When you’re a baker, finding a bakery that meets your standards is difficult. Is the cake crumb too large? Are the biscuits too buttery? Is the pastry too heavy? Can anyone bake as well as you? You might wonder...
Here is a list of the best bakeries in Europe (according to Yelpers and TripAdvisors) - in a selection of European cities (not the usual cities for baked goods such as Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and so forth) - bakeries that we hope bakers themselves would enjoy on their travels.
Let us know in the comments if you agree!
1. London, The Hummingbird Bakery
The Hummingbird Bakery is an American-style bakery in London founded in 2004. You can order online or visit one of their six branches in the UK. They were founded on the principle that baked goods taste best when baked the very same day using the same methods as in home baking, so everything is baked fresh. They offer a range of American-style baked goods such as cupcakes, layer cakes, brownies, pies, cheesecakes, and more. The company played a role in popularising Red Velvet cake in the UK. They also have a monthly special flavour.
They even have a Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook as well as a series of other cookbooks available.
For bakers, a great way to revolutionise your bakery is to encourage home baking or same day baking. Since there are many home bakers, customers will be disappointed by any bakery that doesn’t bake better (or as well as them), no matter how masterful the desserts or breads.
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What people on Yelp have to say:
“It was just fantastic and perfect. I ate Red Velvet with my girlfriend, and I nearly cried as it was so delicious!! It is great, really!” Source: Gyeongbeom, Cologne, Germany
“This is my second London hummingbird Bakery to visit. I think their cupcakes rock!! The cupcakes are moist, flavourful, and they are beautiful. It is hard to select one flavor! Hummingbird Bakery offers a wide range of fun flavors. The associates are super friendly and they are lots of fun. This location isn't large and there was a bottleneck of incoming and outgoing customers. The cakes are gorgeous.” Source: Nola, Paris, France
“Being new in London was looking for a birthday cake to wow my kids. I found Hummingbird Bakery on Portobello Street as the one closest my new home. I ordered the rainbow cake. While it looked beautiful, I was a bit skeptical of it's taste. I asked the nice lady behind the counter how good was it really because it just looked so pretty. Back in the US things with a lot of colors don't usually taste good. Well I went with her suggestion and ordered the rainbow cake with cream cheese frosting for my twins birthday. Wow, not only was the cake a hit with the boys, it tasted delicious. It was a big hit with the entire family. The taste was fresh, moist and pleasing. I was very pleased with the cake, I will go back to try other baked goods.” Source: CMB, Washington, DC
“Very tiny shop with range of cupcakes that are adorable to look at and taste great as well. Yes they are heavy and really sweet but it's not a food you eat every day so as a treat it's really nice.
What I absolutely adore is their design though, from their colours to the packaging boxes which are so handy and cute. They also make seasonal cupcakes with little figures for Christmas, Halloween and other holidays. Really, really great coffee too.” Source: Alice, London
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How to find it:
The Hummingbird Bakery
133 Portobello Road
Notting Hill
London W11 2DY
https://hummingbirdbakery.com/
2. Edinburgh, La Barantine Victoria
La Barantine Victoria is a French-style boulangerie-patisserie in Edinburgh. The owners are native to the North of France (their website is even in both languages!). The bakery has a goal of offering the French experience to their customers. After the success of their first cafe, they opened their second branch in Grassmarket. They provide breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea.
For bakers, this French cafe goes to show that classic French baked goods never go out of style; as most bakers master the art of patisserie in culinary school, baking the perfect croissant shouldn’t be a problem.
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What people on Yelp have to say:
“Cute little place along busy Victoria street. I had a latte, My girlfriend got the macchiato, and her hangry self also got the tatelete multifruit. The coffee and the quick snack was spectacular. The place is very nice and clean and the small seating outside makes a nice touch.” Source: Ralph, Pasadena, California
“Nice and cosy place in the old town of Edinburgh. Had cappuccino with an almond croissant and the vanilla flan for brunch - delicious! Staff is lovely too, place is well worth a visit!” Source: Helena, Zurich, Switzerland
“Very french. All staff appear native french. Cakes delicious, lemon tart nice and tart, vanilla slice lovely. Coffee excellent. Small place.” Source: Bragi, London, UK
“This place is better than Angelina's in Paris. It was sooooooo good. I saw the pastries in the window as I was passing by and I couldn't resist. £3.45 for a tart. The macaroon on it was the best one I've had. The fruit was so good and the filling was delicious! I'd definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a treat!” Source: Tasha, Barcelona, Spain
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How to find it:
Old Town, Grassmarket
89 West Bow
Edinburgh EH1 2JP
3. Dublin, Antoinette's Bakery
Despite the name, Antoinette’s bakery isn’t so named because it provides French-inspired baked treats; the slogan proudly proclaims “Let them eat (gluten-free) cake!” When founder and owner, Sinead Vaughn, was diagnosed with coeliac disease, she was on her way to culinary school for a Baking and Pastry arts degree, and found there was no gluten-free equivalent. She went on the course anyway. After finding herself out of a job, she decided to realise her vision of opening a bakery that made fresh baked goods for those who have allergies - coeliacs, lactose intolerant, and so forth. Coalics often have to eat products that pre-packaged with a long shelf life - that maybe don’t taste as good as traditional baked goods - so Antoinette’s Bakery answers that call!
For bakers, it may be worth baking some free-from products in your bakery as you’ll drive sales from all of those local people who cannot find free-from baked goods anywhere else! Just make sure they taste yummy too!
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What people on Yelp have to say:
“I was so excited to find a gluten free bakery in Dublin. It's really hard for me to find treats as the cross contamination in regular bakeries usually gets me sick. They had so many tasty looking items, and even several that were also dairy free - including cupcakes and donuts! Obviously I had to try them both, and a cookie. What a comfort to find while traveling and everything was delicious.” Source: Elyse, Seattle, Washington
“Nice gluten free bakery. Perfect alternative for celiac people. Great variety of teas and cupcakes. The flat white coffee with almond milk was delicious.” Source: Olga, Dublin
“This is a very cute hole-in-the-wall kind of place that's just adorable. I've had coffee there while waiting for Boojum next door to open, and pretty quickly realized I got it all wrong: I should have done Boojum and then Antoinette's for dessert.Their selection of pastries is very interesting, and it seemed to me like they definitely want to keep with the French theme - with a bit of a twist. We never actually had coffee there, but we did try the hot chocolate - and it was pretty good! It wasn't too sweet and I could actually taste real chocolate, which is rare these days.” Source: Joao, Dublin
“I ordered a birthday cake for my friend. She can't eat dairy so I took a chance by ordering it over the phone. They organised a taxi to bring it to her job one morn and she was over the moon. It was delicious (she kept me a slice... just about) but little did I know that she has eaten in Antoinette's a few times and loves the place. So it worked out very well. Thanks to all the staff for been so helpful over the phone. Keep up the good work.” Source: Car, Dublin
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How to find it:
6 Kevin Street Lower
Dublin 8
Republic of Ireland
South Inner City
http://www.antoinettesbakery.com/
@AntoinettesBake
4. Munich, Zimtschneckenfabrik, Café Fräulein
For our English-speaking readers “Zimtschneckenfabrik” may be a bit of a tongue-twister, but this Munchen bakery (meaning an equivalent of Cinnamon Snail Factory - Zimtschnecken is the German word for “Cinnamon Roll” because, you know, they look like snail shells!) bake handmade, fresh products daily. They don’t bake only cinnamon rolls (with apple and raspberry variety too) but they also have New York cheesecake, fruit cake, cremetorte, impressive, beautiful cakes, and more. This bakery is sure to please the chef with a distinguished palette.
A baker could take notes of their cinnamon rolls, and consider how to offer varied products in their bakery from around the world.
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What people on Yelp have to say:
“Delicious cinnamon rolls, fair prices. There are a few tables outside. Everything seemed very loving. It has a good look in the bakery. Tucked away.“ Source: BN, Google Review
“I don't speak German so my review will be short for English speakers. Yummy...yummy...yummy...yummy...yummy...yummy...yummy. Do make sure to eat here when in Munich.” Source: LL, Chicago, Illinois
“Top cinnamon rolls, unfortunately a bit off the beaten path.” Source: Markus, Google Review
“Unfortunately I visited when they were undergoing construction works so I couldn't sit in the café, but I was able to purchase a delicious cinnamon roll from a very friendly employee and will return to try out more of their selection when they're fully open again.” Source: RT, Munich, Germany
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How to find it:
Chiemgaustraße 81
81549 Munich
Germany
http://zimtschneckenfabrik.de/produkte/
5. Prague, Bakeshop Praha
In the heart of historic downtown, Bakeshop Praha was surprisingly founded in 1998 by an American woman, Anne Feeley, who fell in love with Prague and decided to move there. It’s an all-in-one cafe with a bistro and bakery that uses fresh high-quality products. The owner died in 2012, but the bakery is committed to continuing her vision. They make everything from cakes, sandwiches, salads, bread, soup, and more.
For a baker who wishes to open a bakery one day, it goes to show that you can offer traditional lunch foods alongside your patisserie and do well! The world is becoming more international, and fusion foods are more popularthan ever. Why not enjoy a sandwich and a croissant in the same place?
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What people on Yelp have to say:
“Absolutely loved this place! Great food, and even better experience. Friendly staff. Be sure to stop by for all your pastry needs. Can't say enough good things about Bakeshop. We're from Texas, but hope to visit again someday. They've left me spoiled, and comparing every bakery in town to them! Keep up the fabulous job!” Source: Sara, Austin, Texas
“Super awesome café that's about a quick 5 minute walk from Old Town Square. While on the slightly pricier side, the food is amazing, and the service is quick and amicable (and everyone speaks fluent English). There's free WiFi (password: bakeshop), but there's limited seating, so try and avoid coming here during peak times. They serve breakfast until 3 PM each day.” Source: Kenneth, New York, New York
“My friend and I went here, because our Airbnb host said it was her favorite place in Prague! I'm really glad we listened, because the food was just amazing. We came for breakfast and I got the pumpkin quiche and cheesecake, because who doesn't eat cheesecake for breakfast? The quiche was just a perfect blend of flavors between the pumpkin, cheese, and flaky crust. Yum, I'm hungry just thinking about it. The cheesecake was some of the best I've had outside of New York, which is really saying something! My friend had the carrot cake which was pretty delicious as well.” Source: Taylor, Charleston, South Carolina
“This is the European-style bakery you just have to visit for your fix of sweet delights and French pastries! There is a huge selection of cakes, cookies, pastries, cupcakes and more. Plenty of seating both inside and outside. I would recommend sticking to the food here - the cappuccino was unfortunately not that great - but with the food you can't go wrong!” Source: Tim, Oslo, Norway
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How to find it:
Staré Město, Praha 1Kozí 918/1
110 00 Prague
Czech Republic
6. Budapest, Molnar’s Kurtoskalacs
Although these treats are seen in other parts of Europe (i.e. Prague, Germany, Poland, and Hungarian-Speaking parts of Romania), Chimney Cakes (or Kurtoskalacs) are native to Hungary. These delicious cakes are made from a strip of sweet yeast dough that is spun and wrapped around a truncated cone, and then baked on a spit. They’re slow roasted over charcoal and basted with melted butter until the surface is golden-brown. Once cooked, they’re rolled in granulated sugar and sometimes topped with ingredients like ground walnut or powdered cinnamon too. This Hungarian bakery only specialises in variations on this sweet treat and serves alongside it coffee and ice cream.
For bakers, it goes to show that a single product done to perfection can do well. So if you specialise in something a little different, you may be able to theme an entire bakery around it!
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What people on TripAdvisor have to say:
“We really enjoyed the almond and cinnamon kurtoskalacs for an after dinner treat. Made fresh these are so yum!” Source: Erin, Lane Cove North, Australia
“The chimney cakes here are delicious! Cooked fresh in front of you so still warm when you get them. Also a great choice of toppings (chocolate, almond, coconut, vanilla etc). Would highly recommend!” Source: Elke
“The kurtos is great. The service is quick and comes with a smile; tasty and cheap very recommended to come and enjoy!” Source: Ronald
“My two kids (ages 18 & 19) and I consider our stops at Molnar's Kurtoskalacs for their chimney cakes the gastric highlight of our trip to Budapest! They were made to order and were warm and absolutely delicious! If you go to Budapest, be sure to try one!” Source: Juliska, Brownstown Township, Michigan
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How to find it:
Váci utca 31.
Budapest 1052
Hungary
http://kurtoskalacs.com/
Facebook
7. Copenhagen, Andersen Bakery
Traditional Danish pastries meet Japanese influence in this Copenhagen Bakery. The Andersen Bakery (named for the children’s author) was opened by a Japanese baker’s family, Shunsuke Takaki, who came to Copenhagen in 1959 on a study trip and he fell in love with the Danish art of baking. When he returned to Japan, he made bread and cakes with Danish recipes, refining them in his bakery, Takaki Bakery. He wished to return to Copenhagen to open a bakery, but his son and daughter realised his dream for him. The business may be big - this corporation is far from the mom and pop bakery - but the product doesn’t suffer; the pastries are still made by trained bakers, and are still loved by their customers.
For bakers, it’s interesting to note that the Andersen bakery trains pastry chefs. The entire concept of the bakery comes from a baking professional perspective - and a Japanese man in love with a different culture. The company even donated over 200 Japanese cherry trees to the municipality in Copenhagen!
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What people on TripAdvisor have to say:
“Wow! This place has some amazing baked goods! So for the outside this place doesn't look like much, and to be honest, on the inside, it doesn't look like much either. BUT the quality of food and drinks makes up for it.” Source: Christina, Manchester, UK
“We stopped here to get a sampling of pastries and bread since we own a bakery. We bought a poppy seed croissant, toasted almond pastry, iced cinnamon roll, and sun dried tomato and basil focaccia bread. All of it was amazing.” Source: Wendy, Lumberton, Texas
“We bought pastries to have with coffee in our room at the Nimb Hotel next door. Yes, there is even a private entrance into the cafe from the hotel itself. This is what Denmark is all about -- Danish pastries.” Source: Mazkira, Los Angeles, California
“I went here every morning for breakfast when I was staying in Copenhagen; it was close to my hostel and to Central Station. They have a good amount of pastries and even mini ones so you can try different kinds. My favorites were the vanilla custard "danish" (sooooooo good) and the chocolate snegl. The prices are different for stay in and take out for certain things. Love the pastries!” Source: Teresa
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How to find it:
Bernstorffsgade 5,
Copenhagen 1577,
Denmark
8. Barcelona, La Pastisseria Barcelona
The founder of this Spanish bakery, Jose Maria Rodriguez Guerola, was professionally trained in France, and worked at two Michelin-star restaurants before founding his bakery in 2012 after winning the prestigious "Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie" competition with his team in 2011. The everyday baked goods are competition ready, and look elegant and spectacular on display.
Bakers will appreciate the finesse of the pastries, cakes, and breads. Their specialty are small, intricate cakes served on mini place-mat like platters, masterfully decorated and filled with multiple layers of surprise. Other bakers can learn a thing or two!
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What people on Yelp have to say:
“Yummy croissants and a great selection of amazing coffees. Such a lovely place to sit in too and admire all the beautiful pastry work on display.” Source: Fenny, Manchester, UK
“Very tasty and good looking desserts. A lot of flavours to choose from. Ideal if you are looking for a dessert.” Source: Flo, Kolding, Denmark
“Really beautiful cakes, we grabbed two to enjoy later and I could have easily gone back for more! Not overly sweet, I recommend the Cherry and Caramel designs. Excellent presentation too.” Source: Loxie, London, UK
“We visited late afternoon for cake and coffee and were thoroughly impressed. Definitely worth a visit if you're after a quick sweet treat in Barcelona. There are lots of cafes to choose from but this one really is extra special. The display of cakes on offer are amazing with the designs, shapes and colours and they taste just as good. We had 2 cakes and 2 hot drinks which was about €12 so the price is good for the quality. The cafe has a really nice atmosphere and a video of the cakes being prepared is played behind the counter on a large wall which is really interesting to watch. Each cake is handcrafted and perfect to look at.” Source: Chelsea, Peterborough, UK
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How to find it:
Carrer d'Aragó 228
Barcelona,
Spain
http://www.lapastisseriabarcelona.com/
For bakers, visiting other bakeries can help spark new creativity and ideas. What would you do better? What could you improve? Getting better is all about learning.
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