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A flaky croissant that’s half bitten into sits on a white paper bag on a red table.
A coconut croissant from Trung Nam Bakery.
Justine Jones

15 Must-Try Bakeries in the Twin Cities

The sweetest spots for croissants, tarts, and fresh-baked bread

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A coconut croissant from Trung Nam Bakery.
| Justine Jones

In a way, Minneapolis was built on baking: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the rushing Mississippi River powered nascent mills like Gold Medal and Pillsbury, which have since become some of the biggest names in flour. Minnesota is the home of Betty Crocker, too — but we’ve come a long way since the days of the first boxed cake mixes. Some of the metro’s best bakeries are family-run spots that have been churning out egg custard tarts, chocolate croissants, and jammy fruit pies for decades, and in recent years, a crop of artisanal bakeries and patisseries have added serious talent to the Mill City scene. Here are 15 great bakeries around the Twin Cities.

Note that these restaurants are listed geographically.

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Rustica

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Pastry maven Shawn McKenzie first wooed the Twin Cities with tahini cookies, chocolate babka, and Turkish scones at Café Cerés. In March of this year, she joined Rustica Bakery, a local icon since 2004, as executive chef and patissier. All the classics are still around, from the cross-hatched miche loaf and baguettes to kouign amann and bittersweet chocolate cookies. For a dreamy dessert fix, try the roasted banana tart, ringed with spheres of mascarpone mousse.

Black Walnut Bakery

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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 a cassis vanilla Bavarian cake, layered with an airy chiffon sponge and an intense ganache. There are radiant lemon tarts and, of course, croissants, which are consistently flaky across both sweet and savory offerings. Custom-order cakes, sized up to nine inches, are recommended for special occasions. 

Almond croissants at Black Walnut Bakery.
Black Walnut Bakery

Marissa's Bakery

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Stepping into Marissa’s Bakery feels a bit like stepping into another world, one where a wood-fired brick oven churns out filled fluffy conchas, sopapillas, and crackly bolillos all day long. Marissa’s breads and pastries are equally good — they all have a melt-in-your-mouth effect — and the adjoining cafe serves juicy birria tacos, enchiladas, and other Mexican dishes.

Patisserie 46

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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. 

John Kraus is the mastermind behind Patisserie 46.
Patisserie 46

Sun Street Breads

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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 — like a pan loaf homage to the flax, durum, and potatoes grown in the Red River Valley, a farming region in Northwest Minnesota; a rustic, country-style loaf made from local cornmeal; or croissants finished like soft pretzels, which yield 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.

Panaderia San Miguel

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One of Lake Street’s premier destinations for Mexican pan dulces and pasteles, Panaderia San Miguel first opened in 2004. Grab a tray and a pair of tongs and wind your way through the enchanting shelves of pastries. Favorites here are the conchas (crackly, delicately sweet, and puffed to the size of grapefruits), a fluffy raised doughnut stuffed with rice pudding, and a tres leches cake that lets no crumb go dry. The earlier you stop by the better, as the pastries here are baked daily and sell out.

Asa's Bakery

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Asa Diebolt got his start selling his trademark bagels and bialys at farmers markets throughout the metro. (Bialys are not bagels, though they may seem similar — they’re only baked, not boiled, and have a depressed center filled with sweet roasted onions.) Now at a new, bigger location on 34th Avenue, Asa’s Bakery is serving both old favorites and new, like smoked whitefish sandwiches and vegan smoked cream cheeses. There’s fresh bread, too. Stop by Thursday through Sunday to grab a loaf of sourdough, cheddar scallion, or deli pumpernickel, and be warned that Asa’s sells out early.

A bialy cut in half with scallion cream cheese, dill, and slices of purple radish in between.
A bialy sandwich from Asa’s.
Asa’s Bakery

Laune Bread

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These breads — naturally leavened with a sourdough culture — are made with 60 percent or more whole grain flower, which gives them an earthy, nutty bite. But don’t zip past the pastry case on the hunt for a loaf. The mandarin-spiced morning buns, pecan bear claws, and rye brownies are the perfect complement.

A loaf of sourdough with two slices cut off.
This bread is made with more than 60 percent whole grains.
Laune Bread

Aki's BreadHaus

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Aki’s BreadHaus may be the only bakery in the Twin Cities that specializes in German bread, and it carries that mantle with aplomb. Owner Joachim “Aki” Berndt, a native of Germany, whips up nutty currant ryes, bauernbrot (a dark sourdough), and brötchen, the ultimate dinner rolls in his Northeast Minneapolis kitchen. The buttery pretzels come dusted with cinnamon sugar, parmesan, or an “everything” seasoning. Aki’s pastries are noteworthy too — supplement a Sunday morning loaf with apple streusel or a glazed lemon poppy seed roll.

Sarah Jane's Bakery

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Two generations of Botzet family bakers run Sarah Jane’s, a Northeast neighborhood favorite since 1979. The bakery leans into classic American bakery traditions, favoring lemon bars, doughnuts, and muffins over croissants and kouign amann. The coffee cake menu, which spans from butter pecan to cardamom almond, is unrivaled. Sarah Jane’s pastry case is always stocked, but it’s best to order ahead for anything special (like a harvest apple pie).

Heights Bakery

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A classic, no-frills bakery on Central Avenue, Heights Bakery dishes up glazed doughnuts, buttery apple fritters, and chocolate-sprinkle Long Johns day in and day out. For a savory bite, try the ten-grain bread or an onion roll.

La Boulangerie Marguerite

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Few places can make a name with both croissants and old-fashioned doughnuts. 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. 

Shelves of pastries on metal trays.
A selection of pastries at La Boulangerie Marguerite.
La Boulangerie Marguerite

Bellecour Bakery @ Cooks

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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. Kaysen and acclaimed pastry chef Diane Moua opened Bellecour in Wayzata, originally — after a pandemic closure, it now lives within Cooks of Crocus Hill on Grand Avenue and in downtown Minneapolis. The kouign amann here are exceptional — they’re caramely and buttery and intricately layered — and Moua’s famous crepe cake, layered with rich pastry cream, is a must.

Trung Nam French Bakery

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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. 

A flaky croissant that’s half bitten into sits on a white paper bag on a red table.
A coconut croissant from Trung Nam.
Justine Jones

Marc Heu Patisserie Paris

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Paris-trained (at a 300-year old patisserie) Marc Heu, who is of Hmong descent, left native France for St. Paul over two years ago. Here, he started 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. Note that March Heu Patisserie is moving to a new St. Paul address this spring.

One of the many aesthetically-pleasing desserts at this Twin Cities favorite.
Mark Heu

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Rustica

Pastry maven Shawn McKenzie first wooed the Twin Cities with tahini cookies, chocolate babka, and Turkish scones at Café Cerés. In March of this year, she joined Rustica Bakery, a local icon since 2004, as executive chef and patissier. All the classics are still around, from the cross-hatched miche loaf and baguettes to kouign amann and bittersweet chocolate cookies. For a dreamy dessert fix, try the roasted banana tart, ringed with spheres of mascarpone mousse.

Black Walnut Bakery

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 a cassis vanilla Bavarian cake, layered with an airy chiffon sponge and an intense ganache. There are radiant lemon tarts and, of course, croissants, which are consistently flaky across both sweet and savory offerings. Custom-order cakes, sized up to nine inches, are recommended for special occasions. 

Almond croissants at Black Walnut Bakery.
Black Walnut Bakery

Marissa's Bakery

Stepping into Marissa’s Bakery feels a bit like stepping into another world, one where a wood-fired brick oven churns out filled fluffy conchas, sopapillas, and crackly bolillos all day long. Marissa’s breads and pastries are equally good — they all have a melt-in-your-mouth effect — and the adjoining cafe serves juicy birria tacos, enchiladas, and other Mexican dishes.

Patisserie 46

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. 

John Kraus is the mastermind behind Patisserie 46.
Patisserie 46

Sun Street Breads

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 — like a pan loaf homage to the flax, durum, and potatoes grown in the Red River Valley, a farming region in Northwest Minnesota; a rustic, country-style loaf made from local cornmeal; or croissants finished like soft pretzels, which yield 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.

Panaderia San Miguel

One of Lake Street’s premier destinations for Mexican pan dulces and pasteles, Panaderia San Miguel first opened in 2004. Grab a tray and a pair of tongs and wind your way through the enchanting shelves of pastries. Favorites here are the conchas (crackly, delicately sweet, and puffed to the size of grapefruits), a fluffy raised doughnut stuffed with rice pudding, and a tres leches cake that lets no crumb go dry. The earlier you stop by the better, as the pastries here are baked daily and sell out.

Asa's Bakery

Asa Diebolt got his start selling his trademark bagels and bialys at farmers markets throughout the metro. (Bialys are not bagels, though they may seem similar — they’re only baked, not boiled, and have a depressed center filled with sweet roasted onions.) Now at a new, bigger location on 34th Avenue, Asa’s Bakery is serving both old favorites and new, like smoked whitefish sandwiches and vegan smoked cream cheeses. There’s fresh bread, too. Stop by Thursday through Sunday to grab a loaf of sourdough, cheddar scallion, or deli pumpernickel, and be warned that Asa’s sells out early.

A bialy cut in half with scallion cream cheese, dill, and slices of purple radish in between.
A bialy sandwich from Asa’s.
Asa’s Bakery

Laune Bread

These breads — naturally leavened with a sourdough culture — are made with 60 percent or more whole grain flower, which gives them an earthy, nutty bite. But don’t zip past the pastry case on the hunt for a loaf. The mandarin-spiced morning buns, pecan bear claws, and rye brownies are the perfect complement.

A loaf of sourdough with two slices cut off.
This bread is made with more than 60 percent whole grains.
Laune Bread

Aki's BreadHaus

Aki’s BreadHaus may be the only bakery in the Twin Cities that specializes in German bread, and it carries that mantle with aplomb. Owner Joachim “Aki” Berndt, a native of Germany, whips up nutty currant ryes, bauernbrot (a dark sourdough), and brötchen, the ultimate dinner rolls in his Northeast Minneapolis kitchen. The buttery pretzels come dusted with cinnamon sugar, parmesan, or an “everything” seasoning. Aki’s pastries are noteworthy too — supplement a Sunday morning loaf with apple streusel or a glazed lemon poppy seed roll.

Sarah Jane's Bakery

Two generations of Botzet family bakers run Sarah Jane’s, a Northeast neighborhood favorite since 1979. The bakery leans into classic American bakery traditions, favoring lemon bars, doughnuts, and muffins over croissants and kouign amann. The coffee cake menu, which spans from butter pecan to cardamom almond, is unrivaled. Sarah Jane’s pastry case is always stocked, but it’s best to order ahead for anything special (like a harvest apple pie).

Heights Bakery

A classic, no-frills bakery on Central Avenue, Heights Bakery dishes up glazed doughnuts, buttery apple fritters, and chocolate-sprinkle Long Johns day in and day out. For a savory bite, try the ten-grain bread or an onion roll.

La Boulangerie Marguerite

Few places can make a name with both croissants and old-fashioned doughnuts. 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. 

Shelves of pastries on metal trays.
A selection of pastries at La Boulangerie Marguerite.
La Boulangerie Marguerite

Bellecour Bakery @ Cooks

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. Kaysen and acclaimed pastry chef Diane Moua opened Bellecour in Wayzata, originally — after a pandemic closure, it now lives within Cooks of Crocus Hill on Grand Avenue and in downtown Minneapolis. The kouign amann here are exceptional — they’re caramely and buttery and intricately layered — and Moua’s famous crepe cake, layered with rich pastry cream, is a must.

Trung Nam French Bakery

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. 

A flaky croissant that’s half bitten into sits on a white paper bag on a red table.
A coconut croissant from Trung Nam.
Justine Jones

Marc Heu Patisserie Paris

Paris-trained (at a 300-year old patisserie) Marc Heu, who is of Hmong descent, left native France for St. Paul over two years ago. Here, he started 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. Note that March Heu Patisserie is moving to a new St. Paul address this spring.

One of the many aesthetically-pleasing desserts at this Twin Cities favorite.
Mark Heu

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