Sub Rosa and Country Style in The Guide: Where to Eat in Richmond, Virginia

Best donut in Richmond is Country Style’s cinnamon sugar cake, this is an undeniable fact and I can’t be swayed.

December 15, 2014; 10:54 AM • by Richard Hayes

It is apparent that the east end wins in the contest of the sweet tooth in Saveur’s The Guide Where to Eat in Richmond, Virginia. The only downside to these selections is that it’s Monday so even if I wasn’t at work I couldn’t get either one. Why do they deny us these beautiful foods on Monday the most sucky day of the week? Woe is me.

SUB ROSA BAKERY
From a seat in the sunny front window of this bakery in Church Hill you can watch baker Evrim Dogu churn out some of the best bread in the city. Everything comes from the wood-fired oven built right into the back of the shop, and they mill much of the flour they use themselves (often incorporating heritage grain from local farmers). For breakfast, nothing beats a couple slices of their chewy, lightly sour classic loaf (their take on a pain au levain, made with a natural starter Evrim himself began 4 years ago) dipped in a little olive oil and honey. Or pick up one of their seeded braids—strands of flaky croissant dough braided and topped with nigella and sesame seeds (a tribute to the flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, which Sub Rosa often merges with traditional Italian and French pastry).

COUNTRY STYLE DONUTS
For the best donuts in the city, check out the offerings at Country Style Donuts, a tiny shop located near Richmond’s airport that’s been serving classic cake and yeasted donuts for over 40 years. It’s open 24 hours a day; at any given time on a Sunday, you’ll see everyone from churchgoers to frequent fliers to college students come through for their weekly fix, ordering assortments of treats in flavors like buttermilk, maple, coconut cake, and peanut.