Paradox Pastry

Paradox Pastry is my absolute favorite place to get food in Charlottesville. Not only are their baked goods (pastries, cookies, tarts, *drools*…) amazing, but their STAFF ROCKS. They are the absolute friendliest group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure of interacting with. They know me by sight and start getting my typical order ready as soon as I walk in the door. Keep up the AMAZING work, Paradox!!!

Stopped in while in Hooville for a couple of meetings — pretty cool little spot. Sandwiches on croissants, some pretty interesting combos, and the soups smelled amazing. Didn’t have the coffee — some have complained about it not having a lot of options — but this didn’t strike me as a café.
Great sandwich for $ 6.

Pretty much heaven in a box! Staff are your best friends– baked delights are amazing.
I think people don’t get this is a cake shop not a coffee shop! So what they don’t have espresso?! They will bake the most amazing cake you have ever seen– so they are a little busy right? ;) I bought two ENORMOUS slices of the guinness stout cake and the autumn harvest cake for thanksgiving that brought my guests to their knees. Thanks paradox!

Paradox pastry was delicious. I got the ham and cheese croissant and my girlfriend got a maple cinnamon twist pastry. The service was fast and both of our meals were excellent. It’s the best croissant I’ve ever had. The ham was a great addition. The only reason this didn’t get five stars is because the coffee was good, but not great.

I have a love hate relationship with places that have SOOOO many choices! Croissants, pies, HUGE HUGE HUMONGOUS slices of cake, quiches, etc. I got a rather big and very yummy mini pumpkin pie for 6 $ and I definitely think all the prices were reasonable for their prices, ranging from 4 – 7 $ ish. I will come again for more for sure!

Stopped in tonight to try out their cake. Everything in the case looked great. I couldn’t decide so I picked a slice of their Guinness stout chocolate cake and a slice of pumpkin bread. I tried both after dinner. I was very underwhelmed and fairly disappointed. Both were overly sweet and too dry. The icing on the cake was über sweet and left a greasy feel in my mouth. I wouldn’t recommend this place and don’t see myself returning.

Ok so let me just say there were more than a few disappointments.
1. No espresso machine. That means no lattes or cappuccinos.
2. Coffee only dispensed via thermos’.
3. No Equal or Splenda available.
4. Blueberry muffin was dry.
5. Music blasting is just a wee bit too loud for 8am visit.
6. Service was nonchalant.
7. Note on register reads, «We have that, but not for you». Yeah, no kidding.

Croissant sandwiches were absolutely to die for. I stumbled upon this place while interning in the area, came here for lunch every week, and never got bored. It was, and is, amazing. If they have the chicken pot pie I fully recommend.

We stayed in a local hotel, found the downtown district, inquired about a bakery… yes!
Loaded up with treats to supply our pantry and serve our B n B guests.
We rave, they raved…

Paradox Pastry is absolutely incredible and has become my go-​to breakfast joint in Charlottesville. They have very modest prices and everything is baked to perfection. Indulge in something sweet like a pain au chocolat or a monster slice of cake or treat yourself to some delectable savory pastries like a personal quiche or spinach & feta croissant — each one $ 5 or less. Not to mention all of the beverages are expertly crafted. Don’t miss this spot!

Amazing. The chocolate croissant was to die for. Really nicely decorated as well. Would return in a heartbeat!

Buttery goodness is their maple cinnamon twist and their pecan pie was good for four people that’s how rich and heavily loaded it is. Will be going back.

On a Saturday morning, from the outside, this place looks like an upscale mom & pop version of Panera, ones that are popping up left and right every, might I add. They have large bay store front windows that fully open, to enjoy the fresh air and seating not just in the front, but upstairs as well. You are greeted with a vast assortment of pastries — cakes, croissants, hand pies, macarons, you name it. With people milling around in the front, it looked rather busy and intriguing.
Hubs wants a cappuccino. No espresso machine, so nothing except for drip coffee.
I got a (hot) green tea. No honey for my tea. The lady handed me a jar and spoon. Sorry ladies, I don’t know a single coffee shop that doesn’t stock honey at the condiment counter.
We ordered 2 croissants. Croissants were not done well– oily and chewy. I want to go out on a limb and say they weren’t freshly baked that morning, but I can’t confirm that. To be fair, they asked us if we wanted them re-​heated and we declined, but we’ve also had croissants (when fresh) that don’t need re-​heating and are super tasty flaky, fluffy & delicious.
I like the attempt at the concept of a pastry shop, I just think they’re lacking and need some improvements (please make the pastry counter less of a hot mess so customers can see and not have to comb through each row to see what you have) (also you’re [young] employees were rather busy snacking, chatting, and photo-​oping macarons).

Throughly disappointed. I got my hopes up for their tres leches cake and I shouldn’t have. It’s SO sweet and flavorless. And somehow dry/​crumbly/​dense all at the same time.
Husband got the chocolate stout cake. Usually chocolate stout cake is a winner, but not here. Again the texture of the cake was off, it was too sweet, and there was hardly any stout flavor. He threw most of it away.
Not bothering to go back and try anything else.
Oh, on the upside my kid did like the torte. I didn’t taste it so I can’t speak to that.

This is a cute pastry place located off the downtown mall and right next to the train tracks across from that cool record shop! The space itself is two floors with ample natural light and a charming place to meet up with friends. I would suggest coming before the lunch rush to grab a seat right by their open windows.
I was feeling fancy for lunch so I ordered their fancy salad with turkey with vinaigrette. Uh, yum. The salad was fresh and zesty and hit the spot. I would definitely come back to split some of their delicious looking pastries!
The service was friendly and speedy. The display cases were neatly kept, clean, and stocked full of freshly baked goods that ranged from cookies to croissants. Did I mention their Instagram is full of daily items? It’s worth checking their IG to get a feel for what’s available.

I love having lunch here. They have amazing homemade soup, salad and sandwiches. And their red velvet cake. For $ 6 you get a piece big enough to feed 4. Easily. I also just adore their chocolate chip cookies and European style hot chocolate. Do yourself a favor and get here soon.

Came here to do a little studying, but there actually aren’t a lot of places to work and the tables on the bottom floor are pretty small. It’s a pretty quaint spot if you just want to grab coffee and a baked treat with a friend though. I got the hot toddy cookie and it was HUGE. Like actually as big as my face (which if it wasn’t clear, is a plus because stuff like that makes me super happy). Heads up that the lot in front of this place is really small so you’ll most likely have to find street parking farther away or park in the garage.

After spending the morning at Monticello, husband, friend and I were looking for a place to grab a bite. Husband is vegetarian, friend is pescetarian, and it was mid-​afternoon on a Monday, which made things a little tricky as far as finding an acceptable food location in this area. (We try very, very hard to avoid chain restaurants.) I was frantically searching Unilocal while my companions were getting grouchier and hungrier. They were about to break down and go someplace mainstream when I found Paradox Pastry just a short walk away, so off we went.
Not many options for a full meal, but the quiches we got were delicious. Friend bought two to go so she could have them for breakfast the next day before heading back out on the road. Staff was super friendly and conversational. Seating is a little sparse, but the place is small so it’s hard to avoid that. Decent coffee and the gigantic cookie I munched on the drive home really hit the spot.
In all, a cute and friendly little place. Would pop in again for sweets and quiche.

This year, I agreed to bring dessert to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, and waited until the last minute to place an order (typical). I thought about going with Hotcakes, but their food always seems so overpriced, so I checked out the Paradox menu. Much more affordable! I came in on the Monday before Thanksgiving and ordered one 9″ Dutch apple pie and one 6″ sweet potato pie, and arranged to pick it up on Wednesday morning (Total cost was around $ 18; by comparison, just one 9″ apple-​cranberry pie at Hotcakes is $ 27). The two pies were wrapped up and waiting for me on Wednesday morning as promised. They both held up very well on my 3.5-hour drive down to North Carolina, and they were absolutely delicious the next day for dessert. The sweet potato pie was creamy and perfectly balanced, and the Dutch apple was sweet without being cloying or syrupy. Very, very good!

A-​OK pretty much sums it up for me.
If you are in the area and feel like sweets then I’d certainly recommend it over Cappellino’s. Cute little café setting, a decent assortment of pastries that are good, but nothing extraordinary.