Staunton’s Fall Treats

---

(Published 10/06/2022)

It’s sweater weather, y’all! It’s time to frolic in the leaves, settle down for football, and start thinking of all the fall-themed food and drink you’re going to devour between now and Thanksgiving. Experience the delights of pumpkin spice and the toasty goodness of S’mores as well as sweet and hard ciders and flavorful fall beers. Here’s where to enjoy some of Staunton’s best fall treats! 

Sweets

• Réunion Bakery & Espresso knocks it out of the park with both its fresh-roasted coffee drinks and its bakery items. Try an apple galette with maple pecan cream, maple flake & pecan praline. You might also order a gluten-free financier, made with browned butter, almond flour, honey, and buckwheat flour flavored with cocoa and hazelnut with a chocolate praline core. The menu changes weekly to reflect what’s seasonal. Hurry — everyone in town has a favorite treat, and they go quickly! You won’t want to leave without a loaf of fresh bread or a quiche for dinner. 

• If you have a custom seasonal flavor in mind, Magdalena Bake can make it. This store specializes in pastries, cookies, and wedding and birthday cakes, as well as special-ordered items. The wide variety of cake flavors includes mocha, coconut, and tres leches, and you can select from many flavors of icing and creams as well as beautiful decorations. Want something straight off the menu? Try the Chocoflan Impossible Cake, which is a dense, rich chocolate cake stacked with creamy vanilla flan.

• Sweeten your day at Whipp’d Cakery. This locally owned bakery serves a rotating variety of muffins, scones, cupcakes, cookies, cookie dough, brownies, and vegan and gluten-free treats. Seasonal favorites include s’mores cookies, pumpkin cookie butter cupcakes, and mini pumpkin cakes with salted caramel and vanilla frosting. Have a special event coming up? Whipp’d Cakery makes beautiful custom cakes on request, and they even sell pupcakes for your dog.
• Take a break from your morning walk with a stop at D & L Donuts. Order a hot cup of locally roasted organic coffee and take your pick from a great selection of fresh yeast and cake donuts. Arrive early to snag your favorite flavors and to taste the rotating specials like seasonal favorites like pumpkin cream cheese and dulce de Leche.

• Firkin Pie Company bakes beautiful, flavorful pies with crisp, buttery crusts in both sweet and savory varieties. The menu varies, but expect seasonal flavors like chocolate pumpkin, Dutch apple, and coconut pecan. Breakfast quiche flavors include bacon, blue cheese, and caramelized onion quiche and mashed potato, ham, and Swiss cheese. If you’re looking for dinner, try the chicken and thyme pot pie or the beef and cheddar hand pie. All pies are made from scratch. Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving? Make your pie order now!

• Tucked in a residential part of town, Giancarlo Fine European Pastries opens to the public on Fridays and Saturdays. Shop for bread, cake, tarts, danish pastry, fine chocolates made with 65% cacao, and more. Try a chocolate silk tartlet with chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache if there’s one left! Custom orders can be placed all week.
• Sweet Addie’s is brand new to the Staunton scene, offering Liège Belgian-style waffles using pearl sugar, which creates a perfectly chewy level of caramelization when cooked. With an amazing assortment of toppings, including fresh, house-made whipped cream, how can you go wrong?
• Serendipity Java Bar and Eatery offers delectable treats like a blackberry and rosemary latte, a French toast plate, and lots of fresh baked pastries and breakfast/lunch sandwiches.
• Want to know what’s better than ice cream? Try the fresh gelato at Split Banana and taste it for yourself. This dense, creamy treat is made from local grass-fed milk and packed with intense flavors. It’s hard to pick from the selection that includes caramel peanut butter, apple pie sorbet, hazelnut, cocoa ancho, and more. Have it in a dish or in an amazing waffle cone.

Sips

• BLU Point Seafood Co. might be known for its delicious seafood and raw bar, but you can’t go wrong at the regular bar, either. Choose from a menu of fine cocktails including monthly specials like Pear Necessities or the seasonally appropriate Bitters & Smoke, made with bourbon, black walnut bitters, orange bitters, and Virginia maple syrup.

• Byers Street Bistro is a terrific place for lunch, dinner, or a round of seasonal cocktails. The fall lineup includes spiced sangria, smoked maple margaritas, orchard old-fashioneds, and spiced manhattan. 

• Redbeard Brewing Company creates “small batches of big beers” in its location in Staunton’s historic Wharf district. Taste Moriarty imperial stout or Moriarty Knob Creek Aged Derby Pie, which is aged in bourbon barrels with chocolate and pecans. Alternatively, try the Graf, which is a beer/cider co-ferment in collaboration with Ciders From Mars.

• What wine do you pair with pumpkin pie? The folks at Accordia can point you toward the right bottle for that as well as any of your other favorite dishes. This new wine and cheese pairing store recently opened downtown. It features a selection of wines from Barren Ridge Vineyards as well as wines from around the world. Stop in any time for a glass of wine or a wine-based cocktail and a snack. 
• Share a bottle of wine with friends on Ox-Eye Tasting Room’s outdoor patio, or sip a glass in their cozy leather chairs and watch the world go by. You can pair your glass with their build-your-own charcuterie board selections. Or, bring your own picnic or food from one of downtown Staunton’s local restaurants. 
• Above Ground Winery has been crafting Virginia Wine since 2010. They are dedicated to delivering unpretentious wines and excellent hospitality. Guests are invited to sample their wines in the climate controlled renovated barn that combines winemaking and wine tasting under one roof.
• Yelping Dog Wine features both local wines and wines from over 200 vineyards around the world. Enjoy an ever-changing wine-by-the-glass menu or indulge in a bottle to share from the extensive selection. Stop in for a wine tasting every Wednesday or “yelping hour” on Friday. Warm up from the chilly fall air with a bowl of house-made tomato soup, a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, or a loaded cheese board.

• Find a comfortable seat at The Green Room, a gathering space with a seasonal wine, craft beer, and cider list. Pair your drink with a cheese and charcuterie platter, a Caprese salad, or some fancy loaded tater tots. Save room for brown butter almond brittle ice cream!

• Ciders from Mars presses local apple varieties like Winesap and Gold Rush from local orchards into its delicious hard cider. Visit the taproom for a glass or flight of cider and look through the glass wall to check out the cider-making process. Ciders from Mars ciders tend to have low sugar content and taste dry, like their flagship flavor, Hellas Dry. Pathfinder offers a sweeter taste. On nice days, take a seat on the patio overlooking the Wharf. If it’s chilly out, try a hot, mulled cider or a cider cocktail.