Downtown Bethesda’s influx of bakeries continues to grow, as one French bakery opened Friday and another is scheduled to open Sunday.
Laduree Paris, which specializes in macrons, eclairs, small layer cakes and croissants, among other pastries, opened Friday at 4808 Bethesda Ave.
The Bethesda location is a small space without indoor seating and where customers order at a counter. Outdoor seating is available on the sidewalk.
Laduree Paris’s Bethesda location is the chain’s third in the greater Washington, D.C., area, joining two others in the District. Laduree also has multiple locations in New York, California and Florida.
Bakery fans can also visit Maman, a New York City-based French bakery, starting Sunday at 7140 Bethesda Lane, an employee at that restaurant said Friday. Maman offers baked goods and pastries, breakfast sandwiches, smashed avocado tartines, granola parfaits and rabbit hole (focaccia filled with butternut squash, onions, pastrami, cheese and fried egg), along with lunch items such as soups, salads and sandwiches.
Maman is perhaps most famous for its Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookies, which are made with almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts and dark chocolate, according to the website. The cookies were one of Oprah Winfrey’s “Favorite Things” in 2017.
Laduree Paris and Maman are the latest editions to the downtown Bethesda bakery scene. Other recent openings include the cafe Paris in Town, which opened in April, and Levain Bakery, which opened on Bethesda Row nearly a year ago.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@bethesdda-remix.newspackstaging.com