Camellias Bar & Roastery

Have been coming here for studying and its been great. Usually order their iced coffee with milk. Lv it. Today I also ordered the Gyoza, it was incredible! Made my day, highly highly recommend.

I’ve been here more times than I can count—this is easily my favorite coffee spot in C’ville. The atmosphere is incredibly cozy and perfect whether you’re sitting down to chat or settling in to study. The staff are so kind and consistently go above and beyond. They bring your drinks and food directly to your table instead of just calling your name at the counter, and on one visit they even gave my friend a bread starter, which was such a thoughtful touch. On another occasion, we accidentally stayed past closing, and they didn’t rush us out at all. They cleaned around us and then gently let us know they were already closed, telling us to take our time packing up. That level of kindness really sticks with you. While the croissants themselves are just okay (I’ve had better), the fillings are incredible. The Thai tea and ube fillings are my favorites, though they may be limited edition. The coffee is also excellent—the drip coffee tastes high quality, the espresso drinks are great, and the matcha drinks are seriously some of the best I’ve had. Overall, just a true gem of a place.

Lovely array of unique pastries to choose from. Savory items are listed on a menu as well and not on display. All coffees are beautifully decorated. A lot of care goes into presentation. I would have enjoyed my lavender mocha more if hotter but I always request extra hot at every coffee shop and I forgot but it was delicious and not too sweet w a nice strong coffee flavor. The coffee cake was the star, excellent. Quiet calm surroundings with a pretty bar in the center. Food and drinks a must try when in Charlottesville.

Camellia’s fills a unique role in the local bakery scene, being the first to offer Asian style pastries. The Thai tea croissant is particularly incredible. The staff are wonderful, bring a huge positive energy to the space, and clearly love what they do. The atmosphere is comfortable, cozy, and has personality. EDIT - August 2025: the breakfast/lunch menu has expanded to include savory kitchen-made food (sandwiches, soups, etc.). Their truffle soup and croissant dish looked delightful but was unfortunately sold out. I opted for the fresh (and absolutely stacked) avocado toast. Their matcha is the best in town, hands down - not artificially sweet, has a nice foamy top, great presentation, and is served at the perfect temperature. They really push the local envelope - pastries made with pandan, Dubai chocolate/pistachio, ube, even Thai tea (which is amazing in pastry form btw). I was reading about their owner and she is a storied local restauranteur with a number of top-notch spots around town including Pineapple Thai and the local legend Monsoon Siam. This place is wholesome inside and out.

Definitely love the atmosphere in this coffee shop. There are so many seating options tucked in all around the store. The mocha wasn’t too sweet. The egg avocado toast option was truly delicious, one of the best if its kind. There are so many options on the menu that I’d love to try. Can’t wait to come back and try different foods & drinks.