I have spent the better part of the last decade owning and operating bakeries, following a ten year stint as a travel blogger. It should therefore come as no surprise that I love bakeries, all things sweet, and take a particular interest in sourcing the best pastries on all of my travels. London is the best city in Europe to have this particular affliction.<\/p>\n
This guide is organised by what you actually want to eat because in London, you really can have the best of everything. The city is a melting pot for culture and there is by no means a shortage of great bakeries on offer.<\/p>\n
Last updated:<\/strong>\u00a0August 2026<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0cornbread croissant, \u201ceverything\u201d croissant, saffron buns If you visit one bakery in London, this is it. Named London Bakery of the Year at the 2025 National Bakery Awards, and the single most-cited London bakery across every credible 2025\u201326 list. The cornbread croissant sounds like a gimmick and isn\u2019t \u2014 the cornmeal changes the crumb, not just the flavour. Seating is limited and outdoors. It opened a second site in Deptford in June 2026, which is less busy.<\/p>\n It was called Frog Bakery until Adam Handling\u2019s The Frog challenged the trademark.<\/em><\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0potato sourdough, the cut-through focaccia sandwich, morning buns Time Out\u2019s best bakery in London for 2025, and a social enterprise that runs on-the-job training and mentorship for at-risk young people \u2014 which is the sort of thing that usually comes at the expense of the product and here doesn\u2019t. <\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0the maple and bacon pastry Ranked first by The Infatuation. The maple and bacon is the one everyone photographs, and it earns it \u2014 the lamination holds up under a wet topping, which is technically much harder than it looks.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0miso sesame sourdough, kouign amann, ham-cheese-fennel swirl Opened in 2025 by a husband-and-wife team and named the best artisan bakery in Britain in British Baker\u2019s Bakers\u2019 Dozen 2026. The best new opening in London and still, for now, gettable without a queue.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0stacked focaccia sandwiches, malted-milk maritozzi, grandma slices Third in Britain on British Baker\u2019s 2026 list. Read the hours twice: this is an afternoon bakery, closed Sunday to Tuesday, and turning up on spec on a Saturday without an order is how people end up disappointed.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0the brown butter bun, strawberry jammy dodgers, pies Anna Higham, formerly head pastry chef at Lyle\u2019s and Flor, which is the strongest chef pedigree of any independent bakery in the city. If you care about how something is made rather than how it photographs, come here, especially for the quintessential British classics.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0sweet and savoury escargots, Roman-style flatbread sandwiches Heritage-grain sourdough, Assembly coffee, and flatbread sandwiches from 11am. One of very few genuinely good bakeries in the middle of town rather than a bus ride out. <\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0cinnamon buns baked fresh through the day; tiramisu and pistachio buns Opened January 2026 and straight into the Good Food Guide\u2019s London top ten. The important detail is\u00a0baked throughout the day<\/em>\u00a0rather than once at 6am \u2014 a cinnamon bun four hours out of the oven is a different and much worse object. This is also the single most useful entry in this guide if you\u2019re a visitor staying centrally.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0kr\u00e4mbulle, the cardamom cream bun; prinsesst\u00e5rta Swedish, tiny, baked downstairs daily, and named the best Nordic bakery in London by Vittles.\u00a0Closes for a summer holiday \u2014 check before travelling.<\/strong><\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0rose and cardamom swirls, the knafeh bun Opposite Brockwell Park, ramp access, dog-friendly. Go before noon for the best chance to secure the goods (they sell out fast).<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0the croissant bun \u2014 cinnamon, cardamom, pistachio<\/p>\n Started in a mother\u2019s kitchen in the first 2020 lockdown and is now a 21-site chain built almost entirely on one product. Most sites have no seating. It\u2019s a genuinely impressive piece of specialisation, and the cardamom is the one to get.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0Hackney Wild sourdough; heritage-flour croissants Hackney Wild is one of the loaves that taught London what sourdough was supposed to be, and it\u2019s still excellent. The new V&A East Storehouse site stays open until 10pm on Thursdays and Saturdays, which makes it the only late-opening good bakery in the city. [YOUR NOTE]<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0jalape\u00f1o, chilli and cheddar sourdough An all-female takeaway bakehouse named among the Telegraph\u2019s top three in Britain in April 2026.<\/p>\n Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Crouch End N8 8PR \u00b7 Covent Garden, 16 Neal\u2019s Yard WC2H 9DP \u00b7 Essex Road N1 2SN \u00b7 Highgate N6 6JS \u00b7 Hampstead NW3 1QS \u00b7 Primrose Hill NW1 8XL \u00b7 Bermondsey SE16 4RP (Fri\u2013Sat only)<\/p>\n The most convenient good sourdough in London \u2014 there is probably one near you and the owner, Sophia, is one of my favourite women bakers on the internet. She is incredibly deserving of all her success as a working mum whose passion for sourdough came to fruition through lockdowns.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0pastel de nata, baked through the day, cinnamon on top Still the best in London for the thing it does, and it has expanded considerably since I first wrote this guide. New Row is open until 10pm, which makes it a rare after-dinner option. Eat it standing up, within a minute of it being handed to you \u2014 a nata that has sat for an hour is a tart, not a nata. [YOUR NOTE]<\/p>\n Hotel bakeries have replaced hotel bars as London\u2019s prestige format, which is either a sign of a maturing food city or of what social media has done to all of us.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0jammie dodger tarts, Belgian buns, lardy cake, Marmite cheese straws Opened January 2026 with Richard Hart \u2014 founder of Hart Bageri in Copenhagen \u2014 behind it, doing British nostalgia baking at a level nobody has bothered to apply to it before. He won the Bakery Innovation Award at La Liste\u2019s 2026 Pastry Awards. The French fancies are not a joke. [YOUR NOTE]<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0ham-and-egg brioche with fondue sauce; brioche \u00e0 t\u00eate with raspberry cr\u00e9meux<\/p>\n Opened January 2026 and won Pastry & Bakery Opening of the Year at La Liste\u2019s 2026 awards \u2014 Time Out called it the world\u2019s best new bakery. Rouzaud\u2019s original caf\u00e9 continues at The Connaught, Carlos Place, W1K 2AL, where the trio au chocolat is \u00a317.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0trompe-l\u2019\u0153il fruit pastries; the wagyu croissant The most technically extraordinary pastry in London and the most extraordinary queue. Grolet has around 14 million Instagram followers and the line outside is a fixed London landmark. Worth doing once. Note they cannot accommodate dietary requirements. <\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0the custard doughnut; Eccles cakes The custard doughnut is a piece of London culinary history and still one of the best things you can eat while in town. To be honest, I\u2019ve never had anything here I haven\u2019t liked or love \u2013 it\u2019s an institution that has well and truly earned its reputation.<\/p>\n Signature:<\/strong>\u00a0the doughnuts; sourdough; the baking school Note: the Soho branch on Beak Street has closed<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 if you\u2019ve read an older version of this guide, including mine, that\u2019s the correction. The Borough Market baking school has run since 2014 and is the best half-day you can spend in London if you want to learn to make bread properly.<\/p>\n Included with a caveat: these are cake shops and cupcake specialists rather than bakeries in the craft sense, and none appears on a current critics\u2019 list. If you want a beautiful cake or a photograph, they deliver. If you want the best pastry in London, everything above this section is better.<\/p>\n Address:<\/strong>\u00a0116 Ebury Street, SW1W 9QQ \u00b7 Mon\u2013Thu 8:30\u201317:30, Fri\u2013Sun 8:30\u201318:00<\/p>\n The pink corner shop that launched ten thousand identical photographs. The Chelsea branch closed in 2024, so Belgravia is the only site. Go for the sugar cookies and the front door, and know what you\u2019re paying for.<\/p>\n Address:<\/strong>\u00a01 Kingly Court, W1B 5PW<\/p>\n Cupcake Jemma\u2019s shop, with rotating flavours. Many moons ago I\u2019d watch her Youtube videos regularly and aspire to one day own a bakery, so I still love stopping by whenever I\u2019m in Soho for a dose of nostalgia. The cornflake brownie is a standout.<\/p>\n Address:<\/strong>\u00a0133 Portobello Road \u00b7 47 Old Brompton Road<\/p>\n The brand that brought American cupcakes to London in 2004. Nostalgic, reliable, no longer surprising but still a tasty pitstop!<\/p>\n <\/p>\nContents<\/h3>\n
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The best bakeries in London overall<\/h2>\n
Toad Bakery \u2014 Camberwell<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a044 Peckham Road, SE5 8PX \u00b7 second site at St Paul\u2019s House, Deptford High Street, SE8 4BX
Price:<\/strong>\u00a0around \u00a35 a pastry
Pre-order:<\/strong>\u00a0no \u2014 bakes rotate and go straight from the oven, so go early<\/p>\nThe Dusty Knuckle \u2014 Dalston<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Abbot Street Car Park, E8 3DP \u00b7 also 429 Green Lanes, N4 1HA
Pre-order:<\/strong>\u00a0no, but weekend queues are real and the sandwiches sell out<\/p>\nPophams \u2014 Islington, London Fields, Victoria Park<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a019 Prebend St, N1 8PF \u00b7 197 Richmond Road, E8 3NJ \u00b7 110A Lauriston Road, E9 7HA
Hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Mon\u2013Fri 7:30\u20134, Sat 8\u20134, Sun 8:30\u20134<\/p>\nAugust Bakery \u2014 Battersea<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a04\u20136a Battersea Rise, SW11 1ED
Hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Tue\u2013Fri 7:30\u201316:00, Sat\u2013Sun 8\u201316, closed Monday<\/p>\nChatsworth Bakehouse \u2014 Crystal Palace<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0116 Anerley Road (walk-in) and 120a Anerley Road (collections)
Hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Wed\u2013Fri 12:30\u201316:00, Sat 11\u201316
Pre-order: essential<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 order at order.chatsworthbakehouse.com, they sell out routinely<\/p>\nQuince Bakery \u2014 Islington<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0267 New North Road, N1 7AA<\/p>\nToklas Bakery \u2014 Temple<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a09 Surrey Street, WC2R 2ND
Hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Mon\u2013Fri 8\u201317, Sat 9\u201316, Sun 9\u201315
Pre-order:<\/strong>\u00a0Saturday collections close Tuesday evening<\/p>\n![\"Buns](\"https:\/\/www.worldofwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/best-bakery-london-1440x1920.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThe best cinnamon buns in London<\/h3>\n
Fred \u2014 Oxford Circus<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a052\u201353 Margaret Street, W1W 8SQ<\/p>\nBageriet \u2014 Covent Garden<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a024 Rose Street, WC2E 9EA<\/p>\nBunhead Bakery \u2014 Herne Hill<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0145 Dulwich Road, SE24 0NG
Hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Thu\u2013Fri 9\u201316, Sat\u2013Sun 10\u201316 \u2014 and in their own words, \u201cwe close when we sell out, which is usually sooner rather than later\u201d<\/p>\nBuns from Home \u2014 Notting Hill and 20+ others<\/h4>\n
The best sourdough bread in London<\/h3>\n
E5 Bakehouse \u2014 London Fields<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Arches 395\u2013397 Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PH \u00b7 Poplar Bakehouse, 8a Cotall Street, E14 6TL \u00b7 e5 Storehouse at V&A East, Parkes Street, E20 3AX
Hours:<\/strong>\u00a0Mon\u2013Fri 7:30\u201317:00, Sat\u2013Sun 8\u201317<\/p>\nMaya\u2019s Bakehouse \u2014 Tulse Hill<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a037 Tulse Hill, SW2 2TJ<\/p>\nSourdough Sophia \u2014 seven London shops<\/h4>\n
![\"Best](\"https:\/\/www.worldofwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/best-bakeries-in-london-1440x1920.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nThe best pastel de nata in London<\/h3>\n
Santa Nata \u2014 Covent Garden, Borough, Battersea, Spitalfields<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a07 New Row, WC2N 4LH (10:00\u201322:00 daily) \u00b7 17 Russell Street \u00b7 Borough Market, 19 Dirty Lane \u00b7 Battersea Power Station, Turbine Hall A \u00b7 Spitalfields Market<\/p>\nThe best hotel bakeries in London<\/h3>\n
Claridge\u2019s Bakery \u2014 Mayfair<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Brook\u2019s Mews, W1K 4HR
Price:<\/strong>\u00a0around \u00a35 for savoury bites<\/p>\nLe Caf\u00e9 by Nicolas Rouzaud \u2014 Burlington Arcade<\/h4>\n
C\u00e9dric Grolet at The Berkeley \u2014 Knightsbridge<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Wilton Place, SW1X 7RL
Price:<\/strong>\u00a0Go\u00fbtea afternoon tea \u00a3130pp, Fri\u2013Sun<\/p>\nThe classic standout bakeries in London<\/h3>\n
St. JOHN Bakery \u2014 Bermondsey and Covent Garden<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Bakery Arch, 72 Druid Street, SE1 2HQ (Fri\u2013Sun only) \u00b7 6 Neal\u2019s Yard, WC2H 9DP \u00b7 180 Borough High Street, SE1 1LH<\/p>\nBread Ahead \u2014 Borough Market and six others<\/h4>\n
Address:<\/strong>\u00a0Borough Market, SE1 9DE \u00b7 Leicester Square, 20\u201321 Leicester Sq, WC2H 7JX \u00b7 King\u2019s Cross Square, N1C 9AL \u00b7 Pavilion Road, SW1X 0BP \u00b7 South Kensington, 5\u20137 Pelham St, SW7 2ND \u00b7 Wembley, HA9 0NP \u00b7 Bromley, BR1 1DN<\/p>\nBest for cake and celebration bakes<\/h3>\n
Peggy Porschen \u2014 Belgravia<\/h4>\n
![\"Crumbs_and_Doilies_London\"](\"https:\/\/www.worldofwanderlust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/P8250063-1024x768.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nCrumbs & Doilies \u2014 Carnaby<\/h4>\n
The Hummingbird Bakery \u2014 Notting Hill and South Kensington<\/h4>\n