Surry Sonker Trail: 6 stops serving this North Carolina regional treat

Satisfy your sweet tooth at these six unique stops along the Surry Sonker Trail in North Carolina. 

For many North Carolinians, dinner is followed by a slice of sweet potato pie. For some, coconut cake is the dessert of choice. But for others—especially those residing in Surry County—only sonker will satisfy their sweet tooth.

This iconic deep-dish dessert is similar to—but much juicier than—a cobbler and is often served with a scoop of ice cream. Sonker is so beloved in Surry County that the dessert even has its own festival, held annually on the first Saturday in October.

While every sonker recipe varies slightly (and is often passed down from generation to generation), the topping typically consists of a thick, pancake-like batter that, once baked, creates a slightly crispy, golden-brown crust. Popular sonker fillings include apple, peach, cherry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry rhubarb, and sweet potato, with bakers typically using whatever produce is in season.

If you’ve never tasted sonker before, the best way to discover the sweet regional treat is by taking a journey along the Surry Sonker Trail. The sonker trail features multiple stops, each offering its own variation of the Surry County staple. Keep reading to learn more about each stop on the Surry Sonker Trail.

1. Anchored Sweet Treats & Savory Eats

Address: 139 Moore Ave., Mount Airy

The owner of Anchored Sweet Treats & Savory Eats is a third-generation sonker maker born in Surry County. The woman-owned bakery sells a wide variety of sweets, from cinnamon rolls and cookies to layered cakes and cheesecake bars, along with a selection of coffee and tea.

We’re here to talk about the shop’s sonker, though. At Anchored Sweet Treats & Savory Eats, sonkers are baked fresh daily in old-school rectangle pans. Flavors vary depending on the season, ranging from sweet potato to cherry to apple, and fillings are topped with a hearty crust.

“This bakery is the real deal! Our group shared a key lime pie, a mixed-berry sonker, and a chocolate fudge cake, and all of us were wowed,” a customer wrote on Google.

2. Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies

Address: 153 N. Main St., Mount Airy

At Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies, the traditional sonker North Carolinians know and love gets a boozy twist—and a playful name. The sonkers, which owner Miss Angel calls zonkers, are made with fresh fruits or vegetables and feature a moonshine-soaked, crumb-based crust with an optional moonshine glaze and a serving of one of multiple moonshine-flavored ice creams.

“I don’t call it a sonker. I call it a ‘zonker’ because when you eat ours with moonshine, you go zonkers,” Miss Angel told Explore Elkin.

Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies also sells eight brownie variations; almost 30 pie flavors, from classics like apple and cherry to more creative options like Oreo Cream (fresh cream and Oreos with chocolate) and XXX Moonshine Apple (Apple pie glazed with a moonshine topping); and a selection of other sweets. Gluten-free and sugar-free versions of many of the store’s items are available.

The produce used in the desserts at Miss Angel’s Heavenly Pies is grown on a 65-acre farm owned by Miss Angel and her husband. Most items are available for purchase online; however, the zonker is only available in-store.

Go hungry to Miss Angel’s, one TripAdvisor reviewer suggests, adding, “You can’t pass by her window without stopping to check out her 28 flavors of pies including her Mountain Moonshine Pie. The sonker is to die for!”

3. The Tilted Ladder

Address: 105-A W. Main St., Pilot Mountain

Unlike the previous two spots mentioned in this post, which sell primarily sweets, The Tilted Ladder is a restaurant and bar that serves burgers, wings, sandwiches, and other American comfort foods. The eatery’s dessert menu features cake, pie, and of course, sonker.

At The Tilted Ladder, sonkers feature a biscuit-like topping and are served with a milk dip on the side. Diners can pour the dip, a cooked, sweetened cream reminiscent of snow cream, over top of their sonker for added sweetness. Sonker flavors vary, with a strawberry sonker featured in the photo above.

“It’s only the second sonker of the numerous on the Surry Sonker Trail we have tried but so far, it’s ranked number one by far. Definitely different from a cobbler,” a customer wrote on Yelp.

Pro tip: If you want to work up an appetite before sampling the fare at The Titled Ladder, go for a hike at nearby Pilot Mountain State Park first.

4. Southern On Main

Address: 102 E. Main St., Elkin

Southern On Main is another stop on the trail to check out if you want a full meal in addition to a sweet treat. The restaurant specializes in Southern comfort food, offering dishes like sweet-tea-brined fried chicken, shrimp and grits, grilled ribeye, and braised short ribs.

Diners can also enjoy a blueberry or apple sonker, made to order and topped with ice cream. Other dessert options include bread pudding, brownies, crème brûlée, and a gluten-free chocolate tart. A decent selection of creative cocktails is also available to round out your dining experience.

“For dessert I got the blueberry sonker a la mode, rich and flavorful,” a customer wrote on Yelp.

5. Harvest Grill at Shelton Vineyards

Address: 230 Cabernet Ln., Dobson

Those looking to sample sonker in a more upscale environment should be sure to stop at Harvest Grill, located on the grounds of Shelton Vineyards. Harvest Grills, which offers a farm-to-fork dining experience in a bistro-style atmosphere, serves dishes like jumbo lump crab cake, filet mignon, and ratatouille lasagna—but don’t forget to save room for dessert.

The restaurant serves a sweet rosé mixed berry sonker, made with sweet rosé macerated berries and a gluten-free crust. The sonker comes with vanilla ice cream and is served warm in a small cast-iron skillet. Chocolate cake, cheesecake, and crème brûlée are also on the dessert menu.

6. Royall’s BBQ & Grill

Royall’s BBQ & Grill is known for its Southern comfort food like BBQ pork, beef brisket, hushpuppies, and smoked wings. Dessert options range from milkshakes to banana pudding to a s’mores lava cake, with the star being the sonker, optionally served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Royall’s BBQ & Grill offers a rotating selection of sonker flavors, with strawberry being the most recent flavor shared on social media.

“Fantastic BBQ restaurant, delicious food, excellent service,” a customer wrote on Yelp.

Address: 128 W. Main St., Elkin

Editor’s note

Stops on the Sonker Trail change periodically, so it’s a good idea to call ahead before visiting to confirm if a particular establishment is participating. (While doing research for this piece, we learned that Twilight Farm Shoppe, which is still featured on the trail’s official website, is no longer part of the trail due to a recent location change.)

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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