Maria’s Bakery (Rockville; Annandale; Springfield; Falls Church)

Barbecue pork, curry beef and roasted pork buns may not be the usual selections available at our local bakery shops, but this Hong Kong-based chain is doing something right.  They’ve got four locations in the Washington metro area.  Of course, they have excellent renditions of popular baked goods such as Swiss roll cake, pineapple coconut bread and crème-filled buns, but if you asked most folks why they visit Maria’s, they’ll tell you “for bubble tea.”  Bubble teas are a sweet concoction of jelly-filled milk/tea that comes in flavors such as plum, strawberry, coconut and mango.  They are a must try.

Shilla Bakery (Annandale; Multiple locations in VA & MD)

Shilla Bakery is one of those places known almost exclusively to the Asian-food cognoscenti.  So it’s our privilege to let you in on this fabulous, gourmet quality bakery, with several locations in VA and MD.  Its café-style ambiance lures young and the old alike to try the daily samples.  Choose from the Chestnut Castella (Korean for soft baked cake), pumpkin and chestnut pastry, Cream Baguettes, Pizza Baguettes, Mocha Pie Castella, Banana pound cake and tons more.  You can also order from the list of Asian teas or Starbucks-quality Coffee, and then sit at a comfortable lounge chair indulging in your guilty pleasure.  Until word gets out about Shilla, you might not get caught. Next time you are buying the birthday cake, skip the Giant bakery and show up with a heavenly Vanilla Fruit Cake or a Mocha Cream Cake with Chocolate Sprinkles on top.