Coffee Shop Review: Goosecup in Leesburg, Virginia

Some days I wake up and think how great it would be to have a mocha latte and a pain au chocolat for breakfast. By “some days” I really mean everyday. However, I don’t usually act upon this impulse. On weekdays, I typically eat plain oatmeal with a banana and a mug of whatever k-cup I pull out of the drawer along with one sugar cube and one tablespoon of half and half. 

You can see why I wake up with the thought of lattes and pastries almost every day.

While weekday breakfasts are pretty boring, weekends do have more excitement. Every Saturday Xak and I partake in Coffee and Trek which consists of eggs (scrambled or hardboiled) with either bacon or sausage, tater tots, and then whatever yummy sweet treat Xak has baked for the week. This is always paired with our weekend coffee mugs (Starbucks Seattle mugs on Saturdays and Virginia Kitchen mugs on Sundays) and then we watch an episode of Star Trek. 

However, some weekend mornings are too beautiful to enjoy indoors and I give in to the delicious taste of pastries outside our home.

This particular morning (August 11, 2024) fit the criteria and we decided to head to a coffee shop named Goosecup out in Leesburg, Virginia to get my pastry fix. We have been there before once in 2023 and it seemed like a good day to re-visit.

Our goal was to find trail access in a park so we could have a nice, leisurely Pokemon Go walk on the W&OD trail, enjoy our breakfast, and then head home. 

Tuscarora Creek Park and The W&OD Trail

The Washington & Old Dominion trail (commonly called the W&OD trail) is 45 miles long stretching from Purcellville to Shirlington. You’ll find it congested with bikers, walkers, strollers, and cute pugs depending on where and when you enter. However, the closer you head towards Purcellville, the quieter it is. It’s a great place for a PoGo walk because you have access to so many Pokestops and gyms along the way. 

Xak and I love long walks (6+ miles) and according to the map, Tuscarora Creek Park is a 5 mile walk (round trip) from Goosecup. Since Xak and I knew we would likely want to walk around Leesburg, this seemed like a great place to visit first and then head onto the trail for coffee.

Tuscarora Creek Park doesn’t have much in the way of an actual park. There’s a small playground area and a covered picnic structure, but this is likely not at the top of anyone’s lists of favorite parks. It is, however, a wonderful place to access the W&OD since there’s a path that leads you right from the parking lot to mile marker 32 on the trail. 

Our previous Trip to Goosecup

Back in 2023, Coffee and Trek weekends were on hold so Xak and I could spend most of our Saturday mornings dedicating time to wedding planning. For some reason, I always think better while having a croissant. We decided to take our planning sessions to various local coffee shops, including Goosecup. However, I soon realized that Goosecup is not the type of place where you can expect to get much work done due to the noise level. The coffee (and the croissant) were quite tasty, so Xak and I vowed to return again when we didn’t have a deadline.

About Goosecup

Goosecup has been around since January 2021 and focuses on roasting special brews and crafting cocktails (and mocktails) for customers to enjoy from morning to evening. A variety of food is on the menu to accompany your beverage of choice such as an egg and cheese sandwich with Applewood bacon for breakfast, or a warm salted Bavarian pretzel served with honey and Dijon mustard during snacktime. And yes, avocado toast is available. There are also some special events like happy hours and trivia nights which are announced through Goosecup’s social media platforms.

Goosecup is steps away from the W&OD trail which is why it’s an extremely popular spot for bikers. The building is two stories tall, however the coffee shop only occupies the first floor. There’s also an outdoor seating area for days when the weather cooperates.

Interior and Decor

The coffee shop is very bright with walls of windows and modern with high open ceilings. There was merchandise for sale including beanies and wine. Green plants and flowers decorated the counters and shelves.

There are two single occupancy bathrooms to the left of the counter when you enter. The bathroom is large enough to do whatever you need, including ample room to change your clothes which is probably a great benefit for the visiting bikers. There are also vacancy indicators on the door meaning not having to awkwardly knock and wait for a response. (Why don’t all bathrooms have this?).

Menu and Food Counter

The line awkwardly wrapped around customers standing around waiting for their drinks since the checkout counter is only a few feet away from the entrance. Probably not the best placement considering the coffee shop’s popularity. As I was pressed up against the door in the back of the line, I squinted my eyes to read the menu and pricing on the back wall.

If your eyesight is terrible like mine, you likely won’t be able to read ANYTHING. Luckily, they have plenty of individual menus at the checkout counter that you can grab and peruse while waiting in the awkward line near the front entrance.

There was only one person running the register, but I didn’t mind the wait since it gave me an opportunity to peer into the delicious looking pastry display. There were various tantalizing muffins and croissants and while the chocolate croissant looked tempting, for some reason the apple and carrot muffin seemed to call to me on this day.

Xak also happily examined the display and in typical Xak fashion, decided he wanted the one thing we had never tried before: the kouign-amann.

We were first introduced to the Kouign-amann during a technical challenge in Great British Bake Off (for GBBO fans, it was the same season with bingate). If you’re not familiar with this extremely buttery pastry, you’ll likely butcher the pronunciation of the name which to me sounds like you’re saying “Queen Uh Mahn”. However, the important thing to know is that it’s sweet from caramelized sugar, it’s full of buttery laminated layers, and it’s apparently known as “​​the fattest pastry in all of Europe.” (hm, wonderful)

Along with our “healthy” muffin and the fattest pastry, I decided that I couldn’t deal with too much change at once and retreated back to my safe order of a Mocha Latte. Xak, having trouble reading the optometrist eye chart menu, asked for caramel (not available, oops) and then selected a latte with vanilla syrup. (Note: I checked the wall menu again, and to be fair, they do not list out the syrups on the wall)

As we placed our order, I noticed a to-go cup on the counter and I glanced at it surprised to see latte art! The cup was quickly covered with a lid by the barista and the owner’s name of the to-go cup was yelled out. I was pleased though to see that care was taken even with the to-go orders, unlike other coffee shops.

The Seating Area

As we paid for our coffee and treats, we headed over to a table in the back corner of the shop. There were several tables including high top tables, table along a window sill, and smaller round tables appropriate for groups of 2 people. Although tables were available, most customers opted to stand near the counter waiting to pick up to go orders (and effectively blocking the door).

Directly next to the dining room was the outdoor seating area filled with benches, tables with umbrellas, and beautiful bouquets for purchase. I made a mental note to check it out after we were through.

Food and Drinks

After a few minutes, Xak heard his name called and he went to the counter to retrieve our order. As he walked slowly back with two mugs and saucers, I grabbed the tray with food and carried it back to our small round table. The muffin and pastry had been warmed, and our coffee was adorned with latte art. We collected our respective treats and dug in.

I don’t eat muffins too much, with the exception of the Costco chocolate chunk muffins that they sometimes serve at my 10k races (yum). Honestly, muffins just seem like an excuse to eat cupcakes for breakfast. I have no idea why I wanted a carrot and apple muffin so badly, but I am so glad I listened to that voice in my head because this was really tasty. I generally enjoy apple treats (like apple turnovers and apple cider), and I’ve always loved carrot cake and spice, so this was a really nice companion to my mocha.

Xak sniffed his kouign amann before taking a bite. There was a cross section of layers that appeared in the inside. Since neither of us have had a kouign amann before, it’s hard to say how good this was in comparison, but it was definitely buttery, delicious, and well deserving of the title “Europe’s Fattest Pastry.” Xak happily ate every bite (after sharing some with me) and declared it would be on the menu for a future baking day. I quickly Googled which episode of Great British Bake Off featured the Kouign Amann technical challenge so we could watch it once we got home.

As we ate the remainder of our treats, the latte art in our cups slowly disappeared as we depleted our coffee while chatting about what we would serve alongside our future Kouign Amann baking day.

Outdoor Seating Area

After returning our tray and throwing out our trash, we headed outside so I could check out the flowers I saw through the window from my table. Several people had opted to enjoy their coffee in the pleasant weather, and in the center of the patio was the pop up flower shop with beautiful dahlias on display.

I highly doubted I could carry a bouquet for 3 miles without it looking a sad mess at the end, so I admired the flowers and headed off the balcony to walk back to the trail. Maybe next time, flowers.

Final Thoughts

Coffee shops in Northern Virginia are pretty pricey. For those who don’t care about the quality of coffee, it seems absurd to spend so much money on a cup when you can go to pretty much any car mechanic’s waiting room and get a free cup of questionable caffeine. Altogether our bill totaled $30.52, with $5.50 for each baked item, $6.50 for each coffee, and some dollars for tax and tip. This is pricey, but not surprising. This is also why I tend to ignore my daily coffee and pastry urges.

I do love the proximity of Goosecup to the W&OD trail and I could see myself visiting again in the future if I’m in the area, however I think there are other places I’d like to explore first.

Bonus: Art at Raflo Park

If it’s your first time in Leesburg, expect lots of charm with plenty of small shops, restaurants, a tea and desserts shop, and much more. If your interests include art, then you’re also in luck.

A half mile on the trail from Goosecup will lead you to Raflo Park. While there’s not too much in the way of playgrounds or flowers here, Pokemon Go is actually the reason we discovered this place. Raflo Park is home to a sculpture garden featuring the work of local artists courtesy of the Friends of Leesburg Public Arts which actually show up as PoGo stops in the game. Since 2016, the art has been replaced to showcase new work every two years. Although the works of art featured as Pokemon Go stops are no longer visible in person, we were still delighted to see such excellent talent from artists residing in the area.

Although I appreciate how accessible the art is to the public, I also worry about things like out of control soccer balls breaking off pieces of the sculptures. However, everything looked to be in tact and it was nice we could walk directly up to each sculpture to inspect the crazy amount of detail in each piece. In particular, I appreciated the variety of handcrafted tiles and blocks that comprised one of the sculptures, called “Ode to Clay and Metal Loft” which I found out was a collaboration of many artists from The Clay and Metal Loft which has since left Leesburg.

Surprisingly, every sculpture in the park is actually for sale, ranging from $950 to $22,000 (!!!). I don’t exactly keep that much in my wallet, so I chose to just appreciate what I saw as I passed through the park. We’ll have to come back again in 2026 to see what is installed next.