Baker Bleu ★ 4.5

Convent Bakery ★ 4.3

Convent Bakery inside the Abbotsford Convent uses a wood-fired oven for long-fermented sourdough and fresh pastries baked daily in a historic arts precinct.

Worth the queue: Sourdough loaf and almond croissant

Pandemic Bread Co ★ 4.2

Pandemic Bread Co grew from a lockdown project to a Collingwood bakery: focaccia with seasonal toppings, sandwich loaves and an early sell-out window.

Worth the queue: Focaccia with seasonal toppings

Butter Days ★ 4.5

Butter Days in Malvern came out of fine-dining kitchens: laminated doughs with Scandi influence and a short opening window that rewards arriving early.

Worth the queue: Cardamom knot and kouign-amann

A1 Bakery ★ 4.5

A1 Bakery has been baking Lebanese flatbread and manakish on Sydney Road since 1992: wood-fired oven, fresh za'atar blend and a weekend queue out the door.

Worth the queue: Za'atar manakish

Maison Batard Boulangerie ★ 4.2

Maison Batard's boulangerie opens the CBD at 7am with baguettes and croissants baked in-house, supplying the bistro upstairs and sold at the counter all day.

Worth the queue: Baguette and butter croissant

Lune Croissanterie (CBD) ★ 4.8

Lune's CBD location on Lonsdale Street brings the Fitzroy standard to the city centre: the same laminated pastry quality, aimed at the weekday commuter crowd.

Tip: Sells out before noon on busy days. Arrive at opening or accept a substitution.

Worth the queue: Ham and cheese croissant

Convent Bakery ★ 4.3

Convent Bakery inside the Abbotsford Convent uses a wood-fired oven for long-fermented sourdough and fresh pastries baked daily in a historic arts precinct.

Worth the queue: Sourdough loaf and almond croissant

Pandemic Bread Co ★ 4.2

Pandemic Bread Co grew from a lockdown project to a Collingwood bakery: focaccia with seasonal toppings, sandwich loaves and an early sell-out window.

Worth the queue: Focaccia with seasonal toppings