We scoured the metro to find the best bakeries—then we picked our favorite treats and places to hang out and talked to five local pastry chefs who turn out the finest desserts in town.

October 2007

Photographs by John Abernathy and Travis Anderson

A patch of morning light on pavement. The scent of cinnamon and yeast draws you in. The young woman at the counter greets you by name, hands you a frosted delight, and leaves room in your coffee cup for cream. You know the place, and you are known—a corner bakery, staff of the neighborhood.

Sure, you can find hearth-baked breads and artisan pastries in area supermarkets. And the quality of those offerings has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. But atmosphere and locale trump convenience when it comes to bread, chocolate, and affordable luxuries. Twin Cities bakeries are on the rise, reflecting the ethnic backgrounds and interests of their owners—from Trung Nam’s killer croissants to Café Finspång’s Scandinavian pastries to Don Pancho’s budin de pan to Lucia’s Budapest bundts and Sarah Jane’s doughnuts.

We start with an inevitably partial list of the metro’s best bakeries. We’ve focused on locally owned establishments with great baked goods, though many—Birchwood Cafe, Moose & Sadies, Cafe Latté, Finnish Bistro, French Meadow, Patrick’s, Lucia’s—offer full menus and table service too. Traditional bakeries and bakery cafés are organized alphabetically by their east or west metro location, ethnic bakeries by specialty. Find gluten-free bakeries, bakery hangouts, and some of our favorite treats, plus profiles of the top local restaurant pastry chefs and their recipes.