The December holiday season brings lots to celebrate — including good food. Raleigh, N.C.has a surplus of unique restaurants and food experiences, some of which would make for the perfect family trip to celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah. As December ends, make sure you don’t miss out on sweet treats from The Dessertery, Boulted Bread, and Jerusalem Bakery.

  The Dessertery is a unique, limited-time Christmas themed dessert café. It’s located in downtown Raleigh in the Marin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts, so you can even enjoy a show after your time in the café! The Dessertery features stunning, intricate holiday decor and a wide variety of all-you-can eat sweets and hot chocolate. Menu items include cupcakes, cake bites, verrines, petit fours, holiday cookies, bread pudding, special vegan treats and even more. Santa Claus will even make appearances on December 16, 17 and 23. Dylan Garett, a Millbrook sophomore, visited recently with his family and said, “I loved going to the Dessertery because they had so many different foods, and you could get as many as you wanted with no extra charge. I really liked all of the vegan treats too, since I’m a vegetarian.” Tickets are $28 for ages 7 and above and $15 for ages 2-6, and you get an hour to enjoy. The last day to attend is December 23.

  Boulted Bread is a craft bakery and stone mill located in the heart of downtown Raleigh near Moore Square. This Christmas Eve, you can make a special holiday order for pickup from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., or enjoy first-come, first serve pastries during those hours. Their Christmas menu includes a variety of delicious fresh-baked breads including sesame, nordic rye, and levain in flavors of spiced date, seeded and plain. Other menu items include lemon chess, chocolate chess and cranberry streusel pies, smoked potato cheddar quiche, gingerbread tile, and a croissant-like European cake called Kouign Amann. If you can’t pick from all of the treats, you can purchase an assortment of pastries that includes morning buns, escazu chocolate and plain croissants, and currant scones. The Boulted Bread holiday menu prices range from $5.50 to $33. 

 As Hanukkah comes to a close, consider taking a trip to the Jcafe, located in Durham’s Jewish for Good center. They serve traditional Jewish pastries like challah and babka in a variety of flavors. Millbrook’s Jewish Student Union’s publicity leader, Drew Horowitz, spoke on what these dishes mean to him: “Food is very important in the Jewish culture and it’s a way for us Jews to bond over something that is unique to us. That’s one of the great things, there are a lot of foods that are unique to the Jewish culture.” 

  This holiday season provides many great dining opportunities for those with a sweet tooth.