Reunion Bakery & Espresso — Restaurant in Staunton

Reunion Bakery & Espresso, in downtown Staunton, is a standout example of focused execution done right. Built on the principles of craftsmanship and simplicity, the space blends French-inspired technique with a local, grounded sensibility. Whether you’re there for the coffee, pastries, or house-made breads, what you’ll get is intentional, high-quality product—nothing overdone, nothing generic.

🥐 Pastry Program – Laminated, Buttery, and Irresistible

Reunion’s pastry case sets the tone immediately. You’re not just looking at baked goods—you’re looking at technique: flaky layers, perfect lamination, and a balanced use of sweetness.

Highlights include:

Almond and mocha croissants – rich, deeply layered, and filled with just the right amount of paste or ganache.

Cruffins, cinnamon rolls, and chocolate financiers – each baked with a clear sense of control and detail.

Every item has a beautiful sheen, proper texture, and the kind of crisp edges and pillowy centers that tell you the bakers care.

This isn’t mass-production pastry. It’s small-batch, with depth of flavor and form that reflects a European backbone adapted to a local kitchen.

🍞 Bread Program – Rustic Sourdough and Whole-Grain Focus The bread program at Reunion is equally deliberate. They focus on naturally leavened sourdough, using local flours and ancient grains. Their porridge loaf—made with a mix of spelt, whole wheat, rye, and white flour, coated in seeds—is a perfect example of bread that’s not just good—it’s nourishing, complex, and deeply satisfying.

These loaves have real crust, structured crumb, and a hearty flavor. They’re not trying to be soft sandwich bread—they’re designed to stand up to real meals or be savored on their own.

☕ Coffee & Espresso – Thoughtful and On Point

The coffee program doesn’t try to be a third-wave spectacle, but it’s clean, consistent, and flavorful. Their drip coffee is strong without being bitter, and their espresso drinks—especially the mocha—are dialed in with balanced texture and intensity. They serve beans from respected regional roasters and execute at a level that pairs perfectly with their food. No gimmicks, just proper coffee.

You get the sense that everything is built to support the baked goods. Nothing distracts—everything complements.

✅ Final Take Reunion Bakery & Espresso isn’t trying to be trendy, broad, or overly social. It’s dialed in. If you care about how croissants are laminated, how dough is fermented, and how espresso is pulled, this place checks all the right boxes. The space is small, the menu is tight, and the results are some of the best pastry and bread in the region.

Worth the detour. Worth the early arrival. Worth coming back to....

Reunion is only opened on Friday - Sunday. The scent of the coffee is what made me first want to come here when we first went to Staunton. The coffee is so good! I don't typically life coffee but their lattes and drip coffee is so good! I do like milk in my coffee, but the smell of the brewed coffee is so delicious and wonderful. My husband called Reunion to ask about their coffee beans because I kept raving about it haha

Their bread is one of our favorite things to purchase whenever we stop by. The baguette is super good and their sourdough loaves are delicious. We don't typically eat bread by itself but we find ourselves snacking on the baguette on its own. Super crispy crust and light insides! The breads are good for anything! I enjoy making bruschetta, garlic bread, toast with toppings (custard, garlic confit, peanut butter), or just dipping it in garlic oil. One of our favorite items to get is the almond croissant. It's super crispy and delicious. The almond flavor is really good. Some of their pastries change and they'll make different flavors. The cruffins are one of them and are also super popular. The financier is another. Their lemon blueberry financier in the summer was refreshing and addicting. Their chocolate hazelnut financier tastes like nutella but better. It's rich in chocolate flavor but is not too sweet.

Overall, I highly recommend checking Reunion out! Their coffee and pastries are delicious and what I look forward to whenever we go out to Staunton. My...

Just realized I failed to leave a Google review for this gem! My mother lives in Staunton now so I visit every fall for her birthday and sometimes in-between and have always had eyes on this Bakery. I've enjoyed several items from here, last time I purchased just about one of everything in a pre-order of the weekly specials. What I love the most is that this is a local shop, with a classically trained french pastry chef, who feature locally produced and in-season fresh items from farms nearby. I love everything about that.

Their coffee is good, seriously good. I usually get a caramel macchiato and my boyfriend tries to drink it all although he never says he wants one of his own, eye roll.

My mother loves loves loves their financiers. During the lock-down/shut downs of COVID-19 they had a cleverly done walk-up window and churned out consistently good service the two times I visited them with a line. I haven't been able to dine inside yet, but I will certainly do it the next time I'm in town if I am able.

Their savory pastries are just as good as the fruit pastries and croissants. It's all good folks.

I've been to Paris and I've never met a pastry I didn't love and these are seriously the closest I've had in the USA to those I tasted in France. How lucky are the folks in Staunton to have such a shop right here...