Bakery$Mon-Sun 08:00-16:00Walk-in onlyJapanese-French laminated pastries
SakuSaku Flakerie in Washington DC is Yuri Oberbillig's Tenleytown Wisconsin Avenue Japanese-French pastry shop, with matcha kouign-amann, white miso.
Tip: The matcha kouign-amann batch pulls at 10:00 daily and sells out by lunch; order ahead via the website for Saturday pickup.
Worth the queue: Matcha kouign-amann
Bakery$Mon-Sun 07:30-14:00Walk-in onlySourdough honey-boiled brick-oven bagels
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
Bakery$Mon-Sun 07:30-19:00Walk-in onlyNaturally-leavened breads and laminated viennoiserie
Bread Furst in Washington DC is Mark Furstenberg's Van Ness bakery on Connecticut Avenue since 2014, a James Beard Outstanding Baker winner with sourdough.
Tip: Country loaves come out at 11:00 and 15:00; ask for the timing at the counter to catch them warm.
Worth the queue: Country sourdough loaf
Bakery$Wed-Sun 09:00-16:00Walk-in onlyWhole-grain naturally-leavened bread
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
Bakery$Wed-Sun 07:30-14:00Walk-in onlyFrom-scratch biscuits, brioche donuts and breakfast sandwiches
la Betty AM in Washington DC is the Mount Vernon Triangle K Street daytime bakery from the A Baked Joint team, with biscuits, brioche donuts.
Tip: The brioche donuts and cinnamon rolls run out by 11:00 on Saturdays; cash registers slow after the 09:00 commuter wave.
Worth the queue: Brioche donut
Bakery$Mon-Sun 07:00-22:00Walk-in onlyOversized chocolate-chip cookies and loaf cakes
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