Capital One’s DCA Lounge Has Cream-Filled Pastries So Good I’ve Gone Back For Seconds

Capital One Landing at Washington National serves cream-filled pastries that are among the best things I’ve eaten in an airport. I was just there again and while the José Andrés steak, garlic shrimp and Spanish ham garners most of the attention these are really worth trying. They’re called xuixos, and if you’ve walked past them thinking they’re just another lounge croissant, you’ve missed something. I’ve written about these before. On one visit I went back for a second crema catalana pastry. On another, I was disappointed that they didn’t have that filling, but still ate one and a half of the other pastries. You might be skeptical they’re worth the calories. You’re wrong. A xuixo is a traditional pastry from Girona in Catalonia, Spain, first created in 1918. It’s filled with custard, fried, and coated with sugar. It’s a mix between fried croissant and filled doughnut. You get the crisp exterior, sugar on the outside, and cream inside. You don’t expect to find a good version beside the American Airlines gates at National airport. Xuixo is the standard Catalan spelling, and the plural is xuixos. Capital One’s labels use xuxo, which is apparently an alternative spelling for the same pastry. On my visit there were three varieties: Vanilla, citrus & cinnamon. The smaller print on the label identifies the filling as crema catalana which is how I’ve referenced them before, but telling people the ingredients is probably more helpful than the name. Passionfruit. Passionfruit cream with lime zest. Chocolate. Chocolate cream. The chocolate wasn’t out when I first went up to the counter. It was replenished. I went looking for other people talking about these, but it really hasn’t gotten that much attention and very little about how they taste. I like the afternoon food here generaly better but the breakfast is among the best you’ll find in a lounge, since those usually disappoint. Topics on this page