A guide to the best bakeries in London
When it comes to baked goods, Londoners are really spoilt for choice. There’s a wealth of great patisseries, cafés and bakeries spanning the length and breadth of the city. The only problem is deciding on which one to try next. To save you needing to sift through the much lengthier long-list, here’s an abridged version of the best bakeries in London.
Toad Bakery
A cool Camberwell bakery with a cult following, head to Toad for some of London’s most inventive baked goods. I tried the black sesame and white chocolate pain suisse, as well as the saffron and vanilla teacake. Devoured both. The menu changes regularly to make use of the best ingredients available from one season to the next. They all do excellent sourdough bread using sustainable, UK-grown grains.
44 Peckham Road, London SE5 8PX
Tuesday-Saturday: 8am-3pm
Eric’s
Founded by Helen Evans, the acclaimed, former head baker of Flor, it’s no surprise that Eric’s brings quite the queue to a quiet corner of East Dulwich each morning it’s open. The bakery occupies a small space with warm interiors decorated by trays of fresh bakes and homemade jams and preserves. When I visited, I tried the walnut morning bun with coffee custard. Divine.
20 Upland Road, London SE22 9EF
Thursday: 8am-5pm / Friday: 8am-3pm / Saturday: 9am-3pm
Toklas Bakery
Adjacent to its sister restaurant of the same name and housed within 180 Strand, Toklas Bakery might be a little off the beaten track but thanks to the quality of its bakes, there are often queues out of the door. If you’re after a classic, try the perfectly layered pain au chocolat. Or for a real objet d’art, it has to be the laminated brioche filled with pistachio cream.
1 Surrey Street
Monday-Friday: 8am til 3:30pm / Saturday: 9am-2pm
Arôme
Blending classic French techniques with Asian ingredients, head to Arôme to find beautiful looking and even better tasting pastries. The pain au chocolat is a firm favourite, as is the signature honey butter toast. They have two spots in central – along Mercer Street and Duke Street – which are always bustling with visitors and locals alike. Often cited as one of the best bakeries in London, pay a visit and you’ll soon understand why.
Various locations and opening hours
Layla
A neighbourhood bakery that has taken Portobello Road by storm ever since opening its doors in 2021, head west for a taste of Layla’s wonderful selection of baked goods and artisanal loaves. Showcasing the best of each season, there’s a constantly changing array of glistening pastries, sweet treats and sandwiches to choose from. On my most recent visit, I opted for a delightful pistachio chocolate pain suisse. They’ve also recently opened a sister site in Acton.
332 Portobello Road, Notting Hill
Monday-Sunday: 8am til 4pm
Jolene
Jolene is not only a cherished neighbourhood restaurant. It’s a bakery that means business too. With a mill on site to produce its own flour, the team uses grains grown in Sussex and Norfolk to serve up a variety of seasonal sweet and savoury bakes. From a rhubarb and custard danish to a seriously good sausage roll, make sure to bring a friend or two along. You’ll want to taste the lot.
21 Newington Green
Monday: 8am til 3pm (takeaway only) / Tuesday-Friday: 8am til 4pm / Saturday & Sunday: 9am til 4pm
