Baked by Yael

My boyfriend and I were at the zoo across the street and we saw their sign that said gluten free and vegan bakery. I had the gluten free chocolate chip brownie, and gluten free cake pop. It was so delicious! The next time I come to D.C. I'm definitely stopping by.

Terrible experience. They served us nearly frozen butter and expected us to spread it on our bagel. Half of their items on the menu weren’t available at 9:15 in the morning. Only 6 types of bagels. There’s zero chance of us coming back. The rugelach tasted stale as if it was baked the day before. They did refund us for the bagel. There are a lot of vegan options and perhaps your experience will be better.

There were boxes all over so you could only sit at two tables. Staff looked miserable and beat, they probably need to be paid more. My bagel was very stale, but it was flavorful. Bathroom was gross. The cake pops were yummy, but nothing special. It's a cute place but definitely needs more attention to atmosphere and staff support.

What a gem of a bakery and cafe across from the entrance to the national zoo! This was the perfect spot for an apres zoo quick bite to eat. The cake pops were delicious and just perfect for my kids. We tried the vegan corned beef sandwich and the grilled cheese - delicious. I got the frozen coffee and highly recommend that - perfect slushiness. And the chocolate chip cookie bar was the best I’ve ever had. I can’t wait to come back and this is not to be missed when you’re in the area. It’s also kosher and has plenty of gluten free options.

Great place to stop by after the zoo to grab a quick bite. The bagel sandwiches are around $6 and baked goods are around $4 each. Overall a decent place with vegan and gluten-free options. Nut-free and kosher if that’s also a concern for you. They had cute zoo-themed cake pops here and if you want a cute panda pop then this is the place for you. I tried their southwestern sandwich on an everything bagel and it was tasty and big enough that you’re full but not overly stuffed. I also tried their cookie bar and it was okay, though I wish I would’ve gone with their raspberry bar instead (maybe next time).

Such a great place! Both the desserts and lunch we got were delicious. The cake pops were beautiful and so chocolatey.

I didn't get a chance to try anything. We (my 5 family members) came after visiting the zoo since we saw their sign said OPEN and they had cake pops. The plan was originally to go to Starbucks, but we wanted to support a local place. We look at the cake pops, go to the register, and are told we can't order anything that they are closed. The cashier saw us when we came in and chose to wait 5 minutes to tell us they were closed. The Google hours say they close at 1400 on Wednesdays. Their sign said they were OPEN. Needless to say, we ended up going to Starbucks anyways.

Delicious food, cute place, friendly staff, just across the street from the zoo! Great for breakfast, a snack, a light lunch or just go for the amazing baked goods and take some home!!!! Everything was delicious!!! Raspberry bar was divine!!

What a treat for my allergy kids to be able to eat delicious sweet treats made with the utmost care. What a gem this place is.

Being a vegan Jew is not always the easiest when it comes to enjoying our various dishes such as challah. I have searched for a very long time to find a place that provides the perfect pairing of deliciousness while meeting my dietary restrictions. Well, I have to search no further as Baked By Yael goes above and beyond my wildest hopes. The challah here is so good that I have it shipped cross-country on a monthly basis. What are you doing? Stop reading these reviews and go order from them today, you will not regret it!

I moved from NYC to Charleston almost 3 years ago and none of the bagels here are a real bagel!! And Yael bagels are better than NYC bagels so I am thrilled that they will ship to me!

I was really rooting for this place, sadly the bagels are dense and tough and the sweets and smoothies are overly sweet. The Garlic Bagels were disappointing and rock hard the next day (I put then into airtight containers the evening before). The cake pops were super sweet and the smoothies were sour and sweet. The Lemonade tastes like Apple Sour candy. The best part of dessert was the Raspberry bar, it had shortbread crumbles and a decadent layer of raspberry jam. Among the best bars I've had and would come back for it when we're in the area visiting the zoo!

Walked in 20 minutes before closing (don't usually do this but we just wanted to grab a quick snack and leave). Asked for a duffin and the guy at the counter quickly said they were out. Girl cleaning next to him told him yes they did and pointed at the glass cabinet which has no sign. Got what we think was a cinnamon duffin and a chocolate cake pop. Cake pop was actually really top tier, super rich chocolate and moist. The duffin was just okay. Asked to have it warmed up and guy said nothing then came back and practically threw it at us with no words and walked away. Left a sour taste in my mouth. But if the duffin wasn't warmed it wouldn't have been good (I anticipate something dry). Had the service been been better I would have done four stars but what can you do. I think the other workers seemed friendlier and more helpful but that guy was not having a good day.

A sweet little spot! Right across from the zoo and near the metro, though there's not much seating either inside or outside. Service is friendly too. In addition to coffee and pastries and bagel sandwiches served all day, they serve frozen drinks and miscellaneous items. Also, incredible vegan options on both the sweet and savory menus--I had the vegan cookie bar but I'm coming back to try the plant-based corned beef sandwich!

Call Yael for the BEST bagels in DC! Plus I love that she offers vegan cream cheese and sweets. This is a small local business that churns out the best treats and bagels. I highly recommend it!

Located across the street from the zoo, this is a fun little spot to get bagels, cake pops and challah! My friend and I were not super impressed by the hot chocolate-- it wasn't even hot. Not sure if it was made with water-- but it definitely lacked body or something! Definitely could improve it. The chocolate on the spoon with peppermint was nice though. Our cake pops were soo tasty! I'll be sticking to bagels, challah and cake pops here! :)

Was pretty low quality stuff. Unfortunate. Got the "grilled cheese bagel" which was just awful.

We stop here before or after visits to the National Zoo for a treat or a bagel sandwich. If you have special dietary requirements, note that everything is nut-free and kosher; some things are vegan or gluten-free -- staff will help you out.

Fresh from the zoo and looking for a quick bite. We ordered 3 bagel sandwiches and were disappointed that it was 20 minutes to get them. On the plus side the sesame bagels were excellent. Although they were small, the sandwiches were inexpensive, so that cancels out the smaller size. However, my white fish salad had too much mayonnaise, and not enough white fish. My wife's avocado sandwich was also heavy on the mayo, and light on the avocado. The third item, a pizza bagel had a delightful melted cheese, but too little of a bland red sauce. Ok. Inflation is a problem. But give me enough of the main components even if I have to pay more.

Stumbled onto this restaurant while going to the National Zoo. Located directly across the street, I enjoyed a nice breakfast sandwich which was excellent - bagel was fresh and tasty. My son ordered a grilled cheese and said it was one of the best he had in a long time. The quick meal was capped off with a lemon cake pop. Highly recommend this great spot and looking forward to returning again.

Delicious food. This was the perfect treat after visiting the national zoo. The cake pops looked and tasted amazing. The food that my family got was delicious and we can't wait to come back!

Delicious vegan hsmentaschen. Easy and fun pickup at Bethesda farmers market. Delicious vegan hsmentaschen. Easy and fun pickup at Bethesda farmers market.

Went here three times for breakfast/lunch when we visited the zoo. The bagels were reminiscent of the NY style bagel we are always looking for. And the cake pops were great too. A perfect place to pop out and eat at when visiting the zoo.

Very good bakery and the food was amazing. I got a grilled cheese on a sesame bagel and as a picky eater that was my favorite grilled cheese. The cake pops were outstanding and had a very good taste to it. 100/100 recommend this place to anyone looking for their new favorite spot.

I thought that this spot had great potential and a wide variety of options to choose from. The location was great, despite the encroachment of Starbucks nearby, right near the zoo. But the food option I did choose, the everything bagel with cream cheese, wasn't exactly what I was looking for. It was pretty tough and chewy, and the type of bagel when you bite down the cream cheese spouts through the hold. Otherwise, the workers were nice and I'm sure the other options have some potential.

Get the challah subscription! Everything else is also good, but I'm super partial to having fresh challah every week. The bagels are great and reasonably priced, and I often grab the day old bagels at a discount

Baked By Yael's cakepop display was probably the greatest hit for our wedding. We had chocolate, vanilla, lemon, and red velvet panda, koala, and cherry blossom cake pops. We also ordered a large round challah for when my parents did their blessing. Their bagels and frozen drinks are amazing too and just had them with my wife and father on Father's Day after visiting the zoo.

There's a reason this restaurant/bakery has a line out the door before major Jewish holidays! The treats and breads here are delicious, especially the delectable challah. The staff are very friendly and kind too. If you're ordering a specialty holiday meal (like a round challah on Rosh Hashanah), make sure you give yourself plenty of time to pick it up!

Picked up a bagel and cream cheese at the Old Town Farmers Market today. Over the years I heard rave reviews on these bagels. I was so disappointed. The bagel is small, flat, dense and tough. Other bagel places in Old Town that are so much better that I will stick with.

As a food allergy family we were so excited to see this cute little bake shop across from the zoo on our vacation! We tried a variety of item; cake pops, bagels, chocolate chip cookies and raspberry crumble bar. Everything was delicious! I only wish we had this nut-free bakery back home!

These unique delicious bagels are the best! They are hand rolled with a lot of topping unlike other places. Love their fab cake pops as well!

As someone who eats vegan, I struggle with finding really good baked goods and treats when I'm on the road for work. I'm so happy to have been introduced to Yael's. My only regret is not being able to eat more! I had the raspberry bar, challah french toast, and took a cake pop to go. Everything was actually perfect. Even if vegan isn't your thing, the food is just magical. Next time I'm in town, it's the first place I'm going. Highly highly highly recommend!!

Delicious hot chocolate on a spoon - perfect treat on a cold afternoon, across from the zoo

A review for the bagels: excellent! Had lox bagel that was a perfect portion (this is not a huge bagel like some are) and well composed. The bagel had good flavor, and a soft, chewy interior while still keeping just a tiny bit of resistance on the "crust." The lox were also quite good. My girlfriend enjoyed the southwestern egg sandwich as much as I enjoyed my lox. I'm looking forward to coming back to try other items (and more bagels)!

Food was very tasty and they have plenty of gluten free options. I ordered catering for a party and the dessert bar was a hit with Yael's spread.

I've wanted to try Baked by Yael since I first heard about them during the federal furlough last year, but for some reason hadn't visited. A few days ago, I decided to place an order to support this business! I ordered 6 challah rolls, two cake pops (red velvet and a raspberry) and a black and white cookie. I have so many regrets for not trying this amazing bakery sooner. I will be ordering each of these items again (and more). I requested pick up at 8:00am and the challah rolls were still warm! They had such a wonderful flavor, and were perfect for my meatball sandwich and bbq sandwiches that I had for lunch over the next few days. The cake pops were both moist and delicious, and the black and white cookie was soft and had a lemon flavor. This place is worth every penny. I can't wait to return!

I have always had good bakery items from Baked by Yael, no complains there at all. But what I found disappointing is even though I placed an order online for pick up a few hours later, they still ran out of the items I pre-paid for. What's the point of pre-ordering and pre-paying for items if they won't be available when you pick them up? Instead, these items should be set aside when the order is placed and ready to be packaged when the customer comes to pick them up.

I like finding vegan friendly bakery items. Baked By Yael has a few. There's some that are pre-made. It's also possible to get something customized . You can get all kinds of colors and flavors for an order. Baked goods include breakfast breads and cakes. In the morning you can get a bagel made fresh. The best items are the sweet deserts though. All of them look so good. The best items here are the cake pops. It's about $3 each. These come in many flavors. Every day the flavors change. There's always a few vegan ones. If you're looking for vegan desserts this is the best local bakery. Get a cake pop if you want a little taste of a cake. The inside has some window seats to enjoy some treats.

Recently moved to DC and this fantastic bakery was one of my very first discoveries in my neighborhood! The bagels are fantastic and the cream cheese delicious. My favorite items however are the Duffing (donut/muffin hybrids), they're the perfect thing to bring as a house warming snack but I also always buy one with my weekly bagel order! The staff are friendly and cannot recommend this lovely spot enough, grab a duffin next time you visit the National Zoo!

Great bakery! Location is perfect, staff was friendly and attentive, baked goods were delicious and very reasonably priced! If you are at the zoo - definitely worth the stop!

Went here today around 2PM before heading to the zoo to grab a quick bite to eat, it was anything but quick. First this place had 8+ people working in the restaurant at one time which was crazy. Many were wondering around chit chatting others doing simple tasks like one was in charge of coffee, one was in charge of putting wrappers on cake pop, one in charge of putting deserts out etc etc etc. However, no one was actively helping customers. Three customers before me waited 20+ mins for simple coffee and a bagel. My wife, 3 year d daughter and I waited 45 mins for pizza bagel, smoothie and white fish bagel (which was canned white albacore). After 45 mins the lady said sorry they're taking so long and offered my wife a drink while we wait which we took. They then brought half a bagel with no pepperoni and both the fish bagel and the pizza bagels were hard and difficult to eat. They said they would bring the other half of the pizza bagel in a bit since they messed up on the first order. How do 8+ people working in a small restaurant mess up on putting pizza sauce, pepperoni, and cheese on a bagel and warming it? Takes about 2 mins to do. The owner needs to let go more that half the staff and only keep 3 people one baking, one taking customer order in person, one doing take away. On their ideal time they should be stocking or cleaning. Will not be revisiting this location do to lack of service. This restaurant will likely not survive based on their operations. Not only are they over staffed , shown by idling employees, but their lack of customer service is costing the employee money as the employees are having to make up for their mistakes by offering other things such as drinks, etc. After a fair and honest explanation by the owner i will add another star to this review. I was simply disappointed by the attentiveness by the employees. Overall I appreciate the honesty and wish you guys the best.

Wonderfully inclusive selection of baked goods and treats that can suit those with or without allergen needs, making for a one bakery stop for all of my family. Everything that we have had has been freshly prepared and delicious, such that I recommend this bakery to anyone that I know. With the bakery and convenient farmers market stands, stopping in for an order or for something quick that's ready-made is very convenient. Highly recommended!

Coming in from out of town I was looking for a good bagel place so that I could bring some home. As usual yelp was my first stop for reviews and recommendations. Yesterday I ordered two dozen bagels to be delivered to my hotel. What arrived is definitely not what we see in their pictures. I ordered two dozen and got 23 bagels. Each bagel was $1.95. I found them hard and quite tough, like an over-worked dough. The everything bagel was mostly poppyseeds hardly any other flavor. Trying to make a bagel sandwich out of this ... trying to slice it when one half of the bagel is so thin made it next to impossible for my sandwich to hold together. My husband thinks maybe we could use these and make bagel chips. I don't know if I just got the bottom of the barrel so to speak because it was a delivery and they would never have to see me?

Great cake pops great service I recommend this business because they are a great business

It was such a treat, figuratively and literally, to participate in Baked By Yael's special cakepop-making class! Owner Yael was there to greet us and introduce the class. I really appreciate this small business's commitment to and love for the community. This cakepoppery (and DC's first!) is located directly across from the National Zoo. While they specialize in cake pops, they also offer cookies, bagels, beverages, gelato, and other sweet treats. This is a nut-free and kosher bakery! They also have a Yelp check-in deal: free coffee or water with any purchase. The bakery was clean, had several tables for seating, and the bright pink colors make it a cute and pleasant place to be. I really enjoyed the cakepop-making class and the staff exuded good vibes that felt like family. Each participant got to choose between making chocolate and vanilla cake pops, and naturally, I went for chocolate. We got to crumble the cake, incorporate the icing, shape and roll, then dip and decorate our own cakepops. It's a great stress-reliever and fun activity to do with friends. The class was organized and the time flew by. Not only did I have a blast making the cakepops, but I ate them and they're AMAZING! Baked by Yael's website is bestcakepopever.com, and it really is! This is the best cakepop I've ever had. The chocolate cake was fresh, moist, and chocolatey (my favorite!) and it was encapsulated in a decadent chocolate shell. It was divine. If you're a chocolate lover like me, this is the cakepop for you. Thank you to Baked By Yael for your hospitality and delicious cakepops!

Fantastic! Drawn in by the panda cake pops and then saw their vegan reuben. Allergy friendly, gf, and tons of vegan options. Very busy place, but staff were still friendly. Absolute winner.

We ordered a "cake" of cake pops for my 2 year old's birthday party and they were a huge hit. The cake pops were delicious and thoroughly enjoyed by kids and adults alike. One of the best parts of the whole experience was that we could give the shop a heads up when we were only a few blocks away and they brought our "cake" right out to our car. That was particularly helpful given how difficult parking is that close to the zoo.

Yummy breakfast sandwich on the way yo the National Zoo. Very friendly staff, cute storefront with some outdoor seating. A great find for our family

Great bagels and sweet treats - can't decide which cake pop flavor is my favorite! So nice to have a place to grab a quick breakfast before (or a snack after!) a zoo trip. Have always had quick and friendly service. I've ordered in person, for local delivery, and shipped to friends & family in other states and always had good experiences!

I was highly disappointed by my takeout bagel order. I ordered a plain bagel and chive cream cheese online for carryout. What I got was chive cream cheese with a thick slab of hard bread with no midsection that was hard to chew. It felt like this bagel was made with leftover dough that wasn't enough to make a normal sized bagel and they decided to sell it anyway. Baked by Yael should have better quality control for their goods and what they sell to customers to avoid this from happening to other customers.

I'm honestly so sad! I've looking for a good bagel in the area and was so disappointed. I ordered a bagel with lox and asked for no capers and re iterated it only to get home to my bagel filled with them. I decided to give it a try anyway and I just didn't think it was good. The bagel was thin and dense. In comparing it with photos from other reviews/the website, I'm kind of shocked at the difference. I will say that the cashier was very nice and the service was quick. I liked the vibe too, but I'm mourning the bagel that could've been

This is always our favorite treat when we are at the zoo. So delicious! My kids got picked up, and I got bagels and lox.

I ordered some of the gluten free/vegan black and white cookies for delivery. They are the best black and white cookies I've ever had! I'm so happy that I've found a vegan version that can be shipped to me! The cookies are so soft and flavorful! Highly recommend.

I would give them 10 stars if possible! As a nut allergic adult, I was thrilled to find their shop on my trip! Fresh bagels, cake pops, cookie bars....a nut allergic person's dream! The owner is kind and engaging and the team is helpful and professional! And they ship nationally! Hello bagel shipments to NC! Thank you all for being nut free!!!

Delicious bagels -- great chew and perfect size - and great challah. Among the best in DC.

I've ordered cake pops for years, the service has been impeccable, and everything is delish. Love Yael and this shop.

I visit DC often and always take a trip to Baked By Yael for some yummy treats, and I have to make sure I get enough to bring home. The cake pops are so decadent and hit the spot when wanting something sweet. I can't rave enough about the bagels and other sweet treats. So glad they ship for us out-of-towners !