Six of the best bakeries in Edinburgh to try right now
Edinburgh is having something of a bakery moment.
Across the capital, queues are forming for still-warm croissants, cardamom buns and sourdough loaves, while a new generation of bakers has turned laminated pastry into one of the city’s most competitive food scenes.
Edinburgh now has everything from internationally recognised pastry shops to tiny neighbourhood bakeries and businesses that have been part of city life for decades.
Here are six of the best bakeries in Edinburgh worth seeking out.
Lannan Bakery
Darcie Maher opened the Stockbridge bakery in 2023 and within a remarkably short time it had become one of Edinburgh's most talked-about food destinations. It was named Pastry Opening of the Year at the La Liste World Pastry Awards in 2024. The attraction is meticulous viennoiserie combined with flavours which change with the seasons. Croissants and cardamom buns sit alongside more elaborate creations, while Scottish bakery favourites such as custard slices, iced buns and pineapple tarts are treated with the same level of precision. The menu changes regularly, which is part of the appeal. There is now also Lannan Pantry next door, selling everything from fresh pasta and pâté en croûte to cheese, wine and products made by Scottish craftspeople. Go early. The queues are genuine and the most sought-after pastries can disappear quickly. What to order: Whatever the seasonal special is, plus a cardamom bun if there is one left. 29–35 Hamilton Place, Stockbridge.
LannanTwelve Triangles
Before Edinburgh's current pastry boom, Twelve Triangles was already helping change expectations of what a neighbourhood bakery could be. Emily Cuddeford and Rachel Morgan opened their first shop in 2015, building the business around slow-fermented sourdough, handmade pastries and seasonal ingredients. It has since expanded across Edinburgh, with shops in Brunswick Street, Leith, Easter Road, Portobello, Morningside, Stockbridge and Dalry. Its scale has not stopped it feeling like a proper bakery. Jams, custards and fillings are made in-house, and there is a particularly strong line-up of cinnamon and cardamom buns alongside sourdough, doughnuts and savoury pastries. Twelve Triangles has become an everyday Edinburgh favourite. What to order: A cinnamon bun and a loaf of sourdough to take home.
Twelve TrianglesThe Pastry Section
The Pastry Section has grown into one of Edinburgh’s most dependable destinations for something sweet. With bakehouses in Stockbridge, Leith and Drumsheugh, everything is made from scratch on site, with counters filled with cakes, buns, tarts and cookies throughout the week. Its signature bakes include brownies, cinnamon buns, lemon meringue tarts and snickerdoodle cookies, while the selection changes regularly depending on the season. There is less emphasis here on elaborate viral pastries and more on really well-made cakes and bakery classics – the sort of place where it is difficult to leave with just one thing. The Pastry Section also makes bespoke celebration cakes, using seasonal ingredients. What to order: A cinnamon bun or lemon meringue tart. Locations at 86 Raeburn Place, Stockbridge; 143 Great Junction Street, Leith; and Drumsheugh Gardens.
The Pastry SectionThe Wee Boulangerie
The Wee Boulangerie has been quietly making excellent bread on Clerk Street since 2012, taking inspiration from traditional European baking and concentrating on slow processes and good ingredients. Baguettes, sourdough and other artisan loaves are the reason to visit, although there is also a changing selection of pastries, cakes, quiches and savoury bakes. It is tiny, understated and a useful reminder that the foundation of a great bakery is still really good bread. What to order: A baguette or whatever loaf has most recently come out of the oven. 67 Clerk Street.
The Wee BoulangerieThe Sicilian Pastry Shop
The Sicilian Pastry Shop has been doing things its own way for generations. The family-run Albert Street institution has become one of the city's best-known traditional bakeries, with counters laden with cakes, cream pastries, doughnuts, Italian sweets and savoury food. Prices remain refreshingly accessible and there is a sense that the shop remains firmly rooted in the neighbourhood around it. The Sicilian Pastry Shop remains a piece of Edinburgh food history that also happens to make very good cakes. What to order: A cannolo or one of the fresh cream cakes. 14–16 Albert Street.
The Sicilian Pastry ShopPatina
Patina requires a short journey west of Edinburgh city centre, but pastry lovers have plenty of reason to make it. The bakery at Edinburgh Park makes its breads and pastries on site, with an open-plan set-up where the craft of the bakery is deliberately part of the experience. The counter runs from classic croissants, pain au chocolat and pain aux raisins to pain suisse and more elaborate seasonal specials. Unlike some of Edinburgh's tiny takeaway bakeries, this is somewhere designed for staying a while with coffee and pastry. What to order: The cinnamon swirl or one of the changing seasonal pastries. New Park Square, Edinburgh Park.
Patina