This is a vegan, gluten-free, and other allergen free bakery. They offered delicious sounding breakfast sandwiches & a lot of frozen breads / cakes / desserts, but I was mostly interested in the daily pastries. I stopped by because I really wanted the Krispy Kreme knock-off. I did end up ordering this (no picture because I ate it before I could take a picture). I have mixed feelings about that donut--I think that I would have enjoyed it more if they HADN'T told me they were trying to make a krispy Kreme donut. The glaze was quite similar to Krispy Kreme donuts, but I was hoping for something with the lightness of a classic yeast donut. For me, that lightness is what making Krispy Kreme donuts so good, but this donut was much more similar to a cake donut. Dense, crunchy, though freshly fried. Not bad! But definitely not Krispy Kreme, which was what I thought I was getting. What I DID love, however, was their pop tart pastry. We got a berry poptart, and it was scrumptious! Kind of a short-bread tasting dough, with jammy inside & a nice frosting. I just wish I could have toasted it before I ate it! Felt like my childhood. read more

The Difference Baker - berry poptart pastry - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Staff is absolutely magical! Their pop tart pastry is absolutely out of this world. I think it's the best you we'll ever find. All the flavors are great, I expected s'mores to be my favorite but I truly love the brown sugar. I always buy at least 4 when I go, then my kids continue to fight over them. Donuts are decent too, have some fluffiness. If you aren't vegan though... don't buy the bread. It was so horribly disappointing. It wasn't even edible. Tasted like blue cheese. We threw it away. Cinnamon cake is meh, you can make it better with a mix from grocery store. Cakes and cookies were just ok. It also feels a little weird venturing to a college campus into the bakery, it's not convenient unless you're a college student. But those pop tarts are to die for! read more

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It's interesting to me that people seem to either love or hate their food. I suspect that customers with negative reviews are comparing them to traditional bakeries while those with positive reviews have had other gluten-free options. For a gluten-free bakery, they are excellent! Gluten-free baked goods do taste a little different. Gluten provides structure, elasticity, and rise in traditional baked goods. So, of course - things will be a little more dense, a little less chewy, and a little more dry. If you compare the Difference Baker to other GF foods, the vast majority of their things are great. A few are a misses... or just not hitting the spot for us, but most are pretty darn good. For example, my daughter notes that the chocolate donut is a little odd as it's almost like the donut and the glaze are two different types of chocolate. But the other flavors don't have that issue. We've tried pretty much everything. The waffle is my daughter's favorite. I prefer the oatmeal pies. I would steer clear of toasting their bagels (unless you are planning a very moist topping) as it amplifies the dry factor. Initially, I gave them three stars due to Customer Service issues with the GMU starship application. Basically, our order was consistently being filled incorrectly but it was easy to see why their menu lead to the mix-ups. FWIW, their staff reached out to me and tried to fix it. One problem is corrected - one isn't... but they tried so I'll give them credit for that. Most businesses aren't that responsive. Finally, I will say the pricing is a little high per item but gluten-free foods are expensive. Also, I suspect GMU rent is on the high-end. If you stock up and get the half-dozen or dozen, the cost per item is considerably lower. We always make a point to buy extra and freeze the left-overs. read more

So many great options for gluten and dairy free! Wish they had seating. Very friendly staff

So... really love gluten free options and stopped in to see what the buzz was about. I wasn't interested in anything deep fried so tried the cinnamon roll and a berry pop tart. Also picked up a bag of frozen biscuits. We really didn't like any of them. I liked the berry pop tart the best of the three. We even grilled the biscuit as a base for poached eggs and still didn't like them. They're dense and sort of gummy at the same time. The cafe is much more than a gf dessert location as they had all kinds of frozen pre-prepared meals for gf and vegan folks. They also had numerous other dessert options which we haven't tried. We're going with a 3 star review due to the numerous food offerings and the fact that they offer numerous options for people with restricted diets. We want them to succeed, even if we didn't like what we tried. read more

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Loved this bakery. The French toast donuts were the best item for us. The pop tarts were great but we may have had a bit too much sugar by getting the cinnamon sugar and chocolate pop tarts. Still, great display and flavor was spot on. Blueberry lemon vegan gluten free cakes are rare to find out in the wild so it's aces in my book. Greeted as we walked in, very helpful and heated up each item that needed it. Really great bakery with vegan and gluten free options. read more

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The Difference Baker offers items that are gluten-, soy-, peanut-, tree nut-, and crustacean-free, which is amazing for those who have severe food allergies, sensitivities, and/or intolerances. We stopped by here to pick up some desserts after having a meal in the area and ordered: +a vanilla glazed donut +a Cookies & Cream donut +a TDB Kreme donut +a Jelly donut +a funnel cake +a cinnamon roll Unfortunately, each and every one of the items that were ordered were tossed after the first bite or spat into a napkin - the donuts and the cinnamon roll were super dry and were flavorless (aside from the preserves). The TDB Kreme donut and the funnel cake were made 'fresh-to-order', but the funnel cake seemed to have been over-fried and was super chewy; the Kreme donut, which the glaze made it look tasty, had this weird squishy texture. I wished I had the same delicious experience as others have had! The place itself is cute, clean, and well-decorated, with an open kitchen concept; I appreciated that they had a filtered water dispenser available. No seating inside, but there are some tables located adjacent to the store for those who want to dine al fresco. I'm glad I was able to check this place out, but would not return. Plenty of parking in the complex lot. +offers items for those who have severe food allergies, sensitivities, and/or intolerances +al fresco dining options +plenty of parking in complex lot read more

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After sweetz bakery shut down we found this bakery that can accommodate my spouse's gluten free and dairy free needs. They are relatively moderately priced and the cup cakes we got were decent but not on the same level as what sweetz bakery had. Although their location isn't the most convenient, we shall return to try their cake and other offerings. read more

The Difference Baker - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Love having gluten free options in the DMV! I waited a year until I was able to visit this store. According to reviews online, everyone loves it. I ordered a lot of different items. My toddlers loved the pop tart in berry. That was the high point. Low point for as the sad sandwich that took a very long time. I took two bites and decided not to finish. This was how I discovered their breads are good. Brookie meh. Chocolate cake good. Oatmeal cookie sandwich ok. Cinnamon bun chewy. We came in from DC and will not be making the drive again. read more

Omigosh! I've gone to the Difference Baker for a while, and delighted to have so many gluten-free sweet options. Today for the first time I had their Friday fried chicken tenders, which were some of the best fried chicken I've ever had, with or without gluten, hands-down! read more

I was introduced to TDB by a friend whose son has a number of severe food allergies. The baked goods are both delicious and beautiful. It is such a relief for parents of children with food allergies to not have to worry about unsafe ingredients or cross-contamination in the kitchen, and to also be able to let their kids enjoy the same tasty treats their friends get! We've tried the donuts, cinnamon rolls, and also bought the DIY frosted sugar cookies. I'm very baffled by some of the negative reviews I read, as I've tried a number of sweets across a few visits and have never been anything but impressed. You can kind of tell it's gluten-free because of the crumb texture but it's still a tasty and balanced baked good: moist, flavorful, not overly sweet. Having tried to make gluten-free baked goods before I can appreciate how difficult it is to create something exactly the same as a wheat-based recipe. This bakery is excellent and I love that it is a good allergy-safe business! read more

The Difference Baker - DIY frosted sugar cookies! (Kiddos got their hands on the bottom one before I could finish..) - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I hate to do this because I love supporting new and local businesses. However, I have to be honest and say I didn't like my donut at all. The consistency was so bad it was almost gloppy underneath the glaze. I really should've turned around and went back for a refund. I'm giving an extra star because the staff were welcoming and friendly. I also like the decor of the bakery and the branding. The prices do seem a bit much but I understand they're gluten free. Sorry, I won't be back. read more

The Difference Baker - Coffee donut - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Stopped by to get some "emergency" coffee and ended up trying their cookies and donuts. The lady at the counter was super nice. About the baked goods I have bought, they are different. Sweet but not too sweet....something is quite different. I wasn't sure what was it until I read the reviews from others----those are gluten free and vegan. Ahh ha! I was wondering why the donuts aren't fluffy :-)) read more

Hands-down the best gluten-free bakery in northern Virginia. Everyone that works here is so kind. There isn't really anywhere to sit and enjoy your treats so you have to take everything to go. We will never stop coming! read more

Lots of vegan baked goods to choose from. Very nice staff and helpful service. Good French pressed coffee.

Bought my daughter's first birthday cake here because I loved that It was allergen free. Given that this would be her first try at junk, I figured I would do a "cleaner" option. It was a small and adorable cake! She didn't really like it (nothing against the cake, just a picky baby LOL), so lucky for me I got yo enjoy it. It is actually three donuts on top of each other. It was delicious. I'll be returning to try more treats.. I recommend. read more

The Difference Baker - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I can't even believe their food is gf. It's all soo good! I'm so happy to have a place near me where I can eat ANYTHING and not worry about my allergies. Just finished devouring the funnel cake - my god! Highly recommend this place read more

The Difference Baker - Funnel cake - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Allergy friendly! They are certified free of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, shellfish and soy! It was amazing our daughter could pick out anything she wanted. They had a huge variety of cookies, cupcakes, scones, lemon bars, granola bars, oatmeal cream pies, brownies, donuts and on top of all the sweet stuff they also have little pizzas, pit pies and a ton more! They even have a small little area to eat. read more

The Difference Baker - cookie, oatmeal cream pie, chocolate donut, sugar cookie, brownie, vanilla cupcake and chocolate cupcake. - Bakeries Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

THE BEST!!!!! TDB is Loudoun's legendary gluten-free bakery and everything is amazing. I love the donuts and lemon bars but really, EVERYTHING is great. You will not be disappointed. read more

Best gluten free spot for baked goods in nova! Though it's tucked away in ashburn, the service and baked goods here are AMAZING!!

OMG. The chocolate on chocolate cupcake is to die for. I also got a 8" round cake for my gluten free guests for my wedding. They will love it. So good! read more

Sorry to say the cake was horrible for it to be so expensive. It was gummy and didn't have much flavor. We ended up tossing the rest of it after one slice. read more

The service was great! They have plenty of vegan options, I opted for the breakfast sandwich, French toast donut, and Italian soda. The breakfast sandwich was not oily and tasted amazing. The French toast donut wasn't dry and so so soft! If you take a bite, you can tell they use high quality ingredients to make their food. There is a small seating arrangement outside, perfect for families to eat! read more

We stopped in to pick up a treat for a friend and left with a lot! The mushroom & spinach Stromboli was LOVED by our friend as was a frozen blueberry and cream dessert. My friend loved the Red Velvet and the Berry Poptart was to die for!!! Great service, you could feel the love from all who were working there. GO, don't wait! They are fantastic! read more

I can definitely appreciate the fact that The Difference Baker is able to cater to those with dietary restrictions and it's nice to have options locally. My feelings of conflict come up for the portion sizes and the prices. The portions are small and the cost is high. Perhaps I've been spoiled by having several other GF/DF bakeries near my hometown, so it's hard to not compare. I've stopped ordering from them as it's cost prohibitive and I simply make my own items instead. read more

If I could give them 10 stars I would. We sent a gluten-free family member, who was recently in the hospital, some cookies from the Difference Baker. Alyssa, the owner, was incredibly helpful and even surprised our patient with some extra goodies. Our whole family raved about how delicious the pies (sweet and savory) and cookies were. Highly recommend! read more

this junk heat on ja fr fr I was hella hungry and saw this dime piece of a bakery out yonder in the distance I had to pull up fr so I ran it the servers were hella nice and lowkey chill this joint was so hype read more

I just stopped by today for some quesadillas ! They were great ! I ate them so fast I couldn't take a picture ! Love the quality and options at this store ! read more

Not a fan, got the cinnamon role and oatmeal cookies . Hours of operation are too hard to remember .

Absolutely fantastic! Some of the best gluten free / allergy friendly treats! We will absolutely visit The Difference Baker many more times!

This place is my favorite! I am new to the area and driving there I thought my GPS was wrong because I thought I was turning into a neighborhood but I obviously wasn't. This place is small but do t be fooled because it has "mighty" flavors and tons of options. I never thought I could ever enjoy a waffle or cookies or any treats for the matter because of my food sensitivities.. until this place. And not only is everything delicious and well priced, the owner and staff are awesome!! You must get some waffles to go and plan to try one of each thing ! read more

Awesome spot that is food sensitivity and allergy friendly. Their cookies and bread desserts are delicious and fresh. They also have feel good lunch options, as well as frozen fresh meals. I am glad I found this place, I highly recommend! Staff is very friendly. read more

I so wanted to love this place but felt let down. The cinnamon bun was nice but the other baked goods I ordered were underwhelming. They had a pasty taste and not very desert like. The cupcakes were subpar compared to other gf cupcakes at other bakeries . The cookies were dry with little flavor but had an aftertaste. Being Celiac I was hoping this would be my go to store for treats but not so. read more

As soon as I ate my first donut I was hooked! I haven't had a donut in years so I highly recommend this gf shop anyone looking for a pastry fix but has to avoid gluten. I also purchased cinnamon and dinner rolls. Yum! I will definitely be going more frequently now that I've experienced how good this place does their gluten free versions of everything. (Couldn't take a photo because I ate the donuts too fast)! read more

Great customer service- super prompt with responding to customer questions and they provide curbside and delivery which is really convenient. The selection of both sweet and savory foods are wonderful- lots of great options for meals, snacks and treats which taste awesome! read more

Best GF Bakery we have ever found after 10 years. Pretzel dogs, Stromboli, and Jelly donuts were all fantastic. Going back to try more menu items. read more

We enjoyed some delicious gluten free treats here today. We love a gluten free only spot, and there unfortunately so few and far between. This one is great and we'll definitely be back! read more