The best bakeries in Brisbane

Sprout Artisan Bakery in New Farm is going to make you S-W-O-O-N. Get your lips around any of these tasty numbers: a raspberry crumble brioche, feta and za’atar scroll, breakfast danish, baklava scroll or even a croissant toastie. Run by partners Rebecca Foley and European-trained baker Lutz Richter, the bakery has got itself quite the reputation. Lutz has been baking since he trained as a 14-year-old apprentice in Germany before working in Ireland, and later working at the 2000 Australian Olympics. His creative flair for flavour combinations ensures Sprout is always impressing customers with new and innovative items. The pair work sustainably and have a closed-loop system of food waste courtesy of the Loop farm, which takes their scraps, and Sprout later buys their produce. #sustainabilitygoals  

Must-try: Feta and zaatar scroll, berry brioche crumble, pineapple coconut ginger tart

Address: 76 James St, Fortitude Valley

Opening hours: Tue-Fri 6.30am-1pm, Sat-Sun 6.30am-2pm

Expect to pay: $7 for a croissant or $8 for a berry brioche crumble

Named after a tiny Swiss town and inspired by European flavours, Darvella is the epitome of a charming neighbourhood bakery. You’ll find the sleek white shopfront a street back from the river in Bulimba, just a 20-minute drive from Brisbane’s CBD or five minutes from their sister café, Pawpaw. The pastry chefs here like to keep things local, sourcing sustainable flour from Wholegrain Milling Company, apples from Stanthorpe and local Swiss cheese from the Sunshine Coast. You can dine in or take away, with a rotating selection of croissants, cruffins, filled doughnuts, tarts, savoury pies and loaded toasties on housemade sourdough. Don’t go home without one of Darvella’s signature triple-tier baby cakes, in flavours like banana split, s’mores and birthday cake. 

Must-try: Salted caramel doughnut, beef and bacon sausage roll, seasonal cinnamon bun

Address: Shop 1/37 Oxford St, Bulimba

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6.30am-2pm, Sat-Sun 6.30am-1pm

Expect to pay: $6.50 for a plain croissant or $9.50 for a loaf of sourdough

Brissy locals are no strangers to Jocelyn’s Provisions. For almost three decades, the bread heads at this bakery institution have been serving up exactly what the people want –  pork and apple sausage rolls, beef and red wine pies, gooey caramel slices and giant ANZAC biscuits. Across their three stores in Albion, Camp Hill and Fortitude Valley, you’ll also find playful twists on the classic croissant, featuring fillings like char siu pork, spicy dan dan and peking duck. Jocelyn’s is perhaps most famous for its lamingtons, with their fairy bread edition making a special appearance every July for National Lamington Day.

Must-try: 100’s & 1000’s lamington, lamb and rosemary pie, pork and apple sausage roll

Address: Locations in Albion, Camp Hill and Fortitude Valley

Opening hours: Varies per location

Expect to pay: $6.50 for a croissant or $11 for a loaf of sourdough

Fancy taking a trip to France without the 24-hour flight? Jump on into Christian Jacques Bakery, the ultimate French bakery experience right in our very own city. Just look for the crowds milling around their bakery tucked under the Story Bridge. Continuous baking throughout the morning means sweets and savouries can be enjoyed straight out of the oven, warm and fresh. The scrumptious range on offer includes traditional plain croissants to the always-selling-out bacon, goat's cheese and honey croissant, or sweeter pastries like profiteroles and éclairs. Bread-wise, the olives and rosemary bread is a must-try. So grab yourselves a petit piece of France and enjoy the delicious delights riverside.

Must-try: Custard croissant, kouign amann, bacon and goat's cheese croissant

Address: 8 Baildon St, Kangaroo Point

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 6am-1pm

Expect to pay: $6.50 for a plain croissant or $10 for an éclair

Cleveland locals know that if they want to get the best selection of pastries beachside, they better get to La Bouche on Shore Street West before 9am. The family-run, French-inspired patisserie offers mouthfuls of pure delight with artisan sourdoughs, savouries, and, of course, viennoiseries. Patisserie and bakery meet in the creation of the viennoiseries and croissants, danishes, brioche and kouign amanns. La Bouche uses French butter as the foundation for all their croissants for that unique, authentic taste. Complement your pastries with a Bear Bones coffee to harmonise every sip and bite. You can also grab pies, with flavours such as beef and porcini mushroom or pulled Pork with barbecued rib, which are all served in a flaky brisée pastry. And if you are undecided on what to sample, just ask owners Michael and Erin Lutz. 

Must-try: Almond croissant, cinnamon scroll, lemon meringue muffin

Address: 71 Shore St W, Cleveland

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7am-12pm

Expect to pay: $6.50 for a plain croissant or $10.50 for a loaf of sourdough

Sunnybank’s Zika’s Pastries is the epitome of a family tradition and a family-run business. To say baking runs through the veins is no exaggeration. The bakery’s very own namesake, Zika, had a grandfather who was a baker himself back in the Balkans. Now Sunnybank’s favourite café is run by Zika Sovljnaski and his wife Lubi, who are keeping the tradition flowing by enlisting help from their three kids. Zika knew he wanted to bring the flavour of homemade Balkan food from his family’s homeland, Serbia, to Brisbane. So for savoury flavours try the popular burek, traditional hand-stretched pastries with fillings including meat, spinach and cheese and potato. Burek also comes sweet with cherry and apple fillings, bringing customers back for more. Or why not try their other traditional sweets, such as the popular totes yummy dessert, sampita? 

Must-try: Sweet burek, Japanese curry pan, custard cream pan

Address: 64 Troughton Rd, Sunnybank

Opening hours: Mon-Tue 7am-2pm, Wed-Thur 7am-4pm, Fri 7am-2pm

Expect to pay: $5 for a custard cream pan or $10 for a sweet burek

There’s only one word for the tasty treats at New Farm’s hottest bakery and that’s yum! The range includes 12-grain wholemeal, dark rye and sourdough breads, lime tarts, Belgian chocolate tarts as well as carrot and pineapple cakes. The bakery is famous for generous-sized sandwiches – customers come far and wide to snap up a sando made on their top-shelf bread. They produce classic Aussie bakery favourites made from scratch and using the best quality ingredients. The multicultural and multi-generational team at Bakeologists love putting an independent spin on the classics. Housed on the quaint Merthyr Road, with its village atmosphere, the family-run Bakeologists provides customers with great quality and value for money all within a relaxed setting.    

Must-try: (Not so) plain pie, apple turnover, the New Yorker sandwich

Address: Merthyr Village Shopping Centre, 81 Merthyr Rd, New Farm

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6am-4.30pm, Sat 7am-4.30pm, Sun 8am-3pm

Expect to pay: $7 for a pie or $16 for a sandwich

For cakes, cannoli, biscotti, danishes, doughnuts and of course, bread, the family-run Gerbino’s Italian artisan bakery at Ashgrove is the place to be. And with their baker from Venice and pastry chefs from Sicily, it’s only natural they specialise in Sicilian pastries and breads too. Gerbino’s is located in one of Brisbane's oldest bakery buildings and has created a menu with a fusion of traditional Australian bakery items. You can find meat pies and lamingtons alongside all the wonderful pastries you’d find in Italy. The bakery is fast becoming a Brisbane institution, with generations of customers flocking to the store and enjoying its community feel.

Must-try: Ricotta cannoli, French vanilla slice, spinach and mushroom arancino

Address: 166 Ashgrove Ave, Ashgrove

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 6.30am-5pm, Sat 7am-5pm, Sun 7am-3pm

Expect to pay: $3.20 for a medium cannoli or $4 for a medium arancino