Meat pie or sausage roll? Croissant or danish? Sourdough or za’atar flatbread? From cult patisseries to pit stop pie shops, the bakeries in Sydney and NSW take the art of baking to the next level. We've rounded up some of the best in the state, along with a not-to-be-missed top pick from each to enjoy.

Sydney

Humble Sydney, Surry Hills
Top pick: Finger buns
The first daytime venue from the guys that brought us Porteño, Wyno x Bodega and Bastardo offers the whole gamut of baked goods, from nostalgic iced finger buns and jam doughnuts to pig’s head sausage rolls and delicate olive oil and fennel cake.

Lavie & Belle Bakery, Surry Hills
Top pick: Croissants
Priding themselves on being an authentic French bakery, this sweet spot offers ready-made baguettes, croque monsieurs and choux pastries.

Flour & Stone, Woolloomooloo
Top pick: Lamingtons
Once you’ve had a Flour & Stone lamington, you can never go back – the vanilla sponge is soaked in panna cotta to make it dense and fluffy.
They also create beautiful, rich cakes for special occasions and sandwiches and tarts – order online or pick one up to devour at home.

Brooklyn Boy Bagels, Marrickville
Top pick: Everything bagel with lox and cheese
Selling New York-style bagels and house-made cream cheese, this hole-in-the-wall bakery launched the city’s first ever bagel drive-through at their Marrickville shop during the 2020 lockdown.

Sweet Belem Cake Boutique, Petersham
Top pick: Portuguese tarts
In the heart of Sydney’s ‘Little Portugal’, Sweet Belem’s flaky pasteis de nata (Portuguese tarts) are a constant sellout. The golden puff pastries are filled with rich custard and dusted with cinnamon.

Emperor's Garden Cake & Bakery, Haymarket
Top pick: Custard puffs
For the last 20 years, those in the know line up for Chinatown’s most popular dessert: Emperor’s Puffs. Filled with molten custard these sweet treats are also one of Sydney’s cheapest – just $1.20 for three freshly baked puffs.

Infinity Bakery, Darlinghurst, Paddington, Manly
Top pick: Banana bread
One of Sydney’s first bakeries serving sourdough bread, the Darlinghurst original has been churning out crusty loaves and delicate pastries since 1997.

Berkelo, Brookvale, Manly, Mosman, Mona Vale  
Top pick: Signature sourdough
Berkelo immediately gained a cult following for its sourdough when opening in Brookvale – it's one of the only bakeries with its own stone mill, so you know they’re serious. The bread is stocked in some of Sydney’s best restaurants.

Nonie’s, Botany
Top pick: Activated charcoal and quinoa bread
A cult favourite for coeliacs, Nonie’s supplies artisanal gluten-free breads and crackers to cafes across Sydney and sells them from their Botany warehouse.

Black Star Pastry, Newtown, Rosebery, Entertainment Quarter
Top pick: Watermelon and strawberry cake
Black Star Pastry’s cakes are as beautiful as they are delicious – New York Times called their signature watermelon and strawberry flavour the “world’s most Instagrammed cake”.

Cherry Moon, Annandale
Top pick: Fig-leaf woodfired sourdough
Everything is baked in the hand-built woodfired oven at this Inner West bakery, producing a signature depth of flavour in everything from their fig-leaf sourdough to pull-apart cinnamon scrolls.

Supreme Bakery, Liverpool
Top pick: Maznik
A local favourite for traditional Eastern European breads and pastries, Supreme offer flaky burek, pita and maznik, a Macedonian swirled pie.

Gaziantep Sweets, Auburn
Top pick: Pistachio baklava
Flaky, syrupy and layered with bright green pistachio nuts, Gaziantep’s premium baklava can be ordered online. Pair it with a strong Turkish coffee for the ultimate afternoon tea.

Iggy’s Bread, Bronte
Top pick: Sourdough bread
You have to get in quick if you want a taste of Sydney’s most popular sourdough – the shelves of rolls, loaves and croissants at this beachside bakery are usually stripped bare by 11 o’clock in the morning.

AP Bakery, Surry Hills
Top pick: Bombolini
It hasn’t officially opened but there are already lines around the block, thanks to the pedigree of the chefs involved (Ester, Poly, Reuben Hills). The hearty sourdough loaves, buttermilk croissants and bombolini are Instagram’s hottest property.

Papa Pasticceria, Five Dock, Haberfield, Bondi
Top pick: Baked ricotta cheesecake
Italian biscuits, paninis, bombolinis – it's all good, but they claim to have the best ricotta cheesecake in Sydney and it’s hard to argue once you’ve had a slice.

Belmore Lebanese Bakery, Belmore
Top pick: Za’atar roll
This traditional Lebanese bakery pumps out flatbread from their huge central oven for their loyal customers; the ones topped with za’atar, minced lamb or cheese are delicious. Try the fatayar, too, stuffed empanada-style pastries.

Azuki Bakery, Enmore
Top pick: Japanese melon pan or curry doughnuts
Combining classic European techniques with Japanese flavours, you’ll find yuzu cheesecakes, curry doughnuts, matcha swiss rolls and kimchi pork sausage rolls at this cute Inner West bakery.

Knafeh Sydney, Across Sydney
Top pick: Knafeh
Popping up across Western Sydney out of their portable shipping container, this travelling food truck makes Jerusalem-style knafeh, a warm, sweet cheese dessert popular throughout the Middle East.

Hellenic Patisserie, Marrickville
Top pick: Spanakopita
Serving the Marrickville community for decades, this Greek bakery is an institution, famous for their sweet pastries and flaky spinach and cheese spanakopita pie.

Bourke Street Bakery, Potts Point, Surry Hills, Barangaroo, Parramatta
Top pick: Pork & fennel sausage rolls and ginger brûlée tarts
The original cult bakery, Bourke Street built a loyal following from its Surry Hills store – lining up outside the tiny bakery to grab a sausage roll and an iced chocolate milk is a classic Sydney experience.

Regional NSW

Black Cockatoo Bakery, Katoomba
Top pick: Sourdough baguettes, croissants and canelés
Slow fermented, naturally leavened and made with organic stoneground flour, the high-quality baked goods here make it a must-stop in the Blue Mountains.

Honorbread, Bermagui
Top pick: Kardemummabullar (Swedish cardamom buns)
Pick up artisanal sourdough and Scandinavian pastries at this hole-in-the-wall bakery on the South Coast. Their kardemummabullar uses organic flour, local eggs and a warming mix of traditional spices.

Hayden's Pies, Ulladulla
Top pick: Butter chicken pie
An essential highway stop on the road to the South Coast, this bakery is famed for its creative pie fillings, including butter chicken, Thai green curry, lamb rendang, crocodile and more.

The Icky Sticky Patisserie, Maitland
Top pick: Earl grey panna cotta tart
Drawing customers from across the state for their artistic creations, the patisserie serves delicate pastries worth the trip. Try their popular orange and almond syrup cake or passionfruit meringue tart.

Racine Bakery, Orange
Top pick: Butter pastry pies
A French-style bakery with a modern twist, this tiny shopfront sells organic loaves, artisanal cakes and pastries, and flaky pies and sausage rolls.

Milkwood Bakery, Berry
Top pick: Brandy prune and custard tart
Located in the heart of Berry, stop by this artisan bakery for elegant pastries with a modern twist, plus a hearty brunch menu and premium coffee.

Scratch Patisserie, Mullumbimby
Top pick: Croissant jaffle
Everything is made from scratch at this specialty bakery in the Byron Shire, and their ‘craffle’ (croissant filled with custard toasted in a jaffle maker) is a farmers market favourite. Find their crusty loaves and baguettes at their storefront or at local markets in Byron Bay, New Brighton and Mullumbimby.

Flour Water Salt, Kiama, Milton, Bowral
Top pick: Sourdough
This family run bakery has outposts throughout the South Coast and is known for its naturally leavened sourdough loaves using only organic flour, purified water and Australian sea salt.

Morpeth Sourdough, Morpeth
Top pick: Sourdough
One of the bakers behind Morpeth is a descendant of the original Arnott family, so baking is in the blood. Pick up a loaf and jar of starter on Saturdays to make your own sourdough .

Choux Patisserie, Newcastle
Top pick: Éclair
This patisserie is known for one thing: the incredible éclairs. With seven flavours that change every six to eight weeks, you might not know what you’ll get but each one is delicate, rich and deliciously fresh.

Dojo Bread, Braidwood
Top pick: Pork and fennel sausage roll
This little bakery has built a huge reputation for its sausage rolls and pies, as well as excellent sourdough and sweet pastries.

Clementine Bakery, Yass
Top pick: Rosemary and sea salt focaccia
Originally a fine-dining restaurant, a pivot to baking during lockdown in 2020 became permanent. It’s all about simple things done well, such as classic flaky pastries, golden pies and excellent bread.

Two Bobs Bakery, Nelson Bay
Top pick: Cheddar and jalapeno bagel
The couple behind this bakery have worked in hospitality all over the world but are now pouring their passion into making sourdough, pies and cookies.

Bertoldo’s Bakery, Griffith
Top pick: Gluten-free pistachio biscuit
Bertoldo’s was established in 1952 and has been buzzing ever since. It offers a wide range of baked goods but the Italian biscuits and pies are the top choice.

Legall Patisserie, Bathurst
Top pick: Lemon tarts
At this classic French bakery, the lemon tart (which comes in four sizes) has a cult following. They also pump out excellent quiches, eclairs and macarons.

The Famous Berry Donut Van, Berry  
Top pick: Cinnamon doughnut
Relive your childhood with a hot cinnamon doughnut or a classic meat pie. This institution has been serving locals and road trip pit-stoppers for more than 50 years.