A Sweet Tour of Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
By Renee Sklarew
Dog Tag Bakery
Like many neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., the food scene in Georgetown is exploding. While Georgetown lays claim to having the oldest tavern in the city, this historic community is also blessed with multiple bakeries and is the perfect place to celebrate just about anything.
One of the first eateries in Georgetown to gain national recognition was Georgetown Cupcakes. Lines form around the block daily to purchase designer cupcakes in their pretty pink boxes.
Dog Tag Bakery will not only feed your sweet tooth, but the treats here are baked by disabled veterans and their caregivers. Working at this mission provides these American heroes with training and work experience. Don’t miss their gingersnap cookies baked fresh daily and their seasonal pumpkin pudding.
Pie Sisters, near the campus of Georgetown University, is popular with students and neighbors who love Pie Sisters’ “cuppies”—or miniature pies filled with a variety of fresh fruits, creams, and liquors. The shop offers full-size and savory pies with vegetables and meats. You can even buy a crispy cinnamon-and-sugar-crusted twirl for $1 to eat on the go.
Olivia Macaron
The colorful new Olivia Macaron is another bakery in Georgetown selling handmade cookies as pretty as they are tasty. Comparable in quality to an exclusive French macaron house, Olivia Macaron sells 12 flavors daily, ranging from the favorite (salted caramel) to the exotic (licorice). You can even order a custom creation or design your own gift box.
The international Paul Bakery recently opened a shop in Georgetown. The brick building was originally the City Tavern built in 1889, and it shares a birthday with the first La Maison Paul, founded in Lille, France, in 1889. Georgetown’s Paul features authentic French baguettes and butter croissants, as well as elegant tarts and cakes. The upstairs café is a cozy place to nibble your sweet masterpiece.
Craving a crepe? Georgetown’s MalMaison, hidden under a freeway on the Potomac River waterfront, serves delicate pancakes filled with fruit, chocolate, and cream. They also offer fresh juices in a variety of combinations—“The Beetle Juice” has apple, beets, carrots, and ginger.
The most beloved of bakeries in Georgetown is still Baked and Wired. Choosing among these phantasmagorical cookies, pastries, and cupcakes is a challenge, but whichever ones you pick, you can sit down and enjoy them with a fresh-brewed espresso while listening to local musicians playing original arrangements.
Renee Sklarew is the coauthor of The Unofficial Guide to Washington, D.C. Renee was raised in the D.C. area and writes about her hometown for numerous publications, including The Washington Post, the Washingtonian, Northern Virginia magazine, and VivaTysons magazine. She contributed to Fodor’s Washington DC Guidebook in 2013 and 2014; and is thrilled to be a part of the Unofficial Guide team so that she may offer readers her insider’s advice about navigating the city from a parent’s point-of-view.
