The 11 best bakeries in Adelaide

Picture this: flaky, buttery croissants oozing with vanilla custard, or a fluffy focaccia slab smothered in melted cheese. That’s just a taste of the daily lineup at Shadow Baking – Australia’s latest viral bakery by the legends behind Gelato Messina, which now has two delicious stores in Adelaide. Fun fact: Adelaide is actually the hometown of Messina founder Nick Palumbo and his brother Danny. Gelato Messina is right next door to their North Adelaide shop, giving you a delicious duo of pastries and gelato. 

Must-try: Pandan and coconut brioche, custard tart danish, tomato and hot honey focaccia 

Address: 8/1 Colley Tce, Glenelg & 03/88 O'Connell St, North Adelaide 

This popular, proudly South Australian bakery has been around since 1910, but its offerings are anything but stuck in the past. Jenny’s Bakery has built up a cult following from its innovative treats. They were one of the first bakeries to bring the crookie to Australian shores and also have the Dubai chocolate soft-serve. These days, the family-owned bakery excels in riffs on bakery classics. Try their pistachio croissants, maritozzi (cream-filled brioche buns) and their bomboloni (filled doughnuts). Jenny’s also serves up open-crumbed focaccia and seasonal Italian sandwiches.  sandwiches. 

Must-try: Cinnamon buns, Biscoff bombolini, zeppoli doughnuts, pistachio croissants

Address: Locations in Eastwood, Norwood & Keswick

Boogie on down to this bright yellow bakery that has, over the years, claimed bragging rights to Australia’s best plain meat pie, sausage roll and vanilla slice. Let’s start with their gourmet pies, which put a tasty spin on classic Aussie pub fare, such as the nacho pie, butter chicken, and surf 'n' turf varieties. As for the sweet treats, there’s only one thing to order: the vanilla slice; it comes in a whole heap of sizes (the large ones are perfect for sharing). Banana Boogie also serves up an all-day brekkie menu and sells loaves of fresh ciabatta and Turkish bread to take home. 

Must-try: Vanilla slice, meat pie, sausage roll

Address: Shop 4/10 Main Rd, Belair & Shop 5/44/50 Hawson Ave, North Plympton

Don’t get lost on your way to this charming Bowden bakery or you’ll miss having first pick of their fresh-baked pastries and bread. The Lost Loaf opens from Wednesday to Sunday, selling only what they make that day, which includes plain and almond croissants, custard-filled pastries, pain au chocolat and fruit danishes. Their sourdoughs are a 36-hour labour of love and come in rye, wholewheat, seeded or fruit varieties. On weekends, the bakery also tempts with a spread of seasonal tarts, cakes, biscuits, doughnuts and stuffed baguette sandwiches, making your decision that much harder.

Must-try: Dark rye sourdough, apple crumble danish, spinach and feta spanakopita scroll

Address: 6/14 Fourth St, Bowden

Got an eye for a pie? Need to fill a niche with a quiche? Bakery on O’Connell in North Adelaide will satisfy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Despite looking rather demure from the outside, this place thrums inside with dozens of customers and almost as many staff, keeping the cabinets stocked with sausage rolls, pies, pasties and quiches of all varieties. On the sweet side of the ledger are fruit pies, éclairs, tarts and biscuits aplenty. But the real reason you’re here at 3am is to experience a 'pie floater' – a meat pie adrift in a bowl of green pea soup with tomato sauce on top. Magic!

Address: 128-130 O'Connell St, North Adelaide

Abbots and Kinney started out as a pop-up pastry shop, regularly seen on bar-studded Leigh Street and at the city-fringe Adelaide Farmers' Market in Wayville. Now with six permanent bases, including their original Pirie Street bakery, their pastries are crowd-pullers. You can stick with a classic butter croissant, but we’d suggest having a spot of fun with the 'cinnabon Jovi' scroll, 'cruller intentions' choux pastry, Moroccan lamb 'silly sausage' roll or drunken chicken 'I pie with my little eye'.  

Must-try: Cinnabon Jovi, twice-baked chocolate croissant, white sourdough

Address: Locations in Adelaide city, Malvern, Uni SA, West Lakes & Norwood

In this age of pop-ups and food vans, it’s hard to believe that Perrymans Bakery, a modest little spot in North Adelaide, has been putting buns in the oven for around 160 years. The Perrymans themselves have moved on, but the new owners certainly haven’t dropped the dough. In fact, with the hipster reverence for tradition infusing Adelaide, the old Perrymans is exuding new cool. Expect excellent oven stuff, from pepper-steak pies and spinach and cheese rolls to German-influenced sweet treats like Kitchener buns, streusel cakes and custard Berliners.

Must-try: Steak and mushroom pie, Cornish pasty, bee sting bun, gingerbread cookies

Address: 54 Tynte St, North Adelaide

Homer Simpson would be sure to give a thumbs up to the pink-glazed doughnut croissant with sprinkles at Mascavado. This trendy café and patisserie excels in its sweets, baking up an impressive range of stuffed croissants, danishes, cakes and tarts. You’ll want to drop by on the weekend for Mascavado’s specials, featuring croissants twice-baked with fillings like red velvet cheesecake, Biscoff, matcha and vanilla slice. Those who need some savoury respite can also grab a classic sausage roll, chicken sanga or veggie quiche. 

Must-try: Pistachio croissant, ham and cheese croissant, mortadella scroll, matcha cheesecake

Address: 175 Hutt St, Adelaide & Kiosk 1/166 The Parade, Norwood

Goodwood Road is a long way from the Champs Elysées, but Boulangerie 113 does a mighty fine impersonation of a Parisian bakery. It’s an open-fronted affair, with a scatter of footpath tables and a counter crammed with buttery croissants, deliciously stuffed sourdough baguettes and myriad tarts, pastries, loaves and buns. The coffee is good to go, and savvy marketing sees regular themed baked goods entering the fray, from ghoul biscuits at Halloween to star-shaped Christmas tarts.

Must-try: Almond croissant, sourdough baguette, vanilla slice

Address: Locations in Goodwood, Semaphore & Port Elliot

You’ve probably encountered the family behind Nettle & Knead before. They previously ran Wild Loaf at the Adelaide Central Market, before turning their Duthy Street location into a bakery-cross-café. Sunshine shines through the expansive glass windows onto the faces of happy customers enjoying bacon and egg sandos, tomato bruschettas and soup with freshly baked bread. The star of the show is the nostalgic vanilla slice, with plenty of vegan options too, including savoury pasties and seasonal muffins.

Must-try: Chocolate croissant, vanilla slice, bruschetta, seeded rye

Address: 84 Duthy St, Malvern

Going wine-tasting in McLaren Vale? Make sure to stop over at Pik A Pie. Located at a main intersection in the country town of Meadows, this bakery is well worth the drive. Run by Justin and Kristy, it's known for its flaky, golden pies (it's in the name, after all) and mouth-watering sweet treats. Inventive pie offerings include garlic prawn, cheeseburger and chicken yiros, or you can opt for classics like the Ned Kelly or brekky pie. Don’t even think about leaving without a kitchener bun or Pik a Pie's massive apple turnover. Sweet tooths will also love the vanilla slice (crunchy pastry heaven!) and their wide range of glazed doughnuts. Choose a few treats, pick a seat outside and enjoy them as you watch the world go by. 

Must-try: Ned Kelly pie, kitchener bun, doughnuts

Address: 34 Mawson Rd, Meadows