Paris-trained (at a 300-year old patisserie) Mark Heu, who is of Hmong descent, left native France for St Paul, over two years ago, to start his namesake bakery and brought over the kind of intricate wizardry commonly found in only the most storied of pastry ateliers. Some of his finest creations, such as Vanilla Saint Honoré, are sculpted with an accordion-like symmetry; others, such as Isaphan (a nod to Heu’s idol, Pierre Hermé) and several of his viennoiseries, are appealingly furled. Even his “craggier” offerings, like a rich and eggy flan, are not to be missed. A second location is in the works. 

Egg sandwich? Banh-mi? Lamb burgers? Like the millennial-friendly all-day cafes of late, Alma seemingly offers something for everyone. On the sweets side, chocolate chip cookies brim with giddy amounts of Valrhona milk chocolate chips and nibs; financiers are spongy and floral (gluten-free, too); and their house signature, the Alma loaf, has a welcome tang with a wonderfully crackly crust the color of malt. 

Trung Nam’s vaunted banh mi need no introduction. But the rest of its pastry program may. With a dizzying variety of fruit-filled croissants (apricot, blueberry, raison, raspberry, strawberry, apple) and more unique flavors, like coconut, on offer, chef-proprietor Tony Le nails the French Asian culinary diaspora with aplomb. His pastries are ethereal and fruit-forward without being too sweet. Cash only. 

It’s not just the vaunted kouign-amann — buttery with an armor of caramelized gloss — that makes Black Walnut so iconic. Everything on its menu lures us back. There’s cassis vanilla Bavarian cake, layered with an airy chiffon sponge and an intense ganache. In addition, find radiant lemon tarts, and, of course, for croissants (consistently flaky across both sweet and savory offerings). Custom order cakes, sized up to 9”, are recommended for special occasions. 

Like the gold leaf that adorns Bellecour Bakery’s magnificent crepe cake, everything that Gavin Kaysen adds to the Twin Cities’ already bustling food scene is more than polish. No wonder there aren’t any misses with his pastries and virtually every croissant derivative on offer. Just don’t leave their staff favorite (ham and cheese croissant) behind. 

Few places put both croissant and old-fashioned doughnuts to fame. La Boulangerie Marguerite can. That’s partly because they rebranded from P.J. Murphy’s, which had a more homespun vibe. Francois Kiemde, and his wife-turned-business partner, Melissa, raised the bar on an already solid pastry program with an ample array of new patisseries, viennoiseries, and cakes. His classic croissant, based on a 30-year old recipe, remains a standout for its denser-than-expected, but still delightfully flaky, quality. 

Kentucky-native, London-trained pastry chef John Kraus is several things — lauded chocolatier, former instructor at the French Pastry School, in Chicago, and a one-time team captain representing the United States at the Coupe Du Monde de la Patisserie, the famed Olympics of pastry competitions. But he’s a baker at heart. Now, he presides over the Bread Lab, a production and training facility, while running both Patisserie 46 and its newer outpost, Rose Street, with his wife Elizabeth. All a roundabout way of saying that his breads — like a stellar miche and a unique baguette, made with a combination of rye and wheat flour — are flawlessly constructed. As are the kaleidoscope of cakes and confections on offer. 

Although Solveig Tofte’s baking experience has spanned the world, her Minneapolis shop focuses on imbuing a distinctly American vibe with breads and pastries she crafts from scratch, such as a pan loaf created in homage to the three crops grown at the Red River Valley, a farming region in Northwest Minnesota (flax, durum potatoes); a rustic, country-style loaf made from local cornmeal; or croissants finished like a soft pretzel, yielding a distinctly rich and nutty taste. More ‘traditional’ pastries from Tofte’s heritage are also offered, such as fyrstekake, a type of shortbread cake filled with chopped almonds and cardamom.