The Best Bakeries in London for Bread, Pastry and Weekend Queues

London has reached the stage where a good bakery comes with a queue, a sell-out time and a mild sense of competition. That is no bad thing if you like planning a Saturday around a loaf and a cardamom bun. This guide covers seven bakeries that keep turning up in the city's best-of lists, with what each is known for and how to approach the queue.

One note before you set off. Opening days and hours shift, and bakeries sell out, so check each bakery's own website or Instagram before you go.

For croissants and a cardamom bun

Toad Bakery, Camberwell

Time Out gives Toad five stars and the top spot in its list of the capital's best bakeries, naming it best for croissants. It describes an inventive pastry headquarters down an unassuming Camberwell street, at 44 Peckham Road, SE5. There is a second site in Deptford. Good Food's London list also includes it.

The detail that matters for bun hunters: Apple Maps mentions vegan cookies, croissants and cardamom heavy cinnamon buns. That makes it a sensible first stop if the cardamom bun is the point of your morning.

Bunhead Bakery, Herne Hill

If the cardamom bun is the point, Bunhead is the strongest case. Time Out names it best for sticky buns, and Country & Town House lists the flavours: date and pistachio, blood orange and cardamom, and a classic cinnamon. The Good Food Guide also points to the tahini and molasses bun and the knafeh.

The shop is at 145 Dulwich Road, SE24, and the first one opened in 2024. The Infatuation says a queue forms before the shutters go up, and its advice is simply to go early. Bunhead also sells at Herne Hill Market on Sundays, from 10am to 4pm, which is worth checking before you go if the Saturday line defeats you.

For bread

The Dusty Knuckle, Dalston

Time Out names The Dusty Knuckle best for bread. Its venue page calls it a bakery for pastries and sandwiches stuffed well, and puts it at 2 out of 4 on price. It began in 2014 as a shipping container bakery in Hackney, and you will now find it at Abbot Street Car Park, E8, in Dalston.

It also made Good Food's best in London list, and the Infatuation rates it 8.6. Hours vary between listings, so confirm Sunday opening before planning a lie in.

Fortitude Bakehouse, Bloomsbury

Fortitude Bakehouse is at 35 Colonnade, in Bloomsbury, and Time Out gives it five stars and the lowest price band, 1 out of 4. It is best known for beignets, which Time Out picks out in its at a glance summary, alongside other pastries. It suits a weekday far better than a weekend: Tripadvisor lists it as closed on Sunday, so do not leave it to the last moment.

For pastry worth the early alarm

Layla Bakery, Ladbroke Grove

Good Food put Layla at number one in its list of London bakeries, as reported by Time Out. It sits at 332 Portobello Road, opened in March 2021, and is known for a constantly changing menu of laminated pastries. Pistachio, wild garlic and miso have all been cited as flavours.

This is the one where timing matters most. Apple Maps notes that the counter is often bare after 11am and suggests arriving at 8am. Portobello Road is busy on Saturdays, which only adds to the case for an early start.

Arôme Bakery, Covent Garden

Arôme is at 9 Mercer Street, WC2, and mixes French technique with Asian flavours. Signatures include Gula Melaka coconut twists and a miso bacon escargot, and Good Food singles out the latter. It is the best pick here if your weekend takes you through the West End and you would like a pastry that is not the usual.

For a proper sit down and the longest queue

Pophams, Islington

Pophams opened at 19 Prebend Street, N1, in 2017, in a former chemist's shop, and has since added London Fields and Victoria Park branches. Country & Town House says all of its locations draw big weekend queues. Tripadvisor describes a lengthy line forming before the doors open on weekdays. The Infatuation recommends the Islington site for a pastry, a lunch at a table and a leisurely time, which is a fair summary: this is a bakery you stay in, not just grab from.

Pophams also runs a pre order collection service for the Islington shop, which can sidestep the queue. Check the days and times before you go, as they differ from the shop's own opening hours.

How to queue well

• Go early. Layla, Bunhead and Pophams all have queues before opening, and Layla's counter is often bare after 11am.
• Pick a weekday if you can. Several of these bakeries are closed on certain days, and a weekday visit is usually calmer.
• Have a second choice. Camberwell has Toad, and Herne Hill has Bunhead, so a sold out counter need not ruin the day.
• Check before you go. Hours, pre order systems and Sunday opening change, and listings often disagree.

A Saturday plan

For a cardamom bun route, start at Bunhead in Herne Hill, then head to Toad in Camberwell. For bread and a sandwich, go to Dalston. For laminated pastry, go to Portobello Road at 8am, before the counter thins out. Whichever you choose, take a bag, expect to wait, and order the thing the bakery is known for. Time Out's full list has more if these seven are not enough.