Top 5 bakeries and patisseries in London: pastry, doughnuts and cake
Creative viennoiserie, neighbourhood baking, market doughnuts and a Soho patisserie: five London addresses to build a delicious morning or afternoon around.
BY LONNOW EDITORIALUPDATED 26 SEPTEMBER 20263 MIN READ
An editorial selection across different strengths: laminated pastry, neighbourhood baking, bread and sandwiches, doughnuts, and traditional patisserie. These businesses are not competing in one identical category. The order is for reading, not an official award or a blind-tasting score. We checked the named locations and their published offerings; daily availability still varies.
01
Pastry and coffee photographed for Pophams; dishes vary by day · PophamsIslington · 19 Prebend Street, N1 8PF
Pophams — Islington
Viennoiserie · creative pastries
For a pastry-led morning
Pophams is built around creative viennoiserie: the layered pastries that make breakfast feel like an occasion. Its Islington bakery on Prebend Street is our named stop for a morning built around the pastry counter and coffee. The brand’s emphasis on craft also extends to the ceramics and homewares associated with its cafés, giving the visit a distinctive visual identity.
Before you decide
Use the bakery at number 19, rather than the separate Home & Pantry shop next door. The pastry selection changes; check that day’s counter rather than expecting every photographed item to be available.
Jolene’s original Newington Green location combines a bakery with a restaurant overlooking the green. The bakery offers sweet and savoury goods, making it a good choice when one person wants pastry and another wants something less sweet. Its setting encourages you to make a little neighbourhood outing of the visit, rather than travelling only for a single fashionable bake.
Before you decide
Bakery seating and restaurant service are different. The current location page allows bakery sit-in all day Monday but only until 11am Tuesday to Sunday; takeaway continues later. Check those arrangements before planning a long afternoon coffee.
03
Inside The Dusty Knuckle’s Dalston café · The Dusty KnuckleDalston · Abbot Street Car Park, E8 3DP
The Dusty Knuckle — Dalston
Bakery café · bread and sandwiches
For a substantial bakery lunch
The Dusty Knuckle’s original Dalston bakery and café sits in Abbot Street Car Park, with outdoor seating and a menu that gives bread a leading role. This is the selection for a more substantial stop: a sandwich or breakfast, with sweet or savoury baking from the counter. It is also a purpose-driven business running training and mentorship for young people.
Before you decide
Check the correct entrance into the car park and the kitchen’s serving times. Weekend bread and pastry pre-orders have separate collection arrangements; they do not cover the full food and drinks menu. Outdoor seating depends on conditions.
04
Bread Ahead at Borough Market · revolution540 · CC BY 2.0Borough Market · Cathedral Street, SE1 9DE
Bread Ahead — Borough Market
Bakery and school · doughnuts
For a market-day sweet stop
Bread Ahead’s Borough home combines bread, pastries, cakes and its signature doughnuts with a baking school. Pick it when you want a sweet stop as part of a larger market visit, or when browsing the counter leaves you wanting to learn the craft yourself. The bakery describes focaccia baked daily alongside its other offerings.
Before you decide
The Borough shop currently lists Monday closure, so do not assume it follows every nearby café’s schedule. Doughnut flavours and stock vary; workshops require their own bookings and are separate from buying something at the counter.
05
Cake and tea photographed at Maison Bertaux in Soho · Ewan Munro · CC BY-SA 2.0Soho · Greek Street, W1D 5DQ
Maison Bertaux
French patisserie · cakes and éclairs
For cake with a little Soho history
Maison Bertaux has been making cakes in Soho since 1871. Its published selection includes cream cakes, fruit tarts, cheesecakes and handmade éclairs, giving it a clear place here as a patisserie rather than another bread-led bakery. Choose it for a cake-and-tea pause or a sweet finish to an afternoon around Greek Street.
Before you decide
Pick from the current display or ask about ordering a cake in advance. Space is compact and daily choices vary. Check ingredients with the team if you have allergies; a photograph is not an ingredient list.
01 IN FOCUS
Bakery or patisserie?
Start with Pophams for viennoiserie, Jolene for a sweet-and-savoury neighbourhood stop, and The Dusty Knuckle for bread-led lunch.
Bread Ahead fits a Borough doughnut detour; Maison Bertaux is the cake-and-tea choice. The variety is intentional: this list gives you five different kinds of treat.
02 IN FOCUS
Build a small outing
Choose one area and enjoy it.
Pair Maison Bertaux with a Soho walk, Bread Ahead with Borough Market, or Jolene with Newington Green. For a celebration cake, contact the shop ahead; for a spontaneous visit, let the day’s display guide you.
Choose with better signals+
Use cuisine, occasion, location and evidence together.
01
Branch
Check the rating belongs to the exact London location.
02
Confidence
Read recent reviews and consider review volume.
03
Needs
Confirm allergens, dietary options and accessibility directly.
04
Booking
Verify the current menu, price and cancellation terms.
