Giancarlo Fine European Pastries

Since 1997 or 98 this Sweet Couple has been in Business right here! Charming Shop in the back of their Home! Might help you to know its a little hard to find if you didn’t know! Down a gravel and grass «Alley» Drive! Looks Residential, it is residential !
Chocolate Layer Cake was a Nice after Breakfast Dessert! Dessert for Breakfast! YES!!!
E_​_​_​_​_​. (forgot the name) A Swiss Treat! A Cake with a Caramel Topping it was Breakfast for me!
Rumballs covered in Chocolate with Fruit! Biggest and most Unique Rumballs I have eaten!

Why yes, this little shop is located in a residential area. The owners are super sweet and know their stuff!
Jane helped us decide what to get and she did not lead us astray! Lots of fantastic options here, we definitely will be back. The cake we got was moist and light, and although it was chocolate it was surprisingly not too rich! The rum ball had a nice fruity flavor to it, and although I don’t remember the name, the almond cake with caramel topping that we brought home was fantastic! Everything is made right there in the shop and they do beautiful work. If you’re ever in Staunton make sure you check them out! Although they are only open on Fridays and Saturdays for visitors, the rest of the week is by appointment only. I posted directions on how to find them in the tips, but you can also find the information on their website!

I’m rarely someone who writes a review, but this place is an exception. Do not let the location fool you. They had a great selection that made it difficult to choose. I brought a selection to a friend’s house for dinner. It was such a treat to divide them up so we could each enjoy the variety. All were delicious and full of flavor, yet not overly sweet. I noticed us all scraping our plates for the last little bit. This place is a must-​try!

This is a true hidden gem. Operated in the rear of the owner’s home, it’s reached by the alleyway («Pastry Ln») and is a very cozy kitchen-​counter shop offering a great variety of delicious, delicate and rich sweets. They are very evidently made by an expert, and it’s worth seeking out.

Although hidden away on an alley in Staunton, this journey was worth it times 10! You will feel like you have stumbled into an authentic pastry/​chocolatier shoppe in Europe. Everything was done with the best ingredients and in a beautiful way. Giancarlo and his wife, Jane, spent almost an hour telling us about their various creations and even gave us a sample of his latest experiment using pumpkin. If you want to have pastries and chocolates like you have never had before, seek this treasure out.

My Fiancé and I had some terrible cake tasting experiences at other places and we tipped off to try Giancarlo. We were so incredibly happy that we did! We booked a tasting on a short notice and he presented us with the most amazing cake we’ve ever tried. I am not usually a dramatic person, but this cake was hands down the best I’ve ever had. I can say that no matter how our wedding turns out, we will have a great cake.
Not only was the cake fantastic, but the whole tasting experience went smoothly and we felt taken care of. Giancarlo explained how he only uses the finest quality ingredients such as no artificial flavors and farm fresh eggs, which is very important to us and hard to find in the Staunton area. He explained the history of his business and we sold immediately. It was everything we could have hoped for in a cake tasting experience.

We found this authentic European pastry in Staunton VA during a weekend trip from DC. Giancarlo made a cake for a group of us and it was amazing. In addition, there also small pastries, chocolates, cakes, and tortes available. You can definitely tell that there is a lot of quality and love in the pastries.
The shop is located at the back of the Giancarlo’s and his wife’ house, but you enter thru alley, so take that into consideration when getting directions. You may need to call ahead to get directions just in case. But it’s totally worth it because the quality is so high. It is a treasure worth looking for. Bravo Giancarlo!

Took a weekend getaway to Staunton with friends who were celebrating birthdays. We went around downtown looking for a nice pastry shop to buy a birthday cake, but weren’t thrilled with what we found. We wanted something European-​style, meaning using high quality ingredients and not overly sweet. Then we asked one of the restaurant owners if he had an idea and that’s when he called Giancarlo for us.
Giancarlo’s wife answered the phone and explained they don’t have a bunch of cakes sitting around pre-​made, but that they could probably make one for us. She gave us directions, as it was about a mile away from downtown. So we drove over to meet with them.
We were suspicious at first, as the pastry shop is more like a garage attached to a home in a residential neighborhood. Very tiny. But as soon as we walked in, we could tell we had found what we were looking for. It was like stepping into a real pastry shop in Europe or *maybe* New York or San Francisco. We saw beautiful little fruit tarts with perfectly ripe berries, macaroons covered in chocolate, linzer tarts and the like in the glass cooler. On a nearby shelf were a few food products that were imported from Italy, like good quality jarred soups and sparkling water (not brands that you find at any store — not even The Italian store in Arlington).
The ordering experience was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Giancarlo talked to the 6 of us and asked what we like. Although we didn’t all agree on everything, he took all our input and after some discussion finally suggested a tiramisu-​style cake with chocolate layers soaked in rum and high quality espresso. He asked us to give him an hour and then it would be ready.
An hour later we came back and found one of the most beautiful cakes I’ve ever seen. He even topped it off with a thin sheet of marzipan that looked like a rolled up paper scroll with Happy Birthday written on it. He also topped it with real imported Italian Savoiardi biscuits. He said that he had a little leftover from the cake top, which allowed him to make a little mini sampler version, which he cut up and let us all taste. It was divine! I’m a chocolate snob and I could tell he used very high quality chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa. And as we requested, it wasn’t too sweet. Even I, the one person of the bunch who rarely eats sweets, enjoyed it tremendously.
Although the cake was superb, I think the thing I’ll remember most about this experience was the warm, friendly reception and delightful conversation with Giancarlo and his wife. We left there feeling like family. And somehow we knew when enjoying the cake later that positive feelings went into making the cake.
My husband, who is German, said that he wants to go back next year before Christmas to buy some marzipan-​filled stollen, since they make it around the holidays. Not even Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe in Arlington makes their own — they import theirs.
This place is such a hidden gem. It’s a good reminder that you shouldn’t just rely on the internet to find places. Sometimes — especially in small towns where people don’t know what Unilocal is, the best thing to do is ask around. If we hadn’t done that, we would never have found this place.