Fluff Bake Bar in Houston is Rebecca Masson's Midtown pastry counter on Gray Street, with Halo Cookies, seasonal pies, the Top Chef Just Desserts alumna behind the rolling pin.
Tip: Pre-order whole pies for Thanksgiving and Easter; they sell out a week ahead. The Halo cookie is the daily anchor.
Address: 314 Gray St, Houston, TX 77002
Common Bond in Houston is the Montrose patisserie on Westheimer since 2014, with serious French viennoiserie, croissants, kouign-amann and a brunch-cafe menu inside.
Tip: Saturday morning kouign-amann sell out by 10am. Pre-order online for guaranteed pickup.
Worth the queue: Kouign-amann
Koffeteria in Houston is Vanarin Kuch's EaDo pastry shop on Hutchins Street, with the beef pho kolache, the Hot Cheeto croissant and a 2024 Houston Pastry Chef of the Year nod.
Tip: Get there by 9am for the full case. The beef pho kolache and the pistachio baklava croissant are the signature orders.
Worth the queue: Beef pho kolache
Three Brothers Bakery in Houston is the Braeswood Boulevard Jewish bakery from the Jucker family (Polish Holocaust survivors), since 1949 in Houston with challah and pecan cake.
Tip: Pre-order challah for Friday. Pecan coffee cake is the line item; the Hurricane Harvey rebuild story is in the front-window framed clippings.
Worth the queue: Pecan coffee cake and challah
Kolache Shoppe in Houston is the Greenway Plaza Czech-Texan bakery on Richmond Avenue, with sausage-cheese klobasniky, apricot kolaches and a weekend line out the door.
Tip: Get there before 9am Saturday for the full case. Order a dozen mixed for the office or the road.
Worth the queue: Sausage and cheese klobasniky
Bakery Lorraine in Rice Village is the Houston outpost of the San Antonio bakery on Amherst Street, with viennoiserie, macarons and a brunch cafe attached to the pastry counter.
Tip: Sit in the back room for the quieter cafe service. The matcha croissant is the Rice Village signature.
Worth the queue: Macarons and croissants
