For a long time the Twin Cities was a Wuollet town and that was about it. That is no longer the situation. The metro now has serious laminated-pastry programs, sourdough bakers with national reputations, a Mexican panaderia that has been doing it for forty years, and at least three doughnut counters worth crossing town for. Carbs are doing fine here.
Updated September 15, 2026 · Independent and locally run. Our picks aren't for sale; any paid placement is labeled.
The South Minneapolis bakery that brought serious French viennoiserie to the Twin Cities. The almond croissant is the introduction. The kouign-amann is what you keep coming back for. The cafe lunch is a separate good reason to be there.
Read full entry →A Linden Hills bakery with one of the most respected bread programs in the country. The miches and ciabattas are the everyday miracles, and the small pastry case usually has whatever you did not think to want. Get there early on weekends.
Read full entry →A St. Louis Park bakery that has earned a serious following for sourdough loaves, danishes, and pop-tarts that make the supermarket version feel like a different food category. The cinnamon roll on Saturday is the Saturday move.
Read full entry →A small Hennepin Avenue bakery in Uptown with a careful European pastry program. The kouign-amann is in the conversation for the metro’s best, and the rotating cake menu is always a temptation. Walk-in and take a number.
Read full entry →A St. Paul West Side panaderia turning out conchas, polvorones, empanadas, and bolillos the right way. Grab a tray and tongs at the door, fill it with whatever looks good, and pay at the counter for less than fast food.
Read full entry →A Twin Cities institution running since 1944 with multiple metro locations. Wedding cakes, princess tortes, and the kind of frosted sugar cookies that have shown up at every Twin Cities birthday party for three generations. A nostalgia operation that still makes good cake.
Read full entry →A South Minneapolis bakery that has been doing it the same way since the 1980s. Crullers, doughnuts, real cinnamon rolls, and the kind of glass case display you wish more bakeries committed to. Cash only and very much the point.
Read full entry →A South Minneapolis institution near Minnehaha Parkway, baking since 1961 and routinely called the metro’s most-awarded doughnut shop. The glazed doughnuts melt; the donut holes are free, one per customer; and the Saturday cinnamon rolls and fritters are the reason people set an alarm. Smiles come standard.
Read full entry →Restaurants · Food Halls · Food Trucks · Coffee Shops · Sandwich Shops · This weekend’s events
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