Having spent the first six months of this year on Erasmus in Paris, eating almond croissants for breakfast and tearing still-warm baguettes with dinner, I can confidently say that buttery baked goods and their bready friends will never leave my heart. I returned to Dublin dismayed at the thought of losing my daily fix of dough. However, following my nose to the dreamy scent of fresh bread and pastries, I have found what I believe are five of the best bakeries in and around Dublin city centre. Add these to your must-try list of food places in Dublin for a guaranteed dopamine boost. In no particular order…
Scéal Bakery
Sourdough bread and pastries from Scéal Bakery can be found on Thursdays (10.30am to 12.40pm) and Saturdays (10.30am to 1pm) at the lovely Fumbally Stables in Dublin 8 – or, it has also teamed up with the Hopsack in Rathmines to sell its country sourdough and sesame miso loaves every Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings. The founders, Charlotte and Shane, met on their first day of their Culinary Arts degree in TU Dublin over a decade ago, and haven’t left each other’s sides since. Their love of baking and each other translates into their produce, which is in touch with Ireland and its seasons. They serve up all of the classics and every Thursday they deliver their “pastry bae” where they get to “flex [their] pastry game, explore new flavour combinations, and of course satisfy your soul!”
I recommend you follow Scéal’s instagram page, @scealbakery, for updates, pleasing aesthetics and, of course, eternally satisfying pastry ASMR.
BREAD 41
Bread 41 of Pearse St is essentially an institution at this stage. Throughout all of the lockdowns queues never waned at its compact hatch, and now the establishment has finally re-opened for indoor dining. No flavour, style of pastry, cake or loaf is out of reach of founder Eoin Cluskey and his team of skilled bakers’ capacity: from savoury blue cheese, fig and honey danishes to spiced pear cake with rum pecans and whipped mascarpone, topped with chai poached pear and candied orange zest. The classic twice-baked almond croissant (especially when it has the added bonus of chocolate in it) or the morning bun are personal favourites of mine. In recent years, Bread 41 has put substantial efforts into reducing its carbon footprint and promoting sustainability: by next April, it will be entirely takeaway cup free, and has recently placed a tax on paper bags to encourage people to bring their own.
Medialuna Croissanterie
How great is it when something you love can be found in lots of places? Well, this is the case for the stunning pastries from Medialuna. It stocks around 30 cafes, so no matter where you are living in Dublin, you can get your fill. From Cloud Picker on Pearse St to newly opened Søren & Son in Dublin 8. One of the co-founders, Mariano, began by baking his croissants at home while still working full-time at ALMA in Portobello. Cloud Picker was the first to stock its coffees, and it remains my go to for a fix of Medialuna baked goods. As it ias conveniently located opposite the Pearse St entrance to campus, they could be yours too…
Bretzel Bakery
Founded in 1870, Bretzel is one of the most well-established bakeries in Dublin – it would be rude to exclude it from the list. Bretzel has maintained tradition while not being afraid to venture into new territory. I recently tried its apple and custard Danish, still warm and comprising layers upon layers of buttery, flaky pastry, creamy vanilla custard and tangy seasonal apple. The Bretzel baguette is also objectively the perfect base for a sandwich. Its sourdough pre-cut loaves are available across many shops and supermarkets so why not make the switch from sliced pan (which is often packed with ingredients such as emulsifiers, preservatives and palm fat) to healthy, fresh sourdough bread?
No Messin’ Bakery
Stretch your legs and take a walk out to No Messin’ bakery, which operates out of Proper Order Coffee in Smithfield. With an emphasis on simple ingredients and flavours, everything is finished with care and expertise. Currently, there are only pastries on offer, as the kitchen space isn’t large enough for bread (though an expansion has been hinted at). But with pastries and sweet treats as good as the Cardi B (a cardamom bun), brown butter cookies or seasonal Danishes – no one’s complaining. The winter drinks from Proper Order are also equally devilish: think hot chocolate made with cacao, coconut sugar and Himalayan salt, or the must-try PSL (the new in-season acronym for “pumpkin spice latte” – who knew?)
