Cardinal Bakery

Introduction / Overview

For decades, Cardinal Bakery has been an anchor of fresh, high-quality baking in Northern Virginia, solidifying its reputation as a leading wholesale bakery in the greater Washington D.C. Metropolitan (DMV) area. Founded in 1985 by Joe Politano, whose baking journey began as an apprentice in Italy at the age of 11, Cardinal Bakery operates on a foundation of authentic, old-world craftsmanship combined with a commitment to modern efficiency. The core mission remains simple: to bake all night so that local businesses and individual customers wake up to the freshest bread possible.

While Cardinal Bakery is the preferred supplier for hundreds of Virginia's top restaurants, sandwich shops, and food establishments, it is also a Sterling-based institution that welcomes individual customers for direct takeout purchases. Specializing in brick oven breads, this family-owned and operated company takes immense pride in delivering products that are flavorful, preservative-free, and consistently excellent. The tradition and dedication to quality are evident in every crusty loaf and soft roll that leaves their facility. Having grown significantly since its inception, Cardinal Bakery now bakes and delivers over six tons of fresh bread daily, demonstrating its crucial role in feeding the DMV community.

Reviews consistently highlight the bakery’s unwavering quality, with one cafe manager noting, “Cardinal was a perfect supplier,” and another praising them as a “down to earth family company” supplying “delicious breads throughout the DMV area.” This dual focus on wholesale excellence and a welcoming family atmosphere makes Cardinal Bakery a distinctive and highly valued business within the Sterling, Virginia community.

Location and Accessibility

Cardinal Bakery is strategically located in the commercial heart of Sterling, Virginia, positioning it perfectly for both local takeout customers and its extensive regional delivery routes throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. The facility is situated near Dulles Airport, reflecting its growth and need for better access to distribution.

The physical address is: 22704 Commerce Center Ct #100, Sterling, VA 20166, USA.

This location is part of the robust Sterling business community, easily reachable for those in the 20166 area and surrounding Loudoun County. For customers visiting the facility directly for takeout, the bakery provides essential accessibility features:

• Wheelchair accessible entrance
• Wheelchair accessible parking lot

The commercial center setting, combined with these accessibility accommodations, ensures that all customers and wholesale partners can conduct their business efficiently and comfortably.

Services Offered

As primarily a wholesale operation, Cardinal Bakery’s menu is extensive, focusing on high-volume, professional-grade bread products. However, these same fresh, high-quality items are available for individual purchase via takeout at their Sterling location. The product line is built around meeting the diverse needs of the restaurant and catering industry, offering a rich variety of staples and specialty items:

• Specialty Breads: Handmade, hearth-baked artisan loaves, including the large, hard-crust Italian Bread (available plain or with sesame seeds), French Bread baguettes (28” hard crust or 18” softshell), Sicilian Round, and Neopolitan Round (known for its airy, crusty texture).
• Sub and Hero Rolls: A foundation of many local sandwich shops, offerings include the Small Hero (7”), Large Hero (10”), and Super Hero (12”) sub rolls, with options for a screen-baked (softer crust) or hearth-baked (harder crust) finish, and Whole Wheat alternatives.
• Sandwich Rolls and Buns: Includes Kaiser Rolls (regular and medium), Onion Kaiser rolls, premium Hamburger Buns (regular and small), Hot Dog Buns, New England Potato Rolls, and Brioche Rolls (egg-based semi-sweet dough).
• Sliced Loaves: Traditional options such as Square White Bread and Square Whole Wheat Bread (Pullman loaves), as well as Deli Loaves like Pumpernickel and Marble loaves, available unsliced or pre-sliced to various thicknesses.
• Breakfast Items: Various Bagels (Plain, Sesame Seed, Onion, Garlic, Cinnamon Raison, Poppy Seed, Whole Wheat, Everything) sold in six-packs, as well as all-butter Croissants and Texas Toast.
• Dinner Rolls: Ideal for table service, available in regular and mini sizes in White (plain, poppy, sesame), Whole Wheat, Mini Footballs, and Mini Brioche options.
• Pizza Dough and Flatbreads: Includes pre-formed Pizza Flat Bread and large Focaccia sheets (plain or topped with various seasonings like rosemary or onion).

Features / Highlights

Cardinal Bakery's long history and unique operational model offer several distinct advantages and highlights for both businesses and individual consumers in the Virginia market:

• Family Legacy of Quality: The bakery traces its roots to a decades-old Italian baking apprenticeship, maintaining a strict focus on traditional methods and fresh, preservative-free ingredients, ensuring exceptional flavor and texture.
• Wholesale Reputation: Having served the DMV area since 1985, Cardinal Bakery is highly regarded among food service professionals for its consistent, high-quality product, evidenced by the long-term relationships with local cafes and restaurants.
• Specialization in Brick Oven Breads: The use of brick-lined ovens for their artisan and specialty breads imparts a desirable crust and authentic flavor that sets their products apart from mass-produced alternatives.
• Preservative-Free Products: A significant commitment to freshness, with many products proudly baked with simple ingredients and delivered daily, eliminating the need for artificial preservatives.
• Direct-to-Customer Takeout: While a wholesale operation, the ability for the local public to purchase these premium products directly via takeout offers a superior quality bread option for family meals and gatherings.

Contact Information

For wholesale inquiries, direct orders, or general questions, Cardinal Bakery can be reached at their Sterling facility.

Address: 22704 Commerce Center Ct #100, Sterling, VA 20166, USA

Phone: (703) 430-1600

Orders for next-day delivery are typically required before 3:00 p.m., highlighting the bakery’s tight production schedule to ensure early morning freshness for its business clients.

What is Worth Choosing

For any Virginia resident or business in the Northern Virginia area seeking superior bread products, Cardinal Bakery is worth choosing due to its foundational values and demonstrable quality. The key distinction lies in the bakery's identity: it is a wholesale powerhouse with a decades-long family commitment to traditional, preservative-free baking. When you choose a product from Cardinal Bakery, you are selecting the exact same high-quality Italian, French, and artisan breads that Virginia's most respected restaurants and sandwich shops rely on daily.

This unwavering consistency and superior product quality—praised by long-standing business partners and individual customers alike—make it a standout choice. For the local consumer in Sterling, the opportunity to bypass traditional retail distribution and purchase these exceptional, fresh-baked goods directly via takeout provides access to a level of freshness and craftsmanship that is difficult to find elsewhere. Whether you are stocking a cafe kitchen with Super Hero sub rolls or simply want an authentic, crusty Italian loaf for your family dinner, Cardinal Bakery offers a taste of true, old-world baking right here in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Cardinal Bakery

22704 Commerce Center Ct #100, Sterling, VA 20166, USA