North Carolina Bakery Makes Best In The Country List

Just the mention of baked goods conjures up memories of warm fresh bread and pastries.  I say memories because these days my carb intake is few and far between.  However, it doesn't change my love for baked goods!  And, a North Carolina bakery made Mashed's list of best bakeries in the country.  La Farm Bakery in Cary, North Carolina is close to Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.  Although La Farm bills itself as a modern day French American Cafe, they employ centuries old techniques.  Customers have the option of challah, Scandinavian rye, rustic Italian ciabatta, and more.  And, if you have a sweet tooth, never fear.  La Farm offers scones, croissants, cookies, cakes, and cinnamon buns, too!  Some customers point to the white chocolate mini baguette at La Farm as "life-changing."  How can you go wrong with white chocolate baked right into bread?

Furthermore, La Farm Bakery serves breakfast, lunch, and brunch throughout the week.  Their menu rotates monthly with options including eggs benedict, creme brulee french toast, and more.  Mashed.com looked at reviews and awards for bakeries throughout the nation to determine which spot in each state made their list of the best in the country.  And, of course, their expert tasters even sampled a few to help compile the list.  It's worth pointing out the best in neighboring states, too.  Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah made the list for Georgia.

In Charleston, South Carolina, they named Sugar Bakeshop as a top.  Muddy's Bake Shop in Memphis made the Tennessee list.  And, in Virginia they suggest Blackbird Bakery in Bristol.  See the full list here.  But, take a trip soon to the North Carolina bakery making the best in the country list!

Friday, June 2 is National Donut Day, and ahead of the celebration, Yelp released its second annual Top 100 US Donut Shops list. And apparently, NC has some delicious donuts. One North Carolina Donut shop was named the second-best in the entire country. The highly praised donuts come to us from Asheville. And 2nd best, that's some high praise. They weren't alone as 5 total North Carolina places made Yelp's list. This includes donuts from Asheville, Fayetteville, and Concord among others.

Did you know there are donut trends? There sure are! According to Yelp the biggest donut trends in 2023 are:

While my current favorite donut spot, The Salty, didn't make the cut, I'll be sure to check out a couple of these locations. I enjoy a good gourmet donut but I also can't turn down a hot now Krispy Kreme glazed donut. There just might not be anything better! The best donut I've had lately- a butterbeer one from the previously mentioned The Salty. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for my waistline) it was a limited-time offering. So how did Yelp come up with these ratings that ranked a North Carolina Donut Shop 2nd best in the country? According to Yelp, they "identified businesses in the donuts category, then ranked those spots using a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews between January 1st, 2022 and March 31st, 2023."

Keep reading to see the top 10 donut shops in the US and the other North Carolina locations that were recognized.

Have you tried HOLE? I haven't but I typically visit Asheville at least once a year so I will definitely be adding this to my list for my next visit!

This is the second time Superior Bakery in Fayetteville has made the top 100 list, though that took a substantial jump this year.

Apparently, I'm not up on my donuts, while Raleigh is my second home, I've never tried Baker's Dozen either.

It's summertime and we all know what that means. Cold desserts! Now, I enjoy a good dessert any time of the year. But, that is just me. Whenever I am craving something good, sweet, and cold, obviously ice cream is the best bet. But since this will be my first summer in Charlotte and North Carolina in general, then I need to decide what ice cream spots are worth me taking a trip to.

So, what does that mean? Means discovering new ice cream spots worth giving a try. I decided my best bet would be to look into some ice cream shops that I have never heard of or heard of and have never been and compile a list. That way it's sort of like my ice cream guide but can share with you all as well. These are some of (what I think to be) the best must-try ice cream shops in North Carolina. If you're not from North Carolina, then either you should plan a visit just for some of these bad boys. Check out the list below.

Okay, so this is a newbie that I never heard of until I started looking into doing this list. The Golden Cow Creamery is a local ice cream shop in Charlotte, North Carolina with some great ice cream options. Their homemade from scratch ice cream is home to 14 different flavors. There are 6 standards and 8 rotating ice cream flavors. Enjoy flavors like Salted Oreo, Lime Sherbet, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake, and more!

Here is another newbie that I have discovered for myself. S & T's Soda Shoppe is located in Pittsboro, NC and has that old fashioned creamery feel. Not only are they serving ice cream, but other American classic foods that you could enjoy before your dessert. Ice cream flavors include black walnut, bubble gum, orange pineapple, death by chocolate, praline pecan, and more!

Of course, we had to add Jeni's to the list. Now, although I have been here fro some months I still have never given them a try. Unfortunately, I have not experienced the hype quite yet but I do plan on it this summer for sure. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is one of those places that people truly CRAVE about. The menu includes ice cream flavors such as everything bagel, gooey butter cake, high five candy bar, Boston cream pie, powered jelly donut, and more!

We're heading to Raleigh, North Carolina at this spot. Two Roosters Ice Cream is serving up fresh ice cream made by hand. They have multiple rotation flavors such as banana walnut, brownie rocky road, lemon ginger tea, sea salt chip cookie dough, strawberry and honey, blackberry hibiscus, and more! All of that sounds like it's worth the trip for me for sure.

Coastal Creamery OBX is located in Nags Head. So, if you're heading to the beach this summer then this might be the perfect place for you to try. They are serving up hard scooped, soft served, and Italian ice. Sounds pretty good to me!

We're off to Wilmington now! Boombalatti's ice cream has no artificial flavors or colors to help your ice cream experience get even better. Every batch of course is made locally in Wilmington and you can taste the love that is within. I cannot wait to visit Wilmington just to give this one a try! Flavors include those such as cannoli, salted caramel and peanuts, key lime pie, honey lavender, blueberry basil, and tons of vegan options.