The Best Cupcakes of DC

There’s always a food fad that grips the city. TLC is definitely to blame for the line of tourists that snakes through residential Georgetown. And no, it’s not to visit a great art gallery.. Instead, it’s all for a couple of cupcakes. Although donuts, pies, and ice cream sandwiches have tried to wrestle away the crown, nobody can usurp the cupcake.

Look no further than Georgetown’s M Street for evidence. In one small shopping district, one can find West Coast transplant Sprinkles, the now-iconic Georgetown Cupcake, and Baked & Wired. The next time you’re shopping in Georgetown, get a much-needed dose of nutrition by stopping by one of these three shops, which we’ll rank for you below.

Sprinkles isn’t bad, by any stretch. However, the inventor of the Red Velvet cupcake recently decided to stop carrying its iconic flavor in Washington. Instead, it’ll be offering a chocolate ganache cupcake. While sweet, the flavors are unoriginal and the actual cake has a tendency to run dry. Plus, they’re not very large. Talk about a food desert.

Georgetown University’s Dog Tag Bakery is located just a block south of M Street on Wisconsin. The Georgetown newcomer is a program designed to provide military veterans with small-business experience as part of a master’s degree in business. The cupcakes are good, but are overshadowed by the full-service bakery, that offers delicious cookies, great sandwiches, and matcha lattes! If you go here, you’re getting a great product that supports a great cause.

Georgetown Cupcake isn’t top dog in D.C. anymore, for sure. However, they still provide a reliable and delicious cupcake. They’re cheaper than Sprinkles and with more exciting special flavors to boot—Gluten-Free Strawberry Lava Fudge, anyone? However, the small size and crazy lines make it difficult to stop by. Insider tip: If you go during off-hours, there usually is no line. That’s what Georgetown Cupcake truly shines.

Best is usually saved for last, and that’s certainly true in this case. Baked & Wired has just begun to be a crowd favorite, offering great “cakecups.” The lines can be a bit long on the weekends, but they’re nothing like the lines at Georgetown Cupcake. Here, the cupcakes are moist, huge, and have amazing frosting. The inventive flavors include strange mixtures, like banana, peanut butter, and candied bacon. They also have wonderful, hilarious names for their cupcakes, which makes ordering one a treat. A huge plus for the caffeine junkies, the great coffee bar allows you to cut the cupcake line entirely.