Scratch Baking Co is a bakery in West End, Portland.
Scratch Baking Co in South Portland's Willard Square, five minutes from downtown, runs sourdough bagels that draw a Sunday morning queue around the corner.
Tip: Closed Monday and Tuesday. Sunday queues form before 08:00; pre-order via the website is the fast lane.
Address: 416 Preble Street, South Portland, ME 04106
Tandem Coffee + Bakery on Congress Street, since 2014 from Will and Kathleen Pratt, runs buttermilk biscuits, scones and laminated pastries with house coffee.
Tip: Daily 08:00 to 13:00. The Anderson Street roastery cafe handles weekday workdays.
Worth the queue: Buttermilk biscuit sandwich
Tandem Coffee + Bakery on Congress Street, since 2014 from Will and Kathleen Pratt, runs buttermilk biscuits, scones and laminated pastries with house coffee.
Tip: Daily 08:00 to 13:00. The Anderson Street roastery cafe handles weekday workdays.
Worth the queue: Buttermilk biscuit sandwich
The Holy Donut on Commercial Street is the waterfront branch of Leigh Kellis's Maine potato donut program (Park Avenue original 2012), in rotating flavours.
Tip: Sells out by mid afternoon. The Park Avenue location and Scarborough have the same product, longer queues here.
Worth the queue: Wild Maine blueberry potato donut
The Purple House in North Yarmouth, 20 minutes from Portland, runs Krista Desjarlais's Montreal-style wood-fired bagels from a converted Cape Cod house.
Tip: Friday to Sunday only. Open 08:00, closes when bagels run out (often by early afternoon).
Worth the queue: Everything bagel with house lox
Rose Foods on Forest Avenue, since 2017 from Chad Conley, runs hand-rolled, hand-shaped bagels, rugelach, babka and challah from a small storefront.
Tip: Daily 07:30 to 14:00. Counter ordering; weekend brunch fills fast.
Worth the queue: Hand-rolled lox bagel
Standard Baking on Commercial Street, since 1995 from Alison Pray and Matt James, is Portland's artisan bakery for levain breads and laminated pastries.
Tip: Open 07:30 daily; the cinnamon-walnut morning bun lot sells out by 11:00, the country sourdough boules around 14:00.
Worth the queue: Morning bun with walnut and cinnamon sugar
Two Fat Cats on Lancaster Street, founded 2005 by the Fore Street team and bought 2012 by Stacy Begin, runs whoopie pies, fruit pies and cakes.
Tip: Open Monday to Saturday. Pre-order whole pies 48 hours ahead via the operator site.
Worth the queue: Wild Maine blueberry pie
