Bread & Water Company — Restaurant in Virginia

EDIT: After two months since my last review - and pretty regular patronage since - I figured it was time for an update. Although the service remains uneven (the women behind the counter, I'm sorry to say, both look and act lazier than do the men), I've definitely become a big fan of this place since I've moved to the area. The overall quality of the bread and pastries - while not up to the best you'll find in Europe - is as good as anything I've found in the US (meaning it's damn good), and the hipster decor and vibe are a nice addition to the otherwise homey, provincial shopping plaza - and it definitely attracts an eclectic-looking and comely crowd. I don't even mind the bread prices anymore, because I feel the quality is well worth it (and the prices are in line with anyplace else of similar quality in the DC area). We're buying at least a loaf of bread here every other day, and I'm pulling for this place big-time. It's a major asset to the area.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I love the hipster LOOK of this place, and the few baked goods I've bought there have been quite good, but I agree with Tom Gorgolis about the rudeness of the staff. Every single person behind the counter acts like they're either too cool or too irritated - or even merely too clueless - to help the customers (or at least me and Tom), and this has been the same story in the maybe four visits I've made over the past three months.

As I am about to finally move to the area (right across the street, actually), I look forward to having a place to buy high-quality bread every other day or so; but if the service doesn't improve once I attempt to become a regular, I'll gladly go out of my way to Whole Foods or elsewhere for good bread.

The prices ain't cheap (and border on unreasonable), so someone needs to crack the whip in there big time about customer service - or send the entire staff for cosmetic dentistry so maybe they'll at least...

Excellent casual brunch spot with hearty selection of breakfast and lunch sandwiches and decadent pastries! The fully loaded Wich sandwich with 3 eggs, housemade bacon, and oozing with cheddar cheese on sourdough hits the spot! After taking a small bite out of my hubby's, I ordered my own without the bacon! The eggs over medium really did the truck as the yolk perfectly melted into the sandwich coupled with the sriracha mayo and cheddar cheese on soft sourdough was divine. All the flavor worked well together even without the bacon!

The multi-grain bread with a seeded crust was the best part of the Veggie sandwich. While the sandwich was loaded with ingredients - housemade pesto, mushrooms (substituted out turkey), pickled onions, avocado (requested), mixed greens, tomato, and fontina cheese - the flavors didn't blend that well together. The sandwich wasn't very memorable and definitely prefer the hearty egg Wich breakfast sandwich!

The decadent Marble Cheesecake Muffin had a nice cream cheese filling on the bottom. I wish there was more filling and in the center. It was a bit too dense. My hubby enjoyed the buttery and flaky croissant. By the time we got there at 1pm, the chocolate croissants had sold out.

The Brown Sugar Cinnamon Latte was a bit sweet, but fun to try. I would opt for the housemade Mocha next time. While all the syrups are made in house, some lattes are more syrupy than others, so just ask!

The friendly and hospitable staff was the best part! While one of the managers was taking her break, she kindly answered all my questions on the lattes and seasonal drinks. The staff was warm and inviting.

There's small outdoor patio and stool seating - perfect for our furry friend!

Excited to come back for the Wich and try the mocha and...

I have been going to Bread & Water for years and I have always had excellent service. This morning was a shocker. I ordered a vanilla latte and observed as the young lad, Adora, made my latte. The vanilla syrup was in a plastic container instead of a large bottle with a pump, and the young lady poured what appeared to be a lot of syrup in the cup. She warmed up the milk quickly and gave me my coffee. As I was walking towards my car, I tried the coffee and found that it was undrinkable. It was too sweet because of all the vanilla syrup that she poured in and it was cold. I went back to see if she could just empty out some of it and just pour more coffee. I did not want to inconvenience her by asking her to make me another one. I was planning on going to my office and warming it up myself. She was taking care of another customer when I got back in line and when she saw me, she said "what is wrong" as the current customer was placing their order. I just waved to her telling her I would wait. After she finished with her customer, I told her what was wrong, but before I could tell her to just add more coffee and that there there was no need to make a new one, she snatched it out of my hand and slammed it in the trash bin, causing coffee to splash. I told her "why did you do that I was just going to..." and she cut me off and said "do you want another one?" I noticed she was shaking and very upset. Then she asked me if I wanted a refund, as if she didn't want to deal with me. I told her yes to give me a refund. And I noticed she was still shaking. I don't know what was going on with her, but for her to act like that was completely uncalled for. I ended up going to Starbucks. I guess no more Bread &...