Here, now, in no particular order, a guide to the must-eat-right-now pastry sites in Portland and South Portland for Memorial Day weekend. Gluten-free or vegan? Portland's got it all – and then some.
Is your favorite pastry place not on our list? Tell us in the comments. — Claire Jeffers
Once the morning bagel rush settles (no, really) at this South Portland treasure, there is, in all of its shining glory, the pastry case. Their “everydays,” as they call them, include: chocolate chip hooray cookies, cinnamon sugar graham crackers, almond horseshoes, and blondies – just to name a few.
This famed bakery located right in the Old Port has helped to put Portland on the culinary food map. With their cookbook, “Standard Baking Co. Pastries,” which published just last year, Standard Baking is, for lack of a better word, on the continual rise. They open at seven a.m. every morning for a reason: their morning buns are famous.
Perched on the incline of Munjoy Hill in Portland’s East End neighborhood, this bakery packs a lot to offer (sandwiches, soups and yes, pastries) into a tiny space. While their breakfast sandwiches are a hit, too, this bakery certainly doesn’t skimp on the cookies. As the front page of their website rightly suggests, their chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies are BIG.
This is the place for blueberry pie (or strawberry rhubarb or chocolate cream or raspberry peach…). Also in Portland’s East End neighborhood, this iconic Maine bakery has a loyal customer base, which could in part be due to their tendency to have “free sample days.”
The pastry case in this Exchange Street café is something out of, well…Paris. Owner Isabelle Julien and her mother, Bernadette, create many of the baked goods, such as “real Parisian macaroons” and lemon meringue tarts. Known also for their charming, European décor, this is a patisserie that will transport you straight overseas.
Looking for gluten-free treats? Search no further than Commercial Street where Bam Bam creates only gluten-free fare. Anything from cakes, pies, cookies, and breads – it’s all made from scratch and in-house.
While not strictly a bakery, this local, organic food cooperative offers a daily variety of traditional and vegan baked goods, such as muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, and Maine sea salt fudge brownies. Ingredients are sourced locally from Bowden’s Egg Farm in Waldoboro, Cabot Creamery, and Oakhurst Dairy.
A hallmark of Portland’s West End neighborhood, this provisions shop has something for everyone. It’s a popular lunch spot (and while you wait for your sandwich, you can shop for wine and cheese, too) but their pastries and baked goods, especially their raspberry scones, have what some would call a mass following.
Chef Ed Foley trained with European pastry chefs before ultimately opening his own pastry haven in the heart of Portland. Their menu boasts anything from a wedding cake to a chocolate chip cookie to a linzer torte.
Known around Portland as the small chain of stores that stocks local and organic produce and provisions, Rosemont’s other contribution to the community, their talent with bread and pastry, is sometimes overlooked. In addition to their unmatched English muffins and burger buns (made from a brioche dough), the pastry shelves at Rosemont locations are usually packed with croissants, muffins, scones, pies, and their honey cinnamon raisin bread. Check out their website for various locations.
Once the morning bagel rush settles (no, really) at this South Portland treasure, there is, in all of its shining glory, the pastry case. Their “everydays,” as they call them, include: chocolate chip hooray cookies, cinnamon sugar graham crackers, almond horseshoes, and blondies – just to name a few.
This famed bakery located right in the Old Port has helped to put Portland on the culinary food map. With their cookbook, “Standard Baking Co. Pastries,” which published just last year, Standard Baking is, for lack of a better word, on the continual rise. They open at seven a.m. every morning for a reason: their morning buns are famous.
Perched on the incline of Munjoy Hill in Portland’s East End neighborhood, this bakery packs a lot to offer (sandwiches, soups and yes, pastries) into a tiny space. While their breakfast sandwiches are a hit, too, this bakery certainly doesn’t skimp on the cookies. As the front page of their website rightly suggests, their chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies are BIG.
This is the place for blueberry pie (or strawberry rhubarb or chocolate cream or raspberry peach…). Also in Portland’s East End neighborhood, this iconic Maine bakery has a loyal customer base, which could in part be due to their tendency to have “free sample days.”
The pastry case in this Exchange Street café is something out of, well…Paris. Owner Isabelle Julien and her mother, Bernadette, create many of the baked goods, such as “real Parisian macaroons” and lemon meringue tarts. Known also for their charming, European décor, this is a patisserie that will transport you straight overseas.
Looking for gluten-free treats? Search no further than Commercial Street where Bam Bam creates only gluten-free fare. Anything from cakes, pies, cookies, and breads – it’s all made from scratch and in-house.
While not strictly a bakery, this local, organic food cooperative offers a daily variety of traditional and vegan baked goods, such as muffins, scones, cinnamon rolls, and Maine sea salt fudge brownies. Ingredients are sourced locally from Bowden’s Egg Farm in Waldoboro, Cabot Creamery, and Oakhurst Dairy.
A hallmark of Portland’s West End neighborhood, this provisions shop has something for everyone. It’s a popular lunch spot (and while you wait for your sandwich, you can shop for wine and cheese, too) but their pastries and baked goods, especially their raspberry scones, have what some would call a mass following.
Chef Ed Foley trained with European pastry chefs before ultimately opening his own pastry haven in the heart of Portland. Their menu boasts anything from a wedding cake to a chocolate chip cookie to a linzer torte.
Known around Portland as the small chain of stores that stocks local and organic produce and provisions, Rosemont’s other contribution to the community, their talent with bread and pastry, is sometimes overlooked. In addition to their unmatched English muffins and burger buns (made from a brioche dough), the pastry shelves at Rosemont locations are usually packed with croissants, muffins, scones, pies, and their honey cinnamon raisin bread. Check out their website for various locations.
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