Del Ray is home to an ambitious new venture from restaurateur Noe Landini (Landini Brothers, Bar Deco) and former Le Diplomate/Restaurant Eve chef Nathan Hatfield. Junction Bakery and Bistro combines an all-day cafe, retail bakery, juice bar, and dining room for the likes of house-made burrata come evening. The eatery is now officially open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, not to mention an extensive weekend brunch.
A full-scale bakery
The idea for Junction all started with chef Hatfield’s passion for bread, and grew (significantly) from there. A full-scale bakery will provide the restaurant and Landini’s other ventures with an international variety of breads and baked goods. Shoppers can drop in for fresh baguettes or cherry-pecan loaves to take home, as well as croissants, sticky buns, and tea cakes.
Fancy toast with your morning bubbles
Daily breakfast begins at 7 a.m., but early-risers can still indulge in a glass of sparkling wine (Landini’s reasoning: if it’s acceptable at brunch, why not weekdays?). Guests can also jump on the artisanal toast trend with a global variety of breads-and-toppings, such as Tuscan brioche with ricotta and orange zest, or California sourdough with avocado, mushrooms, and hazelnuts.
Tap lines for beer and coffee
Five draft lines pour local craft beers, but those looking for a caffeine fix will also find coffee on tap. Junction partnered with local roaster Commonwealth Joe, which supplies the restaurant with an exclusive nitro cold brew in addition to a full lineup of espresso and coffee drinks.
Health-minded juices
Health buffs looking for a chlorophyll boost or wheatgrass shot can order from the in-house juice bar, Grateful Juice Co. Fresh-presses are available in the grab-and-go case, or can be ordered in the restaurant as part of a meal.
Not so health-minded short rib grilled cheese
Lunch and dinner consist of eclectic bistro fare, much of which falls in the comfort category, such as ricotta dumplings with pork ragu or roasted rockfish over bacon-corn chowder. On offer all-day: a grilled cheese sandwich on roasted garlic sourdough, decked out with braised beef short ribs.
Junction Bakery and Bistro. 1508 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; 703-436-0025. Open Monday through Friday, 7 am to 10 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 7 am to 11 pm; Saturday and Sunday brunch, 10 am to 2 pm.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
