What could possibly smell more comforting than bread and pastries fresh from the oven? The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex offers plenty of bakeries that specialize in that aroma, not to mention in delicious baked goods. From traditional French patisseries and cupcake boutiques to sourdough specialty shops, North Texas has a bakery for every whim.
For anyone seeking a perfectly flaky croissant, a bagel from a nationally renowned bagel artisan, or a beautifully iced cake for a special occasion, consider this your guide to some of the Metroplex’s best bakeries.
Sugar Ray’s Bakeshop
Owned by Rachel Barbaro Arrieta, who once appeared on the Netflix baking show Sugar Rush, Sugar Ray’s Bakeshop is locally famous for its fresh, crispy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside macarons and robust cupcake menu. The Plano-based shop also sells cookies, cakes, and brownies that have reeled in dessert-lovers since 2013. Sign up for one of Sugar Ray’s macaron-baking classes, and you can attempt to recreate the magic at home. 4021 Preston Rd. #624, Plano, sugarraysbakeshop.com/
Lubella’s Patisserie
If you have croissants on the brain, grab a table at this cozy patisserie, and choose from plain, chocolate, or almond varieties. Elevate the moment with a cup of lavender coffee, or make it a meal by trying the chicken pesto or Caprese croissant sandwich. Even if you’re craving nothing at all, one whiff from the street outside Lubella’s will swiftly draw you in. The shop offers a full menu of cakes and pastries too, but croissants are the standout. 10323 Ferguson Rd. Dallas, lubellaspatisserie.com
Unrefined
With five locations around the Metroplex, this mother-daughter owned bakery has a loyal following for its bread, muffins, and pies made with organic and non-GMO flours. What really sets it apart is that it caters to customers with allergies and food sensitivities. Whether you’re looking for baked goods free of dye, gluten, egg, nuts, grains, rice, soy, starch, tapioca, or yeast, Unrefined has choices galore. There are also Keto-friendly and vegan menus. Multiple locations, unrefinedbakery.com
Starship Bagel
If you ask bagel-seeking Dallasites, the city was once considered a bagel dead zone, but in recent years, a few impressive, New York City-caliber shops have opened around the Metroplex. None have gotten as much attention, both locally and nationally, as Oren Salomon’s Starship Bagels. Starship is bagel purism. Customers can buy bagels and schmear, a few vegetable toppings, and only one protein: lox. If an ingredient doesn’t highlight the bagel, you won’t find it on the menu. At each of the three locations, bakers replenish the stock every two hours. Multiple locations, starshipbagel.com
La Casita Bakeshop
Maricsa Trejo opened La Casita Bakeshop in 2019 in the months before the pandemic. Against all odds, the bakery became a raving success, with Trejo earning a semifinalist nomination from the James Beard Foundation for “Oustanding Baker” in 2022. Even if you think you’ve never tried La Casita’s baked goods, you probably have. The bakery is a supplier for more than 175 restaurants and cafés around Dallas. The flagship location in Richardson offers breads and pastries, as well as breakfast and lunch items. The banana praline pancakes, topped with maple and hazelnut praline syrup, bruleed bananas, and toasted hazelnuts, are a standout. 580 W. Arapaho Ste. 154, Richardson, lacasitabakeshop.com
Bread in Texas
The owner of this sourdough micro-bakery, Yurisa Bela Schultz, slings bread every Saturday from the McKinney Farmer’s Market with her young daughter Hana. Beyond sourdough loaves, Schultz showcases fluffy dinner rolls, flaky tarts, and rotating specialty items like olive bread, sweet potato bread, coconut-white chocolate bundt cake, and “focaccia croissants” fragrant with rosemary and cherry tomatoes. 315 S. Chestnut St., McKinney, chestnutsquare.org
Oak Cliff Bread
When the early days of the pandemic left him unemployed, Tyler Rooney started baking bread at home and turned his kitchen into a cottage business. Word spread of his baking prowess, and he and his wife Chayanne officially opened Oak Cliff Bread in 2021. The place is small, artisanal, and committed to old-school, everything-by-hand baking practices. The duo also takes pride in using heritage grains, which are grains grown before the 1900s when plant-breeding became the norm. Everything Oak Cliff Bread slings is moist and fresh, but it’s particularly known for croissants and sourdough. Stock up when you visit – the shop is only open Thursday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 1300 South Polk St., Ste. 230, Dallas, oakcliffbread.com
Grandma’s Bakery
Run by two grandmas, this Persian bakery offers traditional cookies, cakes, pastries. Persian ice cream, distinct for its saffron, pistachios, and rose water, is made in-house. Grandma’s is your opportunity to try sweets you won’t soon see at other bakeries around the Metroplex, including Yazdi cupcakes (rosewater and cardamom muffins) and zaboon (glazed puff pastry). 17977 Preston Rd., Dallas, grandmasbakerydfw.com/
Sweet Gilly’s Specialty Bakeshop
This gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free bakery in Frisco draws lines out the door for its cupcakes, kolaches, and cinnamon rolls. Plenty of the baked goods eschew nuts and soy, too. The baker at the helm was inspired by her own journey with an autoimmune disease, and the attendant food sensitivities, to create delicious allergen-free baked goods. With its light-filled space decorated with pink furniture and gold trim, Sweet Gilly’s is a cozy place to enjoy something sweet on a Saturday afternoon. 3266 Parkwood Blvd. Ste. 100, Frisco, sweetgillysbakeshop.com/
Fanah Café and Pastry
Curl up on the love seat at this Ethiopian bakery in Richardson, sip a macchiato, and dig into a slice of Black Forest Cake. Ethiopian coffee beans stand among the best in the world, and this café not only honors the country’s coffee, but the country’s coffee culture. This isn’t a grab-and-go kind of coffee shop; rather, it’s a place to chat and connect with friends as you sip. 139 N. Plano Rd., Richardson, fanahcafeandpastry.com/
