20 bakeries worth the trip across United Kingdom, editor-ranked by TableJourney. All United Kingdom guides.
Twelve Triangles ★ 4.8 · Edinburgh
leith · 90 Brunswick Street, Edinburgh EH7 5HU
Rachel Morgan and Emily Cuddeford's Brunswick Street bakery in Edinburgh, opened 2014, the city's reference sourdough kitchen and the most-loved doughnut.
Tip: Doughnuts sell out by 11:00 on Saturdays. Order via Square Online by Friday lunchtime for next-day collection.
Bostock Bakery ★ 4.7 · Edinburgh
stockbridge · 42 St Stephen Street, Edinburgh EH3 5AL
Bostock Bakery on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge Edinburgh, opened 2020 by Hamish Saxton, a sourdough-and-pastry kitchen with daily-changing croissants and loaves.
Tip: Saturday morning queue runs out the door. Order ahead through the Square online shop to skip the wait.
Pophams Bakery ★ 4.7 · London
hackney · 197 Richmond Road, London E8 3NJ
Olly Gold's laminated-pastry counter in Hackney London, opened 2016 on Richmond Road, runs the city's most-photographed viennoiserie and a Pophams Pizza sibling next door.
Tip: Bacon and maple Danish sells out by 10:00 on a Saturday. The Islington site at 36 Prebend Street has identical bake but quieter queues.
St John Bakery ★ 4.7 · London
borough-bermondsey · Maltby Street, London SE1 3PA
Justin Gellatly's bakery arch on Maltby Street in Bermondsey London, opened 2010, runs the original St John custard doughnut and a Saturday railway-arch counter that closes by 17:00.
Tip: Maltby Street market on Saturday is the canonical visit. Custard doughnuts sell out by 13:00; mid-morning runs the best selection.
The Palmerston Bakery ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 1 Palmerston Place, Edinburgh EH12 5AL
The Palmerston restaurant's bakery counter on Palmerston Place in Edinburgh, opened 2021, selling the day's bread from the kitchen at the end of restaurant service.
Tip: Stock varies by day; show up at 16:00 sharp. Sourdough and cinnamon buns go first within the first 20 minutes.
Bross Bagels ★ 4.6 · Edinburgh
portobello · 177 Portobello High Street, Edinburgh EH15 1EU
Bross Bagels on Portobello High Street in Edinburgh, opened 2017, a Montreal-style bagel bakery hand-rolling and wood-firing its bagels daily, with NYC-deli.
Tip: The Portobello flagship is the original; queues form by 10:00 on weekends. Leith Walk branch is quieter on Saturday mornings.
E5 Bakehouse ★ 4.6 · London
hackney · Arch 395, Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH
Ben Mackinnon's railway-arch bakery beside London Fields station in Hackney London, opened 2010, mills its own organic flour and ships Hackney Wild sourdough across the city.
Tip: The Sunday morning canal-side queue runs 30 minutes; weekday opening at 07:30 walks in. Cinnamon buns sell out by 11:00.
Bread Ahead Borough ★ 4.6 · London
borough · Cathedral Street, London SE1 9DE
Matthew Jones's bakery counter inside Borough Market in London, opened 2013, runs hand-rolled doughnuts and a bakery school in the railway arches behind the market.
Tip: The vanilla cream doughnut is the marquee bake. Their bakery school runs day classes for £150; book through their website three weeks ahead.
The Dusty Knuckle ★ 4.6 · London
hackney · Abbot Street Car Park, Abbot Street, London E8 3DP
Max Tobias's social-enterprise bakery in a Dalston car park in east London, opened 2014, runs sourdough sandwiches, pastry and a youth training program.
Tip: Salt beef sandwich is the marquee fill. Sunday roast bread loaf sells out by 13:00. Outdoor seating only in summer.
Jolene ★ 4.6 · London
stoke-newington · 21 Newington Green, London N16 9PU
Jeremie Cometto-Lingenheim and David Gingell's bakery-cafe on Newington Green in north London, opened 2019, runs sourdough, simple pasta lunches and a serious wine list at night.
Tip: The Brixton arch sibling on Atlantic Road is the south-London twin. Both close by 16:00 on weekends.
The Company Bakery ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
leith · 12 Easter Road, Edinburgh EH7 5PJ
The Company Bakery on Easter Road in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a Leith sourdough kitchen and cafe with fresh-from-the-oven pastries and a small lunchtime.
Tip: Cinnamon buns sell out by 11:00. Online preorder for collection is the only reliable way on weekends.
Lovecrumbs ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 155 West Port, Edinburgh EH3 9DP
Lovecrumbs cake shop on West Port in Edinburgh, opened 2010, a tea-and-cake counter in a Grassmarket-adjacent townhouse with a daily-changing slice counter.
Tip: Walk in only; the upstairs nook holds four for a quieter window. Cake stock is the day's bake, no holds.
Valvona and Crolla Bakery ★ 4.5 · Edinburgh
canonmills-inverleith · 19 Elm Row, Edinburgh EH7 4AA
Valvona and Crolla's bakery shelf on Elm Row in Edinburgh, baking within the city's longest-running Italian deli opened 1934, with focaccia and Sicilian pastries.
Tip: Panettone preorder list opens 1 October each year; the boxes sell out by mid-December.
Toad Bakery ★ 4.5 · London
peckham · 183 Camberwell Road, London SE5 0HB
Erin Wilkins's small-batch bakery on Camberwell Road in south London, opened 2021, runs serious natural-leaven sourdough, pastel de nata and a weekend-only pastry counter.
Tip: Closed Mon-Tue. Pastel de nata baked in batches every two hours; arrive at 09:30, 11:30 or 13:30 for hot ones.
Edinburgh Larder Bakehouse ★ 4.4 · Edinburgh
old-town · 15 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh EH1 1NB
Edinburgh Larder's bake counter on Blackfriars Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh, opened 2009, baking Scotch pies, sausage rolls, sourdough loaves and short.
Tip: Pies are at the counter from 11:00 to lunch; loaves sell through the morning. Friday list runs on the website.
The Bread Station ★ 4.4 · London
hackney · 373 Mentmore Terrace, London E8 3PH
Dane Per Brun Madsen's Mentmore Terrace bakery in Hackney London, opened 2020 next to E5 Bakehouse, runs Scandinavian rye, sourdough and a small pastry counter.
Tip: Rye loaves come out at 09:00 and 13:00; phone-order ahead for guaranteed stock. Closed Mon-Tue.
Fortnum and Mason ★ 4.4 · London
mayfair · 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER
The 1707 grocery and bakery on Piccadilly in Mayfair London, founded by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason, claims the original Scotch egg (1738) and runs the food hall and hamper rooms.
Tip: The basement food hall queue is shorter than the main bakery counter. The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon books two weeks ahead.
Fortitude Coffee Pastry Rack ★ 4.3 · Edinburgh
new-town · 3c York Place, Edinburgh EH1 3EB
Fortitude Coffee's pastry rack on York Place in Edinburgh New Town, opened 2014, an espresso bar with a small daily pastry list from Edinburgh and UK bakeries.
Tip: Pastry stock turns daily; ask at the counter what is on. Their South Bridge sibling has a deeper bakery list.
Le Bab ★ 4.3 · London
soho · Top Floor, Kingly Court, Carnaby Street, London W1B 5PW
Stephen Tozer and Manu Canales's modern kebab counter on the top floor of Kingly Court in Soho London, opened 2015, runs ethically sourced lamb shawarma, doner and falafel flatbreads.
Tip: The Kingly Court site has a sun terrace. The Coal Drops Yard sibling in King's Cross runs the same kitchen.
Machina Coffee Bakery Counter ★ 4.2 · Edinburgh
tollcross-west-end · 5 Brougham Place, Edinburgh EH3 9JU
Machina Espresso's pastry counter on Brougham Place in Tollcross Edinburgh, opened 2015, an espresso bar with a small daily-changing pastry rack from local.
Tip: The pastries are bought-in rather than house-baked; quality is high but stock runs out by 12:00.