Whether you are looking for a cool cup of cold brew or a fluffy pastry, a bakery is the perfect spot for breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up. While chain bakeries are reliable, they don’t have the same close-knit, homey feel that a local bakery has.
If you are looking for a new spot in your state or are a tourist looking for a local touch, check out this list of the best bakery in each state. We limited the list to places with one or two locations, so you know these have the best authentic feel.
Alabama: Dreamcakes Bakery
Address: 960 Oxmoor Road, Homewood Details: This locally-owned bakery has their own cupcake truck, and offers more than 100 different types of dessert. Have a special celebration coming up? Dreamcakes also does custom cakes and has dairy-free and gluten-free options.
If you are feeling adventurous, try the oatmeal créme pie. If you're getting a treat to celebrate an occasion, just make sure you aren't getting confetti, too, or else you could get fined. You can read more about strange things you can be fined for in each state are here.
Alaska: The Bake Shop
Address: 194 Olympic Mountain Loop, Girdwood Details: This bakery has been around for over 40 years, and for a good reason. Though it has since expanded into a restaurant, The Bake Shop still offers staples like cinnamon rolls and french toast. Sourdough is well-known in this state — try the sourdough pancakes for breakfast.
Arizona: Essence Bakery
Address: 3830 East Indian School Road, Phoenix Details: The French-inspired bakery hosts a wide selection of macarons with complex flavors, from raspberry rose to French chocolate. Come for the pastries, stay for the French decor and warm atmosphere.
Arkansas: Dempsey Bakery
Address: 323 Cross Street, Suite B, Little Rock Details: This bakery is completely gluten, wheat, soy and nut-free, offering a wide and interesting concoction of baked goods. They use ingredients like goat and coconut milk in a majority of their treats — a creative way to be inclusive for those with allergies.
California: Honey & Butter Macarons
Address: 633 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine Details: This small, local bakery turns macarons into tiny figurines, making them almost too cute to eat. Expect to see different types of animals, sushi rolls and even Breaking Bad characters on any given day. Make sure to order them in advance, as this bakery sells out of macarons almost daily.
Colorado: Babette's Artisan Breads
Address: 3350 North Brighton Boulevard #140, Denver Details: Owned by a husband-and-wife duo, this local spot bakes dozens of loaves of fresh bread every day. They also offer a two-day artisan baking class — expect to learn the basics of bread-making and to leave with two baskets of freshly-made bread.
Connecticut: The Sugar Bakery
Address: 424 Main Street, East Haven Details: Run by a mother and daughter, this local bakery offers more than 30 different kinds of cupcakes, with flavors like salted caramel and s’mores. They offer a cupcake decorating class for you and your children, and have two food trucks serving the community cupcakes.
Looking for more ways to have fun with the family this winter? Here’s a list of inexpensive activities for this holiday season.
Delaware: Bing’s Bakery
Address: 253 E Main Street, Newark Details: This landmark bakery is the state’s longest-running — it has been around for more than 40 years, and for good reason. Expect to find a little bit of everything here, from almond puffs to wedding cakes to chocolate tortes.
Florida: Sweet Delights Bakery
Address: 1485 Southwest 280th Street, Homestead Details: This bakery is known for its key lime pies, but offers different takes on the classic, with flavors like guava, banana and mango. But you can never go wrong with owner Debra Allen’s traditional, meringue-topped key-lime pie.
Georgia: Georgia French Bakery & Cafe
Address: 3512 Satellite Boulevard, Duluth Details: This French pastry cafe specializes in buttery croissants, fresh fruit tarts and both sweet and savory crepes. If you’re trying to satisfy that sweet tooth, try their chocolate eclair. For savory, you can’t go wrong with the bacon, egg and cheese on a flaky, massive croissant.
Hawaii: Leonard’s Bakery
Address: 933 Kapahulu Avenue, Honolulu Details: This island bakery, which has been around for almost half a century, is known for its Malasada — a Portuguese doughnut without the hole. Each malasada comes in different coatings and fillings, from cinnamon sugar to coconut cream. Leonard's also has a Malasadamobile — a bakery truck — that's parked in the Waikele Shopping Center parking lot on from Thursday to Sunday.
Idaho: Janjou Pâtisserie
Address: 1754 West State Street, Boise Details: Take a trip to France at this local bakery, which offers a classic take on Parisian cookies and pastries in a warm, elegant atmosphere. Try the classic Coffee Pecan Sablés or the Palmiers.
Illinois: Lawrence Deans Bake Shop
Address: 637 Green Bay Road, Wilmette Details: This homemade cupcakery makes everything in-house every day. Cupcake flavors range from the classic, like almond and carrot, to the creative, like lemonade or root beer.
Indiana: Amelia’s Bread
Address: 653 Virginia Avenue, Indianapolis Details: This charming bakery has freshly baked breads, pastries and specialty grocery items. You can’t go wrong with any of Amelia’s sourdough loaves, which are baked in a traditional hearth oven, but the best may be the Semolina, which is loaded with fennel, poppy seeds and sesame seeds, giving the bread a nice nutty and deep flavor.
Iowa: The Cafe
Address: 2616 Northridge Parkway, Ames Details: This farm-to-table bakery can be enjoyed any time of day, but their brunch is truly something to behold. When you stop through, try their apple crisp French toast, made with local apples, brown sugar and cinnamon on fresh sourdough toast.
Kansas: The Upper Crust Pie Bakery
Address: 7943 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park Details: This pie shop started in 2005 by two sisters who wanted to continue their family tradition of baking pies. While you’re here, try the chocolate chess pie, a Southern speciality packed with brownie and pudding.
Kentucky: Martine’s Pastries
Address: 400 East Third Street, Lexington Details: Martine’s work can be found in a number of wedding publications, but you don’t have to tie the knot to enjoy their delicious treats. Stop by their cafe for seasonal cake slices like champagne strawberry, delectable bars — Kentucky chocolate pecan, anyone? — and other sweet treats.
Louisiana: Manny Randazzo King Cakes
Address: 3515 North Hullen Street, Metairie Details: The Randazzo family has been making traditional Mardi Gras king cakes since 1965, and if you’re in New Orleans during king cake season, there’s no better place to get your fix. Flavors include traditional cinnamon, cream cheese, apple, lemon, strawberry, pecan praline and royal, which features sections of several flavors.
Maine: Bread & Roses Bakery
Address: 246 Main Street, Ogunquit Details: This cozy bakery has been churning out breads, cakes, pies and other baked goods in this seaside Maine town since 1989. Come for a blueberry muffin made with locally-grown fruit — the bakery buys over 7,000 pounds of the sweet berries each year!
Maryland: Icedgems
Address: 213 Main Street, Reisterstown Details: Icedgems offers 25 different cupcake flavors everyday, plus cake truffles, cookies, rice krispy treats, seasonal pies and cakes. The shop also has two pink polka-dotted cupcake trucks that you can find stationed around the Baltimore area.
Massachusetts: Bova’s Bakery
Address: 134 Salem Street, Boston Details: This North End staple serves bread, cookies, pastries and tarts 24 hours a day, so no matter when you’re craving a baked good, you can get it at Bova’s. If you aren’t sure what to get, try the classic cannoli.
Michigan: Good Cakes and Bakes
Address: 19363 Livernois Avenue, Detroit Details: Cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, brownies and scones — these are just a few of the treats at this bakery in Detroit’s historic business district. Pre-order a famous layer cake in classic flavors like German chocolate, hummingbird lemon, pineapple upside down and gooey butter cake.
Minnesota: Aki’s Bread Haus
Address: 2506 Central Ave Northeast Minneapolis Details: This German-owned bakery offers traditional baked goods every day, from pretzel buns to cinnamon sticks. But, depending on the day, you can find specials, from energy bread to poppy seed rolls.
Mississippi: Jody’s Bakery & Caterie
Address 6058 Highway 49, Hattiesburg Details:: You can get just about any type of cake here for any occasion, including groom cakes, wedding cakes and the classic Mardi Gras king cake. They also offer Southern-style meals-to-go, from Jambalaya to Crawfish Linguine.
Missouri: A Slice of Pie
Address: 601 Kingshighway, Rolla Details: This pie shop offers more than 25 different types of pie, from fruity pies to creme pies to brownies pie. You can get them by the slice or by pie — try one of their speciality pies, like the Peanutbutter Lust or the Mudslide. Pie is a great treat for your birthday — and so are these 50 free birthday rewards.
Montana: Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery
Address: 2525 1st Avenue North, Billings Details: Stella’s is a full bakery with restaurant service offering fresh baked cinnamon rolls and pastries with an all-day breakfast. The bakery also sells fresh bread, cookies, pies and other sweets. Their enormous — 14 ounce! — cinnamon rolls are a must-try.
Nebraska: The Omaha Bakery
Address: 608 South 72nd Street, Omaha Details: Patissier Michelle Kaiser has not only staked her claim as founding the bakery in Omaha, but also promises customers the “most mouth-watering baked goods on the planet.” The Omaha Bakery originally focused on brownies, but now features a variety of cheesecakes, including one named the Mixed up Candy Bar, which is made with three different types of candy bar.
Nevada: Delices Gourmands French Bakery
Address: 3620 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas Details: This Las Vegas cornerstone is known for its variety of cakes, cookies and brownies. If you are in the mood for something more savory, try one of their breakfast crepes — like the Montmartre, which is chicken, onion, goat cheese, spinach, Monterey Jack and white sauce.
New Hampshire: Triolo’s Bakery
Address: 21 Kilton Road, Bedford Details: Triolo’s Bakery is located in a distinctive red barn in Bedford. The bakery has won awards for its inventive cake designs and also offers homemade bread, cookies and pastries. Try the Unicorn Poop cookie — it’s way better than it sounds.
New Jersey: Rispoli’s Pastry Shop
Address: 824 Broad Avenue, Ridgefield Details: This family bakery has served sweets to the northern New Jersey community for more than 80 years. Their specialty is sfogliatelle, a lobster tail-shaped flaky pastry loaded with decadent cream filling.
New Mexico: Rude Boy Cookies
Address: 115 Harvard Southeast Suite #7, Albuquerque Details: Now this is a business strategy: Serve cookies and ice cream late into the night right next to a college campus. With a rotating set of monthly specials — from caramel apple cider cookies to tiramisu whoopie pie — Rude Boy offers the perfect late-night snack.
New York: Balthazar Bakery
Address: 80 Spring Street, New York Details: Balthazar first opened in SoHo in 1997 and has grown into a bread and pastry powerhouse, with its products available all over the city. Try their double chocolate pecan cookie or their classic madelines.
North Carolina: Wake N Bake Donuts
Address: 1401 North Lake Park Boulevard, Suite 46, Carolina Beach and 114 Princess Street, Wilmington Details: Combine candied pecans, Butterfinger bars, Fruity Pebbles with your favorite glaze and put it on a donut — that’s the idea behind Wake N Bake’s sweets. With more than 20 different types of donuts, you are sure to find one you like.
North Dakota: Nichole’s Fine Pastry
Address: 13 South 8th Street, Fargo Details: Check out their award-winning lemon curd layer cake, or try the quiche lorraine — make sure to pair it with one of their 15 types of tea. Other highlights include the specialty kransekake, a Scandinavian dessert made with almonds and icing, and topped off with the flags of your chosen country.
Looking for something a little bit stronger than tea? Just a mile away is Drekker Brewing Company, named one the best local brewery in North Dakota.
Ohio: Hershberger’s Farm & Bakery
Address: 5452 State Route 557, Millersburg Details: This bakery is as much a stop for baked goods as it is a destination for tourists to Amish Country. In addition to your usual bakery fare — breads, cookies, pies, delicious pumpkin rolls filled with icing — Hershberger’s offers Amish buggy rides, pumpkin picking and a petting zoo.
Oklahoma: Someplace Else A Deli & Bakery
Address: 6501 North May Avenue, Oklahoma City and 3701 North Youngs Boulevard, Oklahoma City Details: This Euro-American spot was featured on Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, and for good reason: their baked goods are delicious. Try the Bienenstich, or “Bee Sting Cake,” which is a white sponge cake with whipped cream filling and topped with toasted almonds and honey.
Oregon: Helen Bernhard Bakery
Address 1717 Northeast Broadway, Portland Details: An old-school bakery that’s been around for over 80 years, Helen Bernhard is known for its wedding cakes and its Barbie cakes, which are exactly what you think — edible doll cakes with beautifully decorated dresses.
Pennsylvania: Flying Monkey Bakery
Address: 1146 Arch Street, Suite 431, Philadelphia Details: This bakery has an endless supply of whoopie pies, from red velvet to pumpkin. But, their world-famous Pumpple Cake truly takes the cake — it consists of pumpkin pie baked in a chocolate cake topped with apple pie baked in a vanilla cake. If it sounds intense, it is — and you have to order up to 72 hours in advance if you want it.
Rhode Island: Ellie’s Bakery
Address: 61 Washington Street, Providence Details: This Parisian bakery is the perfect place to indulge your sweet tooth and enjoy the savory side of French cooking — come in for breakfast and dine on a Mushroom tartine, or stop by to grab one of their many pastries, from almond croissants to peach, chive and goat cheese scones.
South Carolina: Bakehouse
Address: 160 East Bay Street, Charleston Details: With a menu containing cookies, biscotti, macarons, whoopie pies and cakes, Bakehouse has something for everyone. If you have an event coming up, order one of their fancy specialty cakes: You can choose from five different layers and 10 different buttercream icings.
South Dakota: BakeWorks
Address: 518 Mount Rushmore Road, Rapid City Details: As part of the Black Hills Works group, BakeWorks helps people with disabilities grow their careers with opportunities to bake, decorate or customer service. Stop in for a mini cupcake or Danish.
If you want to hit up a local coffee shop after getting your pastry, be sure to check out this list of the best local coffeehouse in each state.
Tennessee: Dozen Bakery
Address: 516 Hagan Street, Suite 103, Nashville Details: Originally intended to be a holiday cookie pop-up shop, Dozen Bakery now sells their products at several local businesses, but they only have one core location. You can stop in for breakfast, lunch or weekend brunch — or just get some delicious pastries to go. Make sure to try one of the seasonal pies. Right now, the lemon lavender is a must-have.
Texas: Bisous Bisous Patisserie
Address: 3700 McKinney Avenue, Suite 150, Dallas Details: French for “kiss, kiss,” this darling bakery is a macaron lovers dream. The menu includes a seasonal selection of flavors, as well as year-round choices like tahitian vanilla, passion fruit and salted caramel — no one will judge you if you got the macaron tower. You may also want to try a raspberry cream cheese cruffin, a Bisous Bisous invention.
Utah: Glaus French Pastry
Address: 3100 South Highland Drive, Salt Lake City Details: You can find are cream filled pastry horns, breakfast Danish and eclairs here, but the highlight is the chocolate rum cake. This delicious treat has a rum frosting and pineapple filling and you can get it as a full cake or in petit form. And trust us: This is a dessert that dreams are made of.
Vermont: Delicate Decadence
Address: 15 Cottage Street, Suite 1, Barre Details: This charming bakery has everything from sweets, like donuts and macarons, to more savory items, like soups and quiche. And with a menu that changes with the seasons, there will always be something new to try. Menus include a “take home meal,” which is a family dinner of delicious comfort foods, like Shepherd’s pie or pot roast.
Looking for other comfort food ideas? Try this delicious (and healthy) 45-cent multi-cooker meal.
Virginia: Sugar Plum Bakery
Address: 1353 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach Details: You can find over 35 types of signature cakes here, including the Mozart, a yellow cake complete with raspberry filling, Bavarian cream filling, vanilla buttercream and melted chocolate fudge. What’s more, Sugar Plum provides employment and training for people with disabilities – so it’s all for a good cause.
Washington: Sweet Life Cakery
Address: 11201 Northeast State Highway 104, Kingston Details: Located in Kingston, known as “the little city by the sea,” this bakery specializes in holidays and special events, meaning there are plenty of cakes and cupcake options for your wedding.
If you have an afternoon to spare, travel half an hour south to Bainbridge Island Farmers Market — they are the state's best local farmer's market and open until December. They have seasonal produce and crafts, and plenty of wineries.
Washington, D.C.: Baked and Wired
Address: 1052 Thomas Jefferson Street, NW Details: Tucked away on a side street in Georgetown, this cafe and cupcakery doesn’t seem like much from the outside. But walk in and be confronted with rows of delicious cupcakes with names like The Elvis and Razmanian Devil. If cupcakes aren’t your thing, try the Hippie Crack (homemade granola) — it’s truly addicting.
West Virginia: Lil Bit of Heaven Cupcakes
Address: 95 Olde Main Plaza, St. Albans Details: As you might expect, this cupcakery has a wide selection – nearly 30 options, including Strawberry Champagne and White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. They also have “Heavenwiches,” described as “two fresh baked cookies are layered with Buttercream and decorated.”
Wisconsin: Greenbush Bakery
Address: 1305 Regent Street, Madison and 5225 High Crossing Boulevard, Madison Details: You can find over 40 different types of donuts here — yes, you read that right. This bakery is completely kosher and has been serving the community for over 20 years.
Wyoming: Persephone Bakery
Address: 145 East Broadway, Jackson Details:: This local spot is full of your favorite treats, whether you want a savory scone, citrus cake or cinnamon brioche. Outside of baked goods, you can buy bake-at-home kits, aprons, cookware or linens, making this local spot a one-stop-shop for all your baking needs.
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