Here’s Where to Find the Best Bakeries in Boston Right Now

Not much in this world elicits as much easy joy as a chocolate chip cookie, still warm from the oven. Coffee isn’t complete without a breakfasty treat; a savory bun from a neighborhood bakery can stand in for a quick lunch; a chewy boule baked mere hours earlier can complete a nice dinner at home; and a decadent, artistic dessert that looks almost too good to eat is a perfect special-occasion indulgence.

Boston is stocked with bakeshops for every occasion (and far too many good ones to include them all in this list), but here are our favorites. From globe-trotting pastries in Cambridge and Somerville to edible artworks in the Back Bay—and everything in between—these Boston-area bakeries are the very best of the best.

Updated January 2024. Check back for periodic updates.

Bakey 

Danish-Isreali baker Uri Scheft opened Bakey across from Boston Common in 2021, and the ooey-gooey babkas garnered so much love that a second location in Brookline followed in May 2023. Bakey’s artful creations—from cheese sticks to challah to potato burekas—are delightful, but the true star is the many flavors of babka: raspberry, cinnamon, almond, and chocolate. Can’t choose? Well, you might just have to try them all. 

151 Tremont St., Downtown Boston, 617-670-0114; 370 Harvard St., Brookline; bakeybabka.com. 

Bao Bao Bakery

In the heart of Chinatown, Bao Bao serves up baked items that are just as fun as the “fries ‘n thighs” at sister restaurant Double Chin. Case in point: a two-dozen layer crepe cake in all manner of flavors, from matcha to brown sugar boba to ube. There are also cream puffs, macarons, mochi, and so much more.

84 Harrison Ave., Chinatown, Boston, 617-988-8191, baobaobakery.com.

Breadboard Bakery

From this pickup window in Arlington, grab some of the loveliest breads around—including varieties like 100% whole wheat, sunflower rye, challah, and more—not to mention sweet treats, like chocolate croissants and “wacky” cake slices. Plus, this is one of the only spots around that carries Texan-meets-Czech kolaches, sweet, enriched buns with filled centers (raspberry or cranberry, for example). Your best bet is to place a pre-order online a couple days before pickup, but walk-up orders are welcome, too—just note the hours, which are currently limited to three days a week.

203A Broadway, Arlington, breadandstuff.com.

Bricco Panetteria

Located down a North End alleyway, this basement-level bakery exudes Old World charm. Imagine you’re in Italy and pop by on the way home to add chewy ciabatta rolls or a freshly baked olive loaf to your dinner table. The next-door salumeria makes it easy to put together a simple and satisfying meal.

241 Hanover St., North End, Boston, 617-248-9859, briccosalumeria.com.

Cafe Beatrice

Pastry chef Brian Mercury bakes up magical treats, and while you’ll find his gorgeous plated desserts at restaurateur Will Gilson’s sit-down restaurants (Puritan & Co., the Lexington, etc.), it’s this Cambridge Crossing café where the duo offer up irresistible grab-and-go goodies. Watch for passionfruit brioche, maple kouign-amann, salted hazelnut sticky buns, and more.

100 N. First St. (Cambridge Crossing), East Cambridge, thelexingtoncx.com/cafebeatrice. 

Clear Flour Bread & Bakery

Best of Boston winner, 2010

For decades, this beloved bakery has delighted Brookline and beyond with its European-style breads and pastries. Think: loaves of German rye, French baguettes, rosemary-flecked focaccia, Gruyère-stuffed croissants, coveted soft pretzels, and spicy ginger-molasses cookies. The longtime owners sold to a new couple in 2017 and thankfully, nothing has changed—not even the usual line out the door.

178 Thorndike St., Brookline, 617-739-0060, clearflourbread.com.

Cocorico 

Don’t be fooled: Cocorico is not just another hotel café. Located on the ground floor of the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, this French-inspired boulangerie offers fresh pastries that rival any other in the city. Try the assortment of croissants—from the savory ham and Gruyère to the sweet raspberry pistachio—and the incredible raspberry “cruffin” (that’s a croissant-muffin, if you’re wondering). 

Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, 450 Summer St., Seaport District, Boston, cocoricocafe.com. 

Colette Bakery

With locations in Medford and Melrose—and Boston’s South End coming soon—this French favorite draws fans for its crusty baguettes, buttery viennoiserie, and more. Don’t miss the savory options, too, including sandwiches on a variety of delicious styles of bread, quiche, and flammekueche.

509 Main St., Medford, 781-396 2313; 465 Main St., Melrose; colettebakery.com.

Elmendorf Baking Supplies & Cafe

Butterly, flaky croissants and kouign-amman are trucked in daily from Salem’s incomparable A&J King, while platters of scones, muffins, pies, and more are made onsite with locally sourced, house-milled grains. Gluten lovers will also find a full range of baking necessities—from cookbooks and accessories to those fresh grains—to inspire their own kitchen creations, and caffeine aficionados will love the drip and espresso drinks made with Western Mass’s own Barrington Coffee. (We love the hot chocolate, too!) The culinary couple behind this unique venture is Teddy and Alyssa Applebaum, who both spent more than a decade working in Boston-area bakeries.

594 Cambridge St., East Cambridge, 617-945-0045, elmendorfbaking.com.

Fiore’s Bakery

An ever-changing selection of muffins, sweet and savory turnovers, cookies, and more is a great addition to Jamaica Plain’s main drag—but the fact that this cozy neighborhood spot has an equally robust selection of vegan-friendly treats really takes the cake. Speaking of cake, Fiore’s also bakes up special-occasion treats to order—traditional, or with dietary restrictions in mind.

55 South St., Jamaica Plain, Boston, 617-524-9200, fioresbakeryjp.com.

Flour Bakery + Café

Pecan-covered sticky buns and stacked towers of Boston cream pie helped make Joanne Chang a household name (and a James Beard Award winner), but in the almost 25 years since she debuted her bakery in the South End, Flour has given us so much more to love. Chiefly, eight more locations, from the deep Seaport to Harvard Square. Thanks to ultimate cookies, mile-high pies, whole-grain baked goods, and savory sandwiches, this local empire has risen to the top.

131 Clarendon St., Boston, 617-437-7700; 190 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-225-2525; and other locations; flourbakery.com.

Forge Baking Company

This Somerville spot opened in 2014 from the owners of the city’s Diesel and Bloc Cafés and bakes up house-made breads, scones, croissants, brownies—for itself and its sibling cafés—as well as its own all-day menu filled with hefty sandwiches. In 2016, the bakeshop added house-made, small-batch ice cream—because everything is better à la mode.

626 Somerville Ave., Somerville, 617-764-5365, forgebakingco.com.

Fornax Bread Company

This family-owned bakeshop provides the breads for restaurants all over the city, as well as the deli at Jamaica Plain staple City Feed and Supply. But its own homey café in the heart of Roslindale Village is the place to find all of its fresh batards, baguettes, loaves, pastries, pies, and cakes, as well as griddled sandwiches, pizzettas, and more cozy fare that puts grains to good use.

27 Corinth St., Roslindale, Boston, 617-325-8852, fornaxbread.com.

Greenhills Bakery

Boston’s largest neighborhood, Dorchester, has a diverse and distinctive dining scene. This classic café in Adams Village is a true taste of the Emerald Isle—from the treacle and brown soda breads, nubby scones, and rustic pies to the cupcakes, cookies, turnovers, and imported Irish goods.

780 Adams St., Dorchester, Boston, 617-825-8187, greenhillsirishbakery.com.

Grêp Kafé & Sweets Bakery

Heading to the mini Target on Medford’s Salem Street? Grab some sustenance across the street at this Haitian bakery. We love the flaky, savory patés (especially the beef-filled version) and the house-made juices and foskao, a spiced chocolate drink. Order your custom cakes here, too.

466 Salem St., Medford, 781-327-6526, grepkafebakery.com.

Hi-Rise Bread Company

Best of Boston winner, 1998, 1999

This Observatory Hill bakery has been slinging baked goods since 1996 and hasn’t since slowed down. Organic-grain breads, assorted cookies, loaves, and cakes, and buttery-crusted pies anchor the menu, which also includes sandwiches and prepared foods—but we never leave without at least one bag of sugar-rolled shortbread cookies.

208 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 617-876-8766, hi-risebread.com.

Home.Stead Bakery & Café

Opened in 2016 by a trio of Dorchester residents, this cozy café provides not just display cases full chocolate chip cookies, strawberry almond bars, pecan-cranberry scones, coffee cake, and more, but also a neighborhood gathering place in the heart of Fields Corner.

1448 Dorchester Ave., Dorchester, Boston, 617-433-7118, dorchesterhomestead.com.

Jonquils Café & Bakery 

Dinara Kasko wanted to be an architect but used her design skills to become pastry chef instead, using 3D printers to create molds for edible art. At Jonquils on Newbury Street, each cake looks like a sculpture that’s too perfect to eat. Try the caramel apple: caramel mousse with dark chocolate and apple compote made into a geometric apple shape. Or opt for a Rubiks-cube-type creation (but with spheres instead of squares) filled with the likes of almond cake, lemon and guava. A feast for the eyes—and your taste buds—indeed. 

125 Newbury St., Back Bay, Boston, 617-982-6117, jonquilscafe.com. 

Japonaise Bakery

Launched nearly 40 years ago, this Brookline bakery was one of the first to bring Japanese-style pastries to the Boston area, and after a long recent hiatus for renovations, it thankfully returned in 2023 and is off to an exciting restart. The place abounds with wonderful loaves of springy milk bread, as well as superlative sweet doughs filled with red bean paste or custard, sponge cakes that are layered with all manner of fruits or covered in an orange yogurt mousse, and freshly baked rolls used for tonkatsu sauce-brushed sandwiches.

1020 Beacon St., Brookline, 617-566-7730, japonaise.squarespace.com.

Lakon Paris Patisserie

This Newton bakery expanded to Brookline in 2023 and became TikTok- and Instagram-famous at the same time—but for good reason. There’s always a line out the door, but it’s worth it for Lakon’s weekend-special buttery croissants loaded with everything from pistachio and mascarpone to strawberry cheesecake and tiramisu. But it’s not just the inside the matters. The artful pastries are decked out in freeze-dried fruit slices to chocolate and torched meringue dollops. They’re perfect for a photo op, but they taste even better.

1410 Beacon St., Brookline; 1169 Walnut St., Newton, 857-297-2181; lakonparis.com. 

La Saison Bakery

Best of Boston winner, 2022

For years, Soheil Fathi helped run his family’s successful bakery in Tehran, Iran. After moving to America, though, he had to start from scratch—and incidentally, “made from scratch” also describes the breads and sweets you’ll find at the circa-2017 incarnation of La Saison in Cambridge. There you’ll find amazing apricot-pistachio loaves of sourdough (this one is only available on Sundays, but stop in any day of the week for fig-walnut or cranberry-pecan loaves); flaky kouign-amann (which is similar to a croissant); feta-za’atar scones; fudgy “marble” brownies with swirls of cheesecake; crispy crackers spiced with turmeric or smoked paprika; and more.

407 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 617-547-0009, lasaison-bakery.com.

La Sultana Bakery 

This Columbian bakery in Eastie is a can’t-miss. From fun seasonal specials and rotating flavors—like buñuelos (the traditional recipe has been passed down through generations) filled with dulce de leche or guava—to classic regulars like flan, palmiers, and apple turnovers, there’s no shortage of delicious treats less than a one-minute walk from the Maverick T station.  

40 Maverick Square, East Boston, instagram.com/lasultanafood.

Lolly’s Bakery

Along with fresh Latin American sweet breads, you can order cakes and cupcakes here with pretty frosting flowers or unique designs. But snacks like crispy churros, cups of flan, and colorful, traditional conchas (round rolls with sweet and crunchy exteriors) prove why Lolly’s is a 20-plus-year East Boston local favorite. Excellent news for those further North: It also has a location in Lynn.

158 Bennington St., East Boston, 617-567-9461; 16 Cottage St., Lynn, 781-586-9400; lollysbakeryeb.com.

Lyndell’s Bakery

An absolute classic of a Boston-area bakeshop, this business dates back more than 135 years, just a few decades after the City of Somerville’s founding. Four ownership changes later, it’s still brimming with classics like apple tarts, Boston cream pies, and cakey half-moon cookies iced with rich chocolate and vanilla buttercream frosting.

720 Broadway, Ball Square, Somerville, 617-625-1793, lyndells.com.

Maca

Please join us as we salute the macaron specialist Maca. The walk-up window at Somerville’s Bow Market is an absolute gem when you’re looking for two-bite-sized delights in cheery pastel colors and creative, daily-changing flavors like red velvet, jasmine green tea, cake batter, and Fruity Pebbles. The macarons are baked fresh every day in the small-but-mighty 166-square-foot space, and there’s no limits to the creative seasonal designs and unique flavor combinations that owner Tamy Chung can whip up (not to mention the custom masterpieces she creates for weddings and events).

1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville, macaboston.com.

Maprang Bakery & Café 

This Somerville bakery specializes in custom cakes that are masterpieces to behold (imagine one cake turned into a reindeer for the holidays, mini plates of food on top of another, and a superhero on a third). The good news is, the baked creations aren’t reserved just for special occasions. Pop in to the Union Square spot anytime for bite-sized cakes in flavors like mango, ube, and coconut pandan, or passionfruit mousse-filled cake in the shape of a leaf, plus drinks like Vietnamese coffee and matcha. 

51 Union Sq., Union Square, Somerville, 617-319-5975, maprangbakerycafe.com. 

Michette 

It’s a tiny boulangerie that feels like it’s in a small French village, but Michette is actually in East Somerville. The bakery dishes out crusty baguettes, gooey cookies, Parisian flan in crispy shortbread crust, flaky croissants, and beautifully caramelized cannelés. For something a little more filling, opt for the classic ham-and-butter sandwich. C’est très bonne! 

164 Broadway, East Somerville, 646-255-8789, michette-bakery.com. 

Nine Winters

Marissa Ferola bakes everything in this Korean-American bakery to perfection. Creative cookie flavors like peanut butter chili crisp, double-chocolate hot honey, and triple-pepper ginger combine the perfect levels of sugar and spice. Depending on the day of the week, opt for the secret off-menu cake slice on the weekends, or the “chimi knots” (knotted milkbreads doused in Buenas chimichurri sauce) on Mondays. 

1 Bow Market Way, Union Square, Somerville, ninewinters.com. 

Oakleaf Cakes Bake Shop

Owned by a MassArt alum, this Symphony-area spot sells student art in the coffee shop. But the bakery’s own wares are masterpieces of their own. A daily go-to for treats like granola and breakfast bars, big cookies, and flaky, house-made “pop tarts” with seasonal fillings such as triple berry jam or chocolate peppermint, everything is made on-site from scratch. And if you’re in need of special occasion cake, Oakleaf can craft sculptural works—from animals to sports teams and more.

12 Westland Ave., Fenway/Symphony, Boston, 617-299-1504, oakleafcakes.com.

Parziale’s Bakery

This North End hidden gem on Prince Street—in business since 1907—is our preferred spot for Italian butter cookies, anise-y biscotti, and crispy pizzelle. Besides, the creamy ricotta filling of its cannoli gives any nearby shop (cough cough, we have exactly two in mind) a run for its money, and—bonus!—you’re way less likely to have to queue up with tourists.

80 Prince St., North End, Boston, 617-523-6368, parzialebakery.com.

Sofra Bakery & Café

Best of Boston winner, 2019

Signature spice blends, fresh fruits and nuts, and pastry prowess combine to yield unparalleled sweets like tahini-brown butter doughnuts and chocolate-hazelnut or walnut baklava, as well as savory bites like cheesy borek and za’atar-spiced flatbreads. Acclaimed pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick brings a transportive flair to this Middle Eastern bakery and café with sweet and savory creations inspired by the cuisines of Turkey, Lebanon, and Greece.

One Belmont St., Cambridge, 617-661-3161, sofrabakery.com.

South End Buttery 

This South End staple hangout ups the ante with its baked goods. While the scones, muffins, and cinnamon buns are delightful, the cupcakes really take the cake (pun absolutely intended). Named after the staff’s dogs, the Harriet carrot cake, the Dexter salted caramel, and the Marlowe red velvet cupcakes are aces—and a portion of all proceeds from them support animal rescues. Talk about sweet treats with a purpose. 

314 Shawmut Ave., South End, Boston, 617-482-1015; 37 Clarendon St., South End, Boston; southendbuttery.com. 

Taiwan Bakery

This bright Taiwanese bakery on Beach Street is a newcomer in the former 101 Bakery storefront, but still a favorite for shelves on shelves of neatly wrapped buns (including sweet taro buns and savory pork floss buns), desserts like egg custard tarts, mooncakes, mochi, and strawberry and almond rolls.

56 Beach St., Chinatown, Boston, 617-451-9988.

True Grounds

Somerville baked goods lovers might remember “Rae the Baker” (Rae Murphy) and her 2018-2019 pop-ups, under the name Plum Delicious, at Field & Vine: pretzel croissants and more drew long, enthusiastic lines. In 2022, she resurfaced at True Grounds, a café in Ball Square, populating the menu with old favorites and new treats. Yep, the pretzel croissants are back, not to mention miso morning buns, bostok, rotiboy, and more.

717 Broadway, Ball Square, Somerville, 617-591-9559, truegrounds.com.

Vinal Bakery

Sarah Murphy began making her own English muffins while a baker at Bagelsaurus, and now the perfect pillows anchor the menu at her own Somerville café. Besides packs that certainly rival Thomas’, not to mention sandwiches slicked with the likes of dijonnaise or house-made marshmallow Fluff, Murphy bakes with the New England seasons to offer options like ginger-molasses cookies, blueberry muffins (American-style), and oatmeal cream pies. In 2020, Murphy opened Vinal General Store next door, which offers piled-high sandwiches and soft-serve ice cream.

222 Somerville Ave., Union Square, Somerville, 617-718-0148, vinalbakery.com.

Yafa Bakery & Café 

Best of Boston winner, 2023

Dates take center stage at Yafa, whether rolled in chocolate and wrapped in gold leaf or filled with various nuts and citrus. But that’s not all. Try the mamoul (a filled butter cookie—in this case filled with either pistachio or, you guessed it, dates) spinach-and-cheese hand pies, or chocoltine, puff pastry croissants stuffed with chocolate. We promise, you’re guaranteed to love it.   

594 Somerville Ave., Spring Hill, Somerville, 617-616-5310, yafabakerycafe.com. 

Zuzu’s Petals

The baked goods here are certainly photogenic—but you won’t be able to take a picture, as Zuzu’s Petals is a screen-free zone. No laptops, no phones, just good vibes. Some of Zuzu’s treats are sourced from nearby Michette (see above), and some are made in-house, like the heavenly persimmon-pecan-cardamom scone, served with whipped cream, plus cookies, ultra-fudge-y brownies, and more.

204 Hampshire St., Inman Square, Cambridge, 617-945-7749, zuzuspetalscambridge.com.

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