If you’re in the mood for unfiltered, uncut carbs, the pretzel is your best bet–it’s one of the few ways to acceptably, and relatively shamelessly, munch on a piece of bread in the middle of the day. But even though the humble pretzel has always been there for us in the darkest times, we’ve mostly neglected it from a culinary perspective, content to let it stagnate in its simple combination of dense, browned, and slightly sweet bread, with a heavy sprinkle of salt making things just a touch more interesting.
That, I hereby contend, is a mistake. The simplicity of the pretzel is what gives it so much potential—whether as a platform for interesting culinary experimentations, or as a venue for crafty bakers to show off their skills. Here, we’ve gathered together NoVA’s pretzel artists, from Bavarian traditionalists to avant-garde agitators.
Village Brauhaus
This pretzel is imported from Germany, but the supersized snack–fluffy and bready on the inside, crackly on the outside–is the kind of stomach-stuffer that Americans will feel right at home with. What really makes this pretzel worthy of German beerhall are the dips that accompany it. Their Bavarian cheese dip, traditionally known as obatzda in Germany, has a surprisingly savory-sweet onion note running through it, so that each bite ends up being a little like a chewy French onion soup. The sweet mustard dip transforms things again; it’s almost jammy, and makes for a good end to the meal (you’ll probably want to request extra.) 710 King St., Alexandria
Bronson Bierhall
Bronson Bierhall figured out that if you cut a pretzel lengthways, you can slide in just about anything delicious under the sun and make it work: Their lengthy menu includes tasty oddities like a Blue Crab pretzel and a Tomato Caprese pretzel. It might be a little square (or conventionally pretzel-shaped, anyway) but their Stuffed Pretzel, simply smothered with cheese, inside and out, is the best place to start. The massive pretzel is lighter and softer than your typical craft pretzel, which keeps the heaviness of the house cheese blend from overwhelming. For anyone who’s ever melted a slice of cheddar on a Super Pretzel in the microwave– which, don’t get me wrong, is a delicacy–think of this as the apotheosis. 4100 Fairfax Dr., Arlington
Swiss Bakery
The best Bavarian pretzel you’ll get in NoVA might come from a Swiss baker (the region and the country, respectively, are catty-corner from one another.) The giant pretzel is dark and curvy, classically thickening to the point of splitting at the bottom, while thinning and getting pretty wonky shaped up top. It’s buttery and fluffy and chewy all at the same time—just the way it ought to be. 5224 Port Royal Rd., Springfield
Nordic Knot
Nordic Knot’s Everything Pretzel plays on Bavarian-style pretzels’ similarity to another, dense, curvy bread product with a lye-dipped (the process that gives pretzels their sheen) exterior: the bagel. It’s a conscientiously crafted, traditional pretzel, made with two different kinds of wheat, but it’s covered in a particularly pungent everything bagel spice mix. The difference between this pretzel and a bagel ends up being subtle, but the pretzel is slightly sweeter and heartier. Plus, you know, it’s a different shape. Eat it, and you’ll have one question: Are pretzels now a breakfast food? 11412 Washington Plaza West, Reston
Feature image by Mike Ramm
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