Bowerbird Bakeshop

My husband and I went to this bakery recently over the weekend visiting from out of town and it was absolutely magnificent! It's so tucked away and I love how you can see a beautiful painting on the side of the building. I didn't go in but my husband did and he said it smelled amazing in there. We ordered a few items and everything was freaking exploding with a different style of flavor in each bite. We will definitely be returning because now I want to try every freaking thing in there! I believe we had the French toast croissant, two types of macarons. Oh my goodness and they're huge and worth every penny. We had the blueberry and the key lime. They do not taste what their name is, which is even more mind imploding. We also had the lemon jammer cookies and the yuzu shortbread cookies. Oh my lord! You must explore this bake shop! Oh my goodness! And I almost forgot about the baguette sandwiches that we had. I believe it was a kimchi style sandwich that I had added with the pickled jalapenos and the kewipe mayo. We also ordered the lox style salmon one. And I'm not getting this name right but it was that type of sandwich. It was amazing. The flavors were beautiful.

This place has the best vegan croissants 🥐 I have ever had, and I try them in every city I visit! Also their baguettes are amazing and the vegan cookies were delicious! The only thing is they were really low on stock in the early afternoon so I guess you have to get there fairly early if you want a bigger order.

I took the macaron class on 2/4/23 and I have nothing but positive things to say. My goal for the class was to learn the Italian method of making macarons and build up the confidence to work with hot sugar syrup. I have made macarons once before with help from lots of youtube videos using the french method. Chef Earl was a great teacher and provided clear instructions and explanations for all levels of experience. We made a pistachio lemon flavor that I will no doubt make in the future. The class was full of great laughs and lots of fun. I was even able to make lovely panda macarons for a friend’s baby shower which were a hit after this experience.

I also am a frequent customer of the shop and love all of their work. But, I especially love their cinnamon rolls and uniquely flavored macarons every week.

I plan to take other classes if they are offered in the future as well!

Stopped by to sample some baked goods and was not disappointed! We tried all four of the macaron flavors of the day (Peach Ginger, Orange Fig, Malted Chocolate, and Strawberry & Lemon).
The macarons are the “double” size, not the standard smaller size. They had the perfect amount of filling/buttercream and were absolutely delicious. The Orange+Fig was my favorite, the chocolate and strawberry+lemon were massive hits too. The peach/ginger was still very good, but wish the peach had been more forward. The macaron shells are cooked perfectly, crispy yet chewy with beautiful feet on the sides, not overcooked, and smooth and shiny on top.
We also got a pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant pastry, but in a rectangle form a la the French). It was flaky, had the perfect ratio of pastry to chocolate, and was moist without being overly buttery or gooey. Absolutely to die for.

The staff are friendly and quick. There’s many many other options (cookies, brownies, other baked pastries, tarts, etc) and some were vegan, gluten free, and other dietary restriction-friendly.

Highly recommend if in the area! If you’re facing the Peloton store front, Bowerbird Bakeshop is on the left at the end of the shops that face perpendicular to the street.

This place has unique eclectic pastry made with healthy ingredients and unique ingredients. Many of them are made with chickpeas and almond flour. Tasty chocolate shortbread cookies (dairy free), the chocolate bar with almond paste with chocolate ganache is creamy and delicious. Chocolate cookies with walnuts were delicious.

I took the macaron class at Bowerbird and had an incredible experience! Earl is knowledgeable and personable, and was happy to answer all of our questions while diligently walking us though the baking process in a way that made a complicated treat feel accessible to make at home. I mentioned wanting to make marmalade, and he also went out of his way to talk me through that process and get me a tried-and-true recipe. I’m a regular at the shop as well, and can’t get enough pumpkin muffins, molasses cookie sandwiches, croissants in any form, or signature macarons. The rotating seasonal selections mean that there’s always something new to try and something to surprise you. Plus they often showcase local ingredients and produce!

Hands down the best macarons I've had. Had both the toasted marshmallow and maple hazelnut. My favorite was the maple hazelnut, found it in the scratch and dent section (awesome idea, no need to throw away something that tastes so good). The bakery is open Friday-Sunday. I'm getting there early next weekend so I can try a chocolate croissant before they sell out. The bakeshop is located off of 10th Street behind Peloton Station and Mudhouse.

Wow!!! So glad that I discovered Bowerbird Bakeshop during our short visit to Charlottesville. I couldn’t decide on what to buy so I bought a variety of items which were all amazing! The croissant, the red bean brioche, the scones! So many unique and delicious flavors. The person helping me decide what to purchase was so informative and helpful as well! My only regret is that I live 4 hours away.

For the love of God (and I don't say that blasphemously, I say it literally), you have to buy the Everything Croissant at Bowerbird Bakeshop. Buy it and then eat it. THIS is checkmate, atheists. This (the Everything Croissant from Bowerbird Bakeshop) is manna from heaven, and if it (the Everything Croissant from Bowerbird Bakeshop) isn't, then I don't want manna from heaven, I want an Everything Croissant from Bowerbird Bakeshop. I dare you to try to eat the Everything Croissant from Bowerbird Bakeshop without moaning. Please buy an Everything Croissant at Bowerbird Bakeshop. It (the Everything Croissant from Bowerbird Bakeshop) will make you a better person and we are in dire need of that. 🙏

This bakery is absolutely amazing! Super creative with different offerings most weekends. Their macarons are heavenly and croissants are top-notch. I stopped by here for the first time at the end of February as a birthday treat to myself and have been back almost every weekend since.

Orange marmalade brioche was excellent. Also conveniently located next to the Charlottesville Amtrak station. A convenient spot to grab a pastry before the train.

I love Bowerbird Bakeshop! Their team made us beautiful, large, and delicious macarons for my Ph.D. graduation party in 2020 (colors were blue and orange to match UVA's colors; and the design was artistically speckled). And, in June 2022, when our friend who promised to bake my wedding cake pulled out last minute, Earl at Bowerbird stepped in and made us an absolutely gorgeous three-tiered wedding cake (with only 2 weeks notice! We were so grateful). 10", 8", and 6" stacked; flat iced with a border where the cakes met; lemon American buttercream; yellow cake; strawberry jam filling. It was so moist and incredible. My bridesmaid decorated the cake with blooms from my florist. We highly recommend Bowerbird to all our Charlottesville-area friends.

I purchased a Vegetarian nest egg this am from Bowerbird. I am delight and amazed by this scrumptious thing. How on earth do they get a soft boiled egg in the center of a muffin…must be magic because it looks & tastes magical!

We tried three things and they were all excellent. A croissant with everything seasoning. A chai snicker doodle cookie and a vegan brownie.

I'm normally very taken with the super soft croissants, so I was skeptical about the slightly harder nature of the savory croissants here, but they straddle the line well and leave it just soft enough so that I can enjoy it while having it firm enough to stand up as a sandwich. The savory spices add a previously unexperienced nature here, one that I quite enjoyed with the kimchi and jalapenos (my little vegan creation). A unique little breakfast/breakfasty lunch that can accommodate many different tastes, my only complaints are not enough vegan options and a bit pricey.

I wish I could share more pictures but our wedding guests consumed everything before I could take pictures! (I had Bowerbird treats awaiting them in their hotel rooms and airbnbs.)
The macarons were heavenly and so beautiful. I keep dreaming about the croissants. And the cake! My daughter and her now husband are vegan and they wanted a little cake to cut at their wedding. The vegan cake from Bowerbird was absolutely beautiful and delicious. I am so grateful to Earl and the team for everything they did to contribute to a joy-filled, lovely weekend.

You can taste the love that the team at Bowerbird puts into every pastry, phenomenal products and even nicer humans!!

This is one of the best bakeries I’ve ever been to! The pastries are all amazing, but it’s the macarons that are sublime. Earl does things differently…his flavors are unique, and his methods are just better…which makes for truly memorable cookies. You have to taste the macarons to see what I mean. I finally did a macaron baking class with Earl to try to learn his secrets. There is no way anybody can match his skill, but the class was a blast!

I'm not sure why there is not a line around the block for these cardamom rolls. We came Saturday around 9am and it was quiet. Everything was baked fresh and was delicious.
On second thought, do not under any circumstances try the cardamom rolls. You will hate them. Phew! Crisis averted.

Drove here one weekend just to try the big macarons. It was worth it! Great customer service and lots of delicious baked goods and local products.