I didn’t know what to expect when visiting Norfolk.

While I have a friend who went to college in a neighboring city and another friend who relocated to Norfolk, my only frame of reference for the city is what I’ve been told. I never had the chance to create a first-hand opinion let alone establish any kind of relationship with the city because I never visited. It wasn’t until I was with Visit Norfolk (the tourism board of Norfolk) that I got to form a honest judgement of the area for myself. After checking into the Sheraton and exploring a few restaurants, I made my way to The Rustic Tart.

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A suggestion from an Instagram friend and native to Norfolk, Brian Hollings, I only knew about the bakery located on Granby Street because of him. Thankfully, he steered me in the perfect direction when it came to finding delicious desserts within the beautiful city. A fairly decent walk from the hotel to the shop, I didn’t mind seeing the nooks and crannies of Norfolk on the way to The Rustic Tart; to be honest, I appreciated it.

Making it to the steps of the restaurant, I can honestly say the store is absolutely adorable. Nestled between two gray buildings comes the brightly colored shop that catches your eye. The sky blue framework hugging the cherry red door that lets in the amber interior was straight out of commercial welcoming you to a new city. That seemed a bit familiar. Jumping out of my daydream, I stepped into the restaurant, ordered a few items and patiently waited.

A pot of the warmest tea with a subtle taste of vanilla was sweetened by extra scoops of sugar courtesy of me. While it is simply a bag of tea swimming in hot water, having it within the comforting shop made it feel like it was more than that. Nestled in the corner of Deane’s shop, having the tea felt like the day slowed down and that the most soulful and romantic Aretha Franklin song was playing along each sip; “You Send Me” comes to mind. It easily became an ideal companion to the pastries.

The single slice of pie tasted like heaven. The apples were so delicious it felt like I was transported from the shop to sitting just underneath an apple tree. Every single bite was as good as the first one, except the last. The final bite was the saddest moment as it was the conclusion to the entire dish. Thankfully the pear dumpling wasn’t too far. Incorporating seasonal fruit, on this visit the pear was selected to be wrapped within the dumpling. It was a good decision because it was unbelievable. While it carried flavors similar to the apple pie, it was still completely unique. It was sweeter, richer, and caused an involuntary “Oh my god” eye roll than the pie. It was such a powerfully surprising dessert that I was compelled to order a second only to be told I had ordered the last.

While I can’t make a full opinion of a city based on a hotel and a bakery, I can say that my stop at The Rustic Tart was leading me to find parts of the city to be delightful. If Norfolk continued on this upward progression, I had a feeling that I would easily suggest anyone back home to make their way to this part of Virginia as soon as possible.

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Address: 323 Granby St, Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 333-3867
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday – 11:30am to 7:00pm and Closed Sunday through Tuesday.
Social: Website, Facebook, and Instagram.