The alleyway storefront makes this place even more adorable and adds to the experience. The bread was so delicious, still warm, and had the perfect crust. They sell butter that most do not; the quality kind from France with flaky sea salt. The harissa and black sesame is such a unique bread flavor combination and it instantly became my favorite. In order to get in, ring the doorbell and someone will come open the door for you. read more

Bread Alley - Cranberry walnut and harissa and black sesame - Bakeries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

If you can get over having to wait in an alley to get in, this place is worth checking out. Loaves are expensive but really great quality for the occasional treat. My go-tos are the baguette and cranberry walnut loaf. Their butter croissants are my favorite in the union market area. read more

I just grabbed a sourdough loaf and omg, best bread in the DC area (and I buy a lot of bread). It is slightly pricey (around $11-13 for a loaf) but oh so worth it. Definitely want to try the croissants next time. read more

I went on Easter sunday - there were still some items left on the shelves at 10am but it was going fast and a line started to build outside the door: plain croissants, chocolate croissants, Ginger cookies, chocolate chip cookies, baguettes, and a couple varieties of bread loaves were left. I am slowly working my way through their menu: I have also tried an epi baguette, challah, cranberry walnut and some of their specialty butters and honey. Great little shop next to the bakery kitchen. I try to be polite and wait outside until folks are done, to not crowd the inside of the store. Some people do jot know how to act around fresh bread! read more

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There was a long line outside the store, but it moved pretty fast. Bread was fresh and very good!

I brought a baguette home today with no plan, it was a purchase of opportunity. We just sliced it, ate it straight out of the bag. Used a bit of butter, I tossed in a few pieces of fried prosciutto mid mastication that I made for a risotto and I determined that I will lay my life down for this bread. I would sell a child if I were able to have one. I'd rat my mom out to the feds (if she did something wrong, she's a nice lady) if it meant another crumb of this bread. I would die for this bread. read more

Alright, that triple chocolate croissant is incredible. Chocolate dough? Check. Chocolate filling? Check. Shaved chocolate on top? CHECK. Probably will be dreaming of this for weeks-- definitely on my list of top croissants in DC. Don't sleep on the pain aux raisins either-- pretty sure it's got multiple types of raisins and it's all swirled together in buttery, sweet deliciousness. Not usually a raisin person but this just might convert me. Can't wait to swing back to try a loaf of sourdough! Note: the inside is pretty small so you might find yourself waiting outside so dress warmly! And if you're having trouble finding it, it's tucked in the alleyway behind St. Anselm. read more

Bread Alley - Triple chocolate croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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If you love carbs, and especially bread, come check out Bread Alley. It's a super cute little bakery with a variety of breads and pastries, as well as artisan jams, honey, and other toppings to pair with your bread. Sourdough has always been my favorite bread, so of course that was the first bread I had to buy here. The crust was so perfectly crispy while the inside was fluffy and moist (I'm sorry if you hate this word LOL). I got a jar of apricot orange jam, which had a nice balanced fruity flavor without being too sweet or tart. I also picked up a triple chocolate croissant. I was worried it might be too sweet with all that chocolate but was pleasantly surprised with how light and airy it was. As other reviewers mentioned, it can be a little hard to find. If you're coming from the 4th street side, look for the art on the wall pointing into the alley to find the storefront. I went around 11am on a Sunday and the shelves were about half empty, so don't wait too late to stop by. Can't wait to come back and buy all the bread! read more

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So came here to try their bread which is sort of low key famous for DC folks who know of Le Dip...super fresh and tasty. Also they have wonderful customer service, we had a mix up of bread when we got it on Sunday, called them a day later, and they were so helpful in fixing it...that is five stars worthy alone. read more

The bread is good or whatever but the guy at the register was the hugest freaking a-hole ever. I am literally just a sweet little girl and he looked at me like i was the scum of the earth cause I wasn't as much of an artisanal hipster as he was. Like calm down Mr. Carhartt. read more

Love this place for the best sourdough bread in the area. My usual purchase is 2 sourdough big loafs of bread and 1 baguette. Since I can't go there so often, one bread I will always slice and freeze it, it comes out delicious toasted whenever I need it. I also tried their weekend morning croissants, so good!!! I remember the first time I couldn't find it, as it is hidden in the alley, but was totally worth to look for it! Small bread haven for sure! read more

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Bread Alley is a great, quick stop to visit while in the Union Market district. The shop is tiny, but packed with delicious breads! I bought a loaf of the cranberry walnut sourdough bread (about $13) and it was worth it! The outside of the loaf is pretty dark and the edges do taste a little burnt/bitter. However, the insides make up for it! The loaf is a beautiful purple from the cranberries and has walnuts throughout. I have enjoyed slicing through it for breakfasts and snack. In the picture I've added, I ate it toasted with brie, arugula, honey, and red pepper flakes. This was a great combo, but I found one more simple that I enjoy even more: toast the bread in thick slices and top with plenty of butter, honey, salt, and red pepper flakes. Yum!! Better than any cake I have had, plus it has the gut health benefits of sourdough! I have had it through half my loaf and froze the other to enjoy later. Might have to pick up another soon! read more

Bread Alley - Cranberry Walnut Sourdough (with toppings at home) - Bakeries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

DC's great bread bakeries (boulangeries, if you will) are few and far between, but thankfully, there is now one more to add to the list. Bread Alley was started by the bread bakers from Le Diplomate and it's is excellent. I bought a sourdough, a kouign amann, and a pumpkin seed pain d'epi. Everything was excellent. The kouign amann was perfectly flaky with the right amount of sweetness. The epi was delectable and light. And the sourdough has the perfect crust. In addition to breads and pastries, there are also sundries, like butter, honey, jam, Jacobsen salt, etc. Staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. I highly, highly recommend Bread Alley. read more

Bread Alley - Sourdough - Bakeries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This is such a hidden gem in the district, but worth the find! The shop is a bit small but packed with delicious options. I stopped in on a whim and grabbed a loaf of sourdough. The bread is light and delicious, can't wait to try more of their options! read more

It's as good as you think it is. Be sure to get there early because there was definitely a line. Customer service left much to be desired, but maybe she was just having a bad day. Along with the whole wheat sourdough loaf, I also snagged some high priced butter and blueberry preserves, but you come here for the quality not for a bargain. And it was absolutely worth every penny. read more

Exceptionally delicious and fresh sourdoughs and croissants. If you want the best selection you've got to show up when they open. We had a late start getting there but managed to snag their last tapenade sourdough, a chocolate croissant and a sugary croissant bun (I can't remember the name right now). They have a selection of jams and butters and I grabbed a few of those to enjoy with our breads. This place is tiny and tucked away in an alley hence its name. Parking around union market is also crazy the later you go in the morning. The space for the bakery is enough for about 5-6 people so be patient and wait outside. Their baked goods are worth the wait. I'll wake up earlier and head over there because what we had was excellent. One of the best chocolate croissants I've had. Worth the trek to the city in my opinion. One more pointer...they do not accept tap payments. Cash and credit cards so be sure you're carrying either. read more

Amazing bread! To find this place, it is LITERALLY in an alleyway. See an alleyway with trash cans in it? Yes it's in there. Look for the painted arrows and black door. The walls have words that say 'bread alley' and an arrow pointing you to the door. We almost missed it but saw it last minute, so glad we did. The baguette was very good, crispy on the outside and soft inside. We also got a cranberry and walnut sourdough bread which was very good! You should definitely go here if you love bread. They only sell 3 kinds. Good bread! read more

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I got cherry walnut sourdough . I I super excited to try such a viral sourdough in Union Market. Unwrapped it! Sourdough seem burnt. I wasn't sure if it supposed to be that texture/color . I took a pictures and asked my friends. Everyone saying that is burnt . I back to the store ,they told me because of caramelize . Well I will never eat that even baker confirm this sourdough not burn . Not gonna break my teeth or say hi with cancer read more

Bread Alley - Bakeries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Every time I hear someone say the bread basket is their favorite part of the meal at Le Dip, I want to drag them to Bread Alley immediately. Please let it be common knowledge that this is the place that bakes bread for Le Dip and St. Anselm. The storefront is kind of hard to find. It is located in the alley (literally) right next to St. Anselm. Just follow the arrow on the wall - it leads to a small door and sometimes you have to ring the bell to be let in. I've tried several things and everything has been a hit. Baguettes duh. Their sourdough is made of a blend of wheat and rye, great crust, even air pockets, soft and chewy center, just amazing. I didn't find the rye overwhelming, more of a hit of savoriness and texture. I was thrilled that they brought back the viennoiseries this year from Friday to Sunday. Highly recommend everything but especially the ham and cheese croissant. They also have fun seasonal items, such as stuffing and pumpkin sourdough during the holidays. read more

Bread Alley - Viennoiserie on weekends - Bakeries Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Small little g m tucked just behind the turn into the alley. But the croissants and other specialty breads and butters are everything!

Insane croissants. Everything we tried was amazing and will definitely be back for more. The triple chocolate pan au chocolat was insane. The ham and cheese croissant had high quality ham inside, probably the best version I've had anywhere including France. And the pan au raisin was also delicious. We came right as they opened and were able to grab everything, will definitely return to try some of the more savory pastries which they make later on in the day read more

Excellent bread and pastries. Great service. I will return next time I'm in the area.

OMG! It is almost as if I am back in Paris - the taste of baguette is exactly the same, I never was able to find a baguette in DMV area that would taste like the ones from family run bakeries in French towns. I believe La Diplomate folks are behind this new hole in the wall bakery near the Union Market. It is hard to find: my advice is to walk on the right side Morse street towards 4th NE, first turn to the right into a dirty alley. Stay on your right and it is the first clean door on your right. The vertical sign "Bread Alley" is very high in the left corner that you can't see it, you only see the door with no signs. Just open it and step in. Tiny space ( all space is the actual bakery in the back). Shelves displaying the daily selection are on the right. We now went twice and tried the baguettes ( 10 out of 5 - to die for), sourdough ( 10 out of 5), chocolate croissant- 4 out of 5 ( very good but not to die for. To my taste it was not flaky enough inside, but everyone's taste is different, I do recommend to try it to make your own mind about it). All breads are pricey but worth penny and are about the price of some artisan breads at Whole Foods ( with incomparable taste. You would never buy bread at Whole Foods after trying Bread Alley). Enjoy, folks! ( for a super weekend experience, get also sweet cream butter when you buy your bread here, then walk up the Morse Street towards the 5th NE to get to the Italian deli shop. Once inside, go all the way to the back, and order half of a pound of thinly sliced mortadella with pistachios. If you still have cash left, pick a bottle of first press unrefined extra virgin olive oil, and a container with the house sun dried tomatoes). Now you got yourself the most flavorful delicious weekend breakfast ) read more

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Jan 29, 2022 Born and raised in Germany, I grew up on an immense variety of bread. It has always been my biggest regret to very hardly finding any decent and edible bread in the US. While at Ft. Hood, there was a German baker in Kempner...that was about it. Yes, American bread has its uses...to make grilled cheese sandwiches...but not much else... I recently subscribed to an artisan online bread delivery service...the bread was so delicious, I almost cried. So I looked online to see if I could find a bakery in the area and support a local, small(er?) business. I asked hubby earlier to get a baguette and sourdough loaf...he got back about 30 min ago. I must admit, there is only a small piece of the baguette left. It reminded me of when I was a little girl. We were on vacation to Spain or Portugal. On our way we had to drive thru France. I remember the very early mornings after my stepfather was driving all night, we would stop at a brasserie in whatever little town we would happen to be. The hissing of the espresso machine as the barista concocted my cafe-au-lait and his cafe with a generous tip of Calvadoz, which was then served accompanied by a still warm baguette and sweet creamery butter! I will probably demolish the sourdough in three days. I am intensely serious when I say that good bread with good butter is my choice of food...I rather have that than a steak, caviar, or whatever other luxury food you can think of. Yes, you can get something resembling bread at other places a lot cheaper...but this is worth every penny...This is REAL bread! For as long as we are in the area, this will be my bakery for fresh bread. Jan 31. 2022 yes, I ate the whole baguette on the 29th...it was lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. For dinner, I added organic honey to the butter, and it was pure bliss. On the 30th, I had the 2 ends of the sourdough loaf for breakfast. I wish it had more ends, so I can have more of that crusty goodness. For dinner, I had a veggie burger with Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce between sourdough bread. Today, I started with a slice with butter. I will have another with honey once I warm up the milk. The loaf is still crispy. I keep it in the same paper bag it came in. Yes, Bread Alley is a keeper. May your dough always sour and the loaves bake nice and crispy! read more

Best baguettes and interesting butters etc. Please make pastries again! Please okay? Promise?

The pastry chef consistently puts out flawless French pastries. Flaky perfection. The Pain Suisse au Chocolat (a more recent edition) is amazing and will keep us coming back consistently. Pastry filled with pastry cream and melted chocolate chips, and the top is dusted with powdered sugar. It's good they only offer the pastries on the weekends or we'd be packing on some pounds. read more

Best pain au chocolat and ginger cookie I have ever had -- place smells amazing and I got one of everything, all delicious!

Bread Alley is one of my favorite finds over the past year. Tucked away behind St Anselm in Union Market, Bread Alley has a small but delicious menu of breads (and now pastries). I've tried the sourdough, kouign amann, triple chocolate croissant, and chocolate croissant on different visits and I've never been disappointed. I'd particularly recommend the triple chocolate; it has bits of chocolate tucked into its folds and is frankly one of the best pastries I've had in DC. I'd recommend hitting up Bread Alley early in the morning. They truly will sell out (I've missed getting their sourdough a few times)! read more

Challah bread on Fridays is amazing and reasonably priced! There is never any remaining towards the last open business hours, just an indication of taste. The walnut cranberry is a constant staple. Good luck finding the place, worth the wander. read more

Talk about a hidden gem! Bread Alley is quite literally tucked away in a nondescript alley in Union Market. We nearly missed the sign amongst the graffiti on the walls. We ordered the harissa black sesame loaf and ate the entire thing that day. No regrets! read more

Amazing everything sourdough and challah. Interesting limited edition breads! Nice selection of butters, spreads etc.

As of March, 2023. This is a difficult review to write. I visited 30 minutes after they opened with the purpose of getting both bread and pastries. Apparently, they no longer make pastries so no stars for that. They did have a limited bread selection and I got a baguette and a whole wheat and rye sourdough round. Both breads were excellent - 5 stars. read more

hands down the best bread in dc. the cranberry-walnut bread is exceptional. limited retail supply as most bread is served at top-flight restaurants. no apple pay, so bring a physical credit card. read more