Bayou Bakery

So the beignets are underwhelming. They are doused in powdered sugar to make up for lack of flavor in the dough. They came out quickly, warm and fluffy. The breakfast sandwich looked a little better. The server was friendly and the morning crowd fills up the space for good vibes. But there’s nothing that would give me an excuse for a return trip.

The staff is friendly and I love the relaxed atmosphere. On a weeknight it’s not too crowded and it’s a really nice place to sit around with a book and a latte.
The soy chai is not great… I keep forgetting this and it’s disappointing every time.

I’m originally from New Orleans and often miss the food of home. Bayou café has delicious and authentic Beignets. The biscuit with bacon was a little too salty for me or I would have given it 5 stars. You gotta try this place.

My wife and I love this place. Having been to New Orleans several times, it almost feels like stepping into a café right off the French Quarter. I’m honestly not a big fan of their gumbo (found it kind of bland) but everything else I’ve had has been great, particularly the sandwiches. The muff-​o-​lota and pimento cheese sandwiches are my two favorite things on the menu and the beignets are fantastic and properly doused in a shit ton of powdered sugar. David Guas really needs to open a po boy shop here in the DC area-​that would be amazing. The cocktails they make here are plenty strong and they have Abita beer. Love the NOLA music they play as well. Great service and a wonderful atmosphere!

Five stars for the pillowy powdery clouds of dough called beignets. Best beignets I’ve tried and they are made fresh to order so they are still gooey and warm when you eat them! Excited to come back to try other things on their menu like their Mac and cheese or pimiento grilled cheese. Yum.

My favorite coffee shop in the area!!! Their coffee are absolutely good as well as the services!!! The atmosphere here is very nice too. Highly recommended!

Loves:
*Beignets — light, puffy pastry dough perfectly fried with copious amounts of powdered sugar. Need I say more?!
*Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits — a perfect combination of flaky and buttery (and I’m from Texas, I know good biscuits). Enough said about that! Try them!
*Desserts — every imaginable sugary delight baked to perfection and served in large quantities. Don’t just take my word for it.
And that’s not even the actual FOOD; I’m only talking about the baked goods!
Then, for those of us who consider our four-​legged children as part of our family, they have a patio that’s inclusive and open to families of ALL types!
I’m deducting a star for two reasons.
1. Even though biscuits are served all day, everyday, since the sausage, egg and cheese that constitute a «breakfast sandwich» are only served until 11:00, even on weekends during brunch hours, breakfast sandwiches always stop at 11:00. Why?! How hard would it possibly be to extend breakfast sandwiches, at least through brunch hours? I find that incredibly petty, especially since they’re one of the only places in town serving biscuits with TURKEY sausage.
Note: I even called once in advance and asked if they would hold a single turkey sausage until 12:00 (during brunch hours), and they wouldn’t do that for me. I was flabbergasted.
2. The prices are not exceptionally inexpensive, but there’s absolutely no focus on customer service. (See the note above about my request for turkey sausage.)
Their only role is to hand you your order at the counter. You must get your own napkins, silverware, water, everything. That’s not my ultimate beef though.
The final straw is the rude signage that reminds people to bus their own tables because this «ain’t your mama’s house», a sentiment I don’t appreciate. Firstly, I’m a paying customer. I don’t need to be talked down to and told what to do. Secondly, my «mama» is dead. I don’t mean to be Debbie Downer. I’m not mentioning her death because I have a chip on my shoulder and expect strangers to automatically cry for me. Not at all! I’m mentioning her absence only to prove a point. It’s a rude sign with an inappropriate and unnecessary comment that has no place in a business establishment.
If an owner is reading my review, I ask that you please take down that crude sign. My mama taught me better manners than that. I know how to behave in public. However, if someone else’s mother (OR FATHER!) did not teach them how to behave in a respectful manner in public, trust me, it’s going to take more than your rude sign to teach them how to act as they should.

Great atmosphere inside with lots of seating. It was a bit overpriced — I got the almond croissant for around $ 4 and it was much smaller than I expected. It was nice and soft inside but a little too crispy on the edges.

This is the second time ive been in. I love the atmosphere. There is something to look at, whether its the lights with the bottle as lamp shades, the old style water pitchers, or photos, they just did an awesome job with décor. You wont be bored even just sitting down.
I like their order system. Where I work we take names for to go and numbers for sit down. I really like that you hand out your card no matter what, personal names can be really tricky, spelling and pronouncing. With your system theres no guess work or confusion. Its really organized and fast.
As for the food, my friend and I came out for a girls day and got the beignets. They are amazing, the best Ive had. Be prepared for a total sugar rush if you eat an order to yourself :) these totally trump the berliners we make for faschnact. My friend is Algerian and has roots in France as well. She said the last time she had beignets this good was when she last visited France.
The barista is fabulous. He was fast, perfect tamp and no grounds in my drink. My friends latte looked beautiful. Hes an artist, great job.
The coffee has a great robust yet smooth flavor.
I had the irish channel au lait, perfect for this cold rainy day.
The guy who took my order was really friendly as well. All your employees seem really happy, which by the way, is another reason I’d return. I love to see a place where everyone is valued and treated well.
Great job. You guys really have it figured out.

Think busboys in the daytime. It’s a nice little low key place to grab a chill bite to eat. I was recommended the jive turkey and added avocado. The seasonal soup is sweet potato so I thought what they hey, I’ll try that. ERMIGOD. The jive turkey is amazing. The bread was toasted but still fluffy, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? It’s loaded with arugula and comes with a chipotle aioli which does not overpower the sandwich. Did I mention I hate dry sandwiches? Thank you aioli for keeping my sandwich moderately moist. The sweet potato soup was expertly blended, no big chunks or strings for me to spit out. It was also expertly flavored. I’m not big on coffee but their coffee menu looks extensive. Would definitely recommend.

I love this place and my experiences have been good. I am sucker for the huge oreo cookie. Other favorites include: gumbo, ham and cheese, chips and dip, cornbread and the meatballs.

One word: overpriced. The jambalaya ($ 7) is nothing more than What tastes like Uncle Ben’s microwave rice and some bland chicken. The andouille dog «sandwich» ($ 8) is nothing more than a glorified hot dog on a potato bun. (Also doesn’t even come with a side.)
Only reason it doesn’t get 1 star is that the staff was reasonably polite. The outdoor seating was also nice, but being along Penn Ave it can be quite loud with traffic and idling busses.

This place reminded me of NOLA, and from a browse of the other reviews, it may seem like it is meant to be so. Man was this place crowded. The inside was just packed. There were outside seating too but most wanted the AC.
The seasonal coffee cake was yummy. It was flavorful and wasn’t too dry. My friend’s bacon, cheddar, and chives scone was simply amazing as well – moist and delish.
Both of us ordered their house coffee. I chose the iced version, and she choose the hot version which has a free refill. And my friend bought a bag of their house brew (?) as a gift for her parents since she loved the coffee so much. FYI: And apparently they charge $ 1 for a to-​go cup since my friend wanted to go hers…
And they also serve alcohol and food here along with coffee and baked goods.

I decided to upgrade my meal to include a praline and a sweet tea (comes with a refill). erm… I question why I even hesitated that one millisecond to ponder that choice; seriously, just do it! The server recommended the traditional praline over the chocolate and I’m glad that I listened. The traditional praline was decadent and fulfilled my sweet tooth hopes and desires. Just the right texture, flavor, and sweetness.
I had the meatball sandwich. The bread was crusty on the outside and soft in the inside; it really made the sandwich quite enjoyable. I liked how it had just the right ratio of sandwich filling, sauce, and bread.
Self-​bus your own table. Make sure you read your order card and keep an ear out for your order when it’s ready.

If I lived in Arlington, I would come here all the time.
Beignets! Iced coffee!
They also have a cocktail I’m dying to try called «The Gator-​aid» — it has sweet tea, lemonade, mint syrup and bourbon. Need I say more?

On a mission to try out the beignets, my family and I made an order of beignets and two cappuccinos. Each order comes with 3 average sized beignets priced at $ 5 (I believe). I’ve had a lot of different types of beignets in the past, and I thought this one was okay. In my opinion, it was too doughy and bland. It wasn’t as good as we had hoped, but still tasty. On the other hand, the cappuccinos were warm and subtle in flavor. It was a nice cup of cappuccino to enjoy with the family!
Inside the restaurant, the décor delivers a Southern charm in addition to ample seating at the bar, booths, couches, and tables. The service was also fast and friendly! Bayou Bakery is a pleasant spot to enjoy some Louisiana-​style food and baked goods while catching up with friends or family in Arlington. I would definitely come here again to try the other options on the menu, including the various wines and their brunch menu.

Great place to get a nice NOLA styled breakfast or lunch. They have so many different varieties of coffee, beignets, muffaletta, boudin, and regular muffins etc.
I really enjoyed the beignets even though they obviously aren’t as fluffy as the orignial Café du Monde in NOLA. It’s great for getting my beignet fix when I crave it.
I highly recommend it if you’re close by. They have street parking and parking is free on Sundays.

I’ve always wanted to go to New Orleans for some real cajun food… But for now this will have to do. Came here with my gf and tried the gumbo, muffaletta, and of course some beignets.
The gumbo was missing something. I took a bite with the shrimp and was not impressed. It needs to be spicier and just more effort.
Though it was my first time having one, the muffaletta was amazing. Packed in between the breads was a stack of meat and melted cheese!
One word to describe beignets… ADDICTING. It came in 3s. Deep fried dough with powdered sugar on top but it might as well be cocaine. Eating it while it was warm should be the only way to eat it. So if you order some please do yourself the favor of eating it asap.
Will def come back to try the jambalaya and other foods!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!
A trip to Bayou Bakery is my tried-​and-​true prescription for wanderlust. Sure it’s missing that certain joie de vivre that New Orleans has, but it’s warm and welcoming atmosphere and delicious Cajun inspired dishes are all I need to re-​charge and re-​enter the world… Let’s just say I’ve spent many rainy Saturdays here.
Chew Dat:
+ A cup of their gumbo is positively soul warming.
+ Made fresh-​to-​order, their begniets come warm and melt-​in-​your-​mouth. Piled high with powdered sugar, they are the perfect coffee treat to share with a friend.
+ Umm hello Zapp’s potato chips. Served with their chunky bacon and blue cheese dip, it’s junk food heaven.
+ Crawfish boils in the summer and Abita beer — I can’t imagine a more perfect day!
+ Homemade biscuits: Freshly baked, warm and crumbly. Good as a breakfast sandwich or with gravy.
For LSU or Saints fans, they have a cozy back nook with televisions so you can cheer your team on with other like minded folks.

Bayou Bakery has done really well and is an Arlington gem. The food isn’t given enough credit (likely due to NOLA differing greatly from other cooking styles). Today I had a Mixed Greens salad, Cauliflower Soup, Spicy Tuna Sandwich and Beignets. My favorite of those tried was the Cauliflower Soup. I must admit, I was skeptical on cauliflower, but the spices truly made it a delight on a cold day. The Beignets were excellent as well.
There was a large crowd/​long line due to King Cake pickup today (yes, you can pre-​order King Cakes).
The dining room was chilly (but Arlington does often doesn’t see temperatures in the teens), so I’m guessing this is NOT always an issue. I am hopeful Bayou Bakery continues to keep it small and local as it truly does well due to the uniqueness and attention to detail (décor and menu selection). I also like that they host a block party for Mardi Gras and participate in the local Clarendon/​Courthouse Mardi Gras parade. I saw many Arlington residents teaching their children about Mardi Gras which made it particularly fun to eavesdrop.
The Bayou serves Counter Culture coffees (similar to Northside Social) and the baristas are good natured and as spirited as the decorations.