Dining
The 5 Best Bakeries in London
Proper sourdough, perfect pastries and cult cakes: the best bakeries in London worth the queue.
In short: our top picks are Pophams, The Dusty Knuckle and E5 Bakehouse. 5 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
London is in the middle of a golden age of baking, and the queues prove it. From proper sourdough to laminated pastry and the cult cake of the moment, the best bakeries in the city are destinations in their own right. These are the ones worth the early start and the inevitable queue.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Pophams | Islington | ££ |
| The Dusty Knuckle | Dalston | ££ |
| E5 Bakehouse | London Fields | ££ |
| Layla | ££ | |
| Toad Bakery | Camberwell | ££ |
-
Editor’s choice
Pophams
Why we pick itCult laminated pastries and inventive flavours; the bacon and maple danish has a devoted following.
-
The Dusty Knuckle
Why we pick itA social-enterprise bakery doing some of London's best bread and sandwiches; the queue is part of it.
-
E5 Bakehouse
Why we pick itA railway-arch sourdough bakery and cafe; proper bread, good coffee and a loyal local crowd.
-
Layla
Why we pick itA beautiful Notting Hill bakery; the bread, the pastries and the room are all picture-perfect.
-
Toad Bakery
Why we pick itA south London favourite for inventive bakes and seasonal treats; small, brilliant and worth the trip.
Before you book
Go early; the best bakeries sell out of the good stuff by mid-morning, and weekends are busiest. Take cash for the smaller spots. And do not overthink it; ask what came out of the oven most recently and order that, still warm.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Pophams is our editor's choice: Cult laminated pastries and inventive flavours; the bacon and maple danish has a devoted following. Pophams, The Dusty Knuckle and E5 Bakehouse lead the guide, with 5 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
Related guides
Dining The Best Breakfast in London
From grand hotel rooms to the perfect greasy spoon: where to start the day well in London.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Brunch in London
Long, unhurried and worth dressing for: the London brunches that earn a slow weekend morning.
5 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Restaurants in Brick Lane
The best restaurants in Brick Lane: where to eat well, chosen on merit.
5 places Read guide →
Dining best pasta restaurants london
Six London kitchens that roll their own pasta daily, from the queue at Padella to Angela Hartnett's St James's dining room. Where to eat the good stuff, and what it costs.
6 places Read guide →From the Journal
Dinner as the Main Event: The Case for the Tasting Menu
Most great dinners in London are a means to an end. You eat, you talk, you move on to the bar, the show, the rest of the night. The tasting menu refuses to be that. It is not the warm-up. It is the whole event, the curtain up and the curtain down, three hours that […]
13 Jun 2026Read →
The Enduring Ritual of London Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is not a tourist trap. It is one of the last unhurried things London does on purpose. Lunch is rushed and dinner is a production, but the hours between belong to nobody, and that is precisely the point. You sit. You stay. You let an afternoon become long. In a city that measures […]
2 Jun 2026Read →
London’s Quiet Obsession with Japanese Food
London does not fall for things loudly. It just keeps showing up. And over the last decade or so, the city has shown up for Japanese food again and again, until it stopped feeling like a special occasion and started feeling like a default. You see it everywhere now. The counter where one chef feeds […]
28 Apr 2026Read →Readers also viewed
Dining The Best Pies in London
From a Bermondsey marble counter pouring parsley liquor to a Mayfair pie room with nine in-house varieties, here are six London places that still treat the pie as a serious thing.
6 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Birthday Restaurants in London
Six London restaurants built for a birthday that people actually remember: pink rooms, jungle grills, Greco-Roman drama and two Big Mamma blockbusters, across budgets.
6 places Read guide →
Dining Romantic Restaurants in London
The rooms we send people to when the night matters, from a quiet first date to an anniversary you cannot get wrong.
6 places Read guide →
Dining The Best Pizza in London
Blistered Neapolitan, Roman al taglio and proper New York slices: where to eat the best pizza in London.
5 places Read guide →