5 Best Bakeries in London (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Thorne Savarin, Culinary Explorer · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 8 min read

Honey butter toast, a 20-minute queue on a Sunday morning, a Nutella escargot you photograph before you eat: bakeries in London have turned into a genuine tourist circuit, and the numbers back it up. Together, the names on this page have logged over 16,600 Google reviews, and every single one sits above a 4.2, so the real decision is not which bakery is good, it is which queue you are willing to stand in.

Short answer: Arôme Bakery on Mercer Street tops the list at 4.6 across 2,675 reviews, best known for its honey butter toast and pastries with actual fruit rather than purée. Fortitude Bakehouse runs close behind at 4.4, prized for its pistachio Italian cream buns. Expect to pay roughly £5 to £10 for a single pastry at the busier spots, more if you sit down and order coffee alongside it.

Jump to a business

1. Arôme Bakery
2. Ole & Steen
3. Fortitude Bakehouse
4. Caffè Concerto Northum…
5. Chestnut Bakery, Coven…
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The London bakery shortlist, side by side

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	Arôme Bakery - Mercer Street	4.6 ★	2,675	Overall / honey butter toast	View ›
2	Ole & Steen	4.3 ★	3,762	All-day Danish bakery, biggest footprint	View ›
3	Fortitude Bakehouse	4.4 ★	2,982	Pastry variety, daily rotating menu	View ›
4	Caffè Concerto Northumberland Avenue	4.2 ★	4,277	Sit-down Italian café and celebration cakes	View ›
5	Chestnut Bakery, Covent Garden	4.4 ★	2,914	Bread-focused Belgravia original	View ›

Where to queue, and why

#1 Overall🕑 Open 6 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Arôme Bakery - Mercer Street

4.62,675 Google reviews

Arôme Bakery is a Covent Garden pastry spot on Mercer Street known specifically for its honey butter toast, a thick-cut slice with caramelised, crème-brûlée-style edges that reviewers describe as the reason they came. The menu runs through croissants, escargots, and viennoiserie in flavours like pistachio chocolate and miso bacon, alongside a small coffee and matcha programme. Portions arrive on heated plates at the sit-down location, and the bakery has expanded to multiple London addresses.

What people praise

The honey butter toast delivers on its reputation, with crisp, caramelised edges reviewers keep coming back for
Real fruit chunks in pastries like the chocolate banana almond croissant, not purée
Heated plates for pastries is a small, noticed touch
Multiple London locations, so it's not a single-site queue

Worth knowing

Prices run high for a bakery, with a single pastry landing around £7 to £10
Coffee gets mixed reviews and can arrive too hot or need reworking

Reputation scorecardrank in London

Rating4.6 / 5

Review volume2,675 · 76th

Confidencevery high

Recency2 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · hours

Rating breakdown76% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The rating and review count both edge out the competition, and the specific, repeated praise for one dish (the honey butter toast) is a stronger signal than generic five-star reviews. Go for that, treat the coffee as secondary.

Website Directions

9 Mercer St, London WC2H 9QJ

#2🕑 Open 7 days

Ole & Steen

4.33,762 Google reviews

Ole & Steen is a Danish all-day bakery chain with multiple branches across central London, including the St James's Market location on this page. The menu covers the Cinnamon Social pastry, sourdough loaves, and a full coffee programme, and the space is built for lingering, with generous indoor and outdoor seating. It carries by far the highest review count of any bakery on this list.

What people praise

Cinnamon Social is a repeat favourite across reviews
Spacious seating, both indoors and out, in a central location
Staff are consistently praised as warm and welcoming
Free sourdough toast with butter offered while you wait in line at some locations

Worth knowing

As a chain, the vibe reads closer to a busy café than an intimate bakery
One reviewer noted the Cinnamon Social isn't always served fresh out of the oven

Reputation scorecardrank in London

Rating4.3 / 5

Review volume3,762 · 92th

Confidencehigh

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown62% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Nearly 3,800 reviews at a solid 4.3 is a genuinely deep, well-tested track record, and the chain format means you're rarely far from one. Ranks just behind the top pick because the rating itself, while good, trails the smaller, more specialised spots slightly.

Website Book now +442038288242 Directions

56, No 2 Haymarket, St James's Market, London SW1Y 4RP

#3🕑 Open 7 days

Fortitude Bakehouse

4.42,982 Google reviews

Fortitude Bakehouse is a craft bakery near Russell Square founded in 2018 by Dee Rettali and Jorge Fernandez, built on a combination of traditional baking methods and specialty coffee. The selection changes daily, and reviewers describe genuine surprise checking what's on offer each visit, from beignets to a pistachio Italian cream bun that comes up repeatedly as a standout. Seating is limited and most business is takeaway.

What people praise

Pistachio Italian cream bun is singled out by multiple reviewers as one of the best pastries they've had
Daily-changing selection keeps repeat visits interesting
Queue moves quickly even when it forms
Staff consistently praised as friendly and efficient under pressure

Worth knowing

Very limited seating, mostly a takeaway operation
Some pastries run heavy and sweet, and popular items can sell out by mid-morning

Reputation scorecardrank in London

Rating4.4 / 5

Review volume2,982 · 87th

Confidencevery high

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown70% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The rating and confidence score here are both strong, and the specificity of the praise (one exact pastry, named repeatedly) says more than a wall of generic five-star reviews would. A close second choice if Arôme's queue is too long.

Website Book now +442078375456 Directions

35 Colonnade, London WC1N 1JD

#4🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Caffè Concerto Northumberland Avenue

4.24,277 Google reviews

Caffè Concerto on Northumberland Avenue is an Italian-style café and restaurant near Trafalgar Square, part of a small London chain known for its ornate, chandelier-lit interiors and a menu that spans breakfast, pasta, gelato, and celebration cakes. It carries the highest review count on this page, reflecting a broader dining operation rather than a pure pastry counter, with live music adding to the sit-down atmosphere.

What people praise

Interior is repeatedly described as elegant, with chandeliers and classic European styling that stands out from typical chain cafés
Wide dessert range beyond bakery items, including celebration cakes and gelato
Halal breakfast option available
Staff professionalism comes up in nearly every review

Worth knowing

Functions more as a full restaurant than a bakery, so it's a different kind of visit than the others on this list
Coffee quality gets occasional criticism relative to the food

Reputation scorecardrank in London

Rating4.2 / 5

Review volume4,277 · 97th

Confidencehigh

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown68% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: This is the most reviewed name here by volume, but it's really a café-restaurant with strong pastry and cake offerings rather than a dedicated bakery, which is worth knowing going in. Good pick if you want a sit-down experience with dessert built in.

Website Book now +442074946851 Directions

4-5 Northumberland Ave, London WC2N 5BW

#5🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Chestnut Bakery, Covent Garden

4.42,914 Google reviews

Chestnut Bakery started in Belgravia and describes its own mission as an antidote to the supermarket loaf, with locations now in Covent Garden and Piccadilly as well. The menu leans into bread and viennoiserie, including a tiramisu danish that comes up as a standout, alongside classic croissants and pastries. The Covent Garden branch offers upstairs seating with a view over the street.

What people praise

Tiramisu danish gets called out as a standout by multiple reviewers
Upstairs seating at the Covent Garden branch is good for people-watching
Staff service is consistently rated highly even when the food gets mixed reviews
Three London locations now, expanded from the original Belgravia site

Worth knowing

Some reviewers found certain items, like a plain bread offering, bland or too sweet
Prices run on the higher side for a bakery visit

Reputation scorecardrank in London

Rating4.4 / 5

Review volume2,914 · 82th

Confidencevery high

Recency4 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown74% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Solid, well-reviewed, and the bread pedigree is real, but a few reviews mention inconsistency dish to dish. Worth the visit for the tiramisu danish specifically, based on how often it's named.

Website Book now +447351141152 Directions

24 Floral St, London WC2E 9DS

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Watch: 5 Best Bakeries in London (2026)

How we scored these bakeries

Rating is the live Google average. Review volume shows how many customers have actually rated the bakery, ranked against the others here. Confidence weighs the rating against that volume, so a strong score built on thousands of reviews counts for more than the same score built on a handful. Recency checks how recently people are still leaving reviews. No business can pay to change any of these numbers.

How much does a bakery visit cost in London (2026)?

Based on review mentions across this page, a single pastry at London’s busier bakeries typically runs from around £5 for something simple up to £10 or more for a specialty item, and a full sit-down breakfast with coffee can run £10 to £30 per person depending on the spot. These figures come directly from customer review mentions on this page rather than a published rate card, so treat them as a rough guide rather than a fixed menu price.

Job	Typical price
Single pastry (croissant, bun, tart)	£5-10
Coffee plus pastry	£10-20
Sit-down breakfast for one	£10-30

Compiled July 2026 from customer review price mentions on the businesses featured on this page.

Bakeries across central London

This list clusters around central London, Covent Garden, Belgravia, St James’s, Bloomsbury near Russell Square, and Trafalgar Square, all within easy walking distance of each other if you want to compare more than one in a day. If you’re searching for a bakery near me anywhere in that stretch of the city, most of these names will already be close by.

What to know before you go

Does this location have seating, or is it takeaway only?
What’s the daily special or rotating item, if the menu changes?
Is there a queue at peak times, and when is the quietest visit window?
Do they take reservations, or is it walk-in only?
Are there vegetarian or allergen-friendly options clearly labelled?
Is this a single site or part of a small chain with other branches nearby?

Frequently asked questions

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner (badge and top placement), but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How did you choose these bakeries?

We compared real Google ratings and review volume for bakeries serving London, then weighed how consistent and recent that feedback is.

How often is this updated?

This page reflects data verified in July 2026 and is refreshed periodically as ratings and review counts change.

Which bakery has the shortest queue?

Reviews don’t consistently report wait times, but Fortitude Bakehouse and Chestnut Bakery are both described as moving quickly even when a line forms.

Are any of these bakeries good for a sit-down breakfast?

Caffè Concerto is the most restaurant-like option here, with a full breakfast menu and seating. Ole & Steen also has generous seating for a longer visit.

The bottom line

Arôme Bakery is the safest first stop, backed by the strongest rating and a dish, the honey butter toast, that reviewers name again and again. If you’re touring more than one, Fortitude Bakehouse and Chestnut Bakery are both close enough to add to the same walk.

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