On Christmas Eve 2024, The New York Times published a list of what it calls 22 of the best bakeries across the U.S. right now. We’re reproducing that list for you below.
But first, a couple of things to keep in mind:
One Sunday morning when we were in San Diego, we were at Izola Bakery doing what we do on most Sunday mornings: Buying and eating pastries as part of our never ending quest to find and identify the very best bakeries in the United States (and Canada). While there, a woman we didn’t know said this to us: “Their croissants were selected as the best croissants in the country.” To which we replied: “You mean someone traveled all over the country eating croissants at every bakery in America and after doing so was able to conclude that the croissants here at Izola are the best in the country?”
Of course not. It can’t be done. No one person can visit every high-quality bakery in the country and then identify the best 22 from the hundreds visited. In fact, The New York Times even didn’t try. The brief reviews of the 22 bakeries on The Times’ list were written by eleven different people — with Brett Anderson leading the way in writing six of the reviews.
And there are clearly some misses on The Times’ list. Quail and Condor is a very good bakery, and we’ve always enjoyed the breads and pastries we’ve found there on our several visits. But it’s not even the best bakery in Northern California — although it’s the only Northern California bakery on the list.
And there are some serious — but understandable — omissions from The Times’ list. You just can’t get to all the bakeries that deserve consideration when compiling such a list.
Nevertheless, The Times’ list is pretty good overall, and certainly worth publishing and pushing out to those looking for exceptional bakeries in this country. And the spirit in which The Times compiled and published the list compels us to republish it here and encourage you to visit these bakeries. The Times says “a bakery renaissance is underway” and this is the “golden age of American bakeries”. They’re a little late to this party, but we welcome their enthusiasm.
The Times published their list alphabetically. You’ll understand why we didn’t understand that choice and why we give you the list geographically:
Saint Bread Seattle
Quail and Condor Healdsburg
Bakers Bench Los Angeles
Gusto Bread Long Beach
Poulette Bakeshop Parker, Colorado
The Sour Rapid City, South Dakota
Flour & Flower St. Joseph, Minnesota
Diane’s Place Minneapolis
Loaf Lounge Chicago
Cafe Mochiko Cincinnati
Comadre Panadería Austin
Koffeteria Houston
Country Bird Tulsa
Lagniappe Bakehouse New Orleans
Loblolly Bakery Hattiesburg
Evergreen Butcher & Baker Atlanta
Caracas Bakery Doral
Machine Shop Philadelphia
Bánh by Lauren New York City
Lysée New York City
Radio Bakery Brooklyn
The Place Camden, Maine
