The Pretzel Bakery

Loved the basil lemonade and the breakfast sliders. Well worth the half mile walk from our Airbnb.

I am not a pretzel freak but I kept hearing how good this place was and it is in my neighborhood, Cap Hill, so my husband and I went for breakfast last weekend. We had two pretzel egg sliders for $ 5.00 for two. Delicious. We like these more than egg on a bagel because the pretzel bun is unique and tasty, not hard to chew like a bagel. Cute interior, very attentive staff, great coffee (that matters 100%), and the owner is walking around making sure every thing is going smoothly. We had seating and enjoyed our morning while parked right on the same block. Go and check it out. Next visit, I am trying the pretzel with their caramel mustard! Relaxed and comfy atmosphere.

I was really excited to try this place because everyone raves about it so much, and I love the idea of it. We need more little bakeries/​cafes/​stores/​etc sprinkled around our neighborhood. But I was disappointed. I decided to start slow and just try a classic salt pretzel. It was an okay pretzel, but I really don’t get the hype. The pretzel was cold and not very big. Pretty boring overall. The service was fine but not that friendly. They just took my money and handed me my cold pretzel. Nothing made me want to go back. Maybe the sandwiches are where it’s at???

Long time loyal customer. Pretzel Bakery is the epitome of what a neighborhood small business should be: original idea, great product, reasonable prices, engaged in the community, friendly staff, responsive to customer feedback. They just do it right. Hope the new building is a harbinger of continued success for Sean and his crew.

A pregnant friend who lives on Capitol Hill recently suggested that we check this new spot out and when she said pretzel factory, I was immediately down. Soft pretzels always take me back to childhood trips to Philadelphia’s WaWas and Auntie Anne’s in the mall in middle school, and hold a special place in my heart.
When we came in, we were initially excited– there was a line, good sign, everyone seemed to be locals, also a good sign and the prices weren’t off the grid. We got the iced mocha and lemonade, which were both top tier, but the service certainly left something to be desired, although it was late in the day Sunday and I can imagine it had been a long day.
We also got three of the classics — which are well priced at three for $ 5 and a cheese bomb, which is well overpriced, for what you get at $ 2.50 for something that’s clementine sized. In the future, I wouldn’t get a bomb again, not only for the price, but also because it just wasn’t stellar.
As to the other pretzels — the sweet classic was good, not great, but very good. The standard ones, I really wanted to love, but they just walked that line between not buttery enough to be a salty, buttery mess and not thick skinned enough to be really pretzel-​y. Overall it was good, but not amazing, although we only tried a few things on the menu.
I’m hopeful to be back soon and get to try the calzones or other menu items that might really shine and let me give them that 4-​star, that they were so close to.
Overall a good spot in an area that is certainly in need of a good coffee joint.

My aunt brought me hear and she mentioned how it’s tucked away in the neighborhood. Glad I got to pay a visit before leaving DC.
I had never been to a pretzel bakery before. I actually don’t even like pretzels or other dry foods like chips, cookies and doughnuts. I have to say though these were very delicious and I could not get enough! The customer service was good too as I was greeted with a great smile. Please be aware this is a pretzel bakery not a Starbucks so I wouldn’t expect much in the way of their coffee.

I wanted to like the pretzels here so much more than I actually did. I tried the everything pretzel and the salty one. They were both good; chewy, flavorful and a good size but both cold! In general I don’t really like hot food (in fact I prefer things cold) but I thought these pretzels really needed to be warmed up to enjoy them properly. There’s something about a buttery soft pretzel that doesn’t translate when it’s not hot. Unfortunately I got mine to go so I didn’t realize they were cold until I was already back in my car and out of my parking space. The real hit of snack time here was my basil lemonade. It was delicious and the only thing that I felt was truly memorable. I’m glad I checked this place out since I was in the neighborhood, but it’s far from the main drag of Capitol Hill and I’m not so sure worth the trek.

Stopped by on National Pretzel Day (⁴⁄₂₆) to try it out for the first time and I was super impressed! I tried an everything pretzel and the pub cheese (because they were out of caramel mustard), as well as a breakfast slider (egg and cheese on an everything pretzel bun), as well as an iced coffee. Everything was amazing! The soft pretzel was so soft and doughy (in a really good way), not like those nasty dried-​out pretzels you get at baseball games. The interior space is also really neat, and I’d like to hang out on their little patio more often!
Next time I visit, I’m definitely trying the nutella hot chocolate, because duh.

Can’t believe I haven’t tried this place earlier!
Came here on a busy Sunday morning, long lines and about 10min wait for my order (which I was told about up front). But hey, I can wait 10min if I get the pretzel fresh out of the oven.
I had a breakfast slider, which was soft, and surprisingly flavorful. The bun came with everything-​seasoning and that probably was my favorite part about it: well balanced garlic flavor, no burnt seeds. Just perfect!
Also tried the sweet pretzel bomb, which comes with a salty cinnamon glaze and amazing Nutella filling. Personally, I would have liked the glaze to be Nutella as well (because you can never have enough Nutella), but it was a great combo either way.
They recently moved locations and have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating

One of the best pretzels I’ve had in my entire life! Bro, hubby & I stopped in after visiting the Eastern Market. We ordered a little of everything– plain pretzel, everything pretzel, cheese bomb & nutella bomb. And let me tell you, we were fighting for bites. The everything pretzel was simply amazing! We had both the yellow & whole grain mustard, but it wasn’t needed! The plain pretzel was salted perfectly, but the star of the show was the nutella bomb! This little pretzel packed a mouthful of nutella and cinnamon and was DIVINE! The prices were great and we enjoyed a cold rootbeer with our order. If you are looking for a delicious snack or treat, this is the place to come. They have indoor and outdoor seating or you can take your pretzels to go! We were able to lock our bikes up right outside and step in to order. Highly recommend this place to anyone in the DC area!

This place is top notch. Located in a quiet part of the area near the Eastern Market. The building is new and nice and the staff was friendly. We walked in and immediately ordered an everything, regular salted, cheese bomb, and nutella bomb. My god these things were great! Soft, slightly chewy and warm! Accompanied with whole grain mustard the pretzels were fantastic! Then there are the stuffed bombs… Cheese bomb was gooey and delicious. The true star here is the nutella bomb which was pretzel stuffed with nutella and drizzled with an cinnamon sugar glaze. Out of this world! We were able to enjoy the perfect weather at the outdoor pub tables, and life was good! Go here, you need this!

I love soft pretzels and I saw this place on Unilocal.It was a bit out of the way, but I had some time so I finally got a chance to visit my last day in DC. We made it 25 minutes before they close (5 PM on Sundays). Walking over from the Metro stop, we passed by their original location just up the street and I was a bit confused until I saw the sign that they had moved just down the street on 15^th and C.
It was a cute but larger location (from what I could tell from walking past the old location). There were three people behind the counter; all were really nice and friendly, despite the fact that we had arrived fairly close to closing time. Even so, they didn’t let it on. The menu was on the wall and we ended up getting a salty pretzel, their Nutella bomb, a coffee, and a basil lemonade. A group of 4 just finished buying their items and were sitting down at a table. While take, two other people came in and took some items to go.
We found some window counter seats to quickly enjoy our snacks before heading back. The pretzel isn’t a large one, but it’s a good size for one (I was sharing so I was okay with it, since we got another item). It was soft and not as chewy as some other pretzels I’ve had. I liked it a lot. The Nutella Bomb was a cute size and drizzled with some sort of icing (I don’t think it really needed the icing/​glaze). It was a soft pretzel bun stuffed with warm nutella. I’m not sure if they warmed it up or it was fresh from the oven; I’m going to assume they were warmed up since it was late in the day. Both were soft, delicious, and served as good snacks.
The basil lemonade was good; a perfect ratio of tart and sweet with a hint of basil. I liked that as well!
Five minutes before closing, I asked if they had a restroom. They did, but the light wasn’t working. Like I said, the place is a bit out of the way for me, so I decided to bring my cell to light the way in there, just in case I needed to. The light worked, haha.
Service: Great and friendly, despite being so close to closing.
Location: Close to the Potomac Ave Metro stop, so convenient, but a bit out of the way for your run-​of-​the-​mill tourist, even though it’s in the Capitol Hill Neighborhood.
Food: Delicious (but if you like the chewier pretzels, these are of the softer variety). The Nutella Bomb isn’t all that sweet, which is a plus. As mentioned before, I think they can pass on the icing/​glaze on top.
Drinks: Coffee was coffee. Lemonade was good. It’s strangely cold these days, but I still enjoyed my lemonade — refreshing! I just wonder how much sugar was in it…

Pretzels all three sweet, salty, and everything were delicious. Tried the most talked about pretzel bomb. I won’t order it again. I like nutella but the glaze didn’t work for me.

LOVE this pretzel place in my neighborhood. The new location is great! They’ve got kinks to work out with new space but it’s nowhere but up from what I can see. It really has brought the community together and I love that about the pretzel bakery.

What a great hidden gem! All the pretzels (salt, everything and sugar) are delicious, doughy, fresh and taste amazing hot. I love pretzels so this place was amazing and super cheap at $ 5 for 3 pretzels. This was definitely a great spot for a mid day snack.

What a delightful surprise! The Pretzel Bakery is a great spot on the Hill for a quick, low-​cost, and tummy satisfying breakfast.
The pretzels are fluffy and just the right amount of chewy. Also, the salt to bread ratio is on point. Although I tried both sweet and savory varieties, the «everything pretzel» is hands down my favorite. Three pretzels for $ 5! You can also get pretzel breakfast sliders (2 for $ 5) that include bacon, egg, and cheese. Really, you can’t go wrong. This place is popular (rightly so!), and you will most likely wait in line for your helping of carbohydrates. But the staff keeps the line moving at a pretty good pace so you won’t be waiting forever.
*Plan to eat on the go, as this is just a storefront.

This place has become my tastebud’s best friend and my hips’ worst enemy. Because there’s no way around it… It’s a known fact… «bread makes you spread.» Since my first visit when I tried the cinnamon pretzel, I’ve been hooked. It wouldn’t be so bad if the cinnamon pretzels were just ok, but these babies are PHENOMENAL! It’s hard to use stop after just one. You definitely should head over this way if you haven’t already. You’ll be glad that you did!

Very fun concept, with great food but a small menu and lengthy wait time.
Pretzel bakery is located in a residential neighborhood in a converted row house. The shop operates out of a walk-​up window, there are no tables, just some stoops to sit on outside.
The pretzel sliders are very delicious, are filling and are priced correctly. The sliders are a unique menu item that the Pretzel Bakery perfected. The basil lemonade is refreshing and perfect on a warm day.
Overall this is a fun addition to this Capitol Hill neighborhood, but not somewhere I would go out of my way very often to come to. The location is part of the charm, but it also is an inconvenience. The food is very yummy and well-​priced but the fact that there are no tables makes it hard to fully enjoy your food immediately. Hoping they open a full-​sized ship in the future!

The Pretzel Bakery is a wonderful find in the area. The menu is small, but the options are delicious!
My friends and I went for breakfast on Saturday morning. We realized it doesn’t open until 9am but waited around for 15 minutes and grabbed a spot at the front of the line which was great. The line was down the block by the time 9am came!
You go up to the window and order. There’s no inside option or outside seating really besides a few benches. Definitely a take-​out location. Once you order and pay they’ll give you your food and drinks ready to go right then. Very quick and easy!
The best value is the 2 for $ 5 breakfast sandwich. You get bacon, egg, and cheese on a small everything pretzel bun. My friend and I also tried the nutella bomb which is a sweet pretzel roll filled with warm nutella.
I also tried the «halfsies» for $ 3 half iced tea half basil lemonade. The basil lemonade was a bit too spicy and basil-​y for me so I wasn’t a big fan. Don’t think I’ll order it again personally but my friend adored it.
Wonderful spot for a unique and under $ 10 breakfast on the go.

Basically, fresh, tasty pretzels being sold out of a house. Limited seating in the «yard» area. It’s a cute and unique idea.
We bought 15 pretzels – to share obviously, don’t judge. :) My savory pretzel was very good (and fresh). My friend’s sweet ones, with Nutella, were great too.
Even the unsweetened ice tea was good.
Overall, I’ve no negative comments and recommend you try it out.