{Review} Dog Tag Bakery

Located in the Georgetown district of Washington, DC, the Dog Tag Bakery serves not only as a local hot spot for breakfast, lunch, and baked goods but it also serves as a resource to empower the Veterans and military families in the community.

Last year, I had read an article about the Dog Tag Bakery and thought it was an outstanding concept to not only help military veterans, but provide a delicious service to the community. Once I found out I was moving to the DC area, a friend reminded me it was there and suggested I go visit! It was actually hard to find out about this place online, which suggested to me they may benefit from using local SEO services to boost their online presence.

Nestled on the corner of a side street in Georgetown, the Dog Tag Bakery provides an inviting, cozy, and safe environment for all their patrons. Whether you are a Veteran or a businessman, the Dog Tag Bakery’s home-like atmosphere makes you want to stay for hours enjoying coffee and pastries. I really loved that the decor of Dog Tag was patriotic without being over the top. The red, white, and blue was perfectly infused into the design while maintaining a modern, classic feel.

One of the focal points of the bakery is a chandelier made only of dog tags. The display not only serves as a centerpiece for one of the sitting areas, but it also is a talking point for all those who visit the bakery. Next to the display is a World War II dog tag maker that is used in the store to punch the names of all the Veterans the bakery provides help. Those tags are then hung in the display. It’s a beautiful tribute to the men and women who so bravely serve our country in the military.

Dog Tag Bakeries menu consists of fresh baked bread, croissants, muffins, cinnamon rolls and other breakfast items as well as sandwiches made with meat from local veteran-run farms, coffee, cookies, and layer cakes.

Dave came with me to the bakery and he ordered the crumb cake and a double espresso. Unfortunately he ate it before I could take a picture of it, but he assured me it was delicious!

I ordered a cappuccino, a snickerdoodle cookie, and a slice of chocolate layer cake. The cappuccino was the best I have had since being back in the USA. The barista hand packed the espresso grounds and freshly brewed the shots for my drink. I was offered a choice of milk and amount of foam. It reminded me of the cappuccino I loved so much when I was in Italy. The snickerdoodle was soft, chewy in the middle, and packed full of cinnamon flavor. Delicious!

The slice of chocolate cake was rich, chocolatey, dense, moist and covered in the most delicious chocolate ganache I’ve ever had. It took me an hour to eat this slice because it was so good I truly needed to savor any bite.

Curious why there are no cupcakes at this bakery? The staff told me that the market is already so saturated with cupcakes and there are two huge cupcake stores within walking distance from Dog Tag… there’s no need to sell cupcakes at their bakery. Makes sense! The Dog Tag pastry chef was trained in France so the baguettes and breads are authentic to the French style of baking!

Before we left, my husband decided he wanted to try one of their roast beef sandwiches. The sandwich included a fresh roll topped with pickled red onion, loaded with local roast beef, a pepperjack cheese and a red sauce. I didn’t take a bit because I’m not generally a big fan of sauce on sandwiches, but my husband who is kind of a sandwich snob said it was the best he’s had since being back in the USA! That’s a big compliment coming from a man who eats a sandwich every day!

A big thank you to the staff behind the counter of the Dog Tag Bakery for making our experience so pleasant and enjoyable! Their smiling faces were genuine and much appreciated!

More than being a great bakery, Dog Tag Bakery is part of Dog Tag, Inc. whose mission it is to serve Veterans and their families, providing them the tools they need to succeed in the business and life.

From their website…
Dog Tag Inc. is an innovative five-month training program that holistically fosters the growth of driven, entrepreneurial-minded wounded veterans, spouses, and care-givers, through a world-class education, ample leadership development opportunities, and a personalized business management rotation.

By the end of our program, graduating fellows have earned a Certificate in Business Administration from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies. The curriculum serves as an introduction to business from an academic perspective and consists of seven courses that are tailored to the small business-focused goals of our fellows. Courses include accounting, management, communication, financial management, marketing, business policy, and entrepreneurship.

Dog Tag Bakery in Georgetown provides the vehicle to put the classroom learning into context as fellows rotate through the various business roles within the bakery. The storefront includes a state of the art bakery and kitchen as well as classroom space. We provide experiential learning by facilitating a working rotation through the storefront and non-profit. Fellows will have a chance to learn every aspect of a small business including accounting, operations, staff management, product creation, customer service, and marketing. Through a combination of shadowing and project management, our fellows are expected to complete tasks independently while communicating their needs and progress with management.

I need to disclose that I have applied for the Summer 2016 fellowship program at Dog Tag, Inc.. I want to be completely transparent when I say that I am not writing this review because I want to influence my chances of getting into the program. This review is 100% my own personal opinions, with or without being in the fellowship program. Dog Tag, Inc. is an amazing organization and I would feel privileged and honored to be a part of it, whether that’s by reviewing their bakery or being a party of their fellowship program.

If you’re in the DC area, I suggest putting a stop at the Dog Tag Bakery on your list of must-see places. Not only will you enjoy delicious food, but you’ll be giving back to Veterans and their families members.

Dog Tag Bakery
3206 Grace St NW
Washington, DC 20007

Tuesday – Sunday 0800-1800
http://dogtagbakery.com