Social Bakehouse Cafe, Arlington

There’s a big difference between the muffins you pluck from the grocery shelf and those you choose from the counter at Social Bakehouse Cafe. That’s because the in-house bakers wake up early every morning in order to have fluffy cupcakes, flaky scones, and gooey cinnamon rolls freshly made just as customers begin flocking to the shop’s counters.

The pastry chefs liberally wield frosting guns over sweets, applying sugary flowers to the borders of custom cakes and creating seasonal designs on cookies and pumpkins trying to expand their resumés. Once the bakery rush subsides, chefs turn their attention to lunch dishes, such as mandarin chicken wraps and spinach salads drizzled with house-made dressing.