Bakeries

L’Atelier Muscade

magical tiny patisserie and soft serve shop in the Jardin du Palais Royale in Paris. You must get the raspberry, trust me!!!!!

Yellow cake at Bar Bete, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

A perfect slice of cake with thick fudgy frosting that looks like an anchorman’s swoop. Sit at the bar and order just this.

St. Viatur Bagels: Montreal

The very best bagels in the world are the ones my mom makes, boiled in potato water and sprinkled with carmelized onions, but Montreal's St. Viatur bagels run a close, close second (especially since Absolute in NYC is no more; I still dream of the egg bagel there). Compact, chewy, subtly sweet b/c they are boiled in honey-sweetened water, and transcendent warm. They are our house bagel (ordered by mail and kept stashed in the freezer).

Donut For The Table

Ease your table's nervous system with a table-doughnut. For example, you're headed upstate this summer or fall, and one mid-morning you end up at Gracie's Luncheonette in Leeds. You're all suddenly starving and tortured waiting for your patty melts or omelettes. Get the doughnut. Everyone will tear into it, and soon you'll forget it happened because your food is on the way now.

Wild Flour Bread (Sonoma County)

precious brick oven bakery with a garden patio on the way to Bodega Bay

Four & Twenty Blackbirds Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I’ve had a gazillion bites of pie in my life and this made my head spin. I couldn’t stop talking about it the entire time I was eating it. There’s a reason this bakery has a cult following

Frances Bakery

a perfect little Japanese French bakery in a strip mall in south pas. get the strawberry napoleon or st honore

Hole Donuts: Asheville, North Caroline

I have had donuts near and far but some of the very, very best are made at Hole. Always served fresh and hot; could've eaten this whole box myself.

Cheeseboard

the cheese rolls are my favorite food period. And I love the pizza always.

Sachettes Galettes

Shhhhh, truly the best French galettes (sweet and savory) made by a baker in Brooklyn — menu on his site and Instagram — he delivers right to your home

Pie, Pie My Darling

CAKE! By a place that makes the best vegan cake I've ever had. Pie Pie My Darling only makes cakes, but started by making pies exclusively. One slice is a real indulgent punch in the face, so like once or twice a year, and I'm good. If you're in Chicago, you can get a slice at Penelope's Vegan Taqueria in Pilsen or Handlebar in Bucktown.

Otway Bakery

An incredible bakery and one of my favorites in the world!!! The best cardamom bun and they have amazing savory pastries. Lots of things I’ve never had anywhere else like a delicious nori and Parmesan twist, apricot + pistachio danish, sesame kouign amann……yum!

sugarbloom bakery

might be my favorite bakery in america. the white miso kouign amann might be my favorite pastry in america.

Crullers from Goldie's Donuts: Cleveland

Airy and eggy, just sweet enough, these old-time treats are only available on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (and they tend to sell out). Goldie's is my no. 2 donut shop in NE Ohio, but no. 1 in crullers.

Loquat Bakery

my favorite bakery in the city. incredible bourekas and galettes.

Number Rice Krispie Treat Cake

Kasama

One of those places that absolutely lives up to the hype. Go for brunch and definitely load up on the pastries

Biscottificio Innocenti: Rome

One of my favorite places in Rome is this long-standing Trastevere cookie bakery. It smells like toasty butter, anise, cinnamon and almond, with notes of apricot jam, and the kind-faced baker reminded me very much of my Sicilian great-grandmother. I loved that she had a wall of photos dedicated to beloved pets, and the cookies were unfussy and exceptionally good.

Neighbor Bakehouse

soooo yummy! I think about their baked goods a lot...

Cafe Tropical

truth be told i've never actually sat for a meal here, but i've been picking up their pastelitos (the beef are my favorite) in moments of doubt. originally opened in 1975, closed in 2023, reopened in 2024 under new ownership who seem to care about preserving the original feeling. they have a dessert guru on their team so definitely jump whenever there's a soft serve on the white board. last week it was pluot vanilla bean swirl.

Athens: Makedonikon

We happened (thankfully) to pass this bakery in Exarcheia that's been around for over 50 years. The best spanikopita I had the entire trip and an unbelievable bougatsa, sweet custard pie that's a must. Like walking back into time...such a delight.

princess cake from Quarter Sheets

really any cake from here

Regina Bakery 👑

Regina is a local favorite for sweet treats. A small family run bakery in South Slope. If you find yourself at the 15th Street entrance of Prospect Park, take a stroll for a cannoli, an assortment of rainbow cookies, and a taste of 1970s Italian charm.

Night Moves Bread

my favorite bakery in portland these days. i always try to pick up a loaf on my way up.