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Where to Find Top-Notch Pasta Around D.C.

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Thompson Italian’s top-selling olive oil cake.
Kelli Scott/Thompson Italian

These D.C. Restaurants Crush Dessert

Find the best sweet treats to end your meal

by Tierney Plumb and Aparna Krishnamoorthy Updated
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Thompson Italian’s top-selling olive oil cake.
| Kelli Scott/Thompson Italian
by Tierney Plumb and Aparna Krishnamoorthy Updated

Nailing the last bite can be tricky, but pastry chefs that do desserts extraordinarily well leave diners with lasting impressions.

D.C. diners with a sweet tooth can look to these restaurants for reliable finishers that complete a perfect night out, with everything from colorful ube bread pudding to fluffy matcha cakes.

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Ellē

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This acclaimed all-day cafe attracts folks from all over D.C. to Mount Pleasant. A display case up front is filled with desserts from co-owner Lizzy Evelyn that can be ordered all day, like goat cheese cheesecake or a seasonal honey panna cotta built with pickled green strawberry and pea tendrils. The espresso semifreddo with dark chocolate, feuilletine crunch, and orange curd (pictured) pairs well with a Manhattan. An elaborate collection of cakes are also available for preorder.

3221 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 652-0040
(202) 652-0040

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Purple Patch

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Purple Patch, a neighborhood Filipino restaurant in Mount Pleasant, offers colorful desserts like ube (purple yam) bread pudding or cupcakes served with ube ice cream, frozen mango floats, and halo-halo loaded with red mung beans and jackfruit over shaved ice.

3155 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 299-0022
(202) 299-0022

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Rooster & Owl

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The Michelin-rated mainstay on 14th Street NW got a big boost last fall with the hire of Jean-Gorges alum and NYC transplant Rachel Sherriffe as its new pastry chef. Decadent creations under her watch include oat milk chocolate cremeux with hazelnut praline and candied hazelnuts.⁠⁠ Another good ending to Yuan Tang’s four-course seasonal tasting menu is its destination hummingbird cake (caramel chili pineapple, cream cheese, and coconut sorbet).

2436 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 915-9004
(202) 915-9004
Chocolate cremeux features coffee-cardamom ice cream on a bed of chocolate soil.
Rooster & Owl

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Gravitas

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Chef Matt Baker’s Michelin-rated tasting room that just turned five in Ivy City celebrates with a drink in dessert form. Pastry chef Aisha Momaney’s Pimm’s No. 1401, made with Pimm’s ginger ale foam, lemon basil ice cream and orange cremeux, mimics the taste of the namesake cocktail. The black raspberry torte is also a good call.

1401 Okie St NE, Washington, DC 20002
(202) 763-7942
(202) 763-7942

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Lutèce.

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At Georgetown’s French “neo-bistro,” award-winning pastry chef Isabel Coss seamlessly steps in after dinner service with a “Canelé” full of fig leaf, cocoa nibs, and salted caramel or honeycomb semifreddo featuring 18-month Comté cheese. A pavlova built with minty anise hyssop, mezcal, and strawberry screams summer.

1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-8830
(202) 333-8830

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Unconventional Diner

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Ana Deshaies, the local restaurant association’s Pastry Chef of the Year for 2019, complements David Deshaies’s fancy diner fare with deceptive sweets like a plate of “sunny eggs” with coconut and mango making up the white and the yolk, or the luscious Basque burnt cheesecake. Its “glam Italian” D.C. sibling L’Ardente is known its 13-layer chocolate cake, bread pudding, seasonal soft serve, and tiramisu encased in a chocolate sphere, with sparkling dessert toppers lighting up the dining room every night.

1207 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 847-0122
(202) 847-0122

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Blue Duck Tavern

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The Park Hyatt’s sleek wooden establishment in the West End is famous for its apple pie that feeds two, but there are plenty of other desserts worthy of attention, such as a cake constructed with candied Virginia peanuts and Peru’s Illanka chocolate mousse. Don’t miss specialty ice creams accompanied by gooey butterscotch sauce or molten chocolate syrup.

1201 24th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 419-6755
(202) 419-6755
The famous apple pie from Blue Duck Tavern
The famous apple pie from Blue Duck Tavern.
Greg Powers

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Alhambra

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The luxe restaurant inside D.C.’s St. Regis hotel resurfaced this year with a reimagined menu full of modern Mediterranean dishes like smoked eggplant mousse and lamb kofta. Save room for its premiere sweets like freshly imported baklava bites presented on gold trays and pomegranate panna cotta with kataifi and honey.

Decanter, 923 Black Lives Matter Plz NW, Washington, DC 20006
(202) 509-8000
(202) 509-8000

Also featured in:

Centrolina

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Executive pastry chef Yesenia Jarquindc oversees a memorable Italian dessert menu that includes a delicious almond cake with fresh citrus, yuzu, and white chocolate. Across the street at all-day sibling Piccolina, she’s well-versed in the art of cannoli, tea cakes, and cookies (try the chocolate chip lemon ricotta variety).

974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 898-2426
(202) 898-2426

Also featured in:

Modena

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The dessert menu at Modena is inventive, uncomplicated, and exceptional. Pistachio tarts and a warm parmesan cake built with aged balsamic currently stand out on a rotating list of finales created by executive chef Benjamin Lambert and sous chef Anthony Smith.

1100 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 216-9550
(202) 216-9550

Also featured in:

Tonari

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Daikaya Group’s longtime pasty chef Mary Mendoza sends out a stellar list of sweets at Chinatown’s wafu (Japanese-style) Italian mainstay. A sizable slice of black sesame tea cake comes topped with a scoop of coconut gelato and blanket of whipped cream. Budino is a delicious cup of dark chocolate pudding, espresso gelato, and lemon-yuzu curd. Mendoza’s upstairs pastry kitchen counter doubles as a “Hole in the Wall” desserts bar on weekends, showcasing five-course tastings of desserts and cocktails.

707 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 289-8900
(202) 289-8900

Also featured in:

China Chilcano

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The suspiro limena, an iconic Peruvian dessert with meringue and passion fruit, is a must-order at José Andrés’ vibrant Penn Quarter fixture. Visitors should also indulge in the Ponderaciones de Kiwicha, a crispy fried spiral cookie with Peruvian chocolate cream and banana ice cream.

418 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
(202) 783-0941
(202) 783-0941

Also featured in:

Thompson Italian

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Katherine Thompson’s famed olive oil cake helped her earn a 2020 James Beard nomination for outstanding pastry chef; the same slice is still served at her NYC alma mater L’Artusi to this day. Open since 2019, the popular Italian restaurant she runs with her chef-husband Gabe Thompson also sends out a delicious rhubarb tiramisu with marsala sabayon, mascarpone, and amaretti. The Falls Church original was joined by a second location in Old Town this year.

1024 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314
(571) 431-7742
(571) 431-7742
Olive oil cake with creme fraiche mousse, maldon salt, and raisin marmellatae.

Also featured in:

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Ellē

3221 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010

This acclaimed all-day cafe attracts folks from all over D.C. to Mount Pleasant. A display case up front is filled with desserts from co-owner Lizzy Evelyn that can be ordered all day, like goat cheese cheesecake or a seasonal honey panna cotta built with pickled green strawberry and pea tendrils. The espresso semifreddo with dark chocolate, feuilletine crunch, and orange curd (pictured) pairs well with a Manhattan. An elaborate collection of cakes are also available for preorder.

3221 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 652-0040
(202) 652-0040

Purple Patch

3155 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010

Purple Patch, a neighborhood Filipino restaurant in Mount Pleasant, offers colorful desserts like ube (purple yam) bread pudding or cupcakes served with ube ice cream, frozen mango floats, and halo-halo loaded with red mung beans and jackfruit over shaved ice.

3155 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010
(202) 299-0022
(202) 299-0022

Rooster & Owl

2436 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

The Michelin-rated mainstay on 14th Street NW got a big boost last fall with the hire of Jean-Gorges alum and NYC transplant Rachel Sherriffe as its new pastry chef. Decadent creations under her watch include oat milk chocolate cremeux with hazelnut praline and candied hazelnuts.⁠⁠ Another good ending to Yuan Tang’s four-course seasonal tasting menu is its destination hummingbird cake (caramel chili pineapple, cream cheese, and coconut sorbet).

2436 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
(202) 915-9004
(202) 915-9004
Chocolate cremeux features coffee-cardamom ice cream on a bed of chocolate soil.
Rooster & Owl

Gravitas

1401 Okie St NE, Washington, DC 20002

Chef Matt Baker’s Michelin-rated tasting room that just turned five in Ivy City celebrates with a drink in dessert form. Pastry chef Aisha Momaney’s Pimm’s No. 1401, made with Pimm’s ginger ale foam, lemon basil ice cream and orange cremeux, mimics the taste of the namesake cocktail. The black raspberry torte is also a good call.

1401 Okie St NE, Washington, DC 20002
(202) 763-7942
(202) 763-7942

Lutèce.

1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007

At Georgetown’s French “neo-bistro,” award-winning pastry chef Isabel Coss seamlessly steps in after dinner service with a “Canelé” full of fig leaf, cocoa nibs, and salted caramel or honeycomb semifreddo featuring 18-month Comté cheese. A pavlova built with minty anise hyssop, mezcal, and strawberry screams summer.

1522 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-8830
(202) 333-8830

Unconventional Diner

1207 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Ana Deshaies, the local restaurant association’s Pastry Chef of the Year for 2019, complements David Deshaies’s fancy diner fare with deceptive sweets like a plate of “sunny eggs” with coconut and mango making up the white and the yolk, or the luscious Basque burnt cheesecake. Its “glam Italian” D.C. sibling L’Ardente is known its 13-layer chocolate cake, bread pudding, seasonal soft serve, and tiramisu encased in a chocolate sphere, with sparkling dessert toppers lighting up the dining room every night.

1207 9th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 847-0122
(202) 847-0122

Blue Duck Tavern

1201 24th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

The Park Hyatt’s sleek wooden establishment in the West End is famous for its apple pie that feeds two, but there are plenty of other desserts worthy of attention, such as a cake constructed with candied Virginia peanuts and Peru’s Illanka chocolate mousse. Don’t miss specialty ice creams accompanied by gooey butterscotch sauce or molten chocolate syrup.

1201 24th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 419-6755
(202) 419-6755
The famous apple pie from Blue Duck Tavern
The famous apple pie from Blue Duck Tavern.
Greg Powers

Alhambra

Decanter, 923 Black Lives Matter Plz NW, Washington, DC 20006

The luxe restaurant inside D.C.’s St. Regis hotel resurfaced this year with a reimagined menu full of modern Mediterranean dishes like smoked eggplant mousse and lamb kofta. Save room for its premiere sweets like freshly imported baklava bites presented on gold trays and pomegranate panna cotta with kataifi and honey.

Decanter, 923 Black Lives Matter Plz NW, Washington, DC 20006
(202) 509-8000
(202) 509-8000

Centrolina

974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Executive pastry chef Yesenia Jarquindc oversees a memorable Italian dessert menu that includes a delicious almond cake with fresh citrus, yuzu, and white chocolate. Across the street at all-day sibling Piccolina, she’s well-versed in the art of cannoli, tea cakes, and cookies (try the chocolate chip lemon ricotta variety).

974 Palmer Alley NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 898-2426
(202) 898-2426

Modena

1100 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005

The dessert menu at Modena is inventive, uncomplicated, and exceptional. Pistachio tarts and a warm parmesan cake built with aged balsamic currently stand out on a rotating list of finales created by executive chef Benjamin Lambert and sous chef Anthony Smith.

1100 New York Ave NW, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 216-9550
(202) 216-9550

Tonari

707 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

Daikaya Group’s longtime pasty chef Mary Mendoza sends out a stellar list of sweets at Chinatown’s wafu (Japanese-style) Italian mainstay. A sizable slice of black sesame tea cake comes topped with a scoop of coconut gelato and blanket of whipped cream. Budino is a delicious cup of dark chocolate pudding, espresso gelato, and lemon-yuzu curd. Mendoza’s upstairs pastry kitchen counter doubles as a “Hole in the Wall” desserts bar on weekends, showcasing five-course tastings of desserts and cocktails.

707 6th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
(202) 289-8900
(202) 289-8900

China Chilcano

418 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004

The suspiro limena, an iconic Peruvian dessert with meringue and passion fruit, is a must-order at José Andrés’ vibrant Penn Quarter fixture. Visitors should also indulge in the Ponderaciones de Kiwicha, a crispy fried spiral cookie with Peruvian chocolate cream and banana ice cream.

418 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20004
(202) 783-0941
(202) 783-0941

Thompson Italian

1024 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314

Katherine Thompson’s famed olive oil cake helped her earn a 2020 James Beard nomination for outstanding pastry chef; the same slice is still served at her NYC alma mater L’Artusi to this day. Open since 2019, the popular Italian restaurant she runs with her chef-husband Gabe Thompson also sends out a delicious rhubarb tiramisu with marsala sabayon, mascarpone, and amaretti. The Falls Church original was joined by a second location in Old Town this year.

1024 King St, Alexandria, VA 22314
(571) 431-7742
(571) 431-7742
Olive oil cake with creme fraiche mousse, maldon salt, and raisin marmellatae.

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