Venture on down to the southern haven that is Charleston, South Carolina, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of specialty shops, privately owned local hotels, and individual feel of downtown and its cross streets. If you’re looking for baked goods, Charleston has some of the best the country has to offer, and there are more than enough friendly bakeries and southern style biscuits to go around. Here are seven of the best places to get your pastries in Charleston.
This charming, small town biscuit shop has been featured in the New York Timestwice. Owner of Callie’s and daughter of culinary ace Callie White, Carrie Morey continues her legacy by preparing some of Charleston’s best biscuits. Both Food Networkand Martha Stewart have recognized Morey for her visionary status as a caterer and master baker. Her country ham biscuits are a favorite, and not just in Charleston. Peruse her retail selection and take some of Callie’s home for the whole family.
Sugar Bakeshop may be best described for its community-oriented disposition – its owners left the bustling allure of the Big Apple and found a new home in the southern cradle city of Charleston, South Carolina. The neighborhood bakeshop sources its ingredients locally (farm fresh eggs, herbs from an on-site garden plot) and their website’s homepage even features a communal outreach post for togetherness (addressing the city’s tragic incidents of mid-June 2015). Cupcakes, tarts, and cookies are all made in-house and fresh to order. Address & telephone number: Sugar Bakeshop, 59 Cannon Street, Charleston, SC, USA, + 1 843 579 2891
Cupcake DownSouth
Cupcake DownSouth’s ‘banana split’ cupcake is elaborate and handcrafted, with banana icing, chocolate ganache, and a cherry on top. At ‘South Carolina’s Sweet Spot,’ as some call it, sweet cream butter and real vanilla beans go into these baked creations, all made from scratch. With plenty of samples and up to a dozen different flavors daily, variety is never an issue here. Cupcake DownSouth also specializes in event catering (weddings, especially) and delivery, which you can investigate on their website. Address & telephone number: Cupcake Down South, 433 King Street, Charleston, SC, USA, + 1 843 853 8181
If in search of something a bit heartier, visit Village Bakery, just across the quaint East Cooper River. While Village Bakery harbors plenty of options for dessert, its sandwiches, soups, and salads are also good picks to try. Restaurant owner Sal Parco has also championed a handful of other successful individual favorites in the Mount Pleasant and Charleston areas. Order the turkey and provolone sandwich, then follow that up with a multi-layered fudge brownie, or any of the other farm-to-table choices Village Bakery serves. Address & telephone number: Village Bakery, 125 Pitt Street, Mount Pleasant, SC, USA, + 1 843 216 6771
Located in the historic district amid pleasant private hotels and retail stores, Bakehouse Charleston is one of the city’s premier stops for cakes, cookies, tarts, brownies, and other pastries. The custom-roasted coffee is not bad either – and Bakehouse just started serving locally crafted beer! The inside is clean cut and conservatively decorated, making it a simple yet desirable place to have a seat and relax for an hour or so. Bakehouse Charleston specializes in custom designed cakes. Specify a creation and Bakehouse will concretize it into physical, delicious form.
Kaminsky’s is also located downtown; its awnings rest atop a front window that gives way to several samples of their in-house baked delights. Signature desserts at Kaminsky’s include, but are by no means limited to, toll-house pie, key lime pie, red velvet cake, cookie cake, and more. The selection changes daily and is somewhat erratic – this should provide guests with all the more reason to visit more than just once. Don’t forget about Kaminsky’s sundaes and milkshakes, located at the bottom of their menu. The brownie sundae, served with a Dutch cocoa brownie, vanilla bean ice cream, and, of course, chocolate sauce, is not to miss.
Owner Mathieu Richard’s bakeshop could not be much more authentic; after all, the man did teach himself how to bake. It looks like he did more than a good job, too, because his community-supported bakery, Baguette Magic, specializes in artisanal baked goods such as baguettes, croissants, and more – and scores positive reviews over its local pursuits from local authority Dish, as well as the Charleston City Paper. Stop by Baguette Magic and experience the ‘recovery baguette,’ which contains two eggs, bacon, ham, cheddar cheese, tomato, and lettuce, mirroring an inviting yet simple French baguette sandwich. Address & telephone number: Baguette Magic, 792 Folly Road, Charleston, SC, USA, + 1 843 471 5941
