For: Guinness cake. We’ve made repeat pilgrimages, panting all the way up the hill, to this tiny Highgate bakery for their Guinness cake—we particularly love the tangy sour cream and crème fraîche topping. But you should also get involved in the flaky, creative pastries that come topped with things like rhubarb compote, ginger custard, and grapefruit glaze. We can’t think of many better ways to start the day than perching on one of Tarn’s two wooden tables.

For: Mango-glazed croissants. There aren’t many seats at this Gambian-influenced bakery, but if you can't nab a counter stool, it’s worth getting flaky croissant crumbs embedded in your jumper as you eat it on the go. Come to Suba Bakery in Walthamtow early to have your pick of the bunch—aromatic caraway buns, pain au chocolat with toasted coconut flakes, and pillowy tapalapa bread.

For: Rice pudding tart. Quince is all about the three B's: baking, Britishness, and brownness. UK produce is what gets this tiny Islington bakery going and, though you will still find freshly baked ‘bread sticks’ as well as cookies, sandwiches, and a totally irresistible umami-heavy brown butter bun, it’s the rice pudding tart that gets us going the most.

For: Everything. We would happily select items from the counter of this Tulse Hill spot blindfolded, because there are no misses. From trays of cookies studded with pools of dark chocolate, to malty Guinness cake and carrot cake with not-too-sweet icing—we love it all. Our perfect order is a cinnamon bun—crunchy sugar on top, good spicing, a golden exterior, soft, spongy centre—and a Pump Street hot chocolate with a huge, blowtorched marshmallow.

For: Potato sourdough. The thing that’s most wild about this Walthamstow bakery is how often we visit. And it’s because of the potato sourdough. It’s got a firm crust—unlike our resolve around this loaf—and a soft inside that rivals anything Tempur are selling. We’re also big fans of the focaccia which comes with a range of toppings baked into the bread—the confit garlic with big sprigs of rosemary is our favourite.

For: oat porridge loaf. The most important thing to know about Eric’s is that the early bird gets the cheese and kimchi scroll. From the moment the cupboard-sized Dulwich bakery opens on Friday and Saturday mornings, there’s a perma-queue. Persist though—it moves fast. There’s a focus on UK-grown, organic wheats, and the buttery croissants and coffee custard-stuffed morning buns have a rich, nutty, and wholesome flavour.

For: maritozzi worth the hype and weekend queue. The breakfast spread of pastries and sweet baked goods at Forno ranges from the straightforward like a buttery, flaky cornetto (like a sweeter croissant), to the decadent. Think a praline bun topped with a crisp chocolate disk and a sprinkle of sea salt. But it’s the maritozzi at this Italian bakery in Hackney that’s put it on the map.

For: Roman-style pizza slices and exciting pastries. The downfall of many bakeries in London is the poky seating. Often the price you pay for an excellent pastry is having to eat it on a cold bench outside. But not at Toklas. This Aldwych bakery is spacious and calming, with a display of sweet and savoury pastries—pistachio cream laminated brioche, ham and cheese pain suisse, and your classic pain au chocolat. But one of our favourite things to get from this inviting spot is the strecci.

For: glorious morning pastries and a cheeky loaf cake for later. Walking through Russell Square without popping into this small bakery for a flaky sausage roll or custard and strawberry morning bun is unforgivable in our books. A popular spot with locals (people and pigeons) plus anyone who’s fond of golden pastries and cinnamon buns the size of a mini basketball, it’s open from early morning until 3pm.

For: loaded naan. Ararat Bread is a teeny-tiny bakery on Ridley Road making brilliantly tasty and brilliantly inexpensive flatbreads. You can have your naan topped with cheese and garlic for just £1, watch it bubble and sizzle under the rotating oven, before inevitably sticking it in your mouth far too quickly and injuring yourself in the best way possible. If you want meat, the keema is a quid more and the mince mixture is packed full of coriander seeds.

For: a morning bun to start your day right. Unsliced rather than sliced bread is the greatest thing ever, as evidenced by the potato sourdough, springy oily focaccia, and everything else coming out of The Dusty Knuckle. This social enterprise bakery in Dalston has been doing good things in lots of ways for years now and it’s a great place for a pastry (the morning bun) first thing, sandwich (any) at lunchtime, or sourdough pizza on the weekends.

For: the pastry counter of dreams. The people behind Malaysian restaurant Rasa Sayang teamed up with a French patissier to create this bakery in Covent Garden’s St Martin’s Courtyard. The spread of pastries on their counter is the type of display you spend five minutes staring at before saying ‘just give me one of everything please’. They’ve got pistachio chocolate escargots, pineapple and mango danish pastries, and a sweet honey butter toast that has the perfect fluff-to-crunch ratio.

For: the best mana’eesh in London. If you’ve ever had mana’eesh, you’ll understand how important it is that this Lebanese bakery serves them until 10pm. And they’re not any old flatbreads, they’re the best in London. Plus, you won’t be judged for rocking up at this Acton spot at 4pm in need of some doughy, meaty goodness. You can head there at 1pm on a Sunday for a platter of freshly baked minced meat and cheese, or flatbreads, and it’ll be just as good as when you come at 7pm on a Wednesday.

For: a superior savoury selection. As you approach Toad Bakery’s small shop front, catch a whiff of freshly baked bread, and then see the glistening pastries, that Pavlovian response will kick in. Straddling Peckham and Camberwell, there are a few colourful stools out front and only a street-facing counter in the doorway, heaving with gooey, vegan cookies, buttery croissants, and cardamom-heavy cinnamon buns. But make sure to leave room for slow-braised goat bear claw pastries.

For: a glossy meat pie. Everyone deserves to have a bakery as good as Uncle John’s on their road. Technically, this Ghanaian bakery in South Tottenham is on everybody’s road now, thanks to the internet and its nationwide delivery. Aside from the majestic sweet bread and addictive servings of chin chin, the glossy meat pie is our favourite thing here. If you too wish to take part in some of London’s tastiest self-care, you should know that it’s strictly a takeaway affair.

For: a bacon and maple croissant on the terrace. Pophams is either an Islington coffee spot that bakes in house, or an Islington bakery that also serves coffee. Whichever way you want to put it, the coffee is excellent and the baked stuff even better. It’s on a quiet corner off the Essex Road and has a tidy little terrace out front, so it’s a great place to head if you’re trying to impress someone with your good taste and decent knowledge of London’s backstreets.

For: takeaway dessert buns so good you won’t want to wait until you’ve found a bench. When focaccia smells so good that we sprint to the nearest bench to bite off huge chunks, just know it’s pretty special. And the mammoth focaccia slice we got from this bakery off Portobello Road was excellent. But it’s not even the best thing we’ve had here. They specialise in croissant buns, essentially double-baked, layered croissant dough with a range of different flavours like cinnamon or cardamom.

For: that beef sando. There’s always room for exciting food in London but, more than anything, there’s always room for an exciting sandwich. Put it on a plate and there may be pause. Put it between two slices and it’s down the pie hole immediately. This occurred to us at Panadera—an impeccable Filipino bakery in Kentish Town from the Mamasons people—while eyeing up the corned beef sando on the menu. And what a sandwich it is. Soft and crunchy thanks to the deep-fried corned beef patty.

For: raspberry doughnuts and exciting pies. A lockdown creation—hence the name—this bakery was started by two hospitality professionals providing supplies to their local community and NHS workers. The original Wandsworth spot serves some of the best raspberry doughnuts you can get in London, as well as a whole load of baked goods. From potato sourdough to sausage rolls and delicious pies filled with steak and ale, or mac and cheese, you can get it all here.

For: a fancy sausage roll and chocolate babka. When your commitment to great bread means you’re willing to spend between 15 and 30 minutes queueing in the rain, then Sourdough Sophia is for you. While their baguettes and loaves are reason enough to make this Crouch End spot a destination bakery, you shouldn’t snooze on their (pre-order only) chocolate babka, expensive but fun specials like a pretzel croissant triangle sandwich, a Ferrero Rocher-inspired cruffin, or a 10/10 sausage roll.