to a club.

It felt like the baristas were trying to push us out even though it wouldn't close for another hour. I saw multiple people leave because of the noise level while the baristas danced around and waved garbage bags (which would be fine and fun, if they hadn't turned the music up so damn loud we were all literally leaving). My friend and I were 2 feet apart and we couldn't even hear each other.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1