10. Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery
1515 N. Courthouse Road, Arlington | 703-243-2410 | bayoubakerydc.com
Two Southern classics define chef and cookbook author David Guas’ New Orleans-themed eatery: biscuits and beignets. Sure, you could order oatmeal or grits, or the “hangover hog”—taters, barbecued pork, country ham gravy and a soft poached egg—but why bother when it’s all about the dough? Airy beignets descend to earth with a shower of powdered sugar, and the fluffy biscuits practically require mixing-and-matching with bacon, eggs or sausage. A guaranteed winner is the ham-and-cheese biscuit with melted sharp N.Y. cheddar, washed down with chicory coffee or cappuccino. It may not be Café du Monde in the Big Easy, but it sure comes close.