By Sam MacKinnon, Carolyn Jung and Luke Tsai By Sam MacKinnon, Carolyn Jung and Luke Tsai | October 7, 2024 | Food & Drink, Guides,
Covering a vast range of cities and styles, here are our personal favorites when it comes to bakeries in Silicon Valley.
3052 Woodside Road, Woodside / Website
Its pastoral setting off a two-lane road coupled with its plain-Jane moniker belies the uptown European elegance—albeit a relaxed one—found inside The Village Bakery in Woodside. Yes, it’s a bakery, bar and restaurant all rolled into one, but with a certain polish to it. Inside the bakery, kouign-amanns, palm-size cookies and sourdough boules beckon, along with coffee from Bacchus’ own RoastCo beans.
19379 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino / Website
Alexander’s Patisserie is a one-stop destination for pastries and desserts of all kinds, from croissants to chocolates to macarons, but the gems that shine brightest are its full-size cakes (mousse cakes, opera cakes and Black Forest cakes) often done up with icing in eye-catching jewel tones. Chef Shuyao Cao not only knows and works with California’s bountiful fruits but brings an Asian influence to the modern French cuisine.
816 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park / Website
Famed restaurant Mademoiselle Colette is no stranger to great pastries, and with their second location in Palo Alto, this shop is a must on the list of best bakeries. With a space totaling less than 500 square feet, the menu is designed for folks to grab and go. In addition to pastries, the culinary options include salads, as well as sandwiches featuring housemade baguettes.
585 Victoria Court, San Leandro / Website
Here in the land of Tartine Bakery acolytes, As Kneaded Bakery offers a distinctly French twist on the baguette. Although she is a Bay Area resident, she does not use sourdough at all. But take a bite of any of Berkowitz’s variations on the baguette and you may well become a convert. Her sublime pain d’epi is rich in flavor and features a crunch that you can’t find anywhere else.
979 Story Road, Ste. 7066, San Jose / Website
Home to the original green waffle, a traditional South Asian form of the waffle that utilizes pandan leaves to give off its distinctive hue, this bakery deserves the attention it gets. Offering old-school, authentic Chinese and Vietnamese pastries like mochi cakes and more, California Bakehouse rounds out the list of best bakeries in Silicon Valley perfectly.
Photography by: ISTOCK