Some of the best food in West Virginia comes out of buildings you might drive past without a second look. A plain storefront, a small window, a warm paper bag that smells like fresh bread and spicy pepperoni.
Pepperoni rolls started as a simple lunch for coal miners, and a handful of bakeries still make them the old way. If you grew up with one tucked in a lunch pail, these spots will taste like coming home.
1. Country Club Bakery, Fairmont, WV
Every pepperoni roll story in the Mountain State eventually circles back to this little Fairmont shop. Founded in 1927, the bakery is widely credited with being the first to sell pepperoni rolls commercially, reportedly after its Italian immigrant founder, a former coal miner, noticed fellow workers eating bread and pepperoni separately underground.
That simple idea changed West Virginia lunch forever. The shop proudly calls itself the home of the original pepperoni roll, and a historical marker in Fairmont honors its place in state food history.
Walk in and the smell hits first, warm dough mixed with savory spice. Hot rolls come out of the ovens throughout the day, and the classic version uses pepperoni sticks that slowly melt their oils into the bread as it bakes.
Want a little extra? A jar of sauce is available, though plenty of old-timers still eat theirs plain.
Pies, cookies, Italian buns, and breads round out the shelves. There is no dining room, so plan on takeout and a free parking lot out front.
Fridays tend to stay the busiest. Hours run Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM, plus Saturday mornings until 2:30 PM, with Wednesdays and Sundays closed.
2. Tomaro’s Bakery, Clarksburg, WV
Five sticks of spicy pepperoni in a single roll. That alone tells you how seriously this Clarksburg institution takes its craft.
Tomaro’s traces its roots back to 1914, making it widely considered the oldest Italian bakery in the state. Four generations of one family kept the recipes steady, and a past co-owner once said the bakery had never strayed in quality.
New owners have since taken over, and they have committed to keeping those time-honored methods in place.
The bakery sits on North 4th Street in the Glen Elk area, part of Clarksburg’s historic Italian-American neighborhood. Many customers buy right through the window, grabbing bags of regular or mini pepperoni rolls along with loaves of soft crust Italian bread, sometimes pre-sliced.
The round loaf has its own devoted following too.
Here is the honest truth about the scent of fresh bread drifting out of that window: you will want to bottle it. Nothing fancy happens here, just dough, pepperoni, and decades of practice.
Hours are short, so plan ahead. The shop opens Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 9 AM to 3 PM, and Sunday from 8 AM to 1 PM.
Expect takeout only with free street parking nearby.
3. D’Annunzio’s Bakery, Clarksburg, WV
Early birds, this one is for you. Doors open at 6 AM most days, and the trays of rolls coming off the baking sheets are worth setting an alarm for.
Tucked into the residential North View section of Clarksburg, D’Annunzio’s has been a family operation for generations. The story reportedly began in 1926, when the business was known as the Health Bread Company, and later family members took the reins in 1955.
Brothers carry it forward today, still shaping rolls by hand the way they learned growing up in the bakery, typically with three sticks of pepperoni tucked inside each one.
The bread is the quiet star. Traditional Italian loaves with a sturdy crust share space with soft, warm buns and hot pepperoni rolls.
Prices stay friendly too, usually landing between one and ten dollars per person.
For local Italian families, this bakery has long been a point of pride and resilience. Folks who moved away often stop here first when they come home, loading up a bag for the drive back.
The address is 1909 Williams Ave, Clarksburg, WV 26301. Hours run Monday and Wednesday through Friday from 6 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday until 3 PM.
Takeout only.
4. Abruzzino’s Italian Bakery, Gypsy, WV
Blink on Shinnston Pike and you might miss Gypsy entirely. That would be a shame, because this rural Harrison County hamlet hides one of the most generous pepperoni rolls in the region.
Abruzzino’s has been baking since 1985, and locals treat it like a family secret they secretly want everyone to know. Rolls are sold hot and fresh out of the oven, and they come packed full of pepperoni.
Sliced pepperoni is the usual style here, letting the flavor spread evenly through the soft dough with every bite.
Variety keeps things interesting. Shoppers can usually find versions with American cheese or spicy cheese, plus mini rolls that disappear fast on road trips.
Italian bread, warm loaves, hoagie buns, and pizza crusts fill out the shelves, all made with the same old-school care.
The setting matters as much as the food. Gypsy grew up as a coal-field community, so buying a pepperoni roll here feels a lot like stepping into the snack’s original backyard.
Pull in at 6517 Shinnston Pike, Gypsy, WV 26361. The bakery opens Monday, Wednesday through Friday, and Sunday from 9 AM to 5 PM.
Prices are easy on a fixed income, typically between one and ten dollars.
5. Home Industry Bakery, Clarksburg, WV
Show up late and you may leave empty-handed. Regulars know to arrive before about 7:30 in the morning, when the donuts and pepperoni rolls are still stacked high.
Home Industry Bakery started in a modest storefront in historic downtown Clarksburg and has grown into a name recognized across the region. The current owners took over in 1984, and one of them reportedly worked there as a kid, sweeping floors before moving up to deliveries by age sixteen.
That kind of history helps explain why the recipe has stayed so steady.
The plain pepperoni roll is the one to try first. It is a soft, roughly four-ounce roll filled with around 20 to 25 slices of pepperoni, and the bread tastes like it just left the oven.
Cheese and pepper versions are available for anyone feeling adventurous.
Donuts share the spotlight, and a cup of coffee makes the stop feel complete. Some fans happily drive in from out of state every month just to stock up.
Find it at 173 Mount Clare Rd, Clarksburg, WV 26301. Hours are Monday through Thursday 5 AM to 4 PM and Friday 6 AM to 3 PM, closed weekends.
6. Chico Bakery, Morgantown, WV
Picture a 1920s kitchen where a mother bakes pepperoni into fresh rolls as an easy snack for her family. That small act became Julia’s Pepperoni Rolls, and her recipe from 1925 is still the backbone of this Morgantown operation.
Her son reportedly saw the potential and turned the family favorite into a business. Today a third-generation owner runs Chico Bakery, which has grown into what is often described as the largest pepperoni roll producer in the country.
Size has not watered down the formula, though. The bakery sticks with Julia’s original approach and quality ingredients.
Expect soft rolls filled with savory pepperoni slices. Variations with provolone or hot pepper cheese exist, but the plain classic remains the heart of the lineup.
In 2018 the bakery was recognized at the White House as part of a showcase of American-made products, a proud moment for north-central West Virginia.
Since many grocery store pepperoni rolls trace back here, a visit feels like meeting a familiar old friend face to face.
Head to 1644 Blue Horizon Dr, Morgantown, WV 26501. Hours run Monday 8 AM to 2 PM, Tuesday through Thursday until 2:30 PM, and Friday 9 AM to 1 PM.
Weekends are closed.
7. Bonnie Belle’s Pastries, Nutter Fort, WV
Wedding cakes and pepperoni rolls under one roof? Only in north-central West Virginia would that combination feel completely natural.
Bonnie Belle’s Pastries sits along Buckhannon Pike in Nutter Fort, a small community of about 1,500 people just outside Clarksburg. Most shoppers walk in for something sweet, whether that means cupcakes, cookies, or one of the gorgeous cakes the shop is known for.
Then they spot the pepperoni rolls and grab a few for later.
Those rolls run large, the kind of hearty size that would have filled a miner’s lunch pail with room to spare. They make a perfect savory balance to a box of frosted treats.
The cupcakes reportedly have gotten even better over the past few years, with a lighter, moister crumb than before.
Why include a pastry shop on a list like this? Because it shows how deeply the pepperoni roll runs through local life.
Even a cake bakery knows customers expect one on the counter.
Visit 1520 Buckhannon Pike, Nutter Fort, WV 26301. Hours are Monday through Friday 8 AM to 4 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 3 PM, closed Sunday.
Saturday mornings get busy, and a free parking lot makes stopping easy.
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