Best Bakeries in San Diego (2025)

Crystal White’s Bird Rock staple fuels the city’s sourdough and morning-bun obsession with organic flours and seasonal produce. Featured in Condé Nast Traveler and praised by The Infatuation, it’s also a neighborhood hub for sandwiches and occasional pizza nights.

Hot-from-the-oven croissants and wild sourdough anchor this East Village bake bar’s joyful, community-first vibe. Eater San Diego covered its 2024 café opening; Axios also heralded the return of its cult laminated pastries.

Le Cordon Bleu–trained Melanie Dunn turns out truly French croissants, canelés, and seasonal pastries in North Park’s airy shop. Covered by Eater San Diego and spotlighted by Axios, it’s become a local benchmark for precise, buttery lamination.

Vivian Hernandez-Jackson blends Cuban roots with classical technique for pastelitos, key lime tarts, and guava-cheese delights in Ocean Beach. Frequently recommended by local editors and Axios, it’s a sweet snapshot of San Diego’s Latin flavors.

Since 1994, Charles Kaufman’s Hillcrest institution has defined San Diego’s European-style bread culture. San Diego Magazine highlights its role in the city’s baking renaissance; the café remains a daily stop for crusty levain and classic pastries.

Family-owned by Guillaume and Ludivine Ryon, this patisserie is known for macarons, French pastries, and breads with a downtown Parisian vibe. San Diego Magazine detailed its expansion and production bakery plans, underscoring its local roots.

Karen Krasne’s iconic dessert house pairs dramatic cakes with a savory menu and curated teas. Celebrated by local critics for decades, it continues to anchor San Diego’s special-occasion sweet tooth with meticulous craft and striking presentation.

Brothers Clinton and Louie Prager mill grains and hand-shape naturally leavened loaves; their Hillcrest shop brings North County’s acclaimed breads into the city. Featured in San Diego Magazine’s coverage of the region’s grain-forward movement.

The French sibling-run café moved its energy to a new Civita location with laminated pastries, kouign-amann, and French-leaning brunch. What Now San Diego covered the opening; it’s an elegant park-side stop with local coffee partners.

A South Bay classic since 1991, beloved for towering fruit strudels, tortes, and old-world pastries. Recognized by San Diego Magazine among must-try local desserts, it remains a community favorite worth the short detour south of the city.