DCA - Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe

Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe

Rarely do I add a lot of commentary to these articles. I show some photos and add some tidbits of info. But I must be honest here and state that I don't know what they were thinking when they designed this shop. First of all is the name...Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe. It just rolls off the tongue. Who's going to even remember that?

The name actually comes from the Disney short, "The Three Little Pigs". There was the Fiddler Pig, the Fifer Pig, and the Practical Pig. Really? I'm not sure how many people are going to get that connection, and there are absolutely no references to the little pigs anywhere inside the restaurant.

And I'd hardly call this a bakery. Plain and simple, it's a Starbucks with a few extras. And I'm not a proponent to Starbucks' invasion into the theme park industry.

It's a nice, albeit somewhat unremarkable-looking building, with Starbucks signs and logos plastered all over it.

The architecture is Spanish Colonial with touch of Art Deco.

There's a nice, shaded patio for dining outside the cafe.

The establishment is big and airy inside, with a theme that doesn't fit the name nor even seems remotely "Disney".

The fictional back story is that a trio of singers known as the Silver Lake Sisters, opened the cafe.

Each sister plays a musical instrument, in the same way the Three Little Pigs played an instrument. Thus the tie-in.

Posters and photos of the Silver Lake Sisters are spewed all over the walls.

Starbucks coffee is the main staple of the menu. There is a fairly nice breakfast menu, though. But if you want anything else, its mostly pre-prepared sandwiches, salads, and the like.

There are some nice touches to the decor, like these stained glass mosaics over the service counter.

Stained glass instruments decorating the booth dividers is a really nice touch.

Vintage coffee displays are nice.

You can also purchase Disney/Starbucks drinkware. (For exorbitant prices.)

The menu is standard Starbucks fare.

The breakfast menu does look decent, although I've not tried anything myself.

So there's my somewhat jaded review of the Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe. I hope I have not offended any Starbucks lovers, musicians, or little pigs.