number_6

Whenever I am in SFO I try to make time for a bakery run to AA Bakery on Stockton St. in downtown San Francisco. It is that good (a chinese bakery that makes the best egg custard pies in the US). Also very cheap ($5 gets you more food than you can eat).

While there are lots of good and even great bakeries in other cities, such as Paris, somehow I don't feel compelled to go out of my way for them. What other bakeries are worth going out of the way for?

dhammer53

Leon's Bakery in Brooklyn.

Ostrowizky Bakery in Brooklyn.

One of the above is a stop on the Brooklyn Reality Tour every spring.

Just goes to show you that you don't have to spend big bucks to enjoy quality goodies.

obscure2k

Sweet Lady Jane in West Hollywood is my favorite and they do amazing wedding cakes. They also serve good light lunches. Parking, however, is a nightmare
http://sweetladyjane.com/

Tsukiji

Chatellier's in Millvale, PA (a suburb of Pittsburgh) Excellent croissants and pattiserie.

http://www.jeanmarcchatellier.com/pastries.html

thebug622

Dudleys bakery in Santa Ysabel Ca,near Julian ,and there is a Mexican bakery in San Juan Bautista Ca thats great also if your in driving distance of either GO GO GO

dannyr

There's a great bakery in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley, Heerikoff's. It's a Mongolian Bakery, and does the most devine pastries. I used to start each day with a chocolate eclair when I worked nearby. They open at 5am, and are still open at 10pm, which is fantastic for early starters and late workers like me.

lili

Amazingly I've been to two of the nominees: Leon's and Dudley's! On the basis of one black and white, Leon rules.

Dudley's: Big on reputation, short on follow-through. I live in the area and have been there off and on for 30 years, and they sell their bread in many supermarkets in San Diego. It just isn't special, IMHO. In fact, it's usually doughy and undercooked, but the tour bus crowd loves it. I think it's rep was built when there was nothing to see, eat or do between San Diego and Julian and Sunday drivers needed a diversion, a goal, a bit of baked goods. You get so darn hungry even Mom's super-sweet apple pies taste fantastic. But I am in the minority, everybody seems to love both Dudley's and Mom's.

So I will nominate the West Gin bakery in San Marcos (CA) and raise you Bread et Cie in Hillcrest. West Gin (VietNamese) for French pastries, and Bread et Cie for, well, bread. Well I will nominate any VietNamese bakery, because there's another great one in Mission Viejo near the auto mall. And I will defintely check out AA Bakery on Stockton SF, thanks for the heads up, number_6

jtkauai

Virtually any patisserie in France. I like to try every one. Sometimes I'll go on a binge and try the same product in each bakery to compare. Other times I'll just try what looks good. Most other bakeries I pass bye.

Calcifer

My New York City list is a little downtown-centric, but here goes:

Bouley Bakery on Duane St. for croissants (rather expensive)
Blaue Gans on Duane St. for cheese danish (on the light side)
Sullivan Street Bakery for bread and snail cookies
Sweet Melissa on Houston St. for macaroons (original branch is in Brooklyn, I think Court St.)
Falai Panetteria on Clinton St. for bread and pastries
Amy's Bread, various locations, for cinnamon challah twists and chocolate sourdough bread
Our Daily Bread at the Union Square Greenmarket on Weds. and Sat. for sourdough bread
Mei Lai Wah on Bayard St. for pork buns

swag can testify that when I met him at Jazz Fest, I was wearing a t-shirt that said "Choose Carbs".

sdcarver

Con Pane Bakery in Point Loma (San Diego) The make incredible bread and great Scones.

sdcarver

cblaisd

Liliha Bakery , Honolulu

ContinentalFan

I agree that Sweet Lady Jane on Melrose in Los Angeles is the best. Euro Pane in Pasadena is a close second!

GoMagic

Nested between Milwaukee and Chicago, is the Belle City of Racine. Try a Danish Kringle and you will love them. Check them out at http://www.ohdanishbakery.com.

izzik

mmm, tasty thread!

Swedish Bakery on Clark Street, Chicago
Everything is so yummy and prices haven't changed much over the years.
http://www.swedishbakery.com/

Lutz on Montrose Ave, Chicago
Very old-world European place that oozes elegance.
http://www.lutzcafe.com/index.html

Sweet Willie

Good suggestion, I know Racine all too well due to their delicious kringles. I like http://www.bendtsensbakery.com/index.php

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