La Bonbonniere Bakery brings giant, over-the-top cookies to a tiny walk-up window in Uptown
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Husband-and-wife duo Lud Romero and Valentina Lopez of La Bonbonniere Bakery. Photo: McKenzie Rankin/Axios
La Bonbonniere Bakery is making Uptown sweeter.
Why it matters: The locally-owned cookie business built a loyal following at Charlotte farmers markets. Now, it has a permanent home: a cozy walk-up window on S. Tryon Street in Uptown, which opened earlier this month.
What to expect: Over 30 different kinds of cookies, from classic chocolate chip to trendy flavors like "Royal Dubai," which transforms the viral Dubai chocolate into cookie form.
- These cookies are extravagant — stuffed with fillings, heavy on toppings and massive. It's not a stretch to call them edible works of art.
- Flavors rotate weekly, and a gluten-free option is usually available. When I visited, it was the "Sweet Caroline Pecan," made with vanilla dough, roasted pecans stuffed with dulce de leche, and topped with salted caramel.
- You'll also find brownies and croissants.
Sip on this: There's coffee, too, made with Cuban coffee beans, according to the owners.
- Don't sleep on the Tiramisu latte.
The vibe: A walk-up window meets sidewalk cafe, beside the Charlotte Visitor Info Center in Uptown.
- There's no indoor seating, but you can take your cookies to the public outdoor tables nearby. There's also a small rooftop patio with a few seats above the bakery.
- The space is too small for any baking. The cookies are brought in fresh daily, but coffee is made on-site, and there's a microwave to warm up your treats.
Flashback: Owner Valentina Lopez, a pastry chef originally from Venezuela, founded La Bonbonniere there in 2016, specializing in chocolates.
- After moving to the U.S., Lopez switched her baking focus to cookies.
- She built a following selling at the Charlotte Regional and Uptown farmers markets.
- Now, she runs the bakery with her husband, Lud Romero, who designed the coffee program.
If you go: Go early. The Uptown shop has been selling out most days since opening, Lopez says.
- They're still at the farmers market on the weekend and ship nationwide.
My thought bubble: Crumbl Cookies, count your days. (Kidding, sort of). La Bonbonniere's cookies channel a similar energy. Over-the-top presentation, huge surface area, and they're great for building your own cookie flight.
- Plus, you're supporting a small business.
Stop by: 329 S Tryon St., beside the Charlotte Visitor Center, near the Levine Museum of the New South.
- Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-3pm.