5 to Try: Bakeries

by Citysearch_Editor - 0 Reviews - 45 Lists

Updated: February 06, 2004

There are situations where only a chocolate cake, freshly baked loaf or flaky pastry will do. Give your day a whirl of sweetness with these five excellent Boston bakeries, each with its own carbolicious specialties. Box up a swell breakfast or do a crumbly munch at the counter, all the while praising the heavens for divine eggy and butter artistry.

5 to Try

  1. 1 3.5 Star Rating: Average Hi-Rise Bread Co
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    208 Concord Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138 (map)

    The dough comes first in this spacious bakery and cafe, visibly kneaded, rolled and shaped into various loaves in the open kitchen. The Huron Village favorite unfurls a tantalizing array of mouth-watering pastries at the counter, and serves sturdy sandwiches with fillings heaped onto freshly baked bread. Have an ardent sweet-tooth? Meet your match in the grilled Nutella brioche 'wich.

  2. 2 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Flour Bakery & Cafe
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    1597 Washington St, Boston, MA 02118 (map)

    Act fast if you crave a sticky, sticky bun, wrought with dark caramel and toasted pecans, because everyone else has the same brilliant idea, causing a veritable daily bakery-run. Joanne Chang's spot caters to local sugartooths with a remarkable selection of fresh, inventive pastries (like the from-scratch pop tarts), savory snacks (sandwiches and flatbreads make for a perfect lunch stopover) and coffee.

  3. 3 Japonaise Bakery and Cafe
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    1020 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446 (map)

    This East-meets-West (bringing the best of both worlds) bakery slings a mean maple-pecan cinnamon roll as easily as a cream-filled azuki bean pastry. Chef Hiroko Sakan churns out French baked goods with a Japanese twist, creating fusion masterpieces like curry doughnuts and green tea mousse cakes, as well as serving up ice cream, bubble tea and an assortment of Japanese snacks.

  4. 4 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Lyndell's Bakery
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    720 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144 (map)

    Imagine the everybody-knows-everybody, old-time bakery that makes children's eyes pop, serving the same eclairs and cakes they've been baking for ages. That's exactly how it rolls at this landmark Ball Square bakery, renown since 1887 for its old-school pastries, like half moons, hand-cut donuts and hot cross buns.

  5. 5 5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended Clear Flour Bread Bakery
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    178 Thorndike St, Brookline, MA 02446 (map)

    Buttery, crackly, hand-rolled croissants. Flaky, fruit-filled tarts. Traditional, rich, eggy brioche. This tiny Brookline bakery does it all, rewarding patrons with top-notch European breads and sweet treats, all baked from scratch daily in a stone hearth oven. Follow your nose to this earnest hidden gem.