Sugar Island Bakery

Sugar Island is part bakery, part coffee roaster and part rambling two-story shop of books, antiques and gifts, one row back from the beach in Surf City. The family has baked from scratch here since 1999, and it’s the kind of place you step into for a cookie and leave an hour later with a paperback.

• Surf City
• Bakery & house-roasted coffee
• Books & gifts
• Rainy-day stop

What stands out

The baking is what people remember: giant cookies, jam bars, scones, coconut macaroons and key lime pie, along with a family that hands out personal book recommendations. Upstairs, floor-to-ceiling shelves of used books make it easy to lose an hour. The catch is the calendar: short daytime hours, closed three days a week, and the occasional unplanned closure.

What to order

• A seasonal latteThemed lattes rotate with the seasons; fall has brought drinks like the Hocus Pocus, a chocolate pumpkin latte.
• Giant cookiesIncluding stuffed sandwich cookies.
• Jam bars and sconesRegular favorites; the case changes daily.
• Ginger chews or coconut macaroonsOld-fashioned treats with a following.
• Key lime pieA classic from the case.
• A bag of Small Craft coffeeThe shop’s own island-roasted, fair trade organic beans to brew at the house.

Photo: Sugar Island

The setting

Cozy, quirky and cool on a hot day, with a treasure-trove feel: new and used books, antiques, real art, local eggs and honey, and housewares. Pumpkins and mums appear out front in the fall.

Before you go

• Daytime hours only, Wednesday through Saturday. Its Instagram and Facebook post the occasional surprise closure.
• Everything is baked from scratch, so the case changes. The shop can’t accommodate food allergies or take special orders, and outside food and drink aren’t allowed.
• It now goes by simply Sugar Island.

Plan your visit

• Where: 206 N. Topsail Drive, Surf City, NC 28445
• Hours: Wednesday–Friday 10am–5pm, Saturday 10am–4pm, closed Sunday–Tuesday.
• Menu & updates: sugarislandnc.com
• More nearby: coffee shops near Surf City

Staying nearby? Browse our Surf City vacation rentals, all cared for by our local team.

Based on the business’s own website, menu and social posts and on recurring themes in public guest reviews; checked October 2026. Menus, hours and prices change, so confirm with the business before you go.