Tuesday, June 9, 2026

THE HAPPY TART IN FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3RD, 2026

Last week our son treated us to a favorite restaurant of his and our daughter-in-law. They had visited the previous week. Gregg was over the bad cold and cough he had, and was eager to get out, as was I. We found The Happy Tart a very unassuming and very pleasant place, with excellent food. They ordered at the counter and they were brought to the table not so long afterwards.

I had my eye on this framed photo on the wall, overlooking a canal in Amsterdam. Totally black and white except for the bicycle which was red. You can’t tell from this photo but that red of the bicycle really popped. Come to think of it, so did the color of the wall.

The menu photo also shows part of the ceiling, which interested me. I was having difficulty taking a photo later but son obliged…


and took this for me. Thanks son! 

It is the first time I have been in a 100% gluten-free bakery. I didn’t know beforehand and I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how delicious the pastry was on the quiche, and the same for Gregg’s chicken pot pie (top left). The crispy potatoes were delicious too. Also, the desserts later. On the right is my Quiche Lorraine and below is our son's Quiche Florentine, all individual sizes. Not shown is a small takeaway canister with a veggie salad.

Our desserts were a slice of opera cake for me, so delicious and chocolate-y. Son’s heart-shaped one was a New York cheesecake concoction and Gregg’s was a chocolate eclair, not shown. He and I took ours home which we enjoyed that evening.



More goodies below…


If you ever find yourself in the area I can highly recommend the place. It is on a busy road with on street parking, but there were also a couple of parking lots nearby, so son told me. He dropped us off and parked around the corner. He picked us up later after getting the car again. Each side of the street is filled with interesting little shops on the first floor. The Happy Tart is located on the ground floor of the Pearson Square apartments. The rest of the photos were taken outside or a couple of doors away.






These were taken in front of another shop.




I can see us going here again. It was a fun place and we had a very enjoyable lunch with our son. 
Here is a link to their menu if you would like to take a look here

Thanks for visiting and 
I hope you have a great day.






59 comments:

  1. It was a wonderful idea for your son and daughter-in-law to invite you there. It’s so lovely inside, and the delicious meals and cakes look amazing, too! You had beautiful weather as well.Beautiful photos!
    Thanks for sharing, dear Denise!
    Have a great day! Hugs, Elke

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    1. Thank you Elke and you are very welcome. It was only our son who took us to lunch. He and our d-in-l often have different working hours but we are looking forward to seeing her soon. It was lovely, great company, delicious food and a wonderful weather :) You have a great day also. Hugs, Denise

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  2. Those desserts look scrummy. It's so good that there are eating establishments which cater to individual tastes and needs these days. I remember when my children were small, they had friends who couldn't eat gluten, their parents used to pack them up their own little box of party food to bring with them. These days there's so many more options.

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    1. Thank you Jo, I couldn’t agree more :) I am thankful dietary restrictions are being better taken care of when people go out. We have come a long way and children don’t need to be left out :)

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  3. Hello, Denise
    It is always fun to try out new restaurants. I like the name The Happy Tart, the food and desserts look yummy! I like the fun outdoor decorations. Take care, enjoy your day! Have a great new week ahead.

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    1. Hello Eileen, it is indeed :) Thank you and I wish you the same.

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  4. Oh wow these cakes look amazing. Pie looks good too. I noticed Matcha on the menu. Matcha is really popular over here just now! Everywhere is selling them! :-D

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    1. That’s interesting about Matcha. You know, I have never tried it? I should take care of that :)

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    2. I like it a lot. Though I take it differently from most people. I just have it with hot water instead of milk. It is very good for you as well. Let me know how you get on with it :-D

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    3. Thanks Ananka :) I will let you know for sure :)

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  5. What a neat place. Your food looks delicious and those desserts oh my they made me hungry.

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    1. Thanks Ann, looking at these photos again, so am I :)

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  6. It's got the word happy so I'd have to go in. The Happy Tart. That's an excellent name. I love GF stuff as well as G stuff. I make both and also non-dairy and the thing is, I find anyway, people don't care if it's missing these things. It's wonderful these days. More and more (I find), just want it to taste good and have a good texture. Love that!

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  7. What good looking food. Your son finds some gems.

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  8. Family time and good food, what more can you ask?
    Amalia
    xo

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  9. Looks good. I still haven't had gluten-free.

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  10. Individual quiches? I have never seen that before, they look delicious!

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  11. I can see you and Gregg making a return visit. The food looks amazing.

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  12. WOW well I for sure see why son and dil love it. What a happy, place with delicious
    food for all no matter your diet restrictions. Guess who is hungry and also loves the red wall and tin ceiling tiles
    Hugs cecilia

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    1. Guess who is hungry too Cecilia :) and very happy you loved the red wall and tin ceiling tiles. Hugs, Denise

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  13. Honestly, if you hadn't mentioned it was a 100% gluten-free bakery, I never would have guessed from your description! Gluten-free pastry dough can be notoriously tricky to get right, so the fact that your Quiche Lorraine and Gregg's chicken pot pie were so incredibly delicious and flaky is a massive win. Those individual sizes are just perfect, too. Your opera cake is divine, and taking the chocolate eclair home for later was definitely the right move, there is nothing like ending the day with a gourmet dessert on the couch.

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    1. Thank you Melody, I would imagine it was very tricky and I wish I could have asked the chef if they held classes :) I agree, they were a wonderful end-of-the day treat.

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  14. It sounds delicious and well worth a return visit.

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  15. The Happy Tart - what a cute name for a restaurant. All gluten free - from the looks of it you would never ever know that. The food looked fabulous. Glad you got out.

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    1. I thought the same Sandie. I would love to know how they decided on that name :) Thank you, it was lovely getting out.

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  16. It all looks absolutely marvelous!! And it looks like a kind of artistic area as well. Their name tickles me. I would gain 100 pounds if this was near us.

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    1. It was definitely a fun place to visit Ginny. You’re right, I would like to explore that area more. And as to your last sentence, you and me both :)

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  17. Everything looks wonderful, but most of all, it sounds like such a wonderful day, all together!

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  18. It looks and sounds a great place.
    Lovely photographs ... I think a return visit may be in order :)

    All the best Jan

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    1. It was, thank you Jan :) I think so too. All the best, Denise

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  19. Me dio ganas de la comida. Te mando un beso.

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    1. Yo también mi amiga :) Gracias, te deseo un buen día y te mando un beso.

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  20. Not only was that a great place for food, there were neat little shops in the area.

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    1. I agree Red and it would have been fun to explore more. Thank you :)

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  21. This looks like a great place and too bad we don’t live closer because we would certainly that chicken pot pie and a dessert😋

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    1. Wouldn't that be lovely? Thank you Dorothy :)

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  22. What a fun place! I would go nuts in that bakery. Everything looks so delicious.

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    1. Easy to do in such a place. Thank you Karen :)

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  23. Your son is tall! It sounds like an enjoyable day with excellent food. Can't beat that!

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    1. He is 6 ft. 4 in. Sandra and you are right, a super day all-round. I can’t beat that at all. Thank you :)

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  24. It seems like you all had a wonderful time with delicious food. I know glufree food could be yummy since I had to bake and eat three German gluten free instant cheesecakes ( nobody wanted to buy it). I love your Quiche Lorraine and the Opera cake as well :-)

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    1. I think I must have tasted gluten free sometime, maybe wouldn’t have known. Oh no on your g-free cheesecakes but at least you got to enjoy them I guess. We can all be too set in our ways at times and are resistant to change. Thanks Claire :)

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  25. The food looks amazing. Hard to believe it's all gluten free.

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  26. It all sounds and looks delicious!
    I was born in Falls Church 😀

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    1. Thank you so much Granny Sue, and how great is that? :)

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