The counters in Cape Town worth queuing for: bread, pastry, and the morning ritual.
Bakery counters in Cape Town worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
Jason Bakery on Main Road, Green Point, is a Cape Town institution for its bacon croissant and the doughssant, a flavour that changes every week.
Worth the queueDoughssant
TipThe doughssant flavour changes every week and can be pre-ordered up to Friday at 15:00; the bacon croissant is on the counter every trading day.
Charly's Bakery on Canterbury Street in Cape Town's District Six has built its name on flamboyant novelty cakes since Charly and Jacqui Biess opened in 1989.
Worth the queueCharacter birthday cake
TipCustom cakes need a lead time, walk in for cupcakes and slices if you want something the same day.
Knead Bakery at Surfer's Corner in Muizenberg bakes sourdough, rye and ciabatta on site, a stop surfers make before or after the waves in Cape Town.
Worth the queueSourdough loaf
TipIt sits at Surfer's Corner on Beach Road, so pick up a loaf before or after a surf; last orders are taken at 17:00.
Woodstock Bakery on Brickfield Road in Salt River hand-shapes every loaf and bakes it in a wood-fired oven, supplying Cape Town's weekend markets too.
Worth the queueWood-fired sourdough
TipEverything is hand-shaped and baked in wood-fired ovens, so buy from whatever is on the shelves that morning.
Kleinsky's Delicatessen has served New York style deli bagels on Regent Road in Sea Point since 2014, a Cape Town bagel landmark built on smoked salmon.
Worth the queueCalifornia bagel
TipOrder the California bagel of smoked salmon, wasabi cream cheese, pickled ginger and sweet soya dressing, the one Food and Home singles out.
Coimbra Bakery has baked breads, cakes and pastel de nata on Imam Haron Road since 1962, a Claremont fixture that locals once called the Robot Cafe.
Worth the queuePastel de nata
TipThe shop runs its own coffee shop for breakfast and lunch, so pair a pastel de nata with a sit-down plate, and look for the Nutella cronuts in the cabinet.
Olympia Cafe and Bakery has baked its sourdough on Main Road since 1997, the counter that anchors Kalk Bay's harbourfront strip south of Cape Town.
Worth the queueSourdough boule
TipNo bookings are taken at the restaurant tables, but the Olympia bakery shop sells loaves to take away from 06:30 to 19:00.
Oswald's Bakery is a family run bakery on Union Street in Gardens, Cape Town, baking a wide range of sourdough loaves and pastries plus handmade biscuits.
Worth the queueSourdough loaf
TipThe range of sourdough loaves is wide enough to try a new one each visit, and the shop also sells its handmade biscuits.
Four & Twenty Cafe bakes whimsical Parisian pastries, breads and cakes at its original cafe in Chelsea Village, Wynberg, with a deli of local produce.
Worth the queueParisian pastries
TipTake something home from the deli counter, from handmade pastry doughs to farm cheeses, and book by WhatsApp for weekend brunch.
Vovo Telo bakes sourdough, croissants and cronuts on site at Constantia Village, the Cape Town branch of a bakery chain that started in Port Elizabeth.
Worth the queueCronut
TipOrder coffee with a pastry at the counter, or ask about the handmade pasta and the made-to-order food platters.
Mischu on Regent Road bakes sourdough, croissants and canneles in its own bakery beside an award-winning coffee bar in Sea Point, Cape Town, from 06:45.
Worth the queueCannele
TipGo early: the sourdough loaves are often gone by about 11:00, and the crookies can sell out before lunch on busy weekends.
Tessa's Bakery at Milpark Centre on Jasmin Road bakes cakes, cupcakes and quiches for the Milnerton and Table View side of Cape Town's West Coast.
Worth the queueCustom celebration cake
TipCake orders need advance notice, but the shop always keeps cupcakes and savoury bakes ready for a walk-in.
Flour Market on Hope Street is David Donde's working bakery, supplying baguettes and sourdough to Cape Town kitchens while serving breakfast too.
Worth the queueBaguette
TipThis is a working production bakery, come for breakfast rather than a sit down lunch and you will see the ovens running.
Bo-Kaap Deli on Church Street sells Cape Malay koesisters to take away alongside burgers and light meals, a Muslim-owned stop in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town.
Worth the queueKoesister
TipTake a bag of koesisters away with you, a Sunday habit in Bo-Kaap; on Friday and Saturday the deli stays open to 22:00.
The Sweetest Thing on St George's Street is a patisserie baking French pastries and cakes, with coffee and light meals, near Simon's Town harbour.
Worth the queueFrench pastries and cakes
TipIt serves coffee and light meals beside the pastry counter every day from 08:00, so it works as a breakfast stop as well as a cake run.
The Dairy Den bakes fresh doughnuts every day at its Rondebosch counter, a soft serve and doughnut bar on the southern suburbs side of Cape Town.
Worth the queueFilled doughnut
TipIt is on the first floor of Riverside Mall next to Checkers; order a cup with a warm doughnut at the bottom and soft serve on top.
Sweet LionHeart is a Cape Town confectionery studio at Wembley Square, Gardens, where every celebration cake and sweet treat is made to order by hand.
Worth the queueCustom celebration cake
TipThe order calendar closes 48 hours ahead for most cake designs, so book online well before the date you actually need it.
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