Looking for a place to have some dessert after finishing having an early dinner, I happened to find…read morethis place by the name of Sugar Cube Cafe. And never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what I would find inside. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, 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 Sugar Cube Cafe in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example. This family-owned Bakery, Cafe, and Gift Shop is located in a small outdoor strip mall across from the Valley View Mall in Roanoke, Virginia. The owners are a husband and wife couple with a very enthusiastic family member who works there welcoming the customers, introducimg its products, and taking the customers orders. From the time I parked my car in the extensive parking lot next to their corner shop, a van parked next to me and it so happened to be the owner of the shop who is of Asian origin. When he saw I was headed the way of the shop, he introduced himself and gave me a warm welcome. Later inside I had the opportunity of meeting his wife and co-owner, who made my Boba Coffee that I ordered. When I entered the shop I was just expecting to find gourmet cupcakes, but what I found besides the wonderful cupcakes, were gourmet cheesecakes, macaroons, bubble coffee and tea, milkshakes, ice creams, mini pancakes, large cookies, and even Ramen Noodles and Udon, among other treats. The shop also had many stuffed animals and Asian dolls and posters and toys. I ordered a Midnight Magic Cupcake and a Boba Coffee with French Vanilla Cream. The Cupcake was $5.00 and the Boba Coffee was $10.00. The items here are not cheap, but they are definitely worth the money. I invite you to view my photographs and videos accompanying my review to get a better sense of the place and its products for sale there. It has a cozy atmosphere and friendly staff. And I highly recommend you give them a visit and support their business. You will be happy you did.

Extremely awesome experience! Highly recommend! Staff was amazing, atmosphere was amazing, food…read moreand deserts were great!

This was a disappointment and given the almost universally positive reviews, I'm not sure if my…read moreexperience was an anomaly or if Halwa is benefitting from a college town, grading on a curve situation. I came by last Wednesday morning for a bit of caffeine and a bite to eat before my top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality (down the street at VA Tech) and I embarked on our road trip into Kentucky. I'm a hardcore morning person and it's often difficult to find coffee places that are open before 8am. The primary reason I came here was because they opened at 7am, well before most of the businesses in the area did. That's a point in their favor at least. And it's cute in there. Per my accompanying picture, there's a lot to take in, with tons of items on the walls and on display, and I needed a solid minute or two just to look over the large menu, which featured a lot of different types of coffees/lattes, as well as a significant number of Middle Eastern influenced snacks and pastries. I literally got over there just as the doors opened (promptly right before 7), so I had the run of the place for my short time in there; I have no doubt this place is hopping when students are actually on campus and don't feel like frequenting the obligatory Starbucks for whatever reason. Maybe it's just a personal palate issue but I didn't like anything I had. Since this was a very specific type of coffee establishment, I tried the Turkish Coffee. That one for sure just wasn't my speed - it's a super tiny portion, pretty much akin to a shot or two of espresso, and aside from the first two or three sips, was literally just grounds. My gut says that's just how Turkish Coffee is, and I won't be sampling that again anywhere. I did see some intriguing lattes including one of my all-time chums Rose, so that was probably the call in hindsight. I also selected two food items, both of which were also unfortunately misses for me. One was the baklava, a pastry I'm very familiar with and tend to really like. This was, I'm sad to say, the worst I've had. The biggest issue is that you can barely taste the main ingredients, namely the pistachio and honey. You know what you can taste, see and feel on your tongue though? Sugar. Lots of sugar. For some bizarre reason, they make their baklava here with a layer of this crystallized sugar. I don't know why, but it honestly ruins the item and drowns out the actual flavors you should be tasting. Arguably an easy fix, but I only took a few bites of it. I also got a Lebanese puff pastry, which looked intriguing but just didn't have much of a flavor. This was my first time trying it, so maybe it's supposed to be on the blander side for whatever reason, but it mostly just tasted like dough to me, especially the areas closer to the edge (not all that dissimilar in my experience from a croissant). The service was fine; there was just the one young woman behind the counter opening up for the day, and everything I ordered was provided within a few minutes. I got two coffees (a "normal" one for my chum as well), and the two pastries, which came to close to $30. I think that's a little pricy, especially for a place right off of a college campus, but your mileage may vary. Normally I'd recommend avoiding an establishment where I literally didn't like anything, but my gut says it's still worth stopping by. Just don't get what I got.

This contemporary and relaxing bakery and coffeehouse located in Blacksburg, Virginia, specializes…read morein Egyptian and Lebanese inspired desserts and baked goods. But above and beyond their Middle Eastern pastries and unique drinks like Turkish Coffee and Mango Madness, it is an inviting environment with comfortable tables, chairs, and couches, to spend quality time socializing with good friends or with a laptop connected to the internet with their Wi-Fi, doing research for that special project. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, 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 Halwa Bakery & Cafe is the perfect example. After having dinner with a friend at another restaurant, we decided to come here for dessert. When we arrived, it was easy to find a parking space right around the corner of the Cafe. The place had outdoor furniture to be able to enjoy your food and drink outdoors in nice weather. Inside, the beautiful hardwood floors and exposed ceilings, together with the unique lighting treatment, gave special character to the place, and providing an extraordinary environment in which to better enjoy the moment. On the left of the ordering counter there is a couple of large blackboards with the menu written on them in color chalk. On the right, there are several display cases with Sandwiches and Pastries for one to observe and make better choices. My friend ordered a Baklava Cheesecake and I ordered a Peanut Butter Special Cake. As we sat down enjoying our desserts, that were amazingly delicious, the place was full of people. Some working on their laptops, others socializing, and others simply enjoying their food and drinks. As we were leaving, I saw on one of the walls two framed newspaper articles from The Roanoke Times, with color photographs, on this Blacksburg bakery with Mediterranean pastries. I highly recommend this place as a perfect environment to enjoy some cultural food and drinks, either alone, with your laptop, or with good friends.

First time going, Absolutely incredible food. Everything was fresh, everything is clean. The…read morebagels, the falafel, the gyro meat, the backlavas! 14/10 I will be back 100 times.

The interior is a little busy because there are a lot of items but staff are nice and patient. He…read moreoffered free chai samples to everyone. The chai was not too sweet and had a nice light cinnamon/clove flavor but the tea wasn't strong enough for me. They have 16 flavors of homemade baklava and Dubai chocolate and Dubai chocolate strawberries. I ordered a four berry banana smoothie, sample 1, gyro burrito and an iced Turkish coffee to go. There were two sizes of coffee on the menu but he immediately charged me the larger size without asking if I wanted that. I figured I needed the caffeine since I barely had any sleep so it was fine but just be mindful to anyone else. I've had Turkish coffee in Turkiye so I know it's strong and knew what I was looking for. Unfortunately the coffee neither strong nor good tasting. It had a nutty flavor profile and felt watered down. I finished half the cup during the day and was still very tired. The berry smoothie was good and tasted like berries. If you don't like bananas in your smoothie, you can still get this one because it doesn't taste like bananas at all. The sampler 1 included hummus, baba ganoush, salad, falafel and tzatziki. The hummus is fine. The baba ganoush was lacking in terms of flavor and I was disappointed because I really like baba ganoush. The falafel were crispy and moist. The gyro burrito was full of rice. There was only eat in one quarter of the burrito which seems a little ridiculous considering it was around $11-12. There were barely any vegetables in the burrito. Maybe that was my fault for getting a "fusion" item instead of a shawarma or a platter. The lamb gyro meat didn't really have a lot of flavor.

Los Tres Hermanos is one of those very unique places that if you look for it you would never find…read more And if you found it you wouldn't believe what you found. It's an authentic Mexican panaderia. A Bakery, like none you've ever seen before. At least I hadn't, because even though I'm of Hispanic Heritage, I was born in Cuba and was raised in Puerto Rico. My background is more from the Caribbean, with different customs, food, and music, but a common Motherland, Spain. As I was driving through a road I had never explored before, I ran into this Mexican family-owned business. The sign read: "Los Tres Hermanos. Panes, Postres y Pasteles." Which translates to: The Three Brothers. Breads, Desserts, and Cakes. Quickly, I pulled over, parked my car, and went inside. And what I found was trays and trays of different kinds of breads and desserts. Cakes in a refrigerator, and piñatas hanging from the ceiling, among other things. The trays were held together by tray stands. People would come in, grab an empty tray and tongs, and go around placing the items the items the wanted to purchase on their trays. I invite you to look at my photographs and video clip accompanying my review to get a better sense of the place. A friendly young lady greeted me with a big smile and answered all my questions about the place. The owner also came out to greet me and let me know that they also sell chicken and pork tamales, barbacoa, and carnitas, on some days of the week. The lady handed me a tray and some tongs and while I was picking my items another employee brought out trays of Tres Leches to put in one of the refrigerators, next to the one with the cakes. What a great discovery on this Hispanic Heritage Month and National Dessert Month. I highly recommend that you visit this Mexican Bakery. It will be an experience of a lifetime, and you will also take home some authentic Mexican sweet desserts.

Found this driving by. Wow. A massive selection of goodness and the staff was super helpful and…read morefriendly. Boy were we surprised on how inexpensive everything was. Plenty of parking and ample space to get around when it isn't crowded. I wish the items were labeled but it's ok because the staff was eager to help. I will definitely be going back.

Everything was great the food, and service. Atmosphere is nice and the people are friendly. I go at…read moreleast once a week.

LOVE Smith Mountain Lake Coffee House! We visit the lake once or twice year and I go every day…read morewe're there to get my caffeine fix. The s'mores latte is usually my go-to, though I've had several different drinks here and all have been great - hot or iced. They also have some really nice cafe food items that are nice for breakfast or lunch. We've had a number of their baked goods and have never been disappointed. We usually pick up several things to have at our rental for breakfasts and desserts. I've been often enough to make sure and get some of the seasonal options you can't always get. Their fall items are especially good. They've also got some cool merch and gift items. I've added a couple of pretty mugs to my coffee station here at home. The staff is always friendly and are very helpful with suggestions on drinks and food. If you haven't been in, you're really missing out.

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!

Sent birthday cupcakes yesterday via order and delivery. Everything was superb! They were…read morebeautifully made and the birthday girl was thrilled. Thanks for making my gift so special. MVL

Most charming coffee shop we've ever been to. The lattes were jam up too! The friendly staff really…read morecomplimented the whole experience.

Practically, right in my own back yard, in the heart of the Historic Old Southwest, in Roanoke,…read moreVirginia, I discovered one of the Star City's best kept secret. This quaint Bakery & Coffee House, found inside a beautiful Victorian house. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, 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 Albemarle Bakery & Coffee House is the perfect example. Today, I woke up early in the morning to go have breakfast there and try it out. I arrived at the Coffee House not long after it opened. Housed in a beautifully renovated Victorian house in the exclusive neighborhood of the Old Southwest in Roanoke, Virginia, it had a simple, lovely landscape and a sign of the small business up front. I walked up the stairs to the porch and there was a sign hanging that said: "Come in. We are Open." I did as the sign said and found myself in what at first seemed like an empty house, but after going to the back room through the dining rooms, I discovered the ordering counter and kitchen, where the coffees were made. A friendly young lady by the name of Jennifer greeted and welcomed me to this place. Then she took my order. I ordered a Bacon, Egg & Cheese Breakfast Bun, a Morning Glory Muffin, and a large Café Mocha. Everything was baked fresh and my coffee was made at the moment. When everything was ready, the server brought the items to the counter and I brought them to my table. Everything tasted wonderfully. It was nice to have a bakery so close by. I also enjoyed the ambiance inside this renovated Victorian house which was decorated with several paintings, beautiful Tiffany style chandeliers, and besides the dining rooms also had a Little Library room. While I was there, several regulars came by, who had been coming for years. And you could clearly see that they enjoyed having this Bakery & Coffee House here in the middle of their neighborhood. I highly recommend this place to anyone who lives in the neighborhood, and to those who don't, come by and give us a visit, this is the perfect excuse to do so. And besides the baked goods and coffee, you will be able to appreciate why this neighborhood is referred as the Historic Old Southwest and deeply valued as such.

Hard to believe that a restaurant can almost only serve Raman noodles…read more This time I had the beef dish with rice, tasty but the meat was mainly fat. Kids had ramen and seem to like it, but it was only broth and noodles. Check came and they don't let you see it, that was strange. He just told me the total and showed a card reader.

Ordered the Inferno Ramen--bold, flavorful, and the perfect balance of heat and comfort. Paired it…read morewith the Watermelon Tea loaded with mango, lychee, and strawberry boba for a sweet, refreshing twist. And dessert? Lychee and Purple Sweet Potato Mochi -- soft, chewy perfection! The vibes are authentic, the food is top-tier, and the service was superb from start to finish. Definitely a must-try if you're craving real ramen and cozy energy