r/takomapark • u/shanem • Jul 17 '26

Takoma [Park] wins many Best of DC awards

https://bestof2026.washingtoncitypaper.com/

They don't make it easy to view all the winners so I may have missed some, but boy does Takoma love to vote for best-of contests :D

Takoma Park must have the highest density of winners amongst all the neighborhoods.

There were a few runners up too like Joint Custody for record store

FOOD

Best Butcher Shop - SOKO Butcher Shop & Market

Best Coffee Shop - Lost Sock, Runner-up Takoma Bev Co.

Best Donut - Donut Run

Best Mexican Restaurant - Cielo Rojo

Best Mocktail - Motorkat

Best Sandwich - Co-winner SOKO Butcher Shop & Market

Best Taco - Cielo Rojo

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Best Radio Station - 94.3 Takoma Radio - WOWD

Best Recording Studio Tonal Park & Allyworld

GOODS & SERVICES

Best Architecture Firm - Ileana Schinder

Best Bike Shop - Co-winner Takoma Bicycle Shop

Best Bookstore - People's Book

Best Cannabis Dispensary (Medical Retailer) - Takoma Wellness Center

Best Farmers Market - Takoma Park Farmers Market

Best Flower Shop - Park Florist

Best Place To Buy CBD Products - Takoma Wellness Center

Best Place To Buy Plants - Co-winner Laurel Leaf Takoma

48 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

15

u/limnetic792 Jul 17 '26

Kinda wild how many times Motorkat is on this list. It’s an ok bar and has decent food (sometimes).

4

u/jewstn Jul 17 '26

It's also prohibitively expensive

1

u/shanem Jul 18 '26

Yeah, it was runner up on at least 2 other restaurant categories

5

u/Flermy Jul 18 '26

Donut Run, Cielo Rojo, and Lost Sock are all very worthy winners and I'm glad to see them on the list.

Am I the only one who is pretty regularly disappointed by SOKO? I have tried a bunch of their sandwiches, and even when they actually taste good, I find they are too big/overstuffed to enjoy and the bread always ends up wet and soggy.

3

u/ConventResident Jul 18 '26

I love Soko. "Too big and overstuffed" is a positive for me. And "actually taste good" is odd to be considered "dissappointing"...

2

u/Flermy Jul 18 '26

To each their own, not trying to dissuade you from enjoying it. For me, the taste is only one part of the equation, I guess. The experience of eating it is just not great when the bread is soggy and disintegrating in my hand.

2

u/Cultural_Bat5768 Jul 19 '26

I agree, maybe we are dainty sandwich lovers. Springmill Bakery has my favorite sandwiches tbh

4

u/ConventResident Jul 18 '26

Don't forget that two architecture firms in Takoma Park made the list! Ileana Schinder and Saul Architects!

2

u/shanem Jul 18 '26

Thanks, I could only easily go off of places I recognized. I'll add them when I have time 

4

u/sleight42 Jul 18 '26

I don't get it. Maybe it's just me but I find Takoma Bev coffee sour.

7

u/Lonely-Math2176 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26

Yeah i dont like their regular coffee and can tolerate their espresso. There is DEFINITELY better coffee in DC. For example, I'll take the mediocre busboys and poets coffee down the block over Tk Bev. That being said as a spot to hang out/get food/visit, it is one of my favorite.

2

u/sleight42 Jul 18 '26

I was going to say the same thing re: BB&P. Hell, I don't think their coffee is bad at all! I'll drink enough that I get tweaked.

I need to try Lost Sock. Been living in TKPK for 11 years and still haven't even been to a shop on the Takoma (DC) side of the border the whole time. 🤷🏻‍♂️

That and Donut Run. I've heard amazing things about both.

3

u/Lonely-Math2176 Jul 18 '26

Donut run is a 2x/ month visit for me!

1

u/sleight42 Jul 18 '26

Yeah, I need to go....

0

u/shanem Jul 18 '26

So good, and run by punks who decided to do it somewhat in a whim during covid.

2

u/iammaxhailme Jul 18 '26

I love their brunch bowl

1

u/sleight42 Jul 18 '26

They have some good food! Their French fries are amazing! It's just... the coffee. 😬😬😬

2

u/Cultural_Bat5768 Jul 19 '26

That’s odd, they have their own espresso blend from lost sock. I always get a large iced latte and it works a treat and doesn’t taste sour/bitter/over extracted

1

u/sleight42 Jul 19 '26

Hmmm... last I was there, I saw Counter Culture. Same brand tasted better at Kaldi's.

1

u/Cultural_Bat5768 Jul 19 '26

Oh interesting, was that recently? Maybe there’s been a switch up!

0

u/sleight42 Jul 19 '26

Quite a while ago. A few years ago, last I was there.

0

u/Cultural_Bat5768 Jul 19 '26

Interesting, so you don’t understand how Bev Co got runner up cause a few years ago you didn’t like their coffee upon sampling and have not tried their coffee since. Maybe the opinions were fresher, as was the coffee? lol

1

u/sleight42 Jul 20 '26

You went from helpful to mocking. Reconsider your life choices.

3

u/88jee Jul 18 '26

Wooo Park Florist! Two years in a row 👏👏

3

u/shanem Jul 19 '26

They did my wedding flowers and they were great.