Beard Papa’s

If you like cream puffs and eclairs, this is the place for you. Actually, even if you don’t think you like cream puffs and eclairs (like my wife), you may end up liking this spot (like my wife).
We ended up eating our desserts so quickly that I forgot to take a picture of them, if that tells you anything.

yummm fresh cream puffs. $ 3 each. The vanilla bean cream is delicious, and the puff is absolutely stuffed. So good. Not overly sweet or anything either
The store is small and up Wisconsin a little from M street in Georgetown. They have puffs, eclairs, other pastries and cakes and stuff.
Will visit the new VA location and hopefully can try the matcha puff

Absolutely loved the parfait only available in DC. The cream puff itself is crispier than I was used to and the custard was a more subtle sweet than others around but that was why it worked! The parfait comes with whipped cream and fresh fruits that put it over the top.
The chocolate éclair is similar but without the whipped cream and fruits and with the top dipped in a semisweet chocolate. The slightly bitter chocolate and slightly sweet custard with the crispy puff really make for a fun tasty bite.
Make sure to snag a bunch of napkins because the puff oozes goodness with every bite.
The one down side is the coffee is not good. :(

These cream puffs which originated from Japan are balls of goodness. I came in late on a Saturday night just 20 minutes until closing time. Unfortunately by that time, a lot of their cream puffs have sold out but I was able to get 5 mini cream puffs — 3 filled with vanilla topped with powdered sugar and 2 filled with chocolate topped with cocoa powder and a Choux Parfait, a cream puff with fruit filling that is exclusive to this DC location. The Choux Parfait was big!
I’ve never been a huge fan of cream puffs but these have definitely changed the game for me. The cream puffs are very light, creamy and not too sweet. You can easily eat a bunch of the minis in one sitting and not even realize it. I love the fact they are not soggy either because the puffs are not filled until you order them. Shop is small and the staff was very nice. I will be returning to try a lot more flavors!

I first had Beard Papa’s in California and loved it. I was excited to find out that it came to the DC area. It’s a cute shop in Georgetown that specializes in cream puffs and other sweet treats. You pick your filling (on this day there was chocolate, vanilla, and hazelnut) and whether you want a mini or regular size cream puff. We decided on two regular sized cream puffs filled with chocolate, and covered with powdered sugar. No sharing on this day– we each wanted our own treat!
The cream puffs are just as good as a remember; light, fluffy, and filled with a delicious custard. I didn’t think I could finish mine in one sitting but I was wrong. I ate the whole thing. Definitely recommend a visit to Beard Papa’s.

It would be asinine of me to complain because I’ve long awaited BP’s presence in the DC metro area for years so I’m grateful for their existence. I have been to plenty BP’s during my travels so I did have some expectations. It is after all a franchise chain — you can’t really mess up a cream puff, right?
During my first visit, it was my mission to swing by here so I called ahead prior to them closing to give them a heads up and to ask what their flavors of the day were so I could plan my order in advance. =D That night, they had: original vanilla, chocolate, and banana which we all tasted BUT nothing beats the vanilla. I repeat. Nothing.
Our guy ended up having to make extra filling that night because they were tapped out, but it was worth the wait. Our cream puffs were oozing with filling so no complaints there. The only flavor I keep missing on my visits is the matcha green tea which I’ll be on the lookout for.
Price is the same — $ 3.50 for the regular size and less ($X.XX) for the mini cream puffs. I can’t justify ever getting the minis because they just don’t have the capacity to hold all the divinely delicious filling. GO BIG OR GO HOME, KIDS!
Service was friendly and accommodating even on such short notice so I appreciated that as a customer.
Personal Request/​Suggestion Box: I hope they start making the cookie crunch cream puff shells because they stand up better against the filling and don’t go soggy as quickly as the regular shells IMO.

I’m almost too embarrassed to say that I ordered an original vanilla cream puff, dulce de leche vanilla puff, choux parfait, and 5 mini puffs… and finished them within 5 minutes. That’s how good it is! Ok — I think there’s a bit too much cream — they’re less sweet than your regular, overly-​sweet vanilla cream, but still a lot to take in when you have so many in one setting. (So you’ll probably be fine eating one or two or three at a time. Just not 8… oops.)
If I must rate, I’d say choux parfait (fruit with vanilla cream) is my #1 favorite, followed by original vanilla cream, dulce de leche vanilla cream, chocolate filling, apple cinnamon (flavor of the week). They have green tea soon — You bet I’ll be there ASAP! I really, really love the flakey shell. It is definitely texturely-​stimulating. The cream is sweet but not too sweet, and the combination is just heavenly.
The store is small and on the Wednesday morning that I was there, it was not busy and has only one Asian lady serving. She was very friendly and helpful!
LOVE THIS PLACE! Just be careful not to be too addicted!

These teeny-​tiny, airy, creamy, calorie bombs are going to be the death of me. I can just feel it!
I was walking in Georgetown when I heard the people behind me speaking excitedly about taking a little trip to Beard Papa’s. From them on, my mind was on a one mind track. MUST HAVE CREAM PUFFS!
Luckily, I was with my sugar cohort, Gretchen P and she was just as game as me to indulge in this French connection. The store is small and unassuming but inside is warm and brightly lit. There was one cashier and he was super excited to describe all the goodies they had in stock.
Since I wanted to try… everything…he suggested that I get a mini box of five eclairs so I can get a feel of their vanilla, chocolate and apple cinnamon pastry creams. He picked out five pastry puffs and filled them on demand and boxed them up with a cute little yellow and blue sticker with Beard Papa’s signature face on it.
I thought I was going to eat half and bring the rest home to the hubby to enjoy but I ended up eating everything on the spot. It was like eating sweet mountain air! So light and airy — the dough melted in my mouth and the cream (apple cinnamon and vanilla) was like music on my tongue.

I love me some cream puffs, so when I discovered that Beard Papa’s was coming to DC I was super excited. I was in Georgetown this past weekend, and Will C. conveniently remembered that we needed to swing by for a mid-​afternoon snack.
Beard Papa’s is a small store with about 5 seats at the counter. Definitely not good for large groups, but that’s all relatively unimportant because you’re here to get your hands on cream puffs! Beard Papa’s offers a variety of cream puffs and fillings to pick and choose from. When I visited over the weekend, they offered:
— Original shell (mini size and regular size)
— Éclair shell
— Paris brest shell
— Dulce de leche shell
— Choux Parfaits (aka, a cream puff with vanilla/​custard filling with fruit) — this is unique to their DC location, so I recommend giving this a try!
As for the fillings, they were offering chocolate, vanilla, and cherry (seasonal). Their special fillings change from week to week, so take a look at their calendar located on the counter and make note of what fillings you’d like to try.
We weren’t looking to stuff ourselves silly before dinner, so we each got one of their Choux Parfaits. I really enjoyed the light, fluffy texture of the cream and the fruit toppings had that right amount of tartness/​sweetness. As others have noted, Beard Papa’s is Japanese/​French inspired, so their fare is not too sweet. This was a major plus for me because I prefer desserts on the less sweet side anyways.
This particular location of Beard Papa’s also serves coffee from Intelligentsia (locations in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York). Though I didn’t get a cup of joe myself, it’s nice to know that they serve some quality coffee.
I’ll definitely be back for more the next time I’m in Georgetown!

Beard Papa’s is a cream puff store that originates from Japan. If you are strolling around in Georgetown they are conveniently located a few blocks off M Street. I had the opportunity to try out this place this past weekend. Alexis K and I stopped by around 2 PM on a Saturday and we were quickly served. Their menu is quite simple– coffee and cream puffs. The seating is very limited (4 stools) so you will probably have to to-​go your pastry when it’s busy.
Originally we were going to get the mini cream puffs which comes with 5 per order. We would have opted for 3 vanillas, 2 chocolates and 1 cherry (flavor of the week) topping. However as we got closer to the register we saw the DC exclusive choux parfait and opted for two of them. All of their cream puffs are topped with either vanilla, chocolate or the flavor of the week on the spot after you order. I am glad we opted for the choux parfait since it was delicious. The crème is light, fluffy and not too sweet. The fruit also complimented the crème well. Next time I am in Georgetown I will definitely stop by again to try out the other crème puffs they offer. If you aren’t a huge fan of desserts that are decadently sweet then this will be perfect for you.

About 5 or 6 months ago, I strolled down Wisconsin Avenue with my friend. She got all excited that a Beard Papa was coming to the DC area. Fast forward 6 months later and after several delays the Beard Papa’s is now open! I heard this is a popular franchise in Japan and in California. Basically, they are cream puffs. On the suggestion of the sales lady, I decided to try a sampler of the mini puffs for $ 4.75. I decided to finish all 5 mini puffs in the store. I have to say these are very good mini puffs. .. they have the right texture and the filling was great.. . pleasantly surprised.

I was excited to spot this place while traversing Georgetown since I’ve always wanted to try Beard Papa’s. The guy at the counter was exceptionally friendly and let us sample their seasonally appropriate cherry filling, which was quite good — very creamy and maraschino-​cherry flavored. The store itself is small but bright, with a counter stocked full of golden cream puff shells.
I decided on a regular sized puff with the classic vanilla filling. It was quite good, although I would have liked an eggier and more substantial shell. It’s just a personal, stylistic preference. The custard was very good, lightly sweet with a rich vanilla flavor. It was enjoyable but not mind-​blowing.
I went at around 7, when Georgetown has basically winded down, so there was no wait whatsoever. Getting cream puff in hand literally took like a minute. The price is reasonable, at $ 3 for quite a big puff. If you’re in the mood for cream puffs, then yes, I would totally recommend Beard Papa’s!

I was walking by Beard Papa’s in Georgetown and saw a line: good sign. A young woman waiting to order advised me to get the plain cream puffs (with powdered sugar). Delicious. The chou was superb and the cream was half custardy, half creamy. Perfect. I ordered one of the eclairs (chocolate iced) as well, with the chocolate cream. Mmmm. This place is such an interesting concept for D.C. We have lots of themed bakeries selling cupcakes, pies, and macarons — but none specializing in chou pastry and eclairs (wait, Paul’s does excellent eclairs).
In Paris, the rage is now designer eclairs (e.g., L’éclair de Génie) — so, perhaps for once, D.C. will be ahead of (or at least on par with) NYC on this trend!

My cousin posted a picture and I thought it looked amazing! So today I decided to make my way to Georgetown and I dislike going in DC because it is always so crowded and people drive crazy.
We had dinner first then walked over to Beard Papa. When I walked in, I was expecting more to stick out and be like «TRY ME!» but it didn’t. I ordered 5 mini puffs and a chocolate éclair. It is filled to order so I got everything filled with vanilla. They also had chocolate filling and banana filling. The texture of the puff itself is good and the filling was ok. You also get a choice if you want powdered sugar on it or not. We didn’t get enough on ours. A few people came in after us and they were very confused with the concept and the girl at the counter seemed like she didn’t have the patient to go over it.
The vibe was off and it wasn’t very friendly until we were leaving — they decide to scream have a good night when we’re already out the door but it’s the thought that counts right? Will definitely not haul my butt all the way here for this again but if I’m passing by — I’ll stop in for a cream puff.

This place is disappointing. There’s no finesse to the shape or look of the puffs and the flavors are OK. I suppose the price matches it’s appearance. The staff is friendly.
I bought a box of 5 mini cream puffs for essentially $ 5. They were filled with vanilla, chocolate, and the flavor of the day — green tea I ate two right away and saved three for later. The remaining three were really soggy so you need to eat these right away. Good puffs should have a bit of bite to them to contrast with the soft cream. The choux had more of a soft croissant texture. Not my cup of tea.

i love me some choux and i was just underwhelmed with beard papa’s.
the concept is simple, pick your pastry and your filling. i tried a plain puff with chocolate, chocolate puff with green tea (flavor of the day), and then a chocolate with nuts filled with vanilla. pretty much one of everything.
i can’t pinpoint exactly what it was that i didn’t like. the chocolate puffs were refrigerated and hard so eating the puff was very messy as the chocolate would crack and cream would fall out from the sides leaving you in a sticky situation (see what i did there?).
they also had mini choux, round eclairs that could be filled, and a fruit parfait choux.
i wouldn’t make a trek out for just for these but if you are in the area and in the mood, give it a try.

Beard Papa’s is the perfect spot in Georgetown to satisfy that sweet tooth!
As a big fan of crème puffs, I was delighted when I accidentally stumbled upon this store. The menu isn’t extensive because their main focus is the puffs and they do it very well!
After choosing your shell, you have the option of choosing your filling as well. They offer three options: Chocolate, Vanilla and the flavor of the week. When I made my stop, the flavor of the week was Hazelnut. Absolutely delicious and baked fresh!
Definitely stopping by again when I’m in the area.

Although hard to tell by the logo and name, Beard Papa is actually a Japanese dessert chain. I had my first Beard Papa cream puff in Beijing about 6 years ago and I was blown away at how delicious it was. Something so simple yet so delicious. It’s just amazing!
The menu at the Georgetown location isn’t extensive, and it shouldn’t be. The focus is clearly on the cream puffs and they do it very well here. The café also serves coffee, which compliments the cream puffs well. The puffs come in various flavors but vanilla is clearly the highlight. They also have chocolate, hazelnut, and various other «flavors of the day».
If you happen to be in Georgetown, you should stop here for a snack. Definitely worth a visit!

Probably more than a decade behind its New York store, we have finally gotten a Beard Papa in Washington DC! Yay! With much excitement, I went here yesterday under 7 degree temperature outside, and had a wonderful Japanese (and French) style Cream Puff!
We Japanese are very familiar with this kind of cream puffs just because we grow up eating these but for those who are not very familiar with it, it is a crisp light round shape shell made with flour, butter, eggs and water, filled with custard or fresh cream or combination of both inside. I prefer these much more to the ones filled with chocolate cream.
There were 2 seats on the left side as you enter, against the window and maybe two more against the wall I think. It is a small space but very new and clean.
They fill the cream of your choice after you place your order, so it is so nice and fresh. Crisp shell outside and very fresh tasting yummy cream inside!
There are regular size and mini size. I personally like the shell cream ratio of the regular size. The cream is less sweet to the American standards but perfect for Japanese and European standards.
I spotted a Japanese lady working in the kitchen and later out in the front area. Her name is Nobuko-​san. I spoke to her and told her that I liked the cream puff very very much. It is always good to give the chefs good feedback if you really like the food.

I love when you call me Beard Papa… throw ya hands in the air if ya… love cream puffs?
The long-​awaited opening of the DC location of Beard Papa’s has finally happened and these sweet treats are definitely worth the wait. This location is smaller with only a handful of seats but you’ll only need a couple of minutes to devour this perfect dessert.
The process goes this: choose your type of pastry shell, pick a flavored filling, and proceed to enjoy. You can get these with or without powdered sugar… it’s a light dusting so go for it!
My favorite is the éclair with vanilla filling. Chocolate shell topped original puff which is airy and a bit crispy and the amount of filling is just right. They offer a choux pastry which is exclusive to DC… oh you know how we love to have things all to ourselves in the District. Other options are the original puff, mini puffs, or the paris brest. If you buy any 6, get $ 1 off as if I needed any additional motivation to buy allll of the puffs. I can’t wait until they have the green tea filling that I’ve had at other locations.
I highly recommend you try a few different puff combination and enjoy as a snack or after a delicious dinner!

Very yummy. Worth the pilgrimmage, at least once. You choose a cream puff format (shell): Paris Brest type of shell (3 dollars and change), Traditional large-​ish pastry size cream puff (also 3 dollars and change), or traditional cream puff minis (5 for 4 dollars and change). Then, you choose which flavors of pudding-​like cream puff filling: example– classic vanilla, chocolate or the flavor of the day, which at the moment is a subtle strawberry. Then they pipe the filling into your shell of choice.
I tried them all. My favorite was the traditional cream puff shell (the larger single size one) paired with the vanilla filling. All of their items are perfectly not too sweet, and light.
Location: Georgetown, just past Glover Park– Wisconsin @Dumbarton street.
Go check it out!

I’ve been waiting for this place to open since last year. I went for the soft opening and it was great. I should of gotten more than just one puff. The puff is made to order with your choice of filling. The filling is not too sweet, which I prefer. The puff itself was fresh, soft and the first bite I took had a crisp to it. I’m totally coming back here to try the flavors of the week as well as getting the regular vanilla filled puff.

Got to try Beard Papa’s on a trip to Taiwan a couple of years back so was ectastic to hear there would be a location in DC! It’s been a long waiting since they were originally scheduled to open last spring/​summer, but it’s finally open!
It’s a pretty small shop, no sit down area but a little bit of counter space to stand up and munch. This location is smaller than other places in that there’s more limited selection: for filling, it’s vanilla, chocolate and the flavor of the week (currently strawberry, but one of the employees said there will be green tea in the future since they’ve already gotten quite a few requests for it).
While maybe lacking a bit in number of offerings, the quality is great and what one’d expect from the place that is fairly well known in Asia as one of the best cream puff places! The customer ahead of me went outside but came back in later and ordered more because he liked it so much!

The correct address is at 1332 Wisconsin Ave NW! Beard Papa’s has been around since ’99 and originates from Osaka. They offer a variety of different flavored puffs with different fillings, such as: dulce de leche, cookie crunch, cocoa puff, milk chocolate, strawberries & cream, mochi, almond éclair, apple cinnamon, peaches & cream, chocolate banana, pumpkin, calpico soda, very very berry, grapefruit jelly, etc. The key is to make sure you go there early enough to get fresh ones! I was ecstatic to see that a Beard Papa FINALLY opened up shop in Georgetown, as I will now be able to stuff myself silly with the cream puffs! When you walk in, choose the ‘shell’ you want (the specialty éclair, éclair, mini, pairs brest, or the original puff); then, the custard filling (vanilla, chocolate, or the flavor of the week (currently, it’s strawberry)). Just note that the Choux Parfaits are DC-​only! They also have chocolate au fondants to order as well. I feel as if there are more flavor varieties at other Beard Papa locations, so I’m hoping that the DC ones either rotate their filling flavors! My personal favorite is the Éclair (cream puff dipped in chocolate), filled with your choice of filling (I opt for the vanilla custard). The Choux Parfait was okay, but it seems as if all their custards are more on the ‘bland’ side, as they hardly taste like the flavor (was not a fan of the dulce de leche, the chocolate, and the strawberry!). There is only a limited standing counter area, but mostly it’s to-​go. Staff members are pretty friendly, and they take their time to fill the cream puffs, so please be patient! You can opt for some powdered sugar sprinklings on top — just let them know! Make sure you stop by to say ‘Hello’ and taste some of their fresh puffs!!!
+soft opening ¹⁄₂₉; grand opening on ¹⁄₃₀!
+fresh cream puffs with abundance of cream filling: D (Éclair with vanilla custard)
+optional powdered sugar sprinklings
+more ‘bland’ custard fillings
+no seating area — just counters
+always a cute logo: D