Ever wanted to board a spaceship? Now’s your chance at Smugglers Cafe, the new immersive cookie shop in downtown Fredericksburg.
Owners Jordan and Sydney Manning, a husband-and-wife duo, officially opened the doors to the café in December. As you step foot in Smugglers Cafe, you are transported off the streets of Fredericksburg and onto a spaceship and docking bay in outer space.
After decent traffic during its opening days, the café has taken off over the last few weeks thanks to a viral video on TikTok. “We opened up Tuesday, and we just had, like a rush of people coming in out of nowhere, and they were like, ‘We saw your video on Tiktok,’” says Jordan. “And then that following Saturday, we had a line out the door down the block.”
A Custom Experience
Taking inspiration from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and even Galaxy’s Edge and Disney World, the interior of Smugglers Cafe was completely designed and built by Jordan and his dad.
The front part of the shop is even set up like a queue at an amusement park ride. As you wait in line, TV screens placed on the walls show actors discussing an upcoming space mission, similar to a Disney World pre-show.
“The reason we wanted to build it is because we love Disney, but … Disney is pretty expensive,” says Jordan. “It’s all the way in Florida or California, so you have to fly all the way out there and pay multiple thousands of dollars to go. So, we created a small version of it where you actually don’t have to pay anything to do it.”
Sweet Indulgences
The decor isn’t the only thing that will wow guests. The café is selling half pound cookies — baked daily — that will cure any sweet tooth. Jordan and his staff are currently turning out 400 to 500 cookies per day. So far, the bestselling cookie flavors are chocolate chip and coffee cake. Other flavors include chocolate chip peanut butter, peanut butter, cookies and cream, M&M, white chocolate macadamia nut, sprinkle, and seasonal flavors. January’s flavor of the month is hot chocolate.
Similar to the cookies you may find at Gideon’s Bakehouse at Disney Springs, these giant treats have a soft center. The $6 cookies are baked with quality ingredients, like organic butter, and dye-free toppings (except the M&M cookie). The menu also features drip coffee, cold brew, hot tea, hot chocolate, white milk, and coffee beans roasted in-house by Jordan.
Smugglers Cafe is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. or until sold out. 604 Caroline St., Fredericksburg
Feature image courtesy Smugglers Cafe
