15 Best Bakeries in London to Visit in 2026 From Sourdough to Croissants

There is something dangerous about walking past a good London bakery when you're hungry.

You smell butter before you see the shop.

Then you notice the croissants in the window.

Then the sourdough.

Then the cinnamon buns.

And suddenly the plan you had for breakfast has completely changed.

London's bakery scene has become one of the most exciting parts of eating in the city. It isn't just about finding a good loaf of bread anymore. Across London, bakers are mixing French pastry techniques with Japanese flavours, West African traditions with European baking, Italian classics with East London creativity, and old-fashioned sourdough with ingredients you probably wouldn't expect to find in a bakery.

In 2026, London's bakery scene is having a particularly strong moment.

The Good Food Guide included 10 London bakeries in its 50 Best British Bakeries list for 2026, while other current guides have highlighted dozens more across the capital.

So how do you choose?

Instead of pretending there is one bakery that is objectively better than every other bakery in London, this guide looks at 15 places that are worth making a trip for, each with its own reason to visit.

Some are famous.

Some are neighbourhood favourites.

Some are tiny.

Some have queues.

And some are the sort of places you might walk past without realising what is coming out of the oven.

1. Toad Bakery - Camberwell

TOAD Bakery

If you have been searching for London's best bakeries recently, there is a very good chance you've come across Toad.

The small Camberwell bakery has developed a serious following for its combination of excellent bread and playful pastries. Good Food Guide included Toad in its 2026 list of Britain's best bakeries, praising its long-fermented sourdough and pastry selection.

But what makes Toad particularly fun is that it doesn't seem interested in making pastries that you've seen a hundred times before.

You might find an everything bagel croissant, a yuzu Jaffa cake or other unusual combinations alongside excellent versions of classics. Vogue has also highlighted its hobnob cookies, chocolatines and morning buns.

And yes, queues are part of the experience.

Toad has become enough of a destination that Time Out describes the Saturday morning queue as a familiar sight. The bakery also opened a second location in Deptford in 2026.

Go for: Creative pastries and excellent sourdough.

Best for: People who want something a little different.

Where: Peckham Road, Camberwell.

2. Arôme Bakery - Covent Garden

Arôme Bakery - Mercer Street

Arôme is what happens when French pastry meets Asian flavours.

The Covent Garden bakery has become one of London's most recognisable modern bakeries, combining traditional French techniques with Japanese and wider Asian influences. The current 2026 Good Food Guide recognised Arôme as one of Britain's best bakeries.

And the menu is exactly what makes the place interesting.

You might encounter a miso bacon escargot, shokupan-inspired creations or unusual combinations that take a familiar French pastry somewhere completely different.

The FT's current London pastry guide also recommends Arôme, highlighting its French-Asian approach and its honey-butter toast.

If you're visiting Covent Garden, this is one of the easiest bakeries to add to a sightseeing day.

Go for: French-Asian pastries.

Best for: Anyone who likes familiar pastries with unexpected flavours.

Where: Mercer Street, Covent Garden.

3. Fortitude Bakehouse - Bloomsbury

Fortitude Bakehouse

Some bakeries are about bread.

Fortitude is very much about pastry.

The tiny Bloomsbury bakery has built a reputation for beautifully made viennoiserie and inventive seasonal bakes. Time Out currently names Fortitude its best London bakery for beignets, while its broader bakery guide places it among the city's standout pastry destinations.

It is also the sort of place where arriving early makes sense.

The counter can look almost dangerously good, and the selection changes.

You could come for something sweet, grab a coffee and realise you've somehow bought enough pastry for three people.

Not that anyone needs to know.

Go for: Beignets and pastries.

Best for: Sweet-tooth travellers.

Where: Colonnade, Bloomsbury.

4. Pophams - Islington

Pophams

Pophams has been part of London's modern pastry conversation for years, and it remains one of the places worth knowing if you take croissants seriously.

The Islington bakery is particularly known for its inventive viennoiserie. Current London bakery guides continue to highlight Pophams for its pastries, including unusual savoury combinations.

This is not necessarily where you go looking for a plain croissant and nothing else.

Look at the display.

See what looks strange.

Order that.

One of Pophams' strengths is its willingness to experiment without forgetting that the pastry itself still has to be excellent.

Go for: Inventive viennoiserie.

Best for: Croissant enthusiasts.

Where: Prebend Street, Islington.

5. The Dusty Knuckle - Dalston

The Dusty Knuckle

The Dusty Knuckle is one of the names that helped put London's modern bread scene on the map.

Based in Dalston, it is known for sourdough, focaccia, pastries and sandwiches, but there is also a bigger story behind the bakery. The organisation has long combined baking with social enterprise and training.

Its reputation remains strong in 2026: Time Out currently names it its best bakery for bread.

If you're serious about bread, this is the kind of place where you should resist ordering only the prettiest pastry.

Get a loaf.

Take it home.

Or eat half of it before you get there.

Go for: Sourdough and bread.

Best for: Bread people.

Where: Ridley Road, Dalston.

6. E5 Bakehouse - Hackney

E5 Bakehouse

E5 Bakehouse is another London institution that has earned its reputation through bread rather than Instagram trends.

The Hackney bakery has been operating for more than a decade and has expanded beyond a simple bread shop into a café, bakery school and wider food operation. Vogue notes its commitment to sustainability, including produce from its Suffolk farm and organically grown wheat processed at its own stone mill.

The sweet selection changes, but expect things such as babka, buns and seasonal pastries alongside the bread.

If you are interested in where London's sourdough culture came from and where it is going E5 is an important stop.

Go for: Bread, sourdough and brunch.

Best for: People who want a bakery with substance behind it.

Where: Mentmore Terrace, Hackney.

7. Chatsworth Bakehouse - Crystal Palace

Chatsworth Bakehouse

Chatsworth Bakehouse is one of London's most famous destination bakeries.

The bakery started with lockdown-era loaves for neighbours and developed into a cult favourite, with people travelling across London for its bread, pastries and, especially, sandwiches. Good Food Guide included it in its 2026 list of Britain's best bakeries.

Time Out notes that its weekly sandwiches are so popular that they are available for pre-order and can sell out within minutes. Its menu includes sourdough and porridge loaves, sweet bakes and seasonal sandwich specials.

So if you're going specifically for a sandwich, don't just turn up and hope.

Check the current ordering arrangements first.

Go for: The sandwiches and sourdough.

Best for: A bakery pilgrimage.

Where: Crystal Palace.

8. Forno - Hackney

Forno

If you want your bakery experience to feel a little more Italian, head to Hackney.

Forno is an Italian bakery, pastificio and deli that has become particularly famous for its maritozzi soft, sweet buns filled generously with cream.

The current Infatuation guide singles out its maritozzi as the reason to visit, while Condé Nast Traveler also highlights the bakery's Italian-inspired pastries, sandwiches, fresh bread and handmade pasta.

It is a good reminder that London's bakery scene isn't defined by croissants and sourdough alone.

Go for: Maritozzi.

Best for: Italian bakery fans.

Where: Andrews Road, Hackney.

9. Layla Bakery - Ladbroke Grove

Layla Bakery

If you want to visit one bakery that has really caught the attention of London's food world in 2026, make it Layla.

The Good Food Guide named Layla Bakery in Ladbroke Grove its best bakery in London in its 2026 selection.

That doesn't mean every person in London will agree bakery arguments are practically a local sport but it is a pretty strong reason to put the bakery on your list.

Its location also makes sense as part of a wider west London day out.

Grab something from Layla, then explore Golborne Road and Portobello Road rather than treating the bakery as an isolated destination.

Go for: Whatever is freshest when you arrive.

Best for: People chasing one of London's current bakery stars.

Where: Golborne Road, Ladbroke Grove.

10. Suba Bakery - East London

Sourdough Sophia - Essex Road

Correction: the current Suba locations have changed, so this is one place where you should check the latest branch information before visiting. The bakery's own current website lists locations in Walthamstow, Clapton and Spitalfields, with its Walthamstow bakery at 372 Hoe Street.

Suba is particularly interesting because its baking is rooted in West African traditions, while drawing on influences from Africa, Europe and Asia. Its own story describes a focus on slow-fermented bread and pastry.

Current coverage highlights unusual pastries alongside sourdough, and the bakery has become known for pushing London's idea of what a modern bakery can be.

Go for: West African-influenced pastries and sourdough.

Best for: Anyone who wants something beyond traditional European baking.

Where: Check the current Suba location before visiting; Walthamstow, Clapton and Spitalfields are currently listed.

11. August Bakery - Battersea

August Bakery

August is one of the newer bakeries worth knowing about.

It started with loaves and pastries being delivered by cargo bike and eventually grew into a physical bakery on Battersea Rise. Good Food Guide included it among Britain's best bakeries for 2026.

The bakery's current site lists opening hours from Tuesday to Friday, with longer weekend hours, and the menu includes seasonal pastries and bread.

This is a good one to pair with a walk around Battersea.

Go for: Seasonal pastries and sourdough.

Best for: Discovering one of London's newer bakery names.

Where: Battersea Rise.

12. Little Sourdough Kitchen - Fulham

Little Sourdough Kitchen

Sometimes you don't want the newest hyped bakery in London.

You just want really good sourdough.

Little Sourdough Kitchen in Fulham is exactly the kind of neighbourhood bakery worth knowing about. The FT's current pastry guide includes it among its London recommendations, praising its sourdough and seasonal baking.

Its Munster Road location is particularly useful if you're exploring west London.

This is the bakery to choose when the plan is simple:

Coffee.

Fresh bread.

Pastry.

Walk.

No complicated itinerary required.

Go for: Sourdough and seasonal bakes.

Best for: A relaxed west London bakery morning.

Where: Munster Road, Fulham.

13. Bageriet - Covent Garden

Bageriet

London has a strong Scandinavian bakery scene too, and Bageriet is one of the places to explore it.

This Swedish bakery in central London is particularly useful for visitors because its Covent Garden location is surrounded by some of the city's biggest attractions.

Instead of another generic pastry, try something Scandinavian.

Think cardamom.

Think cinnamon.

Think coffee and a pastry eaten slowly rather than grabbed while running for the Tube.

Current London bakery guides continue to include Bageriet among the city's notable bakeries.

Go for: Swedish-style pastries.

Best for: Anyone who wants something different from French viennoiserie.

Where: Rose Street, Covent Garden.

14. Sourdough Sophia - Crouch End

Sourdough Sophia - Crouch End

Not every bakery worth visiting is in central London.

In fact, some of the best bakery experiences happen when you leave Zone 1.

Sourdough Sophia in Crouch End is a great example.

The bakery focuses on naturally fermented sourdough and has built a strong local following. Its current location is at Topsfield Parade, and it also operates other London branches.

This is a good stop if you're exploring north London rather than trying to squeeze another bakery into a central London sightseeing itinerary.

Go for: Sourdough bread and pastries.

Best for: North London food exploring.

Where: Topsfield Parade, Crouch End.

15. E5 Bakehouse or Toad? The answer depends on what you want

At this point you may have noticed something.

There isn't really one answer to “What is the best bakery in London?”

If you want bread, The Dusty Knuckle is a strong choice.

If you want creative pastries, Toad.

If you want French-Asian baking, Arôme.

If you want Italian maritozzi, Forno.

If you want a destination bakery and famous sandwiches, Chatsworth.

If you want Scandinavian baking, Bageriet.

If you want West African-influenced baking, Suba.

If you want to discover one of the city's newer names, August.

And if you're visiting London and simply want to eat something delicious, there are probably dozens of other excellent bakeries that could have made this list too.

That's the problem.

And also the fun.

How to plan a London bakery crawl

You could technically spend an entire weekend doing this.

And honestly, you probably should.

But don't try to visit 15 bakeries in one day.

That sounds fun until you are holding your seventh pastry and suddenly realise you haven't eaten anything remotely savoury since breakfast.

Instead, choose two or three bakeries in the same general area.

Central London

Try:

Arôme → Bageriet → Fortitude

You can turn that into a morning around Covent Garden and Bloomsbury.

East London

Try:

Forno → E5 Bakehouse → Suba

Then spend the rest of the day exploring Hackney, London Fields or Walthamstow.

South London

Try:

Toad → Chatsworth → August

Although these are not right next to each other, they make sense as a South London bakery day if you're happy travelling between neighbourhoods.

West London

Try:

Layla → Little Sourdough Kitchen

Then continue exploring Notting Hill, Fulham or nearby neighbourhoods.

A few things to know before visiting London's best bakeries

There is one mistake visitors make repeatedly.

They assume a bakery works like a normal café.

It doesn't always.

Some of London's most popular bakeries have limited opening hours, sell out of particular items, or have queues at peak times.

Toad, for example, is well known for queues, while Chatsworth's famous sandwiches require pre-ordering and can sell out quickly.

So if there's one specific pastry you have travelled across London to try, check the bakery's current website or social media before setting off.

Also remember that opening hours can change by day.

A bakery that opens at 8am on Saturday might open later on Sunday.

And some small bakeries close once they've sold through their production.

That's not necessarily a bad thing.

It usually means the bread you're buying hasn't been sitting around all afternoon.

Why London's bakery scene is so good right now

The interesting thing about London isn't simply that there are lots of good bakeries.

It's how different they are from one another.

You can eat a classic French pastry in Bloomsbury.

Then walk into an East London bakery making bread influenced by West African traditions.

You can find Italian maritozzi in Hackney.

Japanese-inspired pastries in Covent Garden.

Scandinavian cardamom buns in central London.

Heritage-grain sourdough in Hackney.

And playful croissants in Camberwell.

The current bakery boom reflects a city where different food cultures constantly overlap.

That's why asking for “the best bakery in London” almost misses the point.

The better question is:

What kind of bakery are you in the mood for?

Because there is probably one waiting for you somewhere in London.

So, where should you go first?

If this is your first London bakery adventure, I'd start with Toad, Arôme or The Dusty Knuckle.

They give you three very different ideas of what London's bakery scene can be.

Then branch out.

Try Forno for Italian baking.

Try Bageriet for Scandinavian flavours.

Try Suba for something influenced by West African traditions.

Go south to Chatsworth for the sandwich that people are willing to pre-order.

Or simply pick a London neighbourhood you've never explored and find its local bakery.

Because that's one of the best things about London's food scene.

You don't always need a restaurant reservation.

Sometimes all you need is a free morning, a little curiosity and the smell of fresh bread coming from a side street.

And if you see a queue outside a tiny bakery?

There's probably a reason.

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