I’m still on track for 52 restaurants in 2018, but I’ve utterly failed to write about them. Let’s get back on track with an easy one.

Elle’s Bakery
3221 Mt Pleasant St NW
www.eatatelle.com

Cost: $14

Food:

Elle’s Bakery is a no-brainer. Number 1 on Tom Sietsema’s best of 2018 list, this cute cafe and bakery in Mount Pleasant gets busy fast. I arrived in a bit of a lull, but that didn’t last–the line was soon 20 people deep. The line cook was pumping out breakfast sandwiches and hearty salads without a second to rest.

While the salads looked tempting–roasted peaches with feta; farro with fig and parmesan–I needed something a little more like morning. I went for their breakfast sandwich: scrambled egg, cheese, and in-house smoked brisket.

This was absolutely the right choice. I’ve had a lot of breakfast sandwiches in my day and I’ll admit paying $9 for one is a bit of a stretch, but the brisket was sincerely to die for. The only thing that could improve it would be a runny egg instead of scrambled.

Drinks:

Elle’s has more options for coffee than they do for meals, and they also have a nice assortment of non-coffee options. I decided on a London Fog–basically an earl grey latte. I like seeing cafes branch out into more tea-based drinks, and this did not disappoint.

Honestly, this place deserves every kudos it has gotten. My sandwich was delightful, my tea was perfect. It’s fully self-serve, so you do have to listen for your order to be up–my tea ended up sitting for a few minutes because I didn’t hear the barista call my name. The decor is charming, and if they’re too busy for your preference all of the food is available to go.