I got a last minute invitation to a small house gathering, asked what I can bring and my host…read moresuggested a dish or dessert. I opted for the latter given time constraints, which led me to search out a bakery. Lo and behold, the first resulted in Karen's Cakes & Cafe Pharr. I perused the site late Friday night (9/1), impressed by what I had seen of the photos, which was an obvious display of someone with great cake design talents. I couldn't believe my luck at this being the first result and exhaustion led me to retire for the night. I awakened Saturday (9/2) morning and resumed my task by reading the reviews which ultimately led to a phone call. It was not a regular business day, but as luck would have it, I got to speaking with Karen herself; the first call was an inquiry to find out about placing orders. Karen informed me of what I can order and the call ended thereafter. I gave it some thought and called back a second time; this time placing my order for cinnamon rolls, which Karen stated, "everyone loves". The time arrived for pickup and I got the opportunity to be warmly greeted by Karen, her husband Mike, and my order. I absolutely loved our exchange of conversation. To my surprise, Karen had included a couple of treats; a slice of her iced blueberry lemon cake, a slice of red velvet cheesecake AND extras that were totally unexpected and only found out when we got home. Thank you!! Thank you!! At this point, I couldn't wait to get home and when I did, my daughter, who had accompanied me on the trip, opened up the containers with the cake slices and we dug right into our treats and let me tell you, they were mouth watering and deliciously flavorful AND we didn't stop there; we knew we had to sample the cinnamon rolls and Karen, you weren't kidding about those rolls. They were absolutely and delightfully soft with just the right amount of sweet. It was not long before we decided that this is where I would be ordering my birthday cake. I am now torn between the iced blueberry lemon and the coconut cream cake!! Though I think my daughter has already decided on the iced blueberry lemon. Overall, the reviews are exactly what I experienced; a delightful business owner who had charm and appeal, whose smile was infectiously warm and inviting, who knows her products, swears by her customers' satisfaction, and guarantees that you would love it AND love it we did!! These appear to be the characteristics that continue to make Karen's Cake & Cafe Pharr a successful business for over 30 years. Thank you Karen for the last minute accommodation given such short notice. It was a pleasure meeting you and getting the opportunity to experience your expertise!! See you in October!!

Karen made our wedding cake for us. We went for a tasting and loved every single bite we tried! She…read morewas a pleasure to work with, and she made sure we were happy throughout the entire process. She did everything we wanted her to do and fully met our expectations! The cake looked beautiful and tasted amazing. All of our guests told us how much they loved it!

We stopped in on a whim. This place is amazing. The staff is super helpful and the food is off…read morethe charts. My son devoured the French toast and he is a very picky eater. We will be back

A taste of Columbia in Downtown Statesville, who knew?!? Well, I did kinda...I have passed this…read moreColumbian "bakery" for many years without a second thought and I sure could kick myself for not trying it sooner! The Columbian Bakery+Restaurant has operated in this same storefront for around 20 years but I have never stopped in. I am not particularly familiar with Columbian-style foods and I did not feel there was anything that I would like from their "bakery". Boy, I do not think I have ever been more wrong about anything in my life...memories of past boyfriends start to creep in slowly-haha! I am currently obsessed with Statesville's Columbian Bakery+Restaurant! Yes, I said it! Not slightly obsessed, completely obsessed! I have patronized this business twice this week already and I plan to go there again before the weekend is over! The food is amazingly and authentically appetizing! To date, I have experienced the yummy goodness that is their Beef Empanadas, Tostones, Maduros, and my current foodie crush, Pan de Bonos. Each and every food item is fresh made to order except of course, for the bakery items BUT the bakery items are fresh made daily. The Beef Empanadas are a little meat-filled hand pie and they are so delicious! The pie consists of a thin cornmeal-type crust wrapped around the meat filling then deep fried. The meat filling is finely chopped or minced beef with small bits of potato (another reviewer said, beans, idk which it is but they're delicious) mixed in. It sounds heavy but it is actually quite light because the consistency of the filling is so fine and the outer crust is so thin. These yummies are so good, you cannot eat just one! The Tostones are smashed and fried green plantains. These are a salty side which taste like potatoes and they pair very well with the empanadas. The Maduros are fried ripe plantain chunks. I have had these before at other Latin restaurants and I do love them! The maduros from Columbian Bakery+Restaurant did not disappoint! They are just as good as any I've had and maybe just a little better because they are so fresh when you get them! These are a sweet side with just a hint of tartness. They pair well with any of the spicy foods served at this restaurant but I always eat them as a dessert! My favorite, the Pan de Bonos, are a bakery item but I was lucky enough to stop by when pan after pan of these little delectable puff balls were coming out hot and fresh from the oven. Yesssss! Who doesn't love a light and fluffy cheese bread ball?!? Cheese and Bread! Sign me up every time! But not to worry these addictive little things reheat really well in the microwave. I know because I ordered a dozen on my last visit! I cannot wait to go back to this Columbian paradise right in the heart of Statesville and try out more of their food offerings! The Columbian Bakery+Restaurant is active on social media, both Facebook and Instagram, so check them out! Be forewarned, they post videos of their yummy goodness often! They, also, have an online menu app.colombianbakerync.com for your browsing pleasure. You're welcome! I think I see a trip to Downtown Statesville in your near future! @columbianbakerystatesville @downtownsvl #supportsmallbusiness #supportlocalbusiness #shopsmall #shoplocal #eat-local

I found Andrea's online and I went to get a donut. The donuts all looked good. I got an old…read morefashioned with white icing. I also got ice cream and the serving was plentiful and delicious. I ate my donut after dinner and it was soft, moist and the icing was great! I recommend a trip to Andrea's. Keep in mind that you need to pay with cash. They have an ATM but it charges $3 for the service fee.

Very cute place & GREAT ice cream!!! The staff here are…read moresuch a joy to connect with! HH (hungry hubby ) really enjoy his Rum Raisin & banana pudding ice cream... half of which was give by picture time. Lots of in-house baked goodies (brownies, and bagels. The ice cream is from both Hershey & Mooresville companies. Andrea is a great young entrepreneur! Only about 27 or 28!! She started the business in 2013 . Impressive!!! So happy we stopped in today!

Order was wrong (I wish we had checked the box prior to leaving-picked out 9 of certain flavors and…read moreone flavor was left out and replaced with something else), price was higher than what they listed on the menu board (menu board says any regular, specialty, and iced cookies for a box price, and the cashier rang them up individually which caused the price to be $2 higher on a box of 18 regular sized cookies) and the taste of the cookies weren't anything special. The location was not busy although it was a Saturday. Employees were friendly.

Terrible customer service. I waited 10 minutes before I was even acknowledged. Overpriced,…read moreunderwhelming, poorly staffed.