If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth with larger-than-life baked goods, head to Bakeshop in Arlington, Va.
Take the Metro just three stops from the Foggy Bottom station to Clarendon, and you’ll find yourself in Bakeshop’s sweet sights. You won’t miss the bold signage on 1025 N. Fillmore St., cast in glass under brick residential lofts.
Its interior is a cozy space with a few tables scattered around and stools along the bright yellow walls, which are covered in Polaroid photos. The glass platters and jars behind the display are filled with cupcakes, cookies and macarons, so you can partake in the best kind of window shopping.
Bakeshop offers a plethora of desserts, with flavors ranging from classic chocolate chip to wild creations, like their 7-Up or Nerds-flavored cupcakes ($2.50), and a brownie-cookie hybrid dubbed the Brookie ($2.25).
Prices for baked goods are set throughout the menu, and if you buy a set five cupcakes or nine macarons (both $10 total) you get another tacked on for free.
The bakery also boasts an expansive vegan and gluten-free menu. Vegan cupcakes come in flavors like pumpkin, double chocolate and taro – a root vegetable native to Southeast Asia. Bakeshop’s flourless chocolate brownies ($3) are rich enough that anyone will enjoy them.
The shop’s macarons ($2), which are huge for their price, come in a variety of funky flavors modeled after other food items like cinnamon toast crunch, thin mint and fruity pebbles.
Along with their namesake baked goods, the shop offers coffee and tea options. Order a Vietnamese iced coffee ($4.75) or a latte ($4) to complement whichever treat you choose. If you’re not looking for a caffeine buzz, try Bakeshop’s version of southern sweet tea ($2.50).
Among the delicious treats that fill the menu, the dish that takes the cake is actually a slice of pie.
Bakeshop’s PBNutella icebox pie ($5) is served ice cold, making it the perfect summer snack. Bakeshop finely grinds chocolate cookies to make the pie crust, which adds a slight crunch and added flavor to the dish. For the filling, three distinct layers are piled high to create this dessert.
A base layer of rich peanut butter cream is thinly spread, followed by a thicker Nutella cream layer. The pie is then finished off with a whopping dollop of whipped cream and peanut butter sauce is drizzled over the top.
The peanut butter layer even adds a slight saltiness to the pie, which cuts what could have been a sweetness overkill. The whipped cream adds a fluffy and light element to the pie, looking almost cloud-like over the denser peanut butter and Nutella layers.
Each layer of the pie is silky and smooth, melting in your mouth with a sugary explosion of peanut butter and Nutella flavors.
Beg a friend or two to travel across the river to Arlington and treat yourself to something delicious from Bakeshop. While you’re there, grab a whole pie ($28) to go – you’ll thank yourself later.