WELTONS TINY BAKESHOP — Restaurant in Charleston

I had been looking forward to stopping by here for months as I was flying to Charleston for vacation. Wednesday AM- 7:59 am, one person waiting ahead of me for them to open. Customer service was friendly! They have a cute little wall to the left which shelves of some of their products that they use with their baking, wine, savory, canned goods (octopus pate or spiced mackerel paste anyone?), home goods… it is a small shop, yet packs a lot of personality in their space- welcoming, homey, and rustic with a touch of tradition and heart.

I grabbed a savory biscuit breakfast sandwhich with egg, cheese and ham for my husband- and about a 1/3 of their menu to-go for me!

I’m from south Florida, so I am familiar with Portuguese custard egg tarts. I thought that their pastel de nata would taste similar- but it is completely different, and for the better! The most DELICIOUS egg custard tart I’ve ever had. The pastry had a nice wash on the outside making it sweet and crisp as you bit into it. The custard to pastry ratio was perfect- one did not overpower the flavor of the other. A softest touch of cinnamon and warmth as you eat it. The filling not too heavy.

The Cardamom Sugar Kouign-Amann had a similar texture as a croissant. The cardamom flavor comes from a sprinkling of it on top mixed in with the cinnamon sugar.

The maple bourbon pecan croissant was rich! The outside crunch of the croissant and fluffy perfectly layered buttery croissant filled with chopped pecan, sweet bourbon and maple could be a meal on its own. I always like to comment on the filling to pastry ratio, and this also had a very nice equality between rich filling and light chew from croissant.

Now, I am never a consumer of savory pastries. However, I wanted to cut the sweetness of pastries with some salt. The pastry- my GOODNESS I could eat three of these. The sopresetta had a perfect crisp to it with the inner folds of it still soft and chewy. The spice of the hot honey and meat with the sweetness of the pastry and herbs with fluffy ricotta hits all the senses. Definitely not heavy on the stomach, yet filling.

The honey pie with buttermilk whip and crushed pistachios on top- surprisingly not too sweet. On a scale of 0-10, with 0 being a slice of bread and 10 being ice cream, I would rate the sweetness a 5. Imagine if buttermilk pie, flan, and cheesecake had a baby. Upon biting into it, you taste a tad of tartness, just the lightest touch, followed by a richness of egg with a mouth coating feel of dessert, ending with an aftertaste of honey. It eggs you on to take another bite to truly enjoy this special treat.

Lastly, the lemon almond cookie. I am pro-almond anything! Lattes, cakes, cookies..it is chewy, moist, and just the nicest shell on the outside. The lemon flavor does NOT have an artificial off putting flavor- it tastes airy, delicate and compliments the almond, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. I would definitely recommend this...

With an Instagram game like Welton’s, they’ve been living rent-free in my head all summer, reminding me that I’m missing out every weekend. We passed by a few times on the way out of town before, but the line looked a little long so it took us a minute. We cleared them out this morning with two separate trips through. When it says tiny, it means tiny. Enough room for maybe 4-5 adults inside in front of the counter, so when you see a line outside it’s not as bad as it looks. They even bring samples (we got a taste of apple cider donut). Their case is slammed with a mix of sweet & savory & seasonal. We got just about everything, and here’s some thoughts. We ended up liking the savory more than the sweet (egg tart and mushroom danish were incredible highlights but the muscadine tart somehow had the color but not the flavor we wanted, and the honey pie was just ok). We didn’t have a bad bite, the savory bits were just out of this world. Iced coffees were both great and unique (praline mocha & salted pistachio). Foccacia for their daily sandwich was soft and rich and salty with a good chew. Staff were all super friendly and helpful, and there’s a little alleyway seating to eat your goods. Everything is quality but you will pay. Came for the branding and the social media buzz and barely left with anything left in the bank account (by our own choosing), but...

i have been here for a coffee and a quick snack before, but today a friend and i committed to a whole spread for lunch. we tried the loaf with savory butter, cardamon pastry, and pimento/grit/red pepper jelly danish. everything was fantastic but what brings me here is the danish. now, i feel neutral - positive to the components of this creation but this specific pastry and the combination of those flavors is nothing short of masterful. if i had enjoyed my lunch within the vicinity of the shop, i would have purchased multiple more to take home. this is perhaps the best pastry i have ever consumed. the team of lovely ladies working were so kind and helpful in their recommendations. i applaud them for having to soothe the disappointment of guests when an item is sold out due to popularity. such sweet representatives of the weltons family who are so knowledgeable about their offerings. i also commend them for working in a tiny space, as i experienced in my time here today a gaggle of rude women who did not sign the social contract, nor were experienced in the art of patience, and crowded themselves in the building rather than forming a line out the door, which i am sure is a frequent occurrence for these soldiers on the frontlines of bakery service. 10/10 thank you to everyone involved and if this grit pastry is rotating please consider adding it to the...