The craving for baked goods is perhaps the strongest out there, and for good reason. What morning can't be improved by buttery layers of laminated pastry or the perfect crusty yet springy sourdough loaf? Whatever it is you're hankering after in the bakery department, this is where to find it in London.
The best bakeries in London:
Central — Toklas
The Toklas bakery is just lovely. There is a lovely atmosphere, lovely places to sit, a lovely din in the room, they sell lovely pastries. The sandwiches are always delicious, but the Strecci (a thin-crust pizza) with an ever-changing selection of seasonal toppings are really the thing to get for lunch. Toklas’ specialty is rare breeds of citrus, so watch out for those whenever they’re on the menu.
East — Casey’s
Less polished than East London’s other bakeries (Forno, E5, et al), Casey’s has the best cakes, sandwiches and, notably, coffee, in Clapton. There are always excellent options for vegans, too. The ubiquitous Perello olives and Navarrico butter beans are as expensive as they are everywhere else, but the buns and croissants are all excellent value, comparatively speaking.
North — Margot
Margot is a modern, slightly Jewish, sourdough bakery in East Finchley. The (sourdough) danishes are delicious, the (sourdough) buns are better better, but it’s the (sourdough) babka that is best of all. It’s the perfect sweet, slightly sour, soft on the inside, with a crisp crust and—most importantly—it’s a generous slice.
Central - Common Breads
Inspired by Lebanon's traditional bakeries, Common Breads brings the street food classics of Beirut to Belgravia. Fresh from the oven, the showstoppers here are the purse-shaped 'ka'ak' breads topped with sesame, nigella or ‘everything’ season which are hooked in the kitchen window to cool. These delightful round breads can be enjoyed with the best middle eastern flavours like omelette ‘ejjeh’, Lebanese ‘makanek’ sausage with green tahini or mushroom shawarma. The ‘manouch’ flatbreads are baked to order with classics like za’atar
and akkawi cheese or more modern takes. It's comforting, modern bakes at its finest. – Tal Dekel-Daks
commonbreads.com | @commonbreads
West — Lisboa
The long-running Lisboa of Golborne Road is one of the most reliably delicious bakeries in west London. Everything is sweet, generous, and yolk-gold but the Pastel de Nata are what they’re known for, and for good reason. Get yourself one and a strong espresso, and a box of four to go. The Bolo de Arroz is a beautiful rice-flour cake, if you’re looking for something a little lighter, and the custard Swiss roll (coated in coconut) is blissful, sweet nostalgia.
If you’re looking for something more modern (and more than twice the price) Layla, on Portobello Road, is a good shout. The seasonally changing selection of pastries range from aesthetically pleasing (a rhubarb “bow-tie”) to down-right delicious (my bet is the Pistachio Pain-Suisse).
South — Toad
The much talked about Toad (formerly Frog) bakery has more whimsy than anywhere else of its (outstanding) quality. Toad offers perfectly laminated dough without the self-seriousness of other high-end bakeries. The flavours are inventive, their combinations are wonderful; the folks at Toad prove, time and time again, that they’re excellent bakers who aren’t afraid of having fun. A “Chocolate Armadillo” has a croissant pastry top, a chocolate crème diplomat filling, and a chocolate cookie base. Absurd? Maybe. Decadent? Absolutely. Delicious? Without a doubt.
New — Quince
Anna Higham has opened her new bakery, Quince, to rave reviews and snaking queues that stretch far too far down the New North Road. Everything is very, very, good but the buns—brown butter and (seasonally) hot cross—are the items that have my heart. Higham’s bakery might be new, but it’s one to watch and, if the quality of her bakes is anything to go by, here to stay.
Bread — Dusty Knuckle
The Dusty Knuckle makes really, really good bread, as well as using that bread to make excellent sandwiches. My favourites are the Potato Sourdough and the Focaccia although the sweet things, coffee and new weekend pizza (at the Harringay location) are all delicious, too.
Bagel — Papo's
This small Dalston shop looks nondescript but Papo’s bagels are, unquestionably, the best bagels being baked in London. There are no gimmicks here, no New York pastiche deli counter, newly-purchased old-timely menu boards, or slick staff uniform. Papo’s bagels are simply very, very good. My bet is an everything bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese, and as many sesame bagels as you can carry (to half, toast, and eat with an equal weight of salted butter).
The best “traditional” bagel shop is, for my money, the Hendon Bagel Bakery, which also sells huge boxes of sticky, syrupy Rugelach, to eat on the journey home.
Cake — Primrose Hill Bakery
The Primrose Hill Bakery is the long-time favourite of north London’s mothers and their children alike. The cakes come in all forms: giant cupcakes, huge celebration cakes, Black Forest gateaus, and even the 90s throwback fever dream that is the Barbie cake (for those not in the know, a Barbie Cake has a Barbie stuck in the middle, the iced cake functioning as its skirt). They also have cupcakes, mini-cupcakes, and my personal favourite, the Mars-bar-chocolate-cornflake-cake. They’re nostalgic—like something you might bake at home, but much, much better.
French — Maison Bertaux
The eponymous Maison Bertaux was founded in 1871, by Monsieur Bertaux, and has been on Soho’s Greek Street ever since. It is not necessarily the most French bakery in London (the endless trays of scones cooling in the staircase are testament to that) but it is the first, the most charming, and—for that reason—the best. I can think of few better afternoons to spend in central London than one at a corner table upstairs, with a pot of earl grey and a chocolate éclair.
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Luxury — Cedric Grolet at the Berkeley
I can’t advise spending £155 per head on a pastry-based tasting menu, but if I was going to, I would recommend this one. If that’s not the type of thing you’re interested in, the Berkeley also houses Cedric Grolet’s Patisserie. It’s wonderfully decadent, with larger cakes available to pre-order and collect. The Chocolate Paris Brest Flower is one of the most spectacular things I’ve eaten in recent memory.
Best item — Bake St Crème Brûlée Cookie
It’s an almost impossible task, naming the single best baked good in London; or it was, until Chloe-Rose Crabtree blessed Bake Street with her Crème Brûlée Cookie. It does exactly what it says on the tin: the snap of the crisp sugar shell contrasting perfectly with its gooey centre. I’ve never had a cookie like it, but the Bake Street Snikerdoodle (cinnamon-sugar cookie) comes in as a close second.
