Peters' Bakery ★ 4.5
San Jose legend baking since 1936 and famed for its Burnt Almond Cake: white custard encrusted in toasted almonds that regulars have ordered for decades.
Worth the queueBurnt Almond Cake
Bakery counters in San Jose worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
Where to queue for bread and pastry
Milk Belly Bakery ★ 4.3
Asian-American artisan bakery in downtown San Jose using organic Central Milling flours to craft ultra-soft shokupan milk bread and sourdough toasts.
Worth the queueShokupan milk bread loaf
Preligen's Artisan Bakery ★ 4.4
Willow Glen French patisserie opened in 2024 by a Bellagio-trained chef, producing from-scratch croissants, entremets, and dome cakes in small batches.
Worth the queueAlmond croissant
Cocola Bakery ★ 4.1
Upscale French-style patisserie in Santana Row baking daily croissants, eclairs, macarons, and mousse cakes with outdoor bistro seating until midnight.
Worth the queueMango passion fruit mousse Bamboo cake
Pink Elephant Bakery ★ 4.2
Family-owned East San Jose institution baking authentic pan dulce since 1978, with bolillos, flaky empanadas, flan, and towering tres leches cakes.
Worth the queueTres leches cake
Dulcinea Panaderia Oaxaquena ★ 4.0
Authentic Oaxacan bakery near SJSU baking pan de yema, conchas, and empanadas from 05:00, alongside tamales and Oaxacan hot chocolate in a no-frills space.
Worth the queuePan de yema
Clover Bakery and Cafe ★ 3.9
West San Jose Asian-fusion bakery with a cult following for savory shrimp burgers, spam-inspired bakes, onigiri, and sweet pastries baked each morning.
Worth the queueShrimp burger on house-baked bun
CA Bakehouse ★ 4.2
Weekend-only East San Jose pop-up bakery renowned for pandan Portuguese egg tarts with handmade puff dough and ube croissants with kaya coconut filling.
Worth the queuePandan Portuguese egg tart
Paris Avenue ★ 4.1
Willow Glen French market bakery by Ed and Mimi Brown, using organic Napa farmhouse produce to supply seasonal cakes, salads, and house-made tarts.
Worth the queueParisian Strawberry Cake
85 Degrees C Bakery Cafe ★ 3.6
Taiwanese chain baking daily sourdough, brioche, and taro pastries alongside its famous sea salt coffee and Japanese soufflé cheesecakes at low prices.
Worth the queueSea salt coffee
Mexico Bakery ★ 3.7
East San Jose bakery open until midnight serving conchas, orejas, puerquitos, empanadas, and tres leches cakes baked fresh throughout the day.
Worth the queueVanilla and chocolate conchas
Pena's Bakery ★ 3.8
East San Jose panaderia popular for pan dulce, rosca de reyes at Three Kings, quinceañera cakes, and fresh conchas rotating out of the oven all day.
Worth the queueThree Kings rosca bread
Shuei-Do Manju Shop ★ 4.6
Shuei-Do Manju Shop is the Bay Area's oldest Japanese confectionery in San Jose's Japantown, handcrafting mochi and manju fresh daily since 1953.
Worth the queueManju bean-paste cakes
Book food experiences in San Jose
Day trip · 9 hours
From San Jose: Small Group Napa & Sonoma Valley Wine Tour
Explore and relish the enchanted day trip to California's famous wine country on this full-day tour of Napa and Sonoma County.
from$385 Check dates
2 hours
San Jose: Sushi Making Class (Includes 3-Course Meal)
Learn how to make your own nigiri and seafood rolls from scratch in this hands-on class with Chef Elham. Cook spicy edamame, prep sushi rice, and roll it with a variet...
from$192 Check dates
2 hours
San Jose: Chinese Cooking Class (Includes 3-Course Meal)
Cook a 3-course Chinese-Californian meal in San Jose. Make dragon cauliflower, pineapple chicken and rainbow fried rice with Chef Parsati.
from$187 Check dates