Refreshing Iced Coffee Drinks for Summer in Falls Church, VA
You can tell summer’s here at MQR without checking a calendar. Sometime in June the orders just flip. The hot cardamom lattes that carried us through spring turn into iced cups going out the door, and the walk-ins pick up once the humidity settles over Columbia Pike.
We’re a small counter spot in Barcroft Plaza. Forty-five seats, penny-tile floor, marble tables. Cold coffee is where a lot of our regulars get a little more curious, so if you’re after a good iced coffee in Falls Church this summer, here’s what we actually reach for when it’s hot out. Not a pitch, just what tends to work.
Cold brew, if you want it clean
Our cold brew steeps slow, somewhere between 18 and 22 hours. That long soak pulls out a smooth cup with very little of the bitterness you get when hot coffee hits ice. There’s a bit more caffeine in it, the taste leans bright rather than sharp, and it holds up even after the ice has melted down.
Black is the honest way to drink it if you want to taste the beans, which come from high-altitude farms. If that reads as too much, a splash of milk or a pump of syrup softens it fine.
The iced pistachio latte
This is the one people ask about most, and it does hold up cold.
The difference is the syrup. We make it in-house from raw pistachios, brown and white sugar, and real vanilla beans, so it tastes like the nut instead of candy. Poured over ice with a double shot and cold milk, the pistachio sits alongside the coffee rather than burying it. It’s on the richer side without turning into a milkshake, which is why people sip it slow through an afternoon by the window.
The iced cardamom latte
If pistachio is the popular one, cardamom is the quiet favorite. The syrup (also ours) carries that warm spice you’d find in Middle Eastern coffee, and over ice it does something a little unexpected: cooling and warming at the same time. Good pick if most iced lattes taste too sweet to you.
When you want something closer to dessert
Some afternoons you just want a treat. These lean that way:
- Iced Biscoff latte, with the cookie’s caramel note coming through cold.
- Iced Dubai chocolate latte, our take on the flavor a lot of people have been chasing.
- Iced caramel latte, the simple one for when you don’t feel like deciding.
If coffee isn’t what you’re after
Cold coffee isn’t the only thing that helps in July. Our passion fruit mint lemonade is the drink we struggle to keep up with once it warms up. Tart, a little herby, easy to finish after a walk in the heat. We rotate other seasonal refreshers through the summer too, so it’s worth asking what’s on that week.
Where we are
We’re at 6343 E Columbia Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041, in Barcroft Plaza, across from the Goodwill and next to the Barcroft Community Center. We open at 7 most mornings. If you’d rather skip the summer line, you can order ahead for pickup.
Everything’s on the menu, and you can order online whenever you feel like it. No rush.
FAQ
What’s the best iced coffee at MQR if I don’t like sweet drinks? Cold brew, black or with a splash of milk. It’s smooth on its own and low on bitterness. The iced cardamom latte is a good second choice since it’s spiced more than sugary.
Do you make iced versions of your hot lattes? Yes. Pistachio, cardamom, Biscoff, caramel, Dubai chocolate, most of them can come iced. Just ask at the counter.
Are the syrups really housemade? The pistachio and cardamom ones are, made in-house rather than poured from a bottle. That’s the reason they taste like the actual ingredient.
Is the coffee halal-friendly, and is there dairy-free milk? We’re a halal kitchen, and we keep non-dairy milk on hand for any of the iced drinks. Let us know when you order.
Can I order iced drinks for a group? We can help with bigger orders. Reach out or ask in-store and we’ll figure out what works.
