Here are the Best Bakeries in St. Louis

Nathaniel Reid Bakery
11243 Manchester Rd.
Kirkwood

Nathaniel Reid is one of the country’s most acclaimed pastry chefs, and his pastry creations are a work of art. He opened up his own shop in Kirkwood in August 2016. One of his signature pastries is the chocolate and almond croissant. He makes his chocolate croissant by balancing hunks of bittersweet chocolate and toasty layers of dough. Looking for lunch? The bakery also offers a selection of sandwiches, salads and quiches. Try the Thanksgiving menu, which includes pumpkin pie (of course), apple pie, chocolate pecan tart, bread pudding, milk chocolate pumpkin, whole roasted mushroom and spinach quiche, an autumn macaron box (half dozen or a dozen) and Nathaniel's Bakery Box, complete with a variety of flavored croissants.

Photo by Mabel Suen.

Like Home
3855 Lindell Blvd.
Midtown

Located on the corner of Vandeventer and Lindell in Midtown, Like Home is French-inspired cafe, bakery and chocolate shop. The space recalls the charm of a French patisserie, as well as the comfort you’d find in your own home. Macarons are available daily in flavors such as chocolate, blueberry, lemon, caramel and pistachio. Like Home also offers a selection of bread, French baguettes, muffins, cookies, scones and more.

Photo by Mabel Suen.

Sucrose
700 South 5th Street
St. Charles

With treats made from scratch daily, Sucrose emphasises on taste and classic technique. Co-owner Agi Groff’s European background allows her to bring to St. Charles the taste and style old German recipes passed down over generations. Sucrose offers French macarons in varying flavors like vanilla bean, chocolate hazelnut and dulce de leche. It also has specialty pastries on Saturdays, from croissants to sticky buns. Make sure to check out the gluten free options. Customer favorites include French macarons, orange and lavender cake, frangipane tarts and almond heart cakes.

Photo courtesy of Instagram | sucrosestl.

La Patisserie Chouquette
1626 Tower Grove Avenue
Botanical Heights

This chic French bakery not only offers macarons, decorated cakes and other goodies, but it also offers a weekly afternoon tea at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturdays (reservation only). Choose from a variety of hand-selected loose leaf teas from the U.K., France, Israel and India. To go along with your tea, try the cranberry orange scone with sweet butter, curd and preserves.

Photo courtesy of Instagram | chouquettestl.

Piccione Pastry
6197 Delmar Blvd.
The Loop

Embracing the time-honored traditions in Italian baking, Piccione Pastry is a late-night pastry shop located in the heart of the Delmar Loop. This family-run bakery-cafe also offers lunch and brunch, as well as an assortment of pastries, cakes, cannolis and more. It also has vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free and vegetarian options available. The gooey butter cake is a must, with sweet and rich flavors dusted with powdered sugar (try the classic or pumpkin flavor). For something a little lighter and not too sweet, try the gluten-free ricotta cheesecake.

Photo courtesy of Instagram | piccionepastry.

Baby Kakez
3305 Olive St.
Saint Louis 63103

For the last four years, Michelle Jones has been baking out of her home for her large customer base. It wasn’t until this year she decided to open up her own shop in a storefront across from Saint Louis University. Her love for baking started initially as a hobby. Now, she serves “kupcakes,” “kakepops,” chocolate-covered treats (strawberries, pretzels, Oreos, s’mores and rice krispies) and more. Decorating classes are also available for any occasion. Each class includes cake, decorating supplies and an assistant.

Photo by Sarah Fenske.

Comet Coffee and Microbakery
5708 Oakland Avenue
Cheltenham

This “microbakery” at Comet Coffee has been serving up small-batch pastries made from scratch daily since 2012. Keep it simple and have one of Comet Coffee’s traditional croissants made with made-from-scratch, all-butter croissant dough, or try something a little different — perhaps the almond bear claw, a croissant wrapped around homemade sweet almond paste. We also recommend trying the chocolate chip cookies — crispy on the outside, soft and chocolatey on the inside with a few sea salt flakes sprinkled on top. Enjoy a cup of your favorite espresso-based beverage, iced or served hot. At Comet Coffee, the owners believe that coming to a cafe should be more than a caffeine fuel stop, but an experience of camaraderie, collaboration and education.

Photo by Kelly Glueck.

McArthur’s Bakery
Locations in South County, Kirkwood and Chesterfield

A Thanksgiving table is not complete without the assorted rolls and traditional pies McArthur’s has to offer. For 60 years, McArthur’s has been producing traditional bakery goods such as cakes, donuts, gooey butter cakes, pies, petifores, stollens and seasonal holiday items. If you want to know the complete list of all the pies available, well, here you go: pumpkin, apple, peach, caramel apple, chocolate silk, banana cream, coconut cream, key lime, cherry, blueberry, chocolate meringue, lemon meringue, apple and cherry sugar free, custard, turtle pecan and pecan. Yep, seriously.

Photo Courtesy of Instagram | mcarthursstl.

Missouri Baking Company
2027 Edwards St.
The Hill

An oldie but goodie, Missouri Baking Company offers Italian sweets and other European desserts. Family owned since 1924, this bakery is a staple in the Hill community. It carries traditional Italian treats, gooey butter cake, muffins, cupcakes and more truly delicious baked goods.

Photo courtesy of Yelp | Michelle B.

Pint Size Bakery
3133 Watson Road
Lindenwood Park

At Pint Size, the motto is “Small Batch-From Scratch-Fresh Daily,” which the bakery lives up to by baking its goods fresh each morning. The more Pint Size sells, the more the shop bakes. On Saturdays, it’s best get there early to line up for the salted-caramel croissants, the bakery’s most sought-after item. And no, you cannot pre-order the croissants. Still, even if they’re out, Pint Size guarantees there will be something you like, or even love -- you just have to try it. Don’t worry about the early hours; Pint Size keeps you fully caffeinated with Kaldi’s brewed coffee and espresso drinks. Enjoy a sweet and savory buttermilk scone with flavors like cherry, chocolate or spinach-artichoke. Note: Pint Size is a peanut-free bakery, so go ahead and indulge in your favorites even if you have an allergy.

Photo courtesy of Pint Size Bakery.

SmallCakes Cupcakery
343 S. Kirkwood Rd.
Kirkwood 63122
(314)698-2780

SmallCakes was listed by USA Today as one of the top 10 cupcake places to try in the country. Originated in Kansas City, it has since grown across the country after appearances on Cupcake Wars. SmallCakes offers gourmet cupcakes daily. With eighteen signature flavors, you can indulge in your favorites like the “famous” red velvet, hot fudge, choco-holic and birthday cake.

Photo by Mabel Suen.

SweetArt Bakeshop
2203 South 39th Street
Shaw

SweetArt is a family-owned bakeshop, cafe and art studio in Shaw. The salted caramel apple pie is just one of the amazing made-from-scratch pies, pound cakes, rolls and biscuits the shop offers. SweetArt believes that from-scratch, old-school baking is an art (just like Grandma used to make). Take a bite, and you’ll taste the difference.

Photo Courtesy of Instagram | sweetartstlouis

SweetFixx
4420 Manchester Avenue
the Grove

“Kiss boring desserts goodbye” — that is the promise at SweetFixx, a new bakery located in the Grove neighborhood. The cupcakes, cake pops, candy apples and dipped Oreos are almost too good to eat (almost) and are a work of art. The bakery opened at the end of July earlier this year and has been drawing big crowds ever since.

Photo by Sarah Fenske.

The Sweet Divine
1801 South 9th Street
Soulard

For the holiday season, the Sweet Divine offers a pumpkin cheesecake cupcake— pumpkin cake filled and frosted with cheesecake frosting, then topped with its whipped cream and graham cracker crumbs. The Sweet Divine was featured on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars and won with its “Drunken Pig” cupcake — a Newcastle beer and sharp cheddar cheese cupcake with sharp cheddar cream cheese frosting topped with bacon. The shop also sells fresh flowers, just because. For your cravings, we recommend the gooey butter cookies — they are gooey buttery goodness.

Photo courtesy of Instagram | thesweetdivine

Whisk: a Sustainable Bakeshop
2201 Cherokee Street
Cherokee District

Local ingredients, seasonality and the pursuit of deliciousness are key ingredients in the baked goods at Whisk. After months of renovating the building on Cherokee Street, Whisk opened in November 2012. The pies are made with a classic double crust, making it perfectly flaky and tender. Also, check out the shop’s vegan treats, like sweet potato scones and gluten-free banana chocolate chip muffins. The menu changes daily, so call ahead. This bakery prides itself on being sustainable, which means it uses methods aimed at preserving natural resources. Whisk composts all its food waste and uses in-season/local ingredients. All to-go packaging is made up of 90 percent post-consumer recycled content, too.

Photo by Mabel Suen.

Winslow’s Home
7213 Delmar Boulevard
University City

Winslow’s uses the best ingredients in its baked goods and makes everything from scratch on site using time-honored techniques. The bakery features European-style breads, pastries, tarts and cakes. Every day, Winslow’s Home has croissants, monkey bread, sweet and savory hand pies, and scones (the specialty is the lemon ginger scone). Winslow’s Home has also been honored for serving “America’s Best Chocolate Cookies” in Food and Wine Magazine. Enjoy a warm beverage of coffee, espresso or tea with your sweet treat.

Photo by Jennifer Silverberg.

Better Bakery
4127 Shreve Ave
Penrose

Home of the “Famous Bean Pie” and “Hooper’s Sweet Potato Pie,” Better Bakery offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a selection of baked goods. Also try the fresh baked cookies in flavors such as chocolate chip, white chocolate and oatmeal cranberry.

Photo courtesy of Instagram | hatim314.

Sugaree Baking Company
1242 Tamm Avenue
Clayton-Tamm

Open since 1995, Sugaree is a quaint neighborhood bakeshop offering gourmet pies, wedding cakes, cookies and other goodies. Each week, Sugaree Baking Company makes a custom seasonal menu made up of pies, cakes, cookies and more savory treats. Stay up to date on the selections by signing up for the weekly email newsletter.

Photo courtesy of Instagram | emily_m_wasserman

Companion
2331 Schuetz Road
Maryland Heights

Making craft breads and pastries since 1993, Companion is a small bakery with a strong reputation for doing things right. Companion follows the the four Cs — its companions, its customers, its community and its company. Celebrate the arrival of autumn with Companion’s seasonal feature, Pumpkin Cranberry Tea Bread — a perfect blend of sugar and spice with a burst of cranberries and pecans.

Photo courtesy of Yelp | Lupe D.

The Cup
Locations in Edwardsville and The Central West End

The Cup lives by the same simple goal it started with — serving delicious cupcakes. With seasonal, limited and special feature flavors, the variety is always changing. The fall special is “Pumpkin Harvest,” which is pumpkin spice cake with cinnamon buttercream and Kakao autumn bark. The winter cupcake is “Raspberry Beret,” which is French vanilla cake with raspberry buttercream and raspberry filling with a white chocolate disc to top it off (it’s available December 21 -- start counting down the days!). The Cup opened in July of 2007 and has two locations, in the Central West End and Edwardsville, Illinois.

Photo by Ian Froeb.