The counters in Washington DC worth queuing for: bread, pastry, and the morning ritual.
Bakery counters in Washington DC worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
Bread Furst in Washington DC is Mark Furstenberg's Van Ness bakery on Connecticut Avenue since 2014, a James Beard Outstanding Baker winner with sourdough.
Tip: Country loaves come out at 11:00 and 15:00; ask for the timing at the counter to catch them warm.
Worth the queue: Country sourdough loaf
Seylou Bakery and Mill in Washington DC is Jonathan and Jessica Bethony's Shaw Blagden Alley bakery, a single-source mill-to-loaf operation grinding regional.
Tip: Sundays sell out by 12:00; pre-order miche loaves through the website for Saturday pickup.
Worth the queue: Whole-grain country miche
la Betty AM in Washington DC is the Mount Vernon Triangle K Street daytime bakery from the A Baked Joint team, with biscuits, brioche donuts.
Tip: The brioche donuts and cinnamon rolls run out by 11:00 on Saturdays; cash registers slow after the 09:00 commuter wave.
Worth the queue: Brioche donut
Levain Bakery in Washington DC is the Upper West Side cookie shop's Georgetown M Street outpost, with palm-sized chocolate-chip walnut cookies.
Tip: Cookies bake every 20 minutes through the day; ask for one straight out of the oven at the back counter.
Worth the queue: Chocolate chip walnut cookie
Rose Ave Bakery in Washington DC is Cheryl Wakerhauser's Georgetown Cady's Alley bakery, an Asian-American pastry counter with black sesame pull-apart bread.
Tip: The black sesame pull-apart sells out by 12:00 on weekends; pre-order via Instagram messages on Tuesdays.
Worth the queue: Black sesame pull-apart bread
Call Your Mother Deli Park View in Washington DC is the Georgia Avenue wood-fired bagel deli from chef Andrew Dana, with Montreal-Brooklyn hybrid bagels.
Tip: The Sun City sandwich with pastrami, egg and salt is the bestseller; pre-order on the app to skip the 30-minute weekend line.
Worth the queue: Sun City bagel sandwich
Fresh Baguette in Washington DC is the Georgetown Wisconsin Avenue French bakery from a Parisian-trained baker, with hand-shaped Tradition baguettes baked.
Tip: The Tradition baguette is the bake to take home; the pain au chocolat is the second-most-ordered viennoiserie.
Worth the queue: Tradition baguette
Yellow in Washington DC is Michael Rafidi's Shaw Levantine bakery-cafe on S Street, the daytime sister of Albi, with manakish za'atar flatbreads.
Tip: The shakshuka and za'atar manakish run the morning menu; the spinach fatayer is the under-ordered runner-up.
Worth the queue: Manakish za'atar flatbread
Le Caprice DC in Washington DC is the Columbia Heights 14th Street French bakery from chef Ferney Pena, with French viennoiserie, Tradition baguettes.
Tip: The almond croissant batch pulls at 10:00 weekdays; the patio runs through October for the morning sun.
Worth the queue: Pain au chocolat
Boulangerie Saint Georges in Washington DC is the Eastern Market 7th Street SE French bakery from Paris restaurateurs Lounes Khenane and Bouzid Aissaoui.
Tip: The morning canele batch finishes by 11:00; the bakery serves wine and beer with the lunch sandwich menu after 12:00.
Worth the queue: Pain au chocolat
SakuSaku Flakerie in Washington DC is Yuri Oberbillig's Tenleytown Wisconsin Avenue Japanese-French pastry shop, with matcha kouign-amann, white miso.
Tip: The matcha kouign-amann batch pulls at 10:00 daily and sells out by lunch; order ahead via the website for Saturday pickup.
Worth the queue: Matcha kouign-amann
Pearl's Bagels in Washington DC is the Shaw 7th Street bagel shop from two former media-careerists, with sourdough-starter bagels boiled in honey water.
Tip: The shop closes when the day's bagels run out, often before 13:00 on weekends; arrive before 11:00 for the full schmear lineup.
Worth the queue: Plain bagel with scallion cream cheese