Shown above: Bakeshop’s tart with rhubarb and ricotta cream.
For months, we visited dozens of bakeries in the city to find the best ones, with a focus on excellent breads and desserts, as well as noteworthy spots that had weak spots but still had notable places. What we looked for was something special to elevate the ordinary, with personal touches and little surprises that can go the distance and showcase superior creativity and craftsmanship.
Finally, we present our discoveries – the six best locations, ordered, along with a guide to our preferred local spots.
1. Bakeshop
5351 NE Sandy Blvd, Rose City Park.
KB — bakeshoppdx.Com is only available for pre-order or walk-in purchases of pastries by the case. They bake batches by hand, using hand-milled rye and Bordeaux de rouges flour at the front center of the shop. Boyce Kim, a pioneer in baking with grains and the author of a nationally acclaimed cookbook, has recalibrated the bakery’s formulas after ten years of cruising along. It’s no longer just another bakery in Portland, but the best one. They offer a variety of treats, from the famous burnt Basque cheesecake and coconut candied muffins to seasonal hand pies and fresh-picked berry tarts. One bite of their near-custardy, nut paste-filled croissants, with a crunch that is swaddled in almond, and you’ll understand why it’s the city’s best. And if you’re a fan of chocolate, their custom blend from the esteemed Woodblock Chocolate in Portland is a must-try. The interior of the shop is darkly delicious, with an elegant crackle. Whether you choose a plain almond croissant or a chocolate one, you can’t go wrong. This place is a challenge for those who have a hard time making choices. But if you like that, then this is your place. Output: KB — bakeshoppdx.Com is exclusively available for pre-order or walk-in purchases of pastries by the case. They bake batches manually, using hand-milled rye and Bordeaux de rouges flour at the front center of the shop. Boyce Kim, a pioneer in baking with grains and the writer of an acclaimed cookbook awarded by James Beard, has recalibrated the bakery’s formulas after ten years of smooth sailing. It’s no longer just another bakery in Portland, but rather the finest one. They offer a range of delicacies, from the renowned burnt Basque cheesecake and coconut candied muffins to seasonal hand pies and freshly-picked berry tarts. The quantity of their near-custardy, nut paste-filled croissants, enclosed in almond and boasting a satisfying crunch, is
2. Jinju Patisserie
4063 N Williams Avenue, Boise.
Lee, also known as “Q,” puts Nutella on top of the classic pastry kouign-amann, where it is meant to be the favorite of the gods. Q’een Amman, famous for her weekend-only treats, creates her own brand of fancy Instagram-ready desserts and intricate savory tarts. Every morning, customers can pick from an outsized collection of warm croissants and other delicious pastries from the oven. Lee Kyurim and Caldwell Jin, who were trained in French pastry in Las Vegas before ditching Sin City for Stumptown in 2018, are the heroes of Portland’s community and craft. They were born in Seoul.
KB–jinjupatisserie.Com offers limited outdoor seating or you can explore other ideal options. This incredible and unconventional dessert is an absolute delight. The combination of a chocolate cream-filled croissant and a suisse pain eclair creates a new cult favorite.
3. Baker and Spice
6330 SW Capitol Hwy, Hillsdale.
KH — bakerandspicepdx.Com, To-go only. Everything seasoning with sprinkled and butter with loaded absolutely, savory and nutty. Version healthy, lesser a as croissant wheat whole the off write Don’t. Flavor butter sweet-salty a with laced all, dough crisp-edged of layers airy by surrounded center chocolate bittersweet, tangy its best city’s the of one is croissant chocolate The. Raisins golden juicy by punctuated, swirl sugar-cinnamon brown a with dough flaky rolled–delivers still roll Katie signature the and wonders fruit-filled, flaky are pies hand berry mouth your in melt cookies crinkle chocolate. Pleases everything much pretty: reason good for constant still are lines long Market Farmers Portland the at premiered Spice & Baker when 1998, since goods baked Richardson’s Julie for out turned have faithful Portland The.Output: KH — bakerandspicepdx.Com, Available for takeout only. Sprinkled with everything seasoning and generously loaded with butter, this croissant is a healthier version made with whole wheat. Don’t write it off just yet. The chocolate croissant is the best in the city, with its buttery-sweet flavor and layers of airy, crispy-edged dough surrounding a tangy, bittersweet chocolate center. Golden raisins add bursts of juiciness, while a swirl of brown sugar-cinnamon in the flaky rolled dough delivers Katie’s signature touch. The hand pies are also a wonder, filled with fruity goodness and a mouth-melting chocolate crinkle cookie. It’s no wonder that Spice & Baker premiered at the Portland Farmers Market in 1998 and has since become a beloved bakery for the faithful people of Portland, thanks to Julie Richardson’s baked goods.
4. Sweedeedee
5202 North Albina Avenue, Humboldt.
KB–sweedeedee.Com offers both indoor and outdoor seating! For breakfast, you can choose between a cookie sandwich filled with curd-filled grapefruit or a bun custard cake buckle slice. You have the option of six different sweet treats, so you can expect a variety of flavors. The Seward Patty, made by an experienced baker at the 26-year-old Suda Herbert Kale Mason kitchen, is a lean and homey-refined dish. The cardamom hints and fruit farm dough, brushed with marmalade, add a bright and flavorful touch to the repertoire of this charming indie restaurant and bakery. The Little sides of the dish feature leaking fruit jammy sticky with and pie hand a and cake biscuit tender. Once you try their scone, you will have an unforgettable experience. Sweedeedee offers a new iteration of their bakery daily, and I fell in love with how heavy and dull something thuds when I see a scone. Usually, dreams of stuff are not associated with scones.
5. Berlu Bakery
605 SE Belmont Street, Buckman.
KB — berlupdx.Com, (takeout only) pre-order or window Walk-up. The “everything box” is an order that makes life easy, as it is celiac-safe and dairy-free. It consists of a wafer-thin omelet with meatloaf and pork noodle-threaded steamed, and an old-school stately trứng chả with mango cake rolls. There are 10 to eight options available, and you can expect fantastically, in its own direction, the tradition jumps off and flies then. The quince is caramelized and embedded with cassava upside-down cake, providing a chewy and exquisitely textured experience. Additionally, there is a honeycomb pandan-fragrant nướng cake and a fool for the bò bánh, which is a Vietnamese tasting menu off-shoot from the talented chef Nguyen at Berlu. Bakery Berlu is a hot spot for both contemporary and traditional Vietnamese treats, making it a great reason to get up on Sunday mornings.
6. Café Olli
3925 NE Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, Boise.
KB –com. Cafeolli.Com is a charming cafe with both outdoor and indoor seating. It has a unique and special atmosphere that is clearly different from other places. Some things in life can be a little dry, but Olli Cafe clings to its own twist – sugar and cinnamon-sugared buns that are hot and buttery, straight out of the scorching oven. This weekend, come here to experience Daniel Greene’s handmade baguettes and Sourdough pastries. They offer a variety of delights, from vanilla malted cream pastries to chocolate-filled “bombs” and Italian sugar-rolled bomboloni’s. Siobhan Speirit, the pastry chef, wants you to start your day with a delicious breakfast of coffee and stick around to try the daily bread shrine and other baked goods in their simple and handmade ethos. The sweet vibe and gorgeous lighting make this bakery/cafe feel like a pastry lover’s paradise. It opened in late 2021 and offers a refreshing change from the burn-out in the restaurant industry with its limited hours.
Bella’s Italian Bakery
9119 SE Woodstock Boulevard, located in the Lents neighborhood.
KH — bellasitalianbakery.Com offers both indoor and outdoor seating. If you’re looking for a delicious Italian meal, you can expect a variety of options, including a lightly meaty focaccia sandwich, a square slice of pizza topped with anchovy and tomato, or a thick and rich sfincione, which is a pie loaded with ricotta and greens. It would be a crime to skip the savory offerings here. For dessert, you can enjoy freshly piped cannoli, stellar almond cakes, jam-filled tarts with a crunchy crust, or anise-flavored biscotti. If you’re a fan of airy and bright lemon zest, you’ll love the signature ciambella cake, which pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee. For a sunny picnic or a hearty breakfast, this bakery has everything you need, including wine, espresso drinks, and a wide selection of sweet and savory items. Find your love for this corner bakery.
Coquine Market
6833 SE Belmont Street, Mount Tabor.
Consistency has slightly deviated due to staffing shortages, but one thing is for sure: the chocolate chip cookies at Coquine Restaurant are extraordinary. The bakery-market, run by a dedicated barista, opened in 2021 and offers a variety of mouthwatering pastries. From tall stacked pie plates to delectable dainty cake squares, there is something for everyone. The menu features a weekly flavor, ranging from cardamon to chocolate glazed with peanuts. Additionally, Coquine Restaurant is known for its old-fashioned donuts, competing for the title of the city’s best. If you’re looking to enjoy your treats in a scenic setting, you can opt for the outdoor patio seats or visit coquinepdx.Com for more information.
Ken’s Artisan Bakery
338 Northwest 21st Avenue, in the Northwest.
KB — bakery.Com/artisankens, only for take-out. At its best, our home offers a delightful selection of croissants filled with leek and goat cheese, as well as our famous Oregon berry-filled croissant, and the iconic orange-zested morning buns. We are proud to be a friendly and well-established hangout in the neighborhood, and we appreciate the support of our loyal customers. In late 2021, our long-time employees sold the business to Forkish, a sweet move that ensures our legacy continues. However, it’s been several years since we last tasted the mysteriously buttery croissants that made us famous. While we no longer serve them, we still admire Ken’s bar for its contribution to the community’s flourishing bread-baking culture. Ken Forkish, the master of French baking and pizza making, brought serious culinary expertise to Portland’s artisan food scene when he opened this spacious bakery in 2001. We have the utmost respect for him.
Lauretta Jean’s
3402 SE Division Street, Richmond.
Outdoor seating, laurettajeans.Com –KH. Those who are not fans of pie can happily indulge in the cowgirl cookie, a disorderly version of the chocolate chip cookie that incorporates oats, dried blueberries, coconut, cornflakes, and toasted pecans. Although the salted honey pie is enjoyable when consumed in small portions alongside a cup of black coffee, it is slightly too indulgent and excessively sweet. Coming in a close second is the tangy, creamy key lime pie with a buttery graham cracker crust. Our favorite pie, if we were stranded on a desert island, would be the tart cherry pie, which showcases one of the finest crusts and is packed with tangy, juicy fruit. Portland’s primary pie shop offers an impressive assortment of pies throughout the week, either as a whole or by the slice.
Little T Baker
2600 SE Division Street, located in the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood.
KB–com.Littletbaker offers a variety of delicious artisan breads, including rustic loaves with raisin-filled pockets. While the croissants may not have the flaky texture, they are still enjoyable. The pastries are not overly sweet, and unfortunately, you may never find one that surpasses the best sandwich breads. However, the breads remain a heavenly treat with their rich, buttery crumb. In 2008, Sally Lunn opened this bakery, which has since been dubbed the “heavenly church of bread.”
Milk Glass Market
2150 North Killingsworth Street, Overlook.
KB — com.Mrktsglassmilk, outdoor tables. Saffron threads and toasted almonds, melty icing, transform it into a wonder of flake and butter, and watch the “pop apricot tart” heat up at home: a Eureka moment. Another reimagines the Luxardo cherry and bourbon buttercream through an old-fashioned cocktail with orange bitters; One crackles with Japanese black sesame paste. Creative macarons are a standout. But there is no lack of flavor in any of the donut variations – quality can vary from day to day. I loved the smoky, tender, maple-glazed brioche raised donut. Homemade graham crackers and wild leek scones, along with slices of changing pastry cake, serve as a guide for the store’s chatty kitchen veteran, Nancye Benson, who remains a backbone of the lovingly stocked neighborhood market Born in the pandemic, Baked Goods.
Mio’s Delectables
The Farmers Market in Portland, located at Portland State University on 1830 SW Park Ave, is situated in Downtown Portland.
Every Saturday rain or shine, Asaka, a petite baker, shines in the middle of the PSU Farmers Market. Standing in line, people exclaim and point at the dozens of tricked-out fruit tarts and seasonal specials on the makeshift shelves. More than 50 options line the bakery, with bright pink cherry blossom cakes and ravishing seven-layer raspberry tinctured cakes that behold the beauty of Jorinji Miso’s local baked sesame roasted cookies. Asaka’s style is to create her own unique things, tapping into her backyard garden flowers and background design to add a touch of her personal flair. Wow, what an eye-popping DIY bakery experience!
Nuvrei
404 Northwest 10th Avenue, in the Pearl District.
KB– –9 April reopening; currently closed for water damage (nuvrei.Com) but pushing for His latest Pop creds: playful breads and rose milk, croissants infused with tea. He always works, but doesn’t shy away from experiments. The chocolate cookie is wonderfully mesmerizing, with a rich wallop of dark, chunked walnuts and a minimal amount of sugar and no flour. It’s just a delight. Now settled into a solid spot for quality treats, perhaps a crackling white sugar glaze on a poppyseed scone or an orange-glazed cinnamon roll. Nuvrei, pronounced noo-vray, was a groundbreaker in 2008, hosting an underground French macaron den with music throbbing below the bakery. Pop Marius has his own modern twist on the French pastry aesthetic. Output.
Oyatsupan
16025 Southwest Regatta Lane, Beaverton.
Oyatsupan.Com is an indoor seating area where you can find inspiration for sandwich salads and ready-made bakery items. The perfect loaf for your morning toast is a yeasted and fluffy shokupan, thick-sliced and square. Make sure to try the matcha or chocolate chip versions, as they are not to be missed. The pan melon is an ideal morning treat with its slightly crisp and buttery sweet cookie crust and fluffy roll. The epi bacon is an endlessly snackable baguette that is rolled with cheese, mayo, and bacon. At this Japanese bakery, you can find a wide selection of creative pastries at prices that are hard to resist. But, be warned, you dare not leave without trying everything.
Seastar Bakery
1603 NE Killingsworth Street, Vernon.
The goods baked in Portland are a combination of French finesse and a free-spirited love for butter. These grain-centric cakes, like the paradoxical featherweight pound cake, are sweet, delicate, and lightly nutty. The French “butter-loaded” financier cake is an excellent example of this, with its playful anti-capitalist twist and the addition of coconut. The crust of the buckwheat scone is crumbly, while the center bursts with the fruity flavor of marmalade. This line straddles the line between tart and sweet, with hints of cardamom and apricot. The vegan muffin is a dream for hippie Portlanders, loaded with turmeric and topped with crunchy poppy seeds and sesame seeds for a nutty flavor. Zena’s cake, with its tangy cream cheese frosting, is a thick and indulgent twist on the classic cinnamon roll. Outdoor seating is available at Handsomeseastar.Com.
Sebastiano’s
411 SE 81st Avenue, Montavilla.
Sebastiano’s is a tiny walk-up deli that focuses mainly on baked goods, pantry supplies, cured meats, and sandwiches. Their cannoli is the best in town, with fresh-fried, crunchy shells filled with tangy ricotta and pistachios. The olive oil cake is fluffy and citrusy, while the vegan chocolate chip cookie is a super-crunchy and fragrant treat, perfect for dipping in Pass coffee. Their almond-anise biscotti is amped up with honey and house-candied orange, baked to a beautiful golden brown. How small can a flourless almond cookie be? Sebastiano’s tiny almond paste nuggets have a diameter of less than an inch.
Tabor Bread
5051 SE Hawthorne Boulevard, Mount Tabor.
KH–taborbread.Com, Breads are a must. They offer a range of breads, including country loaf, red wheat loaf, and einkorn loaf baked in a loaf pan. The outdoor seating adds to the charm of the bakery. The babka chocolate has a rich cocoa flavor that nicely contrasts with the buttery dough, and the tanginess adds a unique twist. However, the dough in some laminated pastries, like the croissant chocolate and pistachio-encrusted baklava, is a bit too sour, overpowering the nuts. Despite this, the bakery has a creative repertoire that leaves customers impressed. Everything is tangy and delicious. Tabor Bread has gained a reputation for its dedication to using locally sourced ingredients, such as flour from producers like Country Camas Mills, and for its long-fermented, wood-fired sourdough breads. Bakers and chefs alike consider it a go-to spot after a decade of operation.
Twisted Croissant
2129 NE Broadway, Irvington and 1625 SE Bybee Blvd, Sellwood-Moreland.
At twistedcroissant.Com, Irvington only offers takeout, while Sellwood provides indoor seating. The bottom of the croissants is crispy and caramelized, making them particularly delightful. The seasonal amann-kouign, possibly with marionberry and blanc-fromage, is glorious. The shop also excels at making strawberry shortcake with a rosewater glaze, delicate vanilla custard and jam. Their signature cruffin is a towering treat, filled with ganache-like pudding and striped with chocolate. The croissants, a staple here, come in various forms such as the thick-sliced ham and cheese, flecked with bits of rosemary. Each croissant is a work of art, with its own unique flair and garnish. The house rules in this white-tiled room where impeccable laminated pastries are made.