Home to nearly 5,000 bakeries, Rose City is a haven for those with a sweet tooth. To narrow down our options, the City Cast Portland podcast recently spoke with food writer and chef Sonya Sanford. Here are some of her picks for the best bakeries in Portland.
📍 Sunnyside
This woman-owned bakery specializes in sourdough goods made with local whole grains and the staff is always delightful. The breads here will take your at-home sandwiches to the next level.
🥖 The goods: You should absolutely never leave here without a loaf of sourdough, but treat yourself to the buttery goodness of their sourdough chocolate croissant.
📍 Buckman
Mexican brothers Gabriel and Josue Azcorra opened Dos Hermanos in 2018 after nearly a decade at the now-shuttered Delphinas Bakery. That experience set them up for success, but the secret ingredient that helped them rise to success is the familial spirit baked into their creations.
🥪 The goods: The Bada Bing, a giant chopped sandwich reminiscent of East Coast Italian classics.
📍 PSU Farmers Market
Owner Mio Asaka is marrying French baking traditions with her Japanese heritage with incredible results. Asaka is a regular at the Portland State University farmers market and takes orders for birthday cakes and tarts.
🥧 The goods: A slice of Japanese-style souffle cheesecake. Every pastry is a work of art and the offerings are a bit different each market day, so prepare to be wowed.
📍 Pop-Ups / Made-to-Order
Katie Gourley turned a pandemic-era community baking project into a custom cake business with offerings as gorgeous as they are delicious. Gourley uses locally-sourced whole grains and flowers to create exciting flavors less sweet — and sometimes more savory — than the usual cake.
🍰 The goods: Spelt olive oil cake with tahini whipped cream frosting.
📍 Pop-Ups / Made-to-Order
In another pandemic-era success story, Zikra Lukin’s Jewish bakery is bringing often-hard-to-find babka to Portland. Orders can be made online, but you can often find Babkush at Providore Fine Foods and at farmers markets around the city.
🥐 The goods: Go for the cinnamon babka. I’m with Jerry Seinfeld on this one.
Listen to our chat with food writer and host of the “Food Friends” podcast Sonya Sanford for more bakery recommendations.
