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    Zest

    4.4 (50 reviews)
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    Kristen S.

    Located in the Velvet Mill, there is plenty of signage to find this storefront-Very close to the parking lot. There were so many items I didnt know where to start. We grabbed 2 quiches and a piece of GF Carrot cake for later. Everything looked great. There is inside seating and the staff were great. For 2 small pieces of quiche and a small gf carrot cake came to $24.15-a little pricey in my opinion but good food and quality ingredients.

    a box of pies and pastries
    Anthony P.

    While the items were a bit on the sweeter side, this place does texture really well! Coming from NYC there is no shortage of amazing baked goods - I would love to see this place closer to home, to be honest. My favorite was the berry oat pie that was delectably soft and jammy. Not lacking in fruity sweetness and so satisfying. There was also this cookie that had hazelnut in it that was rich with hazelnut flavor and had a great crumb, delicately breaking apart in your mouth as you chew it. Their savory items were also a win, thoroughly flavorful and well-baked. This place makes me want to revisit the area, along with the great spots to eat in Mystic nearby! Wishing this place all the success.

    Sausage egg and cheese on a brioche!

    Great food! This place is just so cute. The staff are so friendly and nice. Loved what I ordered and loved the service I received

    Pastries and desserts galore!
    Giselle R.

    I love Zest in the Stonington Velvet Mill. They have delicious pastries available every day they are open and also make amazing and tasty commissioned treats. I recently commissioned cookies with a hero design on them and I was shocked by the size, deliciousness, and accuracy to the original submitted design photo. I look forward to requesting more custom treats by them for events in the future!

    This is what the consistency looks like when they hand you the "smoothie". Notice the whole oats that are clumped at the bottom.

    This is for the Ledyard location next to Holdridges. I used to love this place, but not sure what's happened with the smoothies. They are not blended at all anymore (see pics). The mixture you get is all chunky to the point you need to chew the 'sips' you take. I've been coming here for awhile and they used to be blended to a silky-smooth consistency. Then I started noticing this new chunky consistency and figured maybe a blender was down, or the person working just didn't notice, etc. But it's been months like this now, and I can't help but wonder...if I can see the chunks immediately (looks like they're handing you a cup of throw up honestly) then how can the person working not notice, and be ok with this quality..? How can they call it a "smoothie"...if it's not even blended? Very disappointed because I wanted to love this place! :(

    Tiramisu
    Erica T.

    By Elizabeth Rubin Looking to host a Sunday brunch with a smashing centerpiece? Find your sweet ending at Zest Fresh Pastry, an artisanal bakery in the cool and industrial Velvet Mill in Stonington. The bakers here love to combine unusual flavors to create their signature desserts. My recommendation is the Fig Plum Frangipane Tart. Start with a spoonful of the green tea lavender crust, then a bite of almond flavored cream, topped with figs, sliced plums, and slivered almonds. The flavor combination of fruits and frangipane create an unexpected but oh-so-interesting indulgence. Other sweet treats recommended by Zest staff busy at work in the open kitchen: their Tiramisu with coffee liquor soaked vanilla cake, mascarpone mousse, and whipped cream, finished with a dusting of cocoa. For something with a bit of tang, try the creamy mini cheesecakes with fresh fruit topping. Consider stopping at Zest before a DIY brunch with friends at nearby Saltwater Farm Vineyard. This hip bakeshop is literally a hidden gem, but so worth the hunt. www.zestfreshpastry.com

    Ashley V.

    We found this place on Google because we were in search of a cinnamon bun and when we got there they said they sell out super fast. I was bummed it took over 20 mins to get there but we settled for some other pastries. The. Cheese cake was amazing .loved the raspberry macaroon . Elvis was so rich I could barely eat a third of it. I guess cinnamon buns only made on weekends and sell out by noon.

    Don P.

    Very good local artisan bakery with a very unusual array of offerings quite different from the usual dessert suspects. Zest is worth an explore as you will find confections you have never seen or heard of before.

    Wedding cake
    Lisa G.

    Amazing bakery. Cake was beautiful. I found their cake design off Pinterest and saw that this bakery was nearby. How they handled the tasting was one of the best compared to other bakeries we tried. They gave us requested cakes flavors in tiny shaped cubes, the filling flavors in cups and the icing also in cups. This allowed us to combine the fillings and icing with the cakes freely. The cake turned out to be exactly how I wanted. We did the first base champagne flavored and the two other layers carrot cake. The cake was very moist. The champagne cake was the majority favorite. My husband loved the carrot cake. We were very happy! Also we love their rose sugar cookies. Whenever we visit the bakery we always buy all their rose sugar cookies out on display.

    Cinnamon roll, bacon scone, blueberry oat muffin
    Kristina S.

    So glad that Yelp directed us to this place for a delicious breakfast while in Stonington. The cinnamon roll (nice hint of nutmeg and orange) and bacon/cheddar scone (buttery savory deliciousness) were fabulous, and the cold brew was great (and quite strong). Only miss (oddly recommended by staff) was the blueberry oat muffin which was too thick and dry, lacking in any lasting flavor aside from oat.

    Chocolate covered marshmallow with a graham cracker base. Like the best Mallomar ever

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    7 years ago

    Best donut of my life. Wow what a treat. Worth every calorie. This is a must go to for a best bakery!

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    Nana’s Mystic

    Nana’s Mystic

    4.3(175 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    Great small casual local cafe that is known for its sourdough goodies. They offer everything from…read morehouse-made bread, morning rolls (sweet and savory), cookies, to pizza and sandwiches. They make their own blend of house teas which are delicious. It's a small spot that has both indoor and outdoor seating. The staff are all very friendly. We ordered the mushroom toast, house breakfast sandwich and two dark chocolate glazed sourdough donuts (which are made to order). This was our second visit of the weekend and everything was delicious both times. Definitely adding to our Rolodex of places to return to and highly recommend!

    Nana's has something for everyone: pizza using the sourdough they bake in house, a killer spicy…read morekale Caesar salad, sandwiches, and a pastry section including seasonal doughnuts. So that means everyone loves Nana's. Which means that, on a very rainy weekend early afternoon, we ended up waiting quite a long time to order and then to get our food but ... I suppose it was worth it (this is high praise coming from someone who almost never believes waiting in a long line is actually worth it). My friend and I split the spicy Caesar kale salad as a starter. I cracked up when I saw "massaged kale" as one of the ingredients. But all jokes aside, this was one of the best kale salads with abundant dressing and, in lieu of croutons, breadcrumbs and cashew parmesan. It tasted pretty indulgent and rich but you can certainly fool yourself into thinking it's actually healthy. I got the tomato sandwich plus bacon (so a BLT without the L) and it was pretty good, though I do wish they cut the bread a little thinner so I could pick it up and eat it as a sandwich. As it were, I just used my knife and fork - certainly more civilized. The pizza was also not bad, though I wish there were some more of the toppings - heard it's leagues better than Mystic Pizza. There are a few tables inside but be prepared to wait. When it was peak rush hour, there were two lines inside, one for the bathroom and one to place an order. Even though they were so slammed, the staff couldn't be friendlier. Our waitress in particular came by often to see how we were doing. Parking lot also filled up. We parked in the Mystic train station and then walked over.

    Photos
    Nana’s Mystic - Breakfast specials

    Breakfast specials

    Nana’s Mystic - Chocolate glazed made to order sourdough donut

    Chocolate glazed made to order sourdough donut

    Nana’s Mystic - Outside view

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    Outside view

    The Flour Shop - The cheech at the beach!

    The Flour Shop

    4.8(61 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    This is one of my favorite places in all of New London County. It is the only place I will wake…read moreup early for to beat the crowd and get bagels. Yes, get here early especially in tourist season to beat the crowds, and order ahead if the option is available. They do sell out so check their instagram/facebook first to make sure they haven't yet. My current go to is a plain or sesame bagel toasted with butter and a little hot honey. When I am more hungry, I go for the sweet Lou with no cheese or the Hot Boi with no cheese and cream cheese on the side. The eggs are local and everything is cooked perfectly. The everything bagel is a little too salty for my tastes, but friends love it! My boyfriend is incredibly picky about bagels but if I come home with no bagel for him he gets in his feelings--it's that good. I'm so happy to see The Flour Shop thrive here in Pawcatuck. They started off with humble beginnings and it's been great to watch them grow and expand. Staff is always kind, even with the stress of the tourist season. Check this place out!

    I would give 6 stars if it would let me!!! If you haven't made it to The Flour Shop Bagels & More…read moreyet, you're seriously missing out. This hidden gem is already going viral in real life, and after my visit, I completely understand why. Be prepared to wait (the line stretched out the door and wrapped around the building) but don't let that scare you away. It moves pretty fast. It's absolutely worth the wait. And that says a lot coming from an impatient New Yorker that hates to wait. Inside is small and can get pretty crowded, but there are a few outdoor tables if you'd rather enjoy your food outside. Parking was surprisingly easy, with a decent-sized lot. The service was just as impressive as the food. Owner Hannah was wonderful to chat with and clearly passionate about what she's built. Alyssa, who took my order, was incredibly patient and helped me narrow down the menu with fantastic recommendations!! I tried the #3 Sweet Lou on a jalapeño bagel with cream cheese, and it was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. The cheddar scallion bagel with regular cream cheese was light, flavorful, and had just the right amount of crisp on the outside. I also had the Meemers BLT on a margarita bagel, which was absolutely delicious. For drinks, I ordered the Cookie Butter Cold Brew with cold foam and the Banana Bread Latte with caramel and cold foam. Both were incredible and packed with flavor. (I usually don't even like cold brew) From the exceptional service to the outstanding food and drinks, everything exceeded my expectations. The Flour Shop Bagels & More absolutely lives up to the hype and is a must visit if you're looking for one of the area's best breakfast spots. They are absolutely on my list of favorites now!

    Photos
    The Flour Shop - Menu July 2025

    Menu July 2025

    The Flour Shop
    The Flour Shop - Enter from sidewalk. Sandwich board w/specials in parking lot area by employee entrance.

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    Enter from sidewalk. Sandwich board w/specials in parking lot area by employee entrance.

    Nana's Westerly - Sourdoughnut sundae

    Nana's Westerly

    4.3(116 reviews)
    4.6 mi
    $$

    Absolutely loved my experience at Nana's Westerly! The staff here were so kind and gave us lots of…read moregreat recommendations. I also love how cozy and charming the restaurant is. There's a lovely outdoor seating area in the back as well. For food we ordered the salad and the bacon egg and cheese sandwich. Nanas makes all their bread in house which makes all their sandos taste even better!

    A rainy day calls for going out for breakfast, and in this case, it was Nana's. We were staying at…read morean Airbnb nearby and our host recommended this place, so we decided to try it out. The GPS led us to a parking lot, with a good number of spots and Nana's was 20 steps away. They do have a patio with a few tables but because it was raining, we went straight inside. When we arrived, there were only a couple parties seated, but by the time we were mid-way through our meal / leaving, the place was packed. Our server helped us with understanding some of the items on the menu and also warned us about some of the iteme they didn't have, like pepperoni, mushrooms, and donuts. With that in mind, we ordered risotto balls to start and the pesto egg and cheese sandwich (baked fresh eggs, pesto, cheddar cheese, lemon aioli, brioche roll) and Dijon and lemon chicken salad sandwich (slow roasted chicken thighs, lemon aioli, herbs, local greens, pickles, and side of fries) for the main meals. The Yaupon iced tea caught our attention since it has indigenous tea with rotating fruit fusion so we ordered one just to try it. The risotto balls came out a little sooner than the other items. We loved the crispy outside, but not a huge fan of the inside since it was mostly risotto with not enough cheese or something to glue it all together. The sauce tasted like a fancy marinara - it was tart, lightly sweet, but a tad acidic and herby too. In our minds, we imagined our main plates looking differently, but I think it was mostly because we didn't do a good job of reading the menu. The pesto sandwich was good. The eggs reminded us a lot of a quiche-spongey and light. It did not have a strong pesto flavor. The roll seemed homemade; it was good and airy. The Dijon lemon chicken salad sandwich was okay. The chicken thighs chunks were tender, and I could definitely taste the pickles, lemon, and Dijon. I think it needed more salt or even something sweet to balance out the acidic flavors. The bread was well toasted. The fries were delicious with the right amount of salt, crispiness, and variety. The iced tea was not our favorite as it tasted overly sweet which might've removed any fruit flavor. The staff was very attentive, they have lots of tables and high chairs to choose from, and lots of natural sun coming through the large windows.

    Photos
    Nana's Westerly
    Nana's Westerly - Pepperoni sweet and spicy - SM (neo style)

    Pepperoni sweet and spicy - SM (neo style)

    Nana's Westerly - Nanas spritz

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    Nanas spritz

    Zest - bakeries - Updated September 2026

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