When it comes to baked goods, London knows what they’re doing! Visiting a great bakery in London is such a treat that it even made my top suggestions of what to do when exploring London. I have been casually eating my way through great London Bakeries since we arrived but it’s time to get serious! Enter: My Want to Eat London Bakeries List! After extensive research (read: the one million Instagram reels and TikToks pushed at me on this crucial subject matter), I have pulled together a list of the top delicious bites I want to try next.
This list is purely based on deliciousness and no consideration has been given for price, location or queue time (apparently this is a thing!). I am certain this list will largely inconvenience my husband, but if you know him even a little, you will know he loves to complain. So hey! I am keeping the subject matter fresh at least!
My Want to Eat London Bakeries list
Fortitude Bakery
Fortitude is known for the stuffed beignets which look to be giant brioche buns stuffed with whipped cream. It seems the flavours change seasonally but every flavour combination sounds amazing.
My planned order: Beignets, Monster Pain Suisse and sausage rolls.
Suggestions: From their Instagram, it seems beignets come out at 11am and are available until sold out. So it looks like an 11am arrival is sensible.
Miel
French-influenced boulangerie and patisserie with flour from Normandy, butter from Poitou-Charentes and Valrhona chocolate. Sounding very fancy gang!
My planned order: Kouign amann (Brittany pastry with caramel coating), Bordelaise canelé, pecan chocolate cookies and mushroom swirl with béchamel, Gruyère and chives.
Suggestions: Enjoy your baked goods in nearby Regent’s Park.
La Maritxu
Lucia, their baker is from the Basque country (think Northern Spain) and started selling her burnt Basque cheesecake in markets. Lucia was such a success that she’s now moved over to a brick-and-mortar bakery. We love women doing well and we love basque cheesecake! We’re in!
My planned order: Basque cheesecake
Suggestions: Basque cheesecake is gluten-free! So that’s nice if you have friends who are cursed but also want to find joy in life!
Bread Ahead Bakery
They’re famous for doughnuts. And they have amazing combinations such as blackcurrant mascarpone cheesecake or sea-salted caramel honeycomb! I realised when researching this very delicious list that I have popped past Bread Ahead many times at their original location in Borough Market but have always kept walking either due to the queue, the goods being sold out or being on the hunt for lunch. But now! I am officially making the visit!
My planned order: creme brulee doughnut, a sticky toffee doughnut and a cinnamon roll.
Suggestions: Whilst not doughnut-focused I saw they offer a classic afternoon tea menu for £35 per person and it looks fantastic. So maaaybe I need a visit for afternoon tea and grab doughnuts for taking home for dessert!
Mateo Manzotto’s Maritotso
They look similar to the beignets from Fortitude but apparently the dough is more brioche bread than fried doughnuts and the whipped cream filling is less sweet. This is definitely an Insta-famous type bakery so they may be all hype but WHY not!
My planned order: pistachio maritotso
Suggestions: Only open from 12pm! So not a morning pastry + coffee experience!
Pophams Bakery
Of the list, I think this one is the most famous or at least the most highly recommended. And embarrassingly I hadn’t even heard of Pophams before I started researching this list!
My planned order: maple-bacon croissant and a marmite and cheese swirl.
St. John Bakery
I know the famous St John restaurant which pioneered the nose-to-tail movement in the UK (and the inspiration / copy paste…. of the South African La Tête). But I didn’t really know about the bakery until one day Jono unintentionally introduced us to them! Jono’s favourite coffee shop sells doughnuts – custard-filled, jam-filled and chocolate mousse-filled. And we have become hooked on the custard-filled doughnuts, team, they are sensational! I joined him for a coffee bean pickup run and realised the doughnuts were from St John Bakery! Well, now we have to visit the original!
My planned order: custard-filled doughnuts, Eccles cakes, cinnamon rum buns and madeleines
Buns From Home
Having launched from some dude’s mom’s kitchen during the Covid-19 lockdown to sixteen shops across London, Buns From Home must know a thing or two!? Buns-wise we’re talking cinnamon buns meet croissant dough and they look delicious.
My planned order: cinnamon and cardamom buns and tiramisu buns.
Suggestions: The dessert buns come out from 11am, with tiramisu, berry cheesecake, vanilla and chocolate custard-stuffed treats on offer. They also have a weekend special that changes every week – so worth keeping an eye on Instagram to see if you’re feeling extra inspired to visit!
Jolene
This bakery is serious about their flour – milled from unaltered grains, grown in pasture cropping soil using no pesticides, no herbicides, no tilling, no ploughing and horse-drawn machinery only. They then take those grains and mill them onsite before turning the flour into the baked goods. Now I don’t know if all this fuss makes a difference but goodness me do I want to find out!!
My planned order: Cinnamon bun and double-chocolate rye cookies
Suggestions: Enjoy your baked goods in the park in Newington Green
Quince
Anna Higham spent her career as the head pastry chef at the Michelin-starred Lyle’s and then at the legendary River Cafe which are both super famous London-centric restaurants. Anna has teamed up with Paris Barghchi, who is a former cheesemonger at Neal’s Yard Dairy, and a restaurant manager at Tillingham Wines. So we’re talking big gun names here. The bakery looks to celebrate British produce and baking traditions which is really exciting to see in a long list of French-style bakeries. The reviews talk about “Staffordshire oatcakes, yeasted buns and tattie scones”, none of which I know anything about! I loved this interview with Anna talking about sustainable British baking.
Planned order: honey buns, butter buns and cold rice pudding tart
Chatsworth Bakehouse
Another gift from the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown. Every week they make one fantastic sammich on focaccia which is released for pre-order online every Monday at 12.30pm (and apparently sell out in minutes) for pick up on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons. You can also order salted chocolate brownies and cereal cookies with your sammich pre-order. There’s also mention of loaves of focaccia, slices of pizza, sourdough and basque cheesecake.
Planned order: The weekly sammich!
Fantastic London bakeries I’ve had a chance to visit
– Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley
– 15 Grams – it’s technically Jono’s favourite coffee shop but they sell St John’s baked goods!
– M&S Pain Au Chocolat – don’t knock it til you try it. I think this is an ELITE London pastry and haven’t found a better version in London.
– Dominique Ansel – the father of the Cronut. I will say Jason Bakery’s in Cape Town is better….. BUT this is a good London option
– Hide – A Michelin-star restaurant that serves superb breakfast and pastries. I have been twice for client breakfasts and honestly, I will find any excuse to go again!
– Arôme – Whilst this was good, I was severely hungover and don’t feel I gave them a fair chance. Probably need another visit. They are very highly regarded.
– The Cheeseboard for canelés – this is possibly a little local but my favourite Greenwich cheese shop sells the very very best canelés. Look out for the pistachio or salt caramel-filled ones! Indulgent!
For more reading, I loved this list by CN Traveller for the best bakeries in London. This list from The Nudge is great too with lots of extra details. More ideas on this Vogue list.
fabulous – I’ll have one of everything please except cinnamon and marzipan – not together…not separate
xx
There’s pleeenty of options 🙂