Charlie's Bakery & Creamery — Restaurant in Orlando

Update 06/14/23 Charlie's Bakery has brought back some of the classic cookies, tarts, and danishes that were missing since my disappointing visit. They even had the brownies and chocolate lace cookies that were a staple of the store. PLEASE continue reintroducing the treats that made your bakery famous! While I didn't see anyone other than me in the store (it could have just been a slow day) I did notice there were empty spaces where those cookies had been, meaning people had been buying them. I'll be coming back in October and should this revitalization of classic Charlie's Bakery continue I will re-write this entire review to reflect that. 3 out of 5 stars now.

This wasn't the review I expected to write when I arrived to see the updated store but I have to be honest about my experience. I'm 44 and have been coming here since I was 3 years old. The sign may say 'est.1971' and that was true of Charlie's Bakery... unfortunately this is now 'Charlie's Bakery & Creamery'. What was once a flourishing local bakery is now a cookie cutter boutique sweets shop I can find at any airport or trendy town square. Except it's not in either of those locations, rather nestled next to a tattoo parlor, smoke shop, discount produce, and comic book shop in a small strip mall. There are no more pastries, tarts, or gingerbread men. There are no more pound cakes or breads, most by-the-pound items are reduced to single packaged clamshell bites.

Immediately I noticed there was no line, my mother and I were the only people in the shop. For every visit during my life I remember there have always been a line of happy patrons waiting for their speciality cakes or to pick up pounds of specialty cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and tarts. Some people like me travel from many states away to bring home the classic menu items Charlie's has offered since 1971. Those are now gone.

The shop was updated with a modern monochromatic look with some gold splashed in. It's clean and reminds you of a restaurant bathroom. There is now an ice cream counter where the majority of bakery goods once were. And that's all I can really say about the store. There's nothing else unique or friendly about it. I asked the woman behind the counter if they still had business, as the entire time we were inside nobody else came in. She informed me they had lost old customers but gained some new ones.

What a terrible business decision.

When you renovate or update an establishment you don't change your entire menu, your entire way of production, because you lose your original customer base. Even if you're forced to downsize you want to attract more customers, not less. Apparently the new owners made these decisions. It's the worst kind of bait and switch, but in this case it wasn't even switched to anything interesting. My mother made a purchase but none of the four items that I had been purchasing for decades were offered so I left empty handed. Nothing I saw looked appetizing because I didn't come there for an ice cream cone or eclair. I came for Charlie's Bakery which is no longer present.

I'm sorry Orlando, you've lost one of the last great bakeries in Florida. Once you damage an iconic establishment in this way, even if you want to there's no going back. If you want to see what Charlie's once offered scroll through the Google review photos until you find ones with items on yellow trays. There you will see the real variety and classic treats people once...

UPDATE: Stopped in today to use my 10% off annual loyalty discount. It was nice to see that the inside remodel looks fantastic! There is a nice seating area, and the place is still as warm and inviting as ever. The counters are filled with great pastries, as usual, and the ice cream section contains a number of fun names and inviting selections.

I purchased several items, including the White Chocolate Raspberry eclair, an iced sugar cookie, the white chocolate raspberry cookie and the Razzle Dazzle ice cream. The eclair was an amazing pastry filled with a fluffy raspberry cream, topped with white chocolate and raspberry sprinkles. The Razzle Dazzle ice cream was a mixture of their homemade cotton candy and blueberry ice creams. It was a tasty and fun treat. I saved the iced cookies for my morning coffee, and they did not disappoint. This is one of my favorite bakeries in Orlando! The servers are always willing to help, with a smile on their faces and a pleasant disposition. Keep up the great work! No wonder you are a staple in the Orlando area.

PREVIOUS: I first stopped by Charlie's to celebrate National Ice Cream Day. I had the Butterfinger with rainbow sprinkles as I wanted to compare it to the Dairy Queen's Blizzard. This one is much better as it tastes homemade and is made fresh by the owner's husband (as explained to me by one of the staff, Sonya). While enjoying my ice cream, I wondered around the shop. It had been a while since I stopped in at Charlie's as I am not out this way that much.

I love the cleanliness of the store, the wide selection of baked goods and the friendly staff. Sonya informed me that a new owner acquired Charlie's over a year ago and added the creamery, which is a great addition. Sonya assisted me while I was making my selections and she let me take as much time as I wanted. I asked her for recommendations and asked questions, and she was very helpful in my decision-making process. I ordered the Red Velvet Cake Square ($6) and it was as light and as perfect a red velvet cake as I have had in a long time. The frosting between the two sections and on top was light and airy. The red sprinkles also gave the cake a distinctive flavor. I purchased a Sugar Cookie and a Lemon Blueberry Cookie ($1.50 each) also and had them with my coffee the next morning. Both taste sensations brought back great memories of the quality and freshness of Charlie's baked goods. I can attest the new owner has kept the quality and added some great extra touches of her own.

I will be back. In fact, I signed up for their Rewards program. Sonya told me once you accumulate 10 stars, you are eligible for a treat. I'm only one star away already, so next time I'll go back and learn more about the Rewards program. At the time, I just wanted to experience baked goods heaven and I was extremely happy with...

What am absolutely incredible hidden Gem of a bakery and ice cream parlor! Located in the middle of a small strip mall building complex on Curry Ford Rd. and Crystal Lake Rd. in the same complex where the awesome Daybreak Diner is located.

Upon walking in, you are immediately hit with the most amazing smells of sweet bakery and mouth watering homemade waffle cones. Lining the entire store are glass cases loaded full with cannolis, cream puffs, cookies, brownies, a wide variety of incredible full-size and personal size cakes and so much more! I had a brownie which I took with me for later, and it was amazing! Very nicely sized, super decadent, and oh so rich and chewy.

In the next glass case over they have roughly 15 different homemade ice creams of all different flavors. I was able to sample 6 different flavors, and they would have let me try every single one if I would have asked. They even had five or six non-dairy options to choose from, which really peaked my interest, so I got an amazing non-dairy blueberry cheesecake ice cream in a sugar cone to start. I literally couldn't decide on just one flavor, so I ended up getting their award winning strawberry and also their award winning chocolate in a cup to go. Coming from Wisconsin, I know a thing or two about really good Ice cream and custard, and while this was not custard, it was still extremely smooth and had a very silky texture on the tongue. Each of the flavors I tried samples of, I would have gladly wolfed down an entire scoop, but I figured three scoops was enough for one day. I will DEFINITELY be back soon to try another three or four scoops so I can satiate my ice cream desires. Next time I will have to try their homemade waffle cones and maybe a piece of German chocolate cake along with them. In addition, I simply have to get a fresh made carmel macchiato to go, or perhaps a latte or one of their other fresh made coffee creations. Their servers were absolutely some of the nicest and most friendly employees I have had the pleasure of meeting, and also so very patient, as we tried so many of their different flavors of ice cream and they always replied with a friendly "of course" upon every request for a sample.

There were several booths and tables to sit down and eat at and the bakery was decorated with very cute led light strips making it a good combination of classic meets modern.

All in all, it was an amazing experience, and one which I plan to have again oh so very soon!

If you are ever in the area, it is an absolute MUST STOP and try! ❤️ You WON'T be disappointed...