The Best Bakeries In Atlanta

The one time we tried to make sourdough bread at home, it resulted in a giant mess and an inedible (possibly radioactive) lump of dough. Baking is hard, but the bakeries on this list make it look easy—and somehow make everything delicious. We're talking sweet pastries for some Monday morning zen, savory scones that could win The Great British Bake Off (the only one that counts), and more amazing desserts that might put you up for a performance-based bonus if you bring them to the office potluck.

THE SPOTS

Leftie Lee's

The A loves a good K-ATL fusion , and Leftie Lee’s, a bakery stall in the food hall Olive + Pine in Avondale Estate, has a Korean biscuit and gravy plate that gives you another reason to look forward to weekends. The moist and buttery kimchi buttermilk biscuit (only available Saturday and Sunday) is the perfect vessel to sop up the gochujang honey butter and rich gravy mixture. And you can come by any day to peruse their pastry case, lined with light and fluffy strawberry danishes with pistachio crumbles, great Pan-Asian pastry favorites like a hot dog-stuffed bun, and some rotating daily specials like elote milk bread danishes.

Southern Sweets Bakery

Allow your eyes to wander over all kinds of tarts, pies, and cookies in the display cases, but make sure you walk over to the the main reason to hit this Decatur bakery—the giant layer cakes. They're amazing, and come in 17 flavors. Southern Sweets has all the beloved reliables, like old-fashioned chocolate (there’s gotta be a pound of melted chocolate in each slice). And the gluten-free and vegan homies will find plenty of options, too. In fact, the plant-based strawberry layer cake is one of our favorite slices here. The moist interior, layered with real strawberries and a light sugar icing on top always makes us regret not ordering a whole cake.

Hell Yeah Gluten Free

This Inman Park bakeshop offers the most robust selection of standout gluten-free sweets, and they’re incredibly stoked about it (peep that exclamation point in their name). After a few bites of their airy Funfetti donut or the pleasantly dense blueberry cheesecake pop tart, you’ll totally get the “hell yeah” thing. From scones to flaky empanadas that taste better with a dab of hot sauce, the sweet and savory treats at this bakery help put mornings in a different class. Plan to grab and go at Hell Yeah because seating options are just like bags of wheat flour—you won’t find any.

Saint Germain

This French bakery chain has multiple locations, but the one in the Interlock is our favorite since it's roomy, never crowded, and you can spend the whole day working on one of their Parisian cafe tables. St. Germain’s display cases are full of frilly pastries like the lemon bubble-cube cake or the multi-layered chocolate opera cake. They’re so pretty, in fact, that we almost feel bad plunging our fork into it for our first bite. Almost. But the real draw here is the macarons, with more than 20 flavors ranging from lavender to pistachio—you won’t find a bigger selection anywhere else in the city.

Star Provisions Market & Cafe

On weekends, prepare to wait in a line at the order counter of this Upper Westside bakery and full-service cafe, which shares a building with its fine dining sister, Bacchanalia . But you won't find the usual laptop chaos (there's no wifi). Instead, Star Provisions gets swarmed with families and small groups, who linger long after their crispy chicken biscuits are demolished (yes, we're judging). The busyness fades into the background once you get your hands on a giant black and white cookie that’s so thick it feels more accurate to call it a cake, or anything that utilizes their top-tier baked goods. Think sandwiches on fluffy sourdough toast and flaky croissants stuffed with ham and semi-melted cheese—all reasons you may be back again and again to throw 'bows for a empty table.

Henri's Bakery & Cafe

Henri’s has been open since 1929, and it's rightly solidified itself as the place to go for custom cakes and overstuffed sandwiches. Display cases at this Upper Westside bakery and deli are filled with every type of baked good imaginable—muffins, cookies, shortbreads, petit fours (our favorites), raspberry rugelach, wafers, and gingerbread men that are available year-round. And that’s just in one case. This location has plenty of seating inside, so grab a table to dig into your juicy french dip sub and save your car from au jus drippings. And after, maybe celebrate that small win by shoving an obscene amount of sweet petit fours (topped with dainty green leaves made of sugary icing) into your mouth.

The Buttery ATL

The Buttery sits in Morningside amid a sea of industrial buildings, where you're more likely to run into a concrete mixer than a glossy croissant. But head inside this green-brick bread oasis to be greeted by rows of fried apple pies and other rotating pastries on the small order counter. But the breakfast sandwiches are the real draw of this Holman & Finch -backed bakery and the reason this place is so crowded in the mornings. BYO with your choice of protein and bread (11 different options including chewy croissants and pillow-soft biscuits). But you can’t go wrong with ordering an Avery’s Delight (crispy bacon, white cheddar, a fluffy egg, and a chive schmear on an everything bagel, covered with so many granules and seeds you can’t see the actual bagel) and devouring it on the serene, private patio out front.

Alon's Bakery & Market

Their Buckhead location works in a pinch, but we’re still smitten with Alon's flagship in Morningside. Go here, and head straight to their giant prepared foods section if there are dinner party guests to impress. It’s organized chaos inside the glass doors, with four specialized counters serving different foods. Start on the left with the baked goods (get the sweet, sticky cinnamon twists) and work your way down through the daintier desserts (opera cakes and macarons). And if you can't shop on an empty stomach, get a sandwich—the perfect opportunity to try out their breads, like the soft rosemary focaccia or the denser rye.

Evergreen Butcher + Baker

You might know Evergreen from their famous burgers , only sold on Sundays. But other days of the week, this Kirkwood spot is our go-to for a quick coffee and a wide variety of pastries—the Oma’s apple cake is in a league of its own. This muffin-shaped pastry has a sugary crumble on the outside and is filled with sweet apple slices. Savory options like the sharp tomato, basil, and goat cheese danish or sourdough bagels slathered with cream cheese ensure there’s something for everyone, even those who can’t stand sugar in the wee hours.

Colette Bread and Bakeshop

It’s not unusual to see a line of stroller-wielding locals curving out the door of this Poncey-Highland bakery on weekends. And when you see them exiting with fresh loaves of bread and giant cinnamon rolls topped with sour cream icing, take it as a sign to do the same. Colette incorporates fresh fruits (brioche tarts overflowing with sweet strawberry fillings) and vegetables (deliciously spicy shishito pepper scones) into their baked goods. The order counter sits just in front of the open kitchen, so you’ll get a front row view of a team of bakers kneading dough and pulling trays of freshly baked pastries out of the oven.

The Little Tart Bakeshop

Little Tart has two other locations (in Grant Park and a stall inside Krog Street Market ). But when we need to unplug from fast-paced life, we head to the one in Summerhill. It’s small, never crowded, and feels like we’re in a town with a population of 600. Massive windows on either side of the door spill light into the sitting area that’s usually stuffed with locals stopping in for coffee and GSU students clacking away on their computers. It’s hard not to order everything in their glass pastry case, but the giant fruit tarts available in several flavors (strawberry is our go-to), and savory quiches are always a good idea.

Momo Cafe

This Japanese bakery and cafe inside Momonoki is the croissant king of Atlanta, with an unmatched selection of cream-filled, circular-shaped, or classic multilayered beauties. There’s a banoffee cream croissant with a banana-toffee cream that doesn't go too heavy on the banana flavor, and we appreciate that. And Momo's rotating menu constantly keeps things interesting, with flavors like sweet matcha or (our favorite) savory onion, gruyere, and rosemary combo. We also like their tasty matcha lattes and sugary mochi donuts. Once you have your haul in hand, there’s a bit of seating upstairs in a small alcove that overlooks diners slurping ramen below.

Sweet Hut Bakery & Cafe

Sweet Hut's Midtown location is ideal for a nice lunch, finished off with a sweet treat. It’s surprisingly spacious with plenty of room to spread out with friends or work equipment and while away an afternoon. The Pan-Asian cafe has decent sandwiches, like their bulgogi-sauced Bibimbap Burger. But before you can even get to the order counter, you'll see all the individually packaged grab-and-go pastries sitting like encased treasures beneath dangling light orbs. Our best laid plans of grabbing just one pastry always fail—we wind up using their handy white baskets to hold a smorgasbord of matcha red bean pastries, lightly sugared donuts, and sweet Hong Kong polos with a lightly crunchy crust. No regrets, ever.