Those in the know have adored this bread subscription service for years, specializing in single-varietal grain sourdoughs and porridge breads. Now that Starter has a new home, sharing a building with Gracie’s Apizza in St. Johns, visitors can order pastries and treats directly from the bakers on Sundays. Pastries change often, but they range from cherry buckwheat scones to eggplant-tomato bialys to hazelnut plum galettes, served alongside loaves of bread and apple-brie sandwiches. Sunday service runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This sweet, Bethany-area Vietnamese American bakery is a favorite for custom cakes, with flavors like pandan and matcha filled with passionfruit curd or durian cream. However, neighborhood locals like to pop in for things like taro cupcakes and earthy black sesame madeleines, as well as a nice selection of cookies incorporating things like five spice or gochujang. Those who prefer savory treats will appreciate the shop’s cream cheese garlic buns.

For those in the mood for fancier pastries, Jinju Patisserie always delivers. The Williams bakery’s pastry chefs are Las Vegas expats, and this showmanship is evident in desserts like towering fruit tarts, silky mousse layer cakes, and jewelry-like bonbons. That being said, Jinju is also home to one of the city’s finest croissants, one of the largest in town with a shatteringly crisp exterior and a buttery core. Savory pastry fans may prefer the ham, bacon, and cheese croissant, topped with a sprinkle of everything bagel seasoning.

Bakeshop is one of the most decorated bakeries in the city: In 2016, Kim Boyce was nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, and won for her cookbook dedicated to whole grain baking in 2011. Everything on the menu is exemplary and the dictionary definition of what the pastry should taste like, but those seeking recommendations should opt for the flaky chocolate croissant made with local Woodblock chocolate or a laminated maple bar so impressively layered that it could almost pass as a Southern biscuit. Walk-in orders are currently available on the weekends, but will soon expand to include Wednesday and Thursday service.

For years, Twisted Croissant made the most exciting laminated pastries in the Portland area, selling croissants of almost every variation and colorful chouquettes. But what makes this bakery special is its cruffin, a hybrid pastry made by twisting croissant dough into a muffin. Twisted Croissant switches up fillings and flavors for options like raspberry rose cruffins, baklava variations, and more. Twisted Croissant maintains brick-and-mortar locations on Northeast Broadway and Sellwood; the pastries are also available for purchase at various farmers markets on weekends. 

Nuvrei has always excelled in traditional French baking like caneles, macarons, fruit danishes, and more. But its croissants are the true draw — Nuvrei also offers extraordinary varieties, including distinctive flavors like rose, matcha, and sesame. The Pearl District bakery is cozy but minimalist, with its giant display case giving way to limited seating.

Nationally celebrated baker Ken Forkish developed a reputation for the breads at this neighborhood artisan bakery he founded: Loaves are dark and crusty, with an airy crumb and subtle tang from sourdough starters. Although Forkish has since retired, the bakery on Northwest 21st continues to serve exceptional laminated pastries, like its goat-cheese-and-leek croissant or its passionfruit escargot, made with a swirl of croissant dough topped with a vibrant yellow passionfruit glaze. The Oregon croissant, filled with marionberries and hazelnut paste, is a particular stunner.

Credit goes to Pix Patisserie for coming up with the most socially distanced, convenient way to abate sugar cravings at any hour of the day. Owner Cheryl Wakerhauser refurbished 20-year-old vending machines, only to fill them with Pix’s macarons, mousses, truffle cakes, and even party favors like sparklers and cocktail mixers. Stand-out pastries include the Amelie, a chocolate mousse entremet with a candied hazelnut center and a crown of orange-flavored creme brulee, as well as the classic opera cake. The Pix-O-Matic is only open for takeaway orders via the vending machine 24 hours every day; customers can also order large-format versions of the desserts for contactless pick-up. 

Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., this minimalist space from James Beard Award-winning chef Vince Nguyen opens to serve Vietnamese-inflected desserts like pandan layer cakes and coconut egg custard tarts. The shop is best known for its springy bánh bò nuong, a honeycomb cake served here in flavors like pandan and coffee. Don’t skip Berlu’s beautiful fruit tarts, like the seasonal rhubarb pandan.

Tucked in a quiet nook away from Southeast Division’s main hustle and bustle, Little T Baker specializes in flaky croissants, seasonal fruit tarts, and chocolate chip cookies studded with giant chunks of molten chocolate. But the main draw of Little T is its crusty baguette, spotted on restaurant menus across town; for another stellar bread, the incredibly soft and pillowy Sally Lunn brioche is one of the city’s finest. Little T Baker goods are also available for purchase at Providore Fine Foods. 

Don’t be fooled by An Xuyên’s nondescript appearance off Southeast Foster Road — its seemingly small size from the outside disguises the fact that you can get almost any kind of baked good inside. Think: crusty French Vietnamese baguettes and banh mi, other Asian breads, Hawaiian doughnuts with black sesame and ube mochi varieties, and all kinds of tarts, cupcakes, cookies, and even custom cakes. The buttery guava cookies are a particular standout. 

This small, 24-seat bakery rightfully earns its spot on this list by consistently churning out delicate and meticulous cannoli, light and airy focaccia, and other classic Italian baked goods. It’s no surprise this Lents bakery killed it from the get-go: owner Michelle Vernier honed her craft by working as a pastry chef at Portland classics like Paley’s Place, Imperial, and Wildwood. The bakery is open for walk-up orders of amaretti, anise biscotti, and slabs of tiramisu; customers can also pre-order via an online market.

This Southwest Dakota bakery is perhaps best known for its bolos — the lightly sweet, springy, Portuguese answer to an English muffin — the foundation of breakfast sandwiches at places like Either/Or. But on the weekends, visitors can pop by the bakery for things like French onion soup bialys, passionfruit cruffins, and pumpkin pie turnovers. The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.