You don’t usually expect to find fresh pastries, hot coffee, and lunch being served inside a nearly 200-year-old church.
But one Virginia bakery has turned a church built in 1833 into a seriously cool place to eat.
Step inside and you can order cakes, cookies, croissants, muffins, sandwiches, and other treats while surrounded by reminders of the building’s much older past.
The historic setting alone makes it worth a look, but the packed bakery cases give you another very good reason to stop.
And because it’s located near some of Virginia’s most interesting historic attractions, you can easily turn a bakery run into a full day out.
Here’s where to find this unusual Virginia bakery and what you need to know before you go.
Where Is It?
Eileen’s Bakery & Cafe is located at 1115 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia, inside a former church that dates back to 1833.
Fredericksburg sits along the Rappahannock River in Northern Virginia, a 1-hour drive from Washington, D.C., without heavy traffic.
From Richmond, the bakery is roughly a 1 hour drive away.
About
Eileen’s Bakery & Cafe gives you a pretty unusual place to grab breakfast or lunch: a former church dating back to 1833.
The historic brick building at 1115 Caroline Street has been standing in Fredericksburg for nearly two centuries, and its past is still a big part of what makes a stop here so memorable.
The building originally served as a church, and you can still spot details that hint at its former life while you’re eating pastries and sipping coffee inside.
Rather than replacing the character of the old building, the bakery makes use of the historic space, creating a setting that looks very different from your average neighborhood cafe.
Eileen’s is known for making a wide range of sweets and baked treats, including cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, muffins, scones, croissants, danishes, and other pastries.
You can stop in for something small with coffee or pick up a whole dessert to take home.
The bakery also makes decorated cakes, so this is a handy local stop when you need something for a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or another celebration.
If you arrive hungry for an actual meal, you have options beyond the pastry case.
Eileen’s serves breakfast and lunch, with cafe favorites such as breakfast sandwiches, soups, and salads, among the choices you may find on the menu.
Pair your meal with coffee, then save room for something sweet before you leave.
The location also puts you right in downtown Fredericksburg, so it’s easy to combine breakfast or lunch at Eileen’s with a walk along Caroline Street.
You’ll be close to many of the historic buildings, shops, restaurants, and landmarks that make this part of Fredericksburg so interesting to explore on foot.
Know Before You Go
Opening hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 8 AM to 2 PM, with the bakery closed on Mondays.
Hours can change around holidays, so check the bakery’s official website or social media pages before making the drive.
If you have your heart set on a particular pastry, cake, or other baked treat, arriving earlier in the day is a smart move since popular items can sell out.
The cafe serves both breakfast and lunch, making it an easy stop before sightseeing or a midday break between Fredericksburg attractions.
Parking is available around downtown Fredericksburg, but spaces closest to Caroline Street can fill up during busy periods.
Once you park, this part of town is easy to explore on foot, and several major historic attractions are within easy reach of the bakery.
George Washington’s Ferry Farm is just across the Rappahannock River and preserves the property where Washington lived from age 6 until early adulthood.
You can also visit the Mary Washington House at 1200 Charles Street, where George Washington’s mother lived during the final years of her life.
Another nearby stop is the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop at 1020 Caroline Street, just a short walk from Eileen’s.
Costumed interpreters and recreated 18th-century medical treatments make this tiny museum one of downtown Fredericksburg’s more unusual history stops.
For a longer walk, head to Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, which preserves major sites connected with four Civil War battles: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House.
If you would rather keep things simple, grab a pastry and spend some time walking along Caroline Street, where you’ll find locally owned shops, restaurants, galleries, and historic buildings within a few blocks.
Plan enough time to actually look around when you visit Eileen’s.
You’re getting breakfast, lunch, coffee, and baked treats inside a building dating to 1833, so this is one bakery where the surroundings are part of the experience.
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