Corbin's Confections may not be anything special to many, but to others, it's like finding the pot…read moreof gold at the end of the rainbow. After having been selected as number 4 of the Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at the Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Corbin's Confections, in Salem, Virginia is the perfect example. I don't know you but to me, I love sweet treats and bakery items. A dinner is not complete if I don't have a sweet dessert. Yet we have people with food allergies that can't afford this luxury. Corbin's Confections was born out of the motherly love of a mother for her son, Corbin, who is anaphylactic to peanuts and all tree-nuts. She wanted to create a bakery that her son and other's with similar allergies, can experience the joy of eating baked goods without having to worry that something would happen to them, because of some ingredient that the food contained. Her mission was "To provide a place where anyone with gluten, peanut, or tree-nut allergies can get tasty treats." Today, I had the opportunity to visit this bakery and meet with Shana, the owner of this women-owned business. She was so friendly and welcoming and realized the service she was providing the community was a very special one. She told me that all bakery items there were gluten free, peanut free, and tree-nut free. It is also mentioned on the store window, right under the name of the bakery. Even though it was almost closing time, she still had some delicious and safe treat on display in the display cases, like cupcakes, donuts, and other savory items. We were interrupted by a customer who wanted to find out information about placing an large order for a gathering of some sort. Listening in was how I found out that she also provides custom options for special occasions and dietary needs, She also provides custom options for special occasions and dietary needs, including lactose intolerance. I thought to myself, how in the past some kids with food allergies might not want to attend birthday parties of their friends in order not to embarrassed by being the one one who didn't have a piece of the birthday cake. Well now, if the parents are aware that their sons and daughters have friends with food allergies, they can have the cake and other sweet treats made here, and that way, everyone can enjoy the party without any concern. Definitely see how this business can provide better quality of life to many in our community and therefore give it my total support and urge you to do the same.

I live five hours away, but every time I work here I make an effort to stop in. This place is…read moreconsistently good with great service. And everything is gluten free. A celiacs dream come true. My favorite today was the Danish and the oatmeal cookie. Yum!

Delicious ice cream and cookies. I had a flight of 4 small scoops of ice cream and a cookie. I…read morehad Maple Pecan, blue Vanilla, Pumpkin Pie & ??? (lol I forgot the 4th one) with a snicker doodle cookie. Every one of the ice creams were so flavorful and delicious. The cookie was great! Nice and chewy. The inside is a bit dirty, the bench cushions look like it has seen some kids with ice cream drippings. It wasn't unsanitary however. Service was great. The girl behind the counter was very nice and pleasant to speak with. I highly recommend giving Rookies a try.

I first reviewed Rookie's (Handcrafted Ice Cream Sandwiches) when it opened at the Patrick Henry…read moreHistoric building in Downtown Roanoke; just across the street from the Social Security building and the Roanoke Public Library - Downtown Branch. I did so after having visited it several times, having had their ice-cream and homemade cookies, and having talked to and interviewed their store employees as well as their truck driver who brings their ice-cream and cookie dough from Lynchburg, Virginia. Now that Rookie's has relocated from their Downtown Roanoke store to Cave Springs, at 3549 Electric Rd, Suite D, I have decided to visit their new location, and write an update review. I urge all the readers to this review to also go back and read my first review and accompanied photographs to learn more about the history of the company. For Rookie's is more than just an Ice Cream Parlor. It's a place where desserts and friends meet to create something memorable. Their employees are encouraged to establish conversations with their customers and answer questions about their company and their products. And their comfortable ambiance and seating area contribute to the enjoyment and extraordinary sweet dining experience while people socialize with family and friends, and share quality time with them. The new location is more family-friendly and has more parking than their previous location. The residents of Cave Springs have welcomed Rookie's with open arms and have become steady customers in a relatively short period of time. I was impressed to find out that it is located in thr same Shopping Center as Cafe Asia 2 Restaurant, one of my favorites Asian Restaurants. Rookie's continues to offer different flavors of cookies, homemade ice cream, and signature ice cream sandwiches, in a clean and simple interior design relaxing environment, and with excellent customer service from their warm, knowledgeable, and friendly staff. Today I visited the new location with a friend and both of us interacted with the servers and had ice-cream sandwiches. Mine was Mint Chocolate Chip cookies with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream. The combination of the two made the perfect sweet snack or dessert. During the time we were there chatting and enjoying our ice-cream sandwich, we saw many other customers come in and do the same. It seems that Rookie's made a great strategic move for a win win situation between the company and its customers. A quote from the owner of the community I feel best describes it best: "We believe that community is built on a foundation of celebrating something good and we believe our handcrafted ice cream sandwiches. Ice cream, cookies & milk will bring you together! We're all about the memories made and the nostalgia we hope you feel whenever you tuck in to a treat with friends and family." All of Rookie's ice cream is handcrafted in Lynchburg, and they offer vegan and gluten-free options. Rookie's hopes to continue expanding to other locations, with some customers even asking for a location in North Carolina. I highly recommend this business and its products, and consider it one of the City of Roanoke's gem.

These donuts are waiting for you!! Came on a Friday around 8am and they had PLENTY of stock (and…read moreonce again, blessedly no line). This time I tried the regular glazed as well as the cinnamon twist. I really feel like this place can do no wrong. Donuts have perfect amount of chew as well as sweetness. Very classic. Liked the hand-twisted cinnamon twist, too!

Voted best donut in VA in 2024 on yelp. Initial…read moreimpressions: crowd lined up early. Coffee: not good (that might be because I had to put a powdered creamer in it because I didn't know they had liquid creamer in the drink fridge) although honestly I only halfway believe that. Chocolate iced donut: ok. Had more of a baked/cake donut taste to it (vice a fried/glazed taste). You can even tell it's a different kind of donut in the picture. Not very sweet. Glazed donut: pretty good. Sweet. Service: good. But: no napkins in the bag (that's a negative). No seating. Carry out only. Solid 3.5/5 . Certainly not the best I've ever had. Best in VA? I mean, we still have Krispy Kreme so.....

Crumbl, the popular Cookie franchise is finally here in the Star City of Roanoke, Virginia. Its…read moreGrand Opening was on August 21, 2026. Located at the Old Country Plaza, near Mill Mountain Coffee and Buffalo Wild Wings off Starkey and Ogden Roads. The owner, Patrick Gardner, is a graduate of Cave Spring High School, and also owns the Blacksburg and Lynchburg stores. As soon as I found out it was open, I immediately headed over there, for their cookies are the talk of the town. With the information I had of it's location, it was not difficult to find. I parked my pearl white Lexus in the specious parking lot of the plaza and walked over to the store. It was like nothing that I had ever seen before. Pink and white were the colors that stood out. It had a huge open space and all their employees were located in front of tables making the cookies. At the entrance there is a modern sign lit from behind with the menu. As one entered the store, one reviewed the menu. Then one walked over to the order counter, where there were cookie models of the current selection (which changes every week with 6 cookies), and two ordering computers where you placed the order and paid for it with a credit card. What was a bit awkward was that there was no one up front to greet you and give you instructions on how to order. I stood there waiting for an employee to come down, until another customer was the one to tell me that one has to order from the computer and then wait for their order to be served. Finally when the employees making the cookies noticed all the customers arriving they started giving a greeting shout out from their station. And the manager came out to checkout if we needed help. Once I knew one had to order from the computer, I went and the first thing I did there was to set up my account to join the Crumbl Rewards Program. Then I ordered a 6-Pack of mini cookies, including a Chocolate Chip, two Banana Cream Pies, two Dubai style Chocolate Brownies, and a Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie. Soon after, a friendly employee brought me the box with my order and opened it for me to view the cookies. Afterwards at home, I enjoyed the cookies, and was able to discover why they were worth the price. I also downloaded their app and by completing some quick setup tasks gained some Crumbs, which is the word they use for points. In conclusion, I loved the ambiance of the store and their friendly employees, and the cookies were so good that besides enjoying them, they make good gifts.

The people working are really friendly and the cookies are always so delicious!!…read moreI am definitely going back!!

Great quality pastries! Super friendly service. Many…read morechoices to choose from as well.

Hi I really love Yolanda's pavlovas, conchas, cakes, and home made desserts but don't take my word…read morefor it. She has being in the business for a long time and this is what two people from Roanoke write. "Yolanda has won nearly every dessert-making contest she's entered (I've been the judge of a few of them and no one comes close). She won "best in show" a few months back at Center in the Square's "Affair In The Square" by showing up with a whole tent-full of cakes and an incredible assortment of baked items. You can regularly choose from foot-high cakes with three inches of icing with the likes of chocolate Cognac cake, chocolate rum cake, cajetapecan (a cake with pecans all over it), treslches and flan. I'm just certain that for the right price, she'll make about anything you would like to enjoy. If I were in her proximity for a mere few days, I'd weigh 600 pounds". Larry Bly Roanoke.com But there is good news for El Palenque lovers, especially those who don't know what they'll do without Yolanda Galvan's decadent handmade cakes. She will continue to sell her prize-winning desserts on a special order basis under the name Galvan Cakes. The family also plans to offer catering services for special events like weddings and banquets. Lindsey Nair Adios, Palenque Roanoke.com Also Yolanda won the Roanoker best dessert in town few times. I did not know that she open the bakery after they closed the family restaurant "EL PALENQUE" I guess I miss this articles myself, but now that I found her I'm passing the good news. Aunty Dora Roanoke

Coconut Cake is like Heaven!…read more Wow, first time getting anything from this shop and very impressed. Ordered a 9" round 3 layer coconut cake for my wife's birthday, her favorite! I am not a food critic, so I will describe it as best I can. Beautiful appearance - fluffy white cake. Icing is just the right amount of sweet without being heavy like some icing. Feels almost light but has substance. Texture is smooth and pleasant. The cake itself is a off-white cake that has a combination of lightness with some density to it, but again not heavy. I'm and older guy and this is the best cocunut cake I have ever eaten. Just the right balance of flavor, texture and deliciousness, but not the overpowering sweet like many children's desserts and candies have. Thank you for a great product and timely, pleasant service! Love the appearance of your shop, and I do plan to return and try other products.

The downtown, brick-walled space has charm, and the baked goods appeared to have quality. My…read moreexperience left something to be desired. Arriving several hours before closing, I found only a couple of loaves on sale, and a long line to get with them. I managed to snag the last one that wasn't plain white bread, and thought I'd add a slice of pizza as it looked appealing. While the ingredients were there, the little toaster oven they used barely warmed it up at all. I ate it there, but I'd suspect it would have been much better if I'd gotten it to go and cooked it properly myself. They don't open all that early on weekdays and I've struggled to make it in, and on the weekend, they struggled to meet expectations. Perhaps on a different day, they could do a better job of getting the right baked goods into my hands.

Truly amazing food, everything seems made from scratch. Staff gets to know you and is very…read morefriendly. My two personal favorites are the chocolate croissant and the garlic rosemary sourdough. I could eat here every day and not get tired! Manager Brett also manages that place insanely well. Clean, organized, and efficient. Kudos to the team!

I have been to many bakeries in my lifetime, many wonderful ones located in cities like San Juan,…read moreMadrid, Rome, Paris, Brussels, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Miami, and Washington, DC, among others. I have truly enjoyed dining in each and every one of them. But Bread Craft, located in the Star City of Roanoke, is in a class of its own. After being ranked 4th among Yelp's Top 50 Most Prolific Elites of 2025, a distinction recognizing my consistent community engagement and high-quality contributions, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants, businesses, and establishments, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to go back and write follow-up reviews on those places that impressed me the most during 2025, and Bread Craft Bakery, located in Downtown Roanoke, is the perfect example of one of them. Bread Craft is a premier, artisan European-style bakery established in 2006 by owner Alex Eliades, who besides having a passion for baking, has over 25 years of baking experience, and leads the bakery focusing on traditional slow-fermentation techniques. The bakery is known for its high-quality, scratch-made sourdough, pastries, and Croissants. It evolved from a wholesale operation into a popular 6,000 square foot café on Church Avenue, also supplying local restaurants. The bakery specializes in Franch and German-style baking, utilizing sourdough as a natural leavener. It servers breakfast and lunch items, including sandwiches, salads, and some creative breakfast egg entrées. They are open Wednesdays through Sundays from 8:00AM - 2:00PM and are well known for running out of items before the end of the day. For this review I visited the Bakery / Café for breakfast on two consecutive Wednesdays. The first Wednesday I arrived too late to be able to have their Chorizo & Eggs Cocotte from their Breakfast menu. Breakfast is only served until noon, and I found out about this on that day. So instead I had a Cheese Danish and a house-made Mocha Coffee. Both items were delicious. On the second Wednesday I arrived much earlier for breakfast. Luckily, right before a whole rush of customers arriving to place Take-out orders. As soon as I walked inside I immediately felt comfortable with its clean and contemporary architectural design and decor, and an exposed red brick wall that gave it a warm ambiance. One can see that the owner spent a substantial amount in renovating the place when they moved here, and that they took good care of it, because it looked as if it had just opened for the very first time yesterday. While I was looking over all the baked items they had, I received a friendly greeting and warm welcome from a lady behind the counter who seemed to be the manager and took my order. To start I ordered a Chorizo Quiche which happened to be the Quiche of the day, and a house-made Mocha Coffee. Then since I was planning to turn this into a Brunch, for my main entrée I ordered their Chorizo Cocotte from the Breakfast menu. And for dessert I had a Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant that was simply irresistible. Everything tasted amazingly delicious, especially since I love Chorizo. The Quiche had an amazing crust with the eggs inside cooked with the perfect amount of chorizo. The Chorizo Cocotte was served in an elongated bowl with two poached eggs over Spanish sausage, accompanied by three slices of freshly made Baguette. And if all this wasn't enough, the Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant was the perfect ending dessert to this fabulous put together Brunch. Oh and the coffee was the best of the best. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. What an outstanding dining experience I just had at Bread Craft. Wonderful ambiance, amazing food, and extraordinary customer service. I highly recommend this Bakery/Café whenever you're in the area. I'm absolutely certain it will become one of your favorites bakery.

Great coffee and place to hang out with friends. Also there…read morepumpkin cheese cake muffins are a must try!! Also very friendly staff!

I love next door bake shop! It's the perfect place to run in and catch up with friends over a…read moredelicious bagel and coffee! Love treating myself to one of the pastries too. Everyone is so nice, and there is plenty of seating options! I highly recommend if you're in Blacksburg!