The Best BAKERIES in London
We can all agree that breakfast is the best meal of the day. And London is FULL of amazing bakeries to make our weekday commutes and weekend strolls just that more magical. Read on for 10 of the very best pastry paradises you can find!
📷 @ariesbakehouse
10. Aries Bakehouse
We love amazing food. But we also love community, and history, and kind-hearted lovely people. Aries Bakehouse has it all. Located in the heart of Brixton on the same location where the found and head chef Jacqueline McKinson’s mother owned a sweetshop, and where she used to play growing up - fast forward to the present and her bakery is thriving.
Breads, cookies, pastries, and it’s all mouth-wateringly delicious. Red velvet croissants, double chocolate cruffins, sourdough breads that will ruin supermarket bread for you forever. Plus some of the best looking pain au chocolat we’ve ever seen. You owe it to yourself to head over here for a little treat. Go on.
📷 @st.john.restaurant
9. St. JOHN Bakery Arch
Right around the corner from Maltby Street Market (one of our fave foodie hangouts in London) is a small shop under the arches that, yes, sells a lovely selection of baked goods that are super comforting and tasty. BUT ALSO they sell the best doughnuts in London and you would be a fool to walk past without getting one two at least three for your walk home.
Jam, custard, chocolate, pistachio, doesn’t matter, they all taste of heaven. In fact, it is becoming more and more difficult to write this section while we look at the amazing picturrrreesss offoff mmmmmmmmmm…. OK hang on, we just need to pop out for a second on a completely unrelated task, back in a jiffy!
📷 @lisboa_patisserie
8. Lisboa Patisserie
Want to know where to go for the very best pasteis de nata in London? There is only one answer and that is Lisboa Patisserie on Goldborne Road. The little custard tarts you can find here are out of this world, perfection, to die for. Beautifully flaky crust, gooey almost-set molten custard centre, sprinkling of cinnamon on top. Yes please. We’ll take them all.
While you’re there get yourself a can of guarana (Brazil’s version of Coca-Cola) and some brigadeiros (an addictive bite-sized national chocolate treat), you won’t regret it.
📷 @luminarybakery
7. Luminary Bakery
It’s really inspiring to see the work being done at acclaimed social enterprise, Luminary Bakery. Not only are they producing some of the very best baked goods in the city but they have also over the years been building a safe space to support and give opportunities to disadvantaged women.
We absolutely cannot start to give justice to their mission and incredible success in this area (so instead please head over to their website to read all about it) but we can absolutely give you our two cents on what they make. Everything is a delight. Intricately beautiful cakes, gooey brownies, crusty fluffy bread, luxurious traybakes, it’s all on offer here, and all incredibly delicious. Go get yourself a hit of karma this weekend knowing that you’re backing something really important and getting fantastic cake at the same time!
📷 @weirdough_bakery
6. Weirdough Bakery
Definitely one of the more hidden gems on this list, Weirdough Bakery in Walthamstow has garnered a bit of a cult following these past few years. And for good reason. Their attention to detail, passion for baking, and general lust for life is addictive. Yet another location that grew out of lockdown, where their sourdough foundations were put in place, they have now spread their wings to create all sorts of different masterpieces.
Their sourdough pizzas are definitely a winner, as are their croissants (literally winning awards), braided cinnamon buns, focaccia sandwiches, and of course their sourdough loaves that started it all. They have elevated baking to an art for and we are all the winners.
📷 @jolene_newingtongreen
5. Jolene
It’s a mighty feat to have been the place to single-handedly put Newington Green on the map for a large swathe of people, but that’s exactly what Jolene achieved. This lovely little green part of London is home to one of the very best bakeries in London, and thanks to its success a huge amount of other food & drinks venues close by.
Sustainability is the name of the game here, with all ingredients being made by or locally sourced by Jolene. There aren’t many other places I’d more happily wile away a few hours on a Sunday morning, reading a tatty paperback, over a hot cup of joe and a rhubarb danish than this cute little hidden spot. And if the fancy takes me, I might even stick around until lunchtime for a glass of wine and their incredible chef’s menu. Ah wonderful…
📷 @toadbakery
4. TOAD Bakery
Originally the Frog Bakery, but forced to change names by a similarly named London restaurant with a power complex, the TOAD Bakery (actually we prefer this name) has gone from strength to strength recently, doling out sweet treats and baked goods with a lovely dash of inspiration, fun, and panache to the hordes of fans queuing outside (mostly for those soy sauce chocolate chip cookies).
Their menu is ever-changing so, apart from the classics, it’s always good to turn up with an open mind. You might end up with meringue surprise or a pecan caramac pastry, an ube black forest or an apricot & pistachio croissant. Who knows what you’ll find, just that it will be absolutely delicious.
📷 @kovapatisserie
3. Kova Patisserie
There’s a time and a place for no nonsense food shoved in paper bags, hunger knocking on the door. And then there’s the hunt for something more beautiful, more delicate, a work of art to be admired as much as eaten. This is where Kova comes in, a Japanese patisserie where meticulousness is their lifeblood. It’s impossible to step up to the counter and not want to buy every single thing on offer. It takes the breath away.
Whether it’s one of their iconic mille crêpes cakes, their strawberry shortcake, or one of their many many many matcha-infused treats, you cannot go wrong.
📷 @thedustyknuckle
2. The Dusty Knuckle
Based in the centre of Dalston, this bakery café is a hidden haven away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Having started out being well-known for their pastries and breads, they quickly became superstars for their insane sandwiches. Now they’ve added another notch to their belts with their popular pizza nights on Thu/Fri/Sat.
Add onto this that they have a bakery school that looks like a whole loada fun. And that they have a milk float that travels around most of East London if you want your goodies brought directly to you.
Not only are they incredibly skilled bakers, but their community care is much loved. They have a youth programme where they help at risk members of society to learn important life skills and give them the support and tools to transform their lives. Kudos!
📷 @pophamsbakery
1. Pophams Bakery
Bread Glorious Bread. There is officially nothing better than the smell of freshly baked bread in the morning. But at Pophams they have shown us that you can in fact improve upon perfection. Super chilled vibes and cosy AF interiors make this a great space to prop yourself up for a whole morning. You’ll need a few hours just to try out all their amazing pastries.
Our personal fave is the Marmite & Scholssberger scroll, however we’ve known friends to travel the whole way across London for the Bacon & Maple so maybe add that to your to do list as well. We even heard that they do stunning pasta dishes in the evening for dinner too! Oh well, if you insist, better head on back there!