The Best Bakeries Around D.C.

The bread business is rising in a big way across D.C., with inventive spots like SakuSaku Flakerie, Rose Ave Bakery, and Yellow joining tried-and-true favorites like Bread Furst and Baked & Wired. Wholesale bakeries like Hyattsville, Maryland’s Lyon and Alexandria,

Virginia’s Bread & Water Co. continue to supply stellar breads to restaurants all over town.

Meanwhile, out-of-town chains with a growing taste for D.C. include NYC cookie companies Levain and Boston’s Tatte Bakery & Cafe. Sadly, vegan bakery Sticky Fingers closed its Takoma Park flagship this summer after a 25-year run, and Souk Bakery shut down on Barracks Row last year.

For this latest map refresh, we add two French standouts: Capitol Hill newcomer Boulangerie Saint Georges and Georgetown’s tried-and-true Patisserie Poupon.

Here are 18 essential D.C. destinations for extra-crusty levain, flaky croissants, brioche doughnuts, baklava, cupcakes, French baguettes, and everything in between. And for D.C.’s best cakes, go here.

Sunday Morning Bakehouse

11869 Grand Park Ave, North Bethesda, MD, 20852, US

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This chic North Bethesda jewel focuses on crafting quality, small-batch croissants and other pastries like brown sugar scones, brioche doughnuts, and cookies. The croissant menu covers savory and sweet, ranging from a stuffed ham and Swiss cheese or mushroom truffle to traditional butter, chocolate, and matcha green tea, varieties (plus cruffins). Weekend specials include kouign amann and macarons. A second outpost recently debuted in McLean, Virginia.

Fresh Baguette

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1737 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

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Fresh baguettes are obviously a point of pride at this mini-chain bakery by the same name. Bakers use a cold-dough process, house-made “levain,” and French baking equipment. There’s also a solid line-up of sandwiches, topped ciabatta, cake, quiche, flaky croissants, and seasonal specials like King cakes, with nine shops scattered across the DMV. The newest one just debuted in Germantown, Maryland. Online ordering here.

Manifest Bread

6208 Rhode Island Ave, Riverdale Park, MD, 20737, US

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Riverdale Park’s breakout bakery Manifest Bread expanded last year with even more space to churn out delicious baked goods and loaves, with speciality sandwiches and pizzas leading their expansion into dinner service. Find the fabulous bread at D.C. restaurants like Lutece and Primrose, too.

Bread Furst

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4434 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20008, USA

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This James Beard Award-winning Van Ness bakery that turned 10 last year serves up fluffy, dimpled foccacia; breakfast items like pain au chocolate; brunch frittatas and bagels with gravlax; and quick French lunch staples like a baguette stuffed with ham, butter, and a tiny zing of Dijon. Call for curbside pickup, and order online for pickup and delivery. The neighborhood bakery also maintains a museum cafe in Dupont’s Phillips Collection.

Ellē

3221 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010, USA

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Eater DC’s 2018 Restaurant of the Year energizes sleepy Mount Pleasant with rustic baguettes, breakfast sandwiches, guava turnovers, lemon poppy pound cake, dimly lit dinners, and an undeniable devotion to fermentation. Served on a sesame potato roll, the hit breakfast sandwich includes brisket pastrami that’s brined for two weeks, smoked for eight to 10 hours, crusted with peppercorns and coriander, and steamed until tender. On top of that, tender farm eggs, white cheddar cheese, and fermented chile hot sauce complete the sandwich. The bakery and cafe by day flips into a full-service restaurant by night, with indoor dinner seatings available on Resy. Online ordering here.

Rose Ave Bakery

2633 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20008, US

Baker and daughter of Vietnamese refugees Rosie Nguyen whips up garlic scallion buns, mochi crullers coated in coconut caramel, purple ube-filled brioche doughnuts, and green matcha chocolate chunk cookies sprinkled with flakes of sea salt. Don’t skip a slice of ube coconut and strawberry passionfruit cake, which are also available in 6-inch and 8-inch sizes for pre-order. Eater DC’s 2021 Bakery of the Year relocated from its roots in a downtown food hall to much-bigger digs in Woodley Park in 2023. The lauded bakery allows advance ordering for weekends.

Sharbat

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2473 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA

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The most popular item at this Azerbaijani bakery in Adams Morgan is the honey cake with thin layers of light cream whipped on the stove. Compared to the heavy, dense desserts that are common in the U.S., Azerbaijani pastries are light and airy and rely on nuts to enhance flavors. Detailed handiwork is on display on the shekerbura, a crescent moon-shaped, hazelnut-stuffed pastry that features an intricate design on its shell.

Un je ne sais Quoi…

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1361 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036, USA

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Opened by French expats, this petite bakery near Dupont Circle specializes in the merveilleux, a meringue cake that originated in Belgium and is common in the north of France. The pistachio Paris-Brest shines just as bright though. Limited indoor seating and outdoor seating. Call for takeout and delivery.

Boulangerie Christophe

1422 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20007, US

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Around since 2017, this believable French bakery in Georgetown and Potomac, Maryland draws menu inspiration from the chic coastal town of Saint-Tropez. Its award-winning baguettes — dark and crusty on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside — continue to be the star of the show, joined by whole grain, wheat, and sesame breads, pastries, croissants, and more. The show-stopping pastries are available on UberEats as well.

Pluma by Bluebird Bakery

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391 Morse St NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA

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Super-fresh pastries, like pistachio croissants, ham and cheese croissants, and monkey bread come from James Beard-nominated proprietors Camila Arango and Tom Wellings, who provided D.C. restaurants with wholesale baked goods for years. Pluma doubled down on D.C. with a second location at the Wharf. Call ahead for in-store pickup. Delivery available through UberEats and Postmates.

Bread Alley

418 Morse St NE, Washington, DC, 20002, US

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Six expert bakers begin the day at 3:30 a.m. to make hundreds of heavenly baguettes and rotating breads for Stephen Starr’s famed French brasserie Le Diplomate on 14th Street NW (which was famously crowned the best free restaurant bread in America by the Atlantic this spring). The 100-square-foot micro shop tucked away in a Union Market district alley also invites the public to come and pick up the same crusty loaves, multigrain levain boules, cranberry walnut boules, viennoiserie, pastries, and an ever-changing selection of specialty breads. Small-batch local jams, butter, honey, and salts are also available to-go.

Yellow Union Market

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417 Morse Street Northeast, Washington, District of Columbia 20002

Chef Alicia Wang is the force behind Yellow’s premiere pastries combine Levantine flavors with classic French techniques. Think za’atar and labne croissants, chocolate 7-spice cruffin, and pistachio olive oil cake. In the evening the bakery serves an “All the Kebabs” menu with a rotating selection of charcoal-grilled kebabs and meze prepared on an open hearth. The Bib Gourmand-designated establishment from chef Michael Rafidi also maintains an additional outpost in Georgetown, with pizza-centric Bizzeria opening in the same neighborhood soon.

Seylou Bakery

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926 N St NW Suite A, Washington, DC 20001, USA

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Unique among D.C.’s bakeries, Seylou is the first and only D.C. bakery to operate an in-house mill. The Blagden Alley bakery is committed to the traditional ways of baking as owner Jonathan Bethony mills whole grains and ferments his loaves before popping them into an imported, wood-fired oven. The result is some of the most impressive loaves of pain au levain, einkorn, and others. There are also rich pastries, like whole grain croissants and fruit scones, served in the morning alongside an espresso bar. Plus, the bakery’s whole grain sourdough becomes the base for pizzas each Wednesday night. Pre-orders and delivery available through the website.

Baked & Wired

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1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW, Washington, D.C. 20007, USA

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Georgetown’s locals-favorite coffee shop and bakery dishes out colossal cupcakes, among other baked goods. Widely known as one of the very best cupcake spots in the city, the bakers at Baked & Wired swirl fresh strawberries into the strawberry cupcake and top the cinnamon-laced, Texas sheetcake cupcake with rich chocolate pecan frosting while it is still warm. The lines can get long, but kind service and the view of the glass dome-covered confections lined up on the Carrera marble bar help. A Baked Joint, its sister cafe, recently packed up its brioche doughnuts, pastries, famous biscuits, and loaded breakfast sandwiches and moved them inside La Betty in Mount Vernon Triangle.

Saku Saku Flakerie

4200 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20016, United States

Tenleytown got the bakery of its dreams in 2023 with the arrival of SakuSaku Flakerie’s first-ever, full-time storefront. Confectionery couple Yuri and Jason Oberbillig have amassed a devoted D.C. following for their tantalizing French pastries infused with Japanese and seasonal ingredients. Highlights include lychee and grapefruit cruffins, lavender matcha mochi rolls, fluffy Japanese shokupan, and even gluten-free mochi bites filled with red bean paste. Its sole storefront is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; its Connecticut Avenue NW and Union Market locations are now closed.

Boulangerie Saint Georges

303 7th Street Southeast, Washington, District of Columbia 20003, United States

Long-awaited French bakery Boulangerie Saint Georges arrived on Capitol Hill earlier this year, bringing the neighborhood an assortment of laminated pastries, breads, sandwiches, seasonal offerings, and a full espresso program spotlighting cappuccinos. Parisian treats made on-site include meringue, croissants, and fruit tarts, which can be enjoyed on its adorable patio.

Patisserie Poupon

1645 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20007, US

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This longstanding French patisserie, known for its made-to-order special occasion cakes, flaky croissants, and danishes baked fresh daily, has been around for 40 years for a reason. Its light genoise sponge cake, built with strawberries and raspberry cream, remains an all-time smash hit. Seasonal specials include pumpkin cheesecake in fall and bûche de Noël come winter. There’s another location in Baltimore. Props to its excellent customer service, too.

Nino’s Bakery

2101 L Street Northwest, Washington, District of Columbia 20037, United States

Downtown’s recently rebooted bakery with an adorable dachshund mascot specializes in traditional French and Italian pastries, serving croissants with neat lamination lines that are made in-house over three days and feature classic flavors along with black sesame almond or za’atar gruyere. Find niche pastries like cream-filled sfogliatelle (sometimes called lobster tails), choux cream puffs, and sugar-dusted Sicilian cookies. Devoted patrons can find weekend specials, like passion fruit coconut croissants, available for pre-order on Nino’s website. A few blocks away on L Street, its coffee bar offers drinks from local roasters and select pastries from the bakery.