Bread & Chocolate

I was kind of shocked to read all the bad reviews. I got the ham and brie sandwich. The only thing is I like my brie cold and they melted it but otherwise everything was great including the ceasar salad they made on the side. I think what made the sandwich was the bread. It was crusty and air and excellent. I took my sandwich to go but service was great. I was thinking this is the perfect place to bring a book to study during the weekend. It was nice and quiet.

I popped in just for iced coffee but couldn’t help get one of the treats they have out in the display case. I went with the Tres leches 3 incher. It is tasty, no doubt, but not out of this world. The coffee is just decent as well. If you find yourself on the block and need to be caffeineited, they will get the job done, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to come here over other coffee places/​bakeries.

What a disappointment. We went yesterday afternoon for dessert after dinner and said that we should’ve gone somewhere else. We were seated quickly and our server, Brad, come to our table with water. There was no greeting from him or sense that he wanted to be at work (or to work period — there are plenty of people out there who would like a job). When asked «what is in the bread pudding?», he commenced to tell us what the slice looked like (we know what it looked like because we saw it in the case). Figuring that he did not understand the question, a more detailed question was posed «are there nuts or raisins in it?» He did not know, so he needed to ask. The other three of us ordered (tres leches cake, cheesecake, and one bread pudding). About five minutes later, he returned and said that there were raisins in the bread pudding. Once again, due to a nut allergy, the question about nuts was asked AGAIN. He walked away, brought us the tres leches cake and cheesecake, and went to ask about the nuts. When he returned, all he could say was «we think it has nuts.» WAIT… with nut allergies as prevalent as they are, you don’t know!!! That is unacceptable. Sooo… instead of two bread puddings (one that still had not been brought to the table), it was going to be one bread pudding and one lemon bundt cake. He took that order and brought back the bundt cake… still no bread pudding. About five minutes later, he asked the guy behind the counter, if they had bread pudding… he opened the bread pudding and went to warm it up. The bundt cake was cold, so we asked the one behind the counter if it could be warmed. He said no because it has sugar on it and it would melt. What kind of bogus excuse is that??? The bread pudding FINALLY came out (after the other three of us were basically done eating). The check was brought to us, but we had to stand around and wait for Brad to come get the folder. Once he did (one of us actually had to take it to him), he saw that it was cash and credit card. We had to explain to him to enter the cash first then put the balance on the card. Based on the look on his face, he either didn’t feel like doing it or didn’t know how. Luckily, for us the other guy behind the counter did. We got the bill paid and decided never to go back. We don’t know if Brad was not feeling well, if he was new, or if he was tired, but we won’t be going back to find out.

This place is for people that have money to spend. Its in a good location. It has outdoor and indoor seating. Its staff is civil.

Having been here several times now, I have to demote Bread & Chocolate for one simple reason– the service is pretty spotty. More than once I’ve had a waitress seem to forget about my table and disappear for 20+ minutes. They’re never overly busy at the time– it just seems like some of the service here holds a certain disdain for being friendly or attentive. So that’s pretty annoying.
But the food is still really good and pretty unique compared to your other options on this street. Overall, I think this place helps complete the neighborhood.

Yum! Went for Sunday brunch… Food was great! We had the bananas foster french toast and ham/​cheese thin pancake. The coffee was ok, service was perfect. no wait to be seated outside on a Sunday at 10a. I always thought they only had outdoor seating, not the case… tons of indoor seating and a bar for solo seats. Our neighbor gave us an assortment of small pies which were fabulous. This is definitely our go to bakery!

I love this place. Friendly warm atmosphere and the pastries are heavenly! Great coffee too. My mom had quiche Lorraine and said it was delicious! Perfect for breakfast or lunch! I grew up on Livingston St. So this is my neighborhood hangout whenever I go back to DC

There are two reasons that I’m giving Bread and Chocolate 5 stars. The first is their food and drink. Specifically, their shakshuka and lattes. My wife and I come here for breakfast at least once a month and that’s what I get and man, oh, man is it worth it.
The second reason, and perhaps even more important, is the service. They are really tops. Once I left my wallet and the server literally ran after me as I walked to my car. I’ve also seen them handle very difficult customers with a grace and aplomb that I can only hope to match some day.
Really — a great neighborhood place.

I’ve come to like this place, and been back several times. As some of the staff and I have gotten to know each other I find it to be much warmer and friendlier. For sit down some of the items are a little pricey, but for take away from the bakery I think it’s pretty reasonable. Definitely recommend given them a shot.

Nothin even remotely special. Awful service. They didn’t even bring milk with coffee. Skip it.

One star for the cool looking bakery!!!
But –4 stars for the service/​server. I met with a client there and was seated at the dining area. I wanted to pay for my own order but the server asked «why you can’t pay for your client?» What? Why don’t I have an option to pay for my own order without having to explain why I can’t pay for my client? Our server’s name was Flesia!!! Horrible horrible! She almost threw my vanilla mocha on the table, nearly spilling it. And snatched the menu off my hands. Smh… I wouldn’t not come back unless I HAVE TO MEET MY CLIENT AGAIN! But seriously, management needs to be considerate who they hire because it represent their business.

Every time I come here something the waitstaff does grosses me out. Please don’t retrieve pastries from the case with your bare hands after handling someone else’s money, sneezing, or scratching your scalp. Are the gloves and deli paper purely decorative? They are right there… use them!!!

It was 12:30 and we wanted lunch. We headed over to a place that we both remembered favorably from last year, «Bread and Chocolate.» Not far away, in Chevy Chase on Connecticut Ave.
The waiter came over a few minutes after we were seated. My friend ordered chicken salad and tea, while I ordered a caprese panini. Mine was supposed to come with a choice of salad or chips. The waiter didn’t ask which I wanted, just snatched the menus away and left.
Not a long wait, but time for me to go downstairs to the grim bathroom. Plates on the table when I returned.
First thing I noticed was a brownish rib of lettuce in my salad. Then the sandwich. It seemed to be on something that resembled a cheap hamburger bun. It had pesto (to provide the basil), and also had French Dressing, which I’ve never before seen in a caprese sandwich. Not very good. I ate most of the filling and about half the bread.
My friend commented that the restaurant was «fair.» We walked two blocks one way for her to get cash from her bank and two blocks the other way, to go to Starbucks. We passed several other restaurants, and kept saying that a meal at each of them might have been better, including at the bagel dogs place. We decided we would have said that if we’d seen a McDonalds.

French food that tries to pass itself off as authentic when it is not, but charges what it thinks French food should cost. It is pricy for what it is. I have been to France five times, similar food is much cheaper and better across the pond. Maybe the owner is French and has Americanized the food and increases the price just because the whole French label, deserved or not, is associated with fancy. But I had this type of food in hole of the wall places in various cities in France… Not everywhere is fancy over there, obviously. The food was average, lacking flavor but nothing horrible. Just too much money for what it is and I left hungry, which is hard to do because I usually do not require much food.
I’ll just wait until my next trip to France and go somewhere else while in the neighborhood/​DC.

Cyndy’s Bottom Line: If you happen to be in the area starving with no where else to go then this is the place for mediocre food items!
We were in the area and needed food. We decided to stop in because we saw the sign that they served Lavazza coffee.
Ordered the Lavazza coffee and was not sure that it really was Lavazza. It didn’t have the rich and smooth flavor.
I had the Black Forest ham and cheese omelet. It was plated with potatoes and a slice of a strawberry. It was a good size omelet ok ham and cheese. The potatoes looked overly cooked and sad.
I will not be back for mediocre food. Thanks but no thanks.

I came here to have lunch with a business colleague and it was pretty good. To be sure, it’s not some fancy restaurant or a huge place with a bar but if you want a decent lunch that tastes good, this is a good place to come.
The portions are not huge — good thing. They are tasty. I had the chicken pot pie and it was the «inside» of a chicken pot pie with the crust over to the side of the plate. Interesting presentation. It was good, though.
It’s kind of a smallish place but my guess is that it’s a great place to meet and chat with friends over coffee and a pastry (lots of yummy stuff on display near the front of the place). It’s bigger than the local Starbucks, though.
It’s not overly noisy and the wait staff is attentive. The prices are decent for where it is and what it is so no complaints about the cost.
All in all, a nice place with good food so, yeah, I’m a fan and I would go there, again.

I feel like two stars is harsh, but the description is right: «Meh. I’ve experienced better.»
My food wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t eat here again. I ordered the Cordon Bleu Panini. Supposedly it had «fresh turkey, black forest ham, swiss cheese, and honey mustard sauce.» I’m not even trying to be funny, but it tasted like Oscar Meyer ham and turkey. It was bland. There was no mustard sauce to be found. There was some watery liquid oozing off, which I really think was just the juices from the meat when the sandwich heated up. The accompanying salad was just some tossed greens. No other vegetables present.
The bread itself was good. They are a bakery after all. For dessert, I ordered a slice of cheesecake. It was decent. It didn’t taste like any cheesecake I’d had before, but that’s not a bad thing. I definitely couldn’t do any better at home. Still, it wasn’t my cup of tea. I don’t think I’ll be going back.

I don’t eat at Bread & Chocolate anymore. Long ago, my girlfriend and I liked to have brunch here on sunny Sunday mornings. The food was good, if not spectacular, the atmosphere was bustling, and the neighborhood is one of my favorites in DC.
Then one day I found something in my Pfannkuchen that seemed like a cross between a coconut shell and a band-​aid. I showed it to the waiter, who took it from me and said she would tell the manager. The manager came over and told me that it was fine and that he didn’t know what it was because they didn’t make the crepes on site (they just heated them from a package). He had also thrown the item out, presumably so he could get rid of the evidence. There was no real apology, no offer to comp my meal, no customer service. We walked out.
This was several years ago and it is possible that someone else is handling customer service for Bread & Chocolate, but I will never return. As another reviewer said, life is too short.

Had a breakfast sandwich. Was decent, not a place I would go back again to.

I’ve always thought this place was a bit odd. The menu is sort of limited and the service has always been on the cold side. It has gotten better over the past few years, but it’s still just OK. My experience there today was not much different than it always has been. The food is better than it used to be, but the service is the same. Our waitress was not very attentive. We waited for at least 15 minutes to be able to order our lunch. When we ordered, we asked for separate checks, thinking that would make it easier in the end. She obliged, but not without rolling her eyes. And at the end of the meal, we had to flag her down to get the check. I had the French onion soup and the ham and brie sandwich. The soup had good flavor, but the cheese could have used a little more time under the broiler. The ham and brie was good, and I really liked the baguette it was served on. It came with a nice mixed greens salad, as well. After today, I feel the same way about this place as I always have. It’s fine, but nothing special.