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
Butter Days is a bakery in South Yarra, Melbourne.
Butter Days in Malvern came out of fine-dining kitchens: laminated doughs with Scandi influence and a short opening window that rewards arriving early.
Address: 209 Glenferrie Road, Malvern VIC 3144, Melbourne
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'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'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 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 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
Woodfrog Bakery in Kensington mills organic grains for long-ferment sourdoughs with a loud crust: baguettes and country loaves are the main event here.
Worth the queue: Country loaf and butter baguette