Review: New Filipino bakery’s treats reign supreme in Virginia Beach
Owners’ home-baked goods were so popular that they opened a shop. Rekaya Gibson reviews.
The Virginian-Pilot
25 October 2026
This frozen-dessert memory is living in my head rent-free: The silvana wafer, coated in cookie crumbs, gives a slight crunch when I sink my teeth into it, its cream filling oozing out. A delightful nuttiness finishes the chew.
Silvana frozen wafers at Loubelle’s Bakehouse are coated with cookie crumbs and filled with cream. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)
And I had, regrettably, ordered just one of the frozen cookie that made me swoon. I should have ordered more at the new Filipino bakery in the Woodtide Shopping Center, near Larkspur Middle School, in Virginia Beach.
Loubelle’s Bakehouse specializes in Filipino fusion goodies, such as halo-halo ube (purple yam) cupcakes. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)
Loubelle’s Bakehouse — a cozy spot with a few seats — specializes in classic treats, breads and other fusion goodies such as halo-halo ube (purple yam) cupcakes and puto flan, which is dulce de leche-drizzled flan on top of fluffy puto (rice cake). Expect mainstays and new flavors each week.
Owners Adriane and Kim Torres, who are from the Philippines, plan to keep the menu interesting and unique while staying true to the culture. The husband-and-wife duo started a home-based business about five years ago in Virginia Beach. Their tasty pastries became a hit with family, friends and other customers, but the couple couldn’t keep up with the demand.
Adriane Torres said a brick-and-mortar gives them more space to sell baked goods and coffee, such as iced lattes.
Kim Torres, who has been baking for six years, wanted to become a fashion designer, but she said it was costly. Instead, she designs cakes, which still allows her to be creative.
Her ube flan cupcake alone let me know she made the right decision because my life hasn’t been the same since Sweet Art Cupcakes in Virginia Beach closed in 2019. My renewed spirit loved the moist and delicate cake, ube-flavored icing and the caramelized custard. It had me in a chokehold, as the young people say — captivated. I couldn’t stop thinking about the purple-crowned goddess as I wrote this.
She doesn’t reign by herself. The pan de coco — a soft bun filled with caramelized shredded coconut — shares equal throne privileges, in my book. Pair it with hot tea for a private moment of pleasure.
This choco butternut doughnut hole, with red streusel crumb coating, tastes slightly sweet with nutmeg and a secret spice adding to its flavor. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)
I also sampled a choco butternut doughnut hole, popular in the Philippines, but it originated in the U.S. in the 1980s, according to Dunkin’. This bite-sized beauty had a dense chocolate cake interior that was too dry for my taste. The nutmeg kick gave it a nice depth of flavor along with the other spice — a secret. And the red streusel crumb coating tasted slightly sweet without leaving an aftertaste.
Loyal customers love those signature bites, cakes, pan de sal (bread rolls) and other creations, so get to the bakehouse when it opens before they sell out for the day.
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