The line formed early on Saturday, April 11, stretching from the door of St. George’s Boulangerie on C Street SE, across from Eastern Market. By midmorning, it ran down the block toward Pennsylvania Avenue, a steady column of neighbors waiting for a first taste. Passersby asked what was going on. When they found out Boulangerie Saint George was open, they latched onto the end of the line themselves.
Customers pressed inside, excited to see the space that had been wrapped in paper and mystery for the past two years. They peered into the glass cases at the colorful pastries and taking photos. “Everyone’s very excited,” one voice said over the noise.
Anticipation had time to build, as the opening took far longer than expected. Co-owners Lounes Khenane and Bouzid Aissaoui own and operate restaurants in Europe, including Chez Suzette in Paris. Kenane said the delays reflected forces largely outside the owners’ control.
“Business in DC, it takes a long time,” he acknowledged. But as to the reason why the opening took exceptionally long, he offered one word: “tariffs,” Khenane said.
Two years ago, Khenane and Aissaoui decided to prioritize a quality European approach to everything about their new District businesses. The bakery is built with imported equipment, materials and staff. It turned out, that choice would slow nearly every step of the process.
For instance, two years ago, when they had just decided to open the bakery, the team found the perfect oven. “It’s coming from Italy,” Kenane’s friend Carrie recalled being told at the time. “This is going to be perfect.”
Instead, the oven sat in customs for nearly a year, as tariffs, paperwork and shipping constraints delayed its release. Equipment arrived in pieces, often from different countries, including Spain, Italy and France, each shipment subject to its own delays. At times, the bakery struggled to secure space on container ships as larger companies paid for priority.
Those challenges slowed construction, pushed back installation and forced the owners to delay hiring. By the time the space came together, they had paid rent on the space for nearly two years.
It wasn’t just the equipment. Key staff were brought in from France, including the manager, boulanger and patisserie, who shape both the menu and the methods used in the kitchen.
At the counter, patisserie Slama Abdenour moved along a display of finished work, describing flavors and techniques in a mix of English and French. Pistachio, strawberry, chocolate, each pastry finished with careful detail. “This is typical from France,” he said, pointing to the cakes, layered in cream and chocolate lightly dusted in a gold powder.
Abdenour takes his role seriously. “He’s not buying passion fruit juice,” Hawa, a barista who will be familiar to many from her days at Radici, said of Abdenour. “He’s making it from scratch.”
The boulanger, or bread specialist, Theo, prepares different loaves in a two day process using butter and flour from France. The bakery offers multiple baguettes and rustic loaves, along with smaller formats designed for sandwiches. Customers can also purchase full loaves to take home, all made from the same base dough, shaped differently depending on the final use.
Theo also comes from France. He said he was introduced to Khenane and co-owner Bouzid Aissaoui through friends. They told him about the concept in a telephone call, and he accepted the job, moving to the District and taking the job sight unseen.
Staff say that prices are designed to ensure products remain within reach for many customers. While espresso drinks and matcha can rise as high as $7.50, most pastries are less than five dollars and drip coffee is closer to $4. Prepared salads fall in about $12.
The boulangerie will expand in stages, as the roadblocks remaining are lifted. Bistro items, including small plates and a “french hamburger” will be offered as part of a lunch menu. Saint George’s holds a liquor license and will serve wine and beer alongside lunch items. They also plan to sell bottles, bread and picnic items on shelves, market-style.
Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen (D), who stopped by during the opening, said neighbors have been eagerly waiting for the bakery to open for some time.
“This is a special corner of Capitol Hill,” he said. “You’re gonna run to your neighbors. We’re all going to find each other out there on the sidewalk, and I already can vouch for a good little latte here.”
He pointed to the outdoor seating and sidewalk as part of the design, a place where residents will run into one another and linger. “We’re all going to find each other out there,” he said, adding that he was “excited to have this corner back to life. That’s the biggest part of this for me.”
The opening marks only the first phase of the business. For now, the focus remains on pastries, bread and coffee, with hours set from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
In the coming weeks, the owners plan to introduce a bistro menu that will add sandwiches and hot items, including a French-style burger. They will expand service gradually as staff settle into the space and refine operations.
The bakery also plans to serve alcohol once the bistro opens, offering wine and small plates aimed at customers who want to stay into the evening.
Further additions will follow. The owners intend to bring in gelato, though that timeline depends on the arrival of equipment from Italy, a process that has already proven unpredictable and could take six months.
On Saturday, however, it was clear that what they started with was already a success. By the end of the day, the line had thinned but had not disappeared. Outside, neighbors lingered on the patio in the sunshine, glad to reclaim the corner.
Follow Boulangerie Saint Georges on Instagram @saintgeorges.dc
