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    Zest

    4.3 (49 reviews)
    Closed 8:30 am - 3:00 pm

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    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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    Page 2 of 2

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    Nana’s Mystic

    Nana’s Mystic

    4.4
    (164 reviews)
    3.2 mi
    $$

    Okay so I love this little spot in Mystic! Away from the main street chaos and with a parking lot…read morewere the first perks! The Life on Marizpan latte was incredible - got it iced and the flavor was amazing! All flavor shots are made in house. Kids had the lemonade - also fresh and in house. Shared a large cheese pizza and devoured! The baked goods looked delicious! I will say - the donuts were sold out when we were there at noon so we will definitely will be back for everything we tried and hopefully donuts next time too!

    This was a small spot with outdoor seating along with a few tables inside. It was an organic…read morebakery as well as a pizza shop that also served breakfast dishes. There were a lot of intriguing options to choose from. I had the chilaquiles ($15) and a Cacio Pepe doughnut ($4). The chilaquiles had corn tortilla chips, salsa Verde, salsa Macha, cotija, white onion, cilantro, and a fried egg. The chips appeared to be homemade, and they were tremendous along with the salsa Verde and Macha. There was a nice kick to the salsas and a perfect crunch from the chips. However, it just felt like the dish was mostly chips. I felt like more toppings could be added or an additional egg. The fried egg was also a little overcooked, guess when ordering, we could have specified how we wanted it to be cooked. The doughnut was okay. The sourdough base was very solid, but essentially just a lot of cheese on top. I was not sure what to expect regarding this type of doughnut, but this was the least optimal choice. Will I go back? I would.

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    Breakfast specials
    Breakfast specials
    Chocolate glazed made to order sourdough donut
    Chocolate glazed made to order sourdough donut
    Outside view

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    Outside view
    Deviant Donuts

    Deviant Donuts

    3.9
    (235 reviews)
    3.9 mi
    $$

    This was a casual spot that served donuts. The type of donuts seemed to change on a weekly basis,…read morewhich was cool to see. There was a bunch to choose from, so I am sure some remain constant. Three donuts were tried and my thoughts on each are below. Orange Creamsicle - This was brioche filled with orange cream mousse topped with orange glaze, whipped cream, and an orange slice. This tasted exactly like what one would expect. The icing was pleasant, while the whipped cream was very light and airy. Bananas Fosters - This was a banana glazed brioche topped with whipped cream, caramel drizzle, and a banana chip. Again, this tasted like what one expects when ordering this type. This was very solid. There was a nice balance of flavors and extremely large too. Bismark - This was filled with raspberry jam and topped with whipped cream, raspberries, and powdered sugar. Again, I could not believe how light the whipped cream was. The raspberries were a nice touch on top and filling, very tasty. Will I go back? Yes, I would.

    Soo good to be back ! Last time I was there I Picked up…read moreregular donuts to bring home but I was not able to try since they didn't have Gluten free donuts that day I went. I was very excited when I was there 2 weeks ago! It was worth the wait. The line wasn't crazy but it moved fast. The GF donut tasted delicious! My non gluten free friend had the same one and she really liked it too. Very fluffy, not dry! It was perfect! Now I wish I bought more! The place is very small inside. You basically order and take it to go. There are tables outside on their deck where you can have coffee and a donut! Prices are great too! And they have a great variety of flavors.

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    Interior
    Interior
    Specials menu
    Specials menu
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    Outside seating

    Zest - bakeries - Updated July 2026

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