The counters in Austin worth queuing for: bread, pastry, and the morning ritual.
Bakery counters in Austin worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
OMG Squee in Austin is Cynthia Wong's east-side bakery on Bolm Road, a fully gluten-free counter for Asian American mochi donuts, taiyaki sundaes.
Tip: The flavor rotation changes weekly; the cereal-milk taiyaki and the ube doughnut are the room's regular signatures.
Worth the queue: Cereal-milk taiyaki sundae with custard fill
Quack's 43rd Street Bakery in Austin is the Hyde Park coffeehouse and bakery since 1983, a from-scratch counter of pies, cakes, croissants, muffins.
Tip: Whole-cake orders need 48-hours notice; the cookie counter has the highest turnover and freshest output.
Worth the queue: Coconut macaroon
Texas French Bread in Austin is the West Campus farm-to-table bakery since 1981, back on Rio Grande Street with breakfast, lunch sandwiches.
Tip: Order ahead online for the morning bakery run; the garden seating opens daily at 7am.
Worth the queue: Country loaf and pain au chocolat
Bakery Lorraine in Austin is the Domain Northside outpost of the San Antonio-born French patisserie, a sit-down cafe with macarons, croissants and bistro.
Tip: Croissants come out at 8am; macaron flavours rotate seasonally and sell out by 2pm on weekends.
Worth the queue: Pistachio-rose macaron
Swedish Hill in Austin is the MML Hospitality reboot of the 1975 Sweetish Hill bakery on West 6th Street, a Clarksville cafe-deli with cardamom buns.
Tip: The cardamom buns come out at 8am; the sandwich counter runs through 4pm before the pastry-only afternoon.
Worth the queue: Cardamom bun
Round Rock Donuts in Round Rock is the Lone Star doughnut counter since 1926, a 4:30am opening Liberty Avenue shop famous for its egg-yolk-yellow yeast.
Tip: The original yellow doughnut beats the colossal Texas-size one; arrive by 8am for the morning batch.
Worth the queue: Yellow doughnut and the giant Texas-size doughnut
Cisco's Bakery in Austin is Rudy Cisneros's East 6th counter since 1948, paired with the Tex-Mex breakfast room and running pan dulce, Mexican coffee cake.
Tip: The bakery counter runs alongside the breakfast room; ask for the pan dulce trays at the back to take home.
Worth the queue: Mexican coffee cake
Easy Tiger in Austin is the South Lamar bake shop and beer garden under MML Hospitality, the second location of the East 6th original with a larger.
Tip: The South Lamar yard is the larger patio of the two; bread loaves run from 8am with the same recipe.
Worth the queue: Country sourdough loaf
Tzintzuntzan is the daytime panaderia and bruncheria from the Fonda San Miguel team, opened next door on North Loop with Mexican baked goods.
Tip: Order at the to-go window from 8am for the morning pan dulce; the sit-down room opens at 9 and books on Resy.
Worth the queue: Conchas and Mexican baked goods from the in-house panaderia