Camino Bakery

Camino Bakery is a community-driven bakery and coffeehouse in downtown Winston-Salem, NC, making bread, croissants, pastries, and made-to-order sandwiches from scratch every morning. The original shop sits on West Fourth Street with sidewalk seating, and Camino has since grown to three locations across the city.

The name comes from the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage route across northern Spain. Founder Cary Clifford walked it, and the sense of community and hospitality she found along the way became the model for how she wanted her retail spaces to feel.

Be sure to check out the pictures below to get a feel for Camino Bakery before you go — or to relive the visit after.

From a Basement Under Krankies to Three Locations

Camino started in 2008, when Cary Clifford — an untrained but determined baker — began working out of a tiny bakery in the basement underneath Krankies Coffee. The operation grew quickly, and Camino opened its first retail shop on West Fourth Street shortly after.

That Krankies connection runs deeper than the address. Krankies got Camino’s coffee program up and running in the early days, which is a genuinely unusual bit of Winston-Salem food-scene history — one independent coffee operation helping launch another that would become its direct neighbor and peer.

Clifford also took an active role in the development of the Fourth Street corridor, organizing a committee of Fourth Street vendors to coordinate on everything from municipal issues to street fairs with free music. Downtown Winston-Salem has changed substantially since 2008, and Camino has been part of that change rather than just a beneficiary.

Today Camino operates three locations: the original on West Fourth Street, a renovated space on Brookstown Avenue next to Old Salem, and a shop inside Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist on Medical Center Boulevard.

The Bread, the Coffee, and the Locations

Camino is a bakery first. Everything is made from scratch each morning — breads, croissants, muffins, danishes, and scones — then made-to-order sandwiches on fresh-baked bread, quiche made with local eggs and cream, macarons, and a range of desserts, including vegan and gluten-free options. The bread program is substantial enough that Camino has been known to move well over 175 loaves in a single day at the Cobblestone Farmers Market in Old Salem.

The coffee program is a serious second act. Camino pours Methodical Coffee, and the espresso and drip menu is joined by seasonal beverages, house-made syrups, Chad’s Chai from right here in Winston-Salem, and dairy from Homeland Creamery. Evenings bring wine from a small vineyard and local draft beer, along with cookies, cheesecakes, and cakes.

The three shops each have their own character. The Fourth Street location is the original, with sidewalk seating in the middle of the downtown restaurant and bar corridor and later hours on weekends. Brookstown Avenue sits beside Old Salem in a renovated space with a covered outdoor deck, its own parking lot, and enough room to work — it’s the one regulars tend to name as their favorite. The Wake Forest Baptist location serves the hospital campus.

Good to Know

• Fourth Street location (original): 310-B West Fourth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27101 — phone 336-721-9990
• Brookstown location: Brookstown Avenue, beside Old Salem — renovated space with covered outdoor deck and dedicated parking
• Wake Forest Baptist location: 300 Medical Center Boulevard, inside Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
• Founded: 2008 by Cary Clifford, starting in a basement bakery underneath Krankies Coffee
• The name: After the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain, which Clifford walked
• Hours: Vary by location; the Fourth Street shop generally opens at 7 AM with later closing hours Thursday through Sunday — check the Camino Bakery website for current hours at each location
• The bakery: Breads, croissants, muffins, danishes, scones, macarons, quiche with local eggs and cream, made-to-order sandwiches, and desserts including vegan and gluten-free options
• The coffee: Methodical Coffee, plus seasonal drinks, house-made syrups, Chad’s Chai, and Homeland Creamery dairy
• Evenings: Wine from a small vineyard and local draft beer
• Also find them: Cobblestone Farmers Market in Old Salem, where the bread sells in volume
• Catering: Available with at least 72 hours’ notice
• Worth knowing: Gets crowded on weekend mornings; downtown parking is limited around the Fourth Street shop, while Brookstown has its own lot
• Best for: Bread and pastry buyers, coffee drinkers, remote workers, vegan and gluten-free eaters, and anyone downtown looking for breakfast or a sandwich
• Pair with: The full Winston-Salem food and beverage cluster; Krankies Coffee, where Camino got its start; Chad’s Chai, which Camino pours; Old Salem Museums & Gardens next to the Brookstown shop; or Mast General Store and Camel City BBQ Factory in the downtown corridor

A Winston-Salem Highlight

A basement under another coffee shop is not where most bakeries start. Cary Clifford began Camino in 2008 with no formal training, working out of the space underneath Krankies Coffee — which then helped her get her coffee program off the ground. Nearly two decades later, Camino has three locations, and Krankies is still a block away doing its own thing. That’s a better story about how a food scene actually grows than most cities can tell.

The name earns itself too. Clifford walked the Camino de Santiago and brought back what she found there — the hospitality, the sense that a place along the route exists to take care of whoever walks in. That’s a high bar for a bakery, and it explains the “community-driven” framing the business has used from the start.

Go early if you want the full pastry case, and pick your location by what you need. Fourth Street puts you in the middle of downtown with sidewalk seating and later weekend hours. Brookstown has the covered deck, its own parking, and Old Salem right next door — the better bet if you want to sit a while.

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Resources

Camino Bakery Website

Camino Bakery Facebook

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Social Media

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