Bakery Tourism: Chasing Almond Pastries: Visiting the World’s Most Beloved Bakeries

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TOPIC SIX: BAKERY TOURISM CHASING ALMOND PASTRIES: VISITING THE WORLD’S MOST BELOVED BAKERIES

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, you should be able to…

Determine what makes a “great bakery”
Explore some of the world’s best bakeries
Explore the versatility of almonds used in the world’s top bakeries
Put together a great itinerary for your next “bakery crawl”

Lesson Outline:

Overview
The world’s best bakeries
What makes a great bakery?

According to Fast Company, today this trend is increasingly fueled by social media, with many travelers journeying across the globe in search of innovative renditions of familiar pastries: eye-catching pastries filled with fruit or the perfect flaky croissant or artisan buns, that they first spotted online. Long lines are no longer seen as an inconvenience but rather part of the experience. A signal that you’ve found a truly exceptional spot. This phenomenon reflects a broader desire for unique food experiences, the influence of social media, and the desire for small luxuries, even during economic downturns. So why are almond pastries worth traveling the world for? We’ll explore what makes a bakery great as well as which ones are deserving of a place on your pastry pilgrimage list.

Bakery display with a pastry being pulled out to give a customer

The World’s Best Bakeries

Some of the most celebrated bakeries around the world are historic institutions, while some are newer, chef‑driven patisseries that make a brief but intense splash on social media. The list of the world’s best bakeries below is not definitive and focuses on some key countries in Europe as well as Morocco. We also included some US-based mentions. Europe is home to some of the world’s best almond pastries, and embarking on a bakery crawl is a delicious way to experience the continent’s culinary heritage. From France’s delicate frangipane tarts to Spain’s marzipan sweets and Italy’s almond-filled pastries, each region expresses local history and ingredients through its baking. Tasting them in their place of origin turns each stop into both a cultural discovery and a memorable indulgence.

France:

The French Bastards (Paris) – Opened in 2019 by childhood friends Julien Abourmand, Emmanuel Gunther, and David Abehsera, this bakery became a global sensation through their viral Instagram and TikTok posts. This bakery aims to bring a modern, rebellious twist to traditional French baking. Their Caramel-Almond Praline Kugelhophs, are mini Bundt cakes made with caramelized almonds. The cakes are filled with caramel, and then coated with more almond praline.
Ladurée (Paris) – Founded in 1862, Ladurée was one of Paris’s first tea rooms, offering a space to socialize and enjoy pastries. In the 1930s, pastry chef Pierre Desfontaines, a descendant of the founder, filled two almond meringue shells with creamy ganache, creating the macaron as we know it today.
Du Pain et des Idées (Paris) – Frequently celebrated for some of the best croissants in Paris—particularly their croissant aux amandes (almond croissants) and classic breads—this patisserie is housed in a stunning building dating back to 1875.
Pierre Hermé (Paris) – Pierre Hermé is famous for revolutionizing modern French pastry, earning him the nickname “Picasso of Pastry” for his innovative macaron flavor combinations, such as rose, lychee, and passion fruit. Pierre Hermé was recognized by the Michelin Guide, and voted World’s Best Pastry Chef in 2016. He is credited with elevating macarons to high-fashion status.
Stohrer (Paris) – Stohrer is the oldest patisserie in Paris, founded in 1730 by King Louis XV’s pastry chef, Nicolas Stohrer. Listed as a historical site, this bakery has taken on iconic status over time. It’s known for classic French pastries, such as galette frangipane aux amandes brutes, featuring a rich almond cream (frangipane) made with coarse ground almonds (amandes brutes) encased in flaky puff pastry, often enjoyed for Epiphany. It is also famous for its financiers, or little French almond cakes.

Italy:

Roscioli (Rome) – Considered a gastronomic landmark in Rome, Roscioli is known for its high-quality ingredients and exceptional Roman dishes. Their classic almond cantucci, or hard almond biscuits, are a beloved Italian tradition, perfect alongside a morning coffee.
Caffè Platti (Turin) – Founded in 1875, this beautiful café is known for its stunning baroque décor, its historical role as a cultural hub, and its exceptional pastries. Its signature dish is Torta Platti, made with chocolate, almond paste, and candied cherries.
Pasticceria Marchesi (Milan) – The exquisite artisanal pastries, original Art Deco interiors, and its status as a beloved gathering spot, make this 200-year-old pastry shop an icon of Italy. Founded in 1824, this pastry shop is famous for their veneziana, a brioche pastry filled with vanilla cream and topped with almond paste. They are also known for their sbrisolona, a traditional, crumbly Italian almond and cornmeal cake.

Germany

Zeit für Brot (Berlin) – This bakery is known for its commitment to organic ingredients, and traditional, long-dough baking methods. Some notable baked goods are their Apfel-Mandel-Schnecke, an apple almond swirl bun made from a light, vegan yeast dough topped with slivered almonds. Their Mandelmurmel are sweet vegan marzipan balls coated in slivered almonds.
Café Kreutzkamm (Munich) – Founded in 1825, the Kreutzkamm confectionery is one of the oldest and most renowned in Germany, having served the Saxon royal family and royal court. Christmas stollen is a symbol of the Christmas season for many Germans and the Kreutzkamm confectionery is famous for crafting this festive marzipan-filled fruit cake by hand.
Bäckerei‑Konditorei (Multiple locations in Germany) – A German institution specializing in regional breads, pastries, and cakes. This bakery is frequently recommended in German‑language guides, and offers German classics such as mandelhörnchen, or crescent-shaped cookies made with marzipan, almond meal, and sugar, and rolled in sliced almonds before baking.

Other European favorites:

Confitería Santo Tomé (Toledo, Spain) – Renowned as one of Toledo’s premier marzipan makers, this confectionery has been crafting almond paste sweets with sugar and honey since 1856. Toledo marzipan is famous for its Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, and you can enjoy these treats with this bakery’s signature items: marzipan eels and “caprichos” or little fruit shaped marzipan.
Piriquita (Sintra, Portugal) – Founded in 1862, Piriquita is renowned for its travesseiro, a delicate, pillow-shaped puff pastry filled with almond cream. The name travesseiro translates to “pillow” in Portuguese, reflecting the pastry’s soft, airy texture.
Demel (Vienna, Austria) – Founded in 1762, this historic Viennese confectioner is famous for its marzipan dipped in decadent dark chocolate as well as its pastel-colored Parisian almonds. Once the purveyor of confections to the Austrian imperial and royal court, the confectionary is famous for its opulent coffeehouse atmosphere. 
Conditori La Glace (Copenhagen, Denmark) – Established in 1870, Denmark’s oldest patisserie is renowned for its historic, unchanged recipes, especially the iconic Kransekage confections, which are small baked marzipan bites as well as marzipan cakes.
Conditorei Schober (Zurich, Switzerland) – Founded in 1842, this iconic Belle‑Époque style café‑patisserie is praised for its amaretti, or chewy almond cookies made from bitter almonds, sugar, and egg whites.

Now we’ll hop across the Alboran Sea in the Mediterranean to Morocco, because this country’s almond pastry traditions are truly special. Because Moroccan pastry culture is strongly local and family‑run, many of the very best places are neighborhood spots rather than famous “brands,” so it is worth combining these with recommendations from guides, food tours, and hotel staff when you are on the ground.

Morocco

Pâtisserie Bennis Habous (Casablanca) – Founded in 1936, this bakery is known for its authentic, artisanal sweets, particularly delicious, homemade cookies and pastries, all sold in a beautiful setting within the Habous Quarter. It is widely praised for traditional Moroccan sweets like Briouats, which are popular triangular-shaped Moroccan pastries made from thin warqa dough and filled with sweet almond paste. Ghoriba are traditional shortbread-style cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, made with almonds, flour, and sugar.  
Pâtisserie Corne de Gazelle (Marrakech) – This small patisserie in the medina is famous for its “gazelle horns” and other almond‑based sweets. Kaab el ghazal, (literally “gazelle ankles” but known in English as “gazelle horns”) are made from delicate dough wrapped around fragrant almond paste filling flavored with orange blossom water and cinnamon.  
Maison Sucrée (Marrakech) – Located in the heart of the medina of Marrakech, this highly rated bakery specializes in creative cornes de gazelle, a take on kaab el ghazal. The almond paste filling is combined with an array of creative flavors, such as cassis, coconut, and rose.
Pâtisserie Amandine (Marrakech) – Since 1997, this charming café has been a fixture in Marrakech’s vibrant Gueliz neighborhood. True to its name, the bakery specializes in Moroccan almond-based pastries, from almond cakes and marzipan honey cookies and macarons.

Next, we cross the Atlantic to the United States, where a few standout almond pastries earned mentions on our bakery tour.

USA

Dominique Ansel Bakery (New York, NY, London, etc.) – This bakery gained global fame for the cronut and other highly inventive pastries, and is now a fixture on many of the “world’s best” lists.   Not to be missed are their uniquely flavored croissants, such as their almond frangipane toasted coconut chocolate croissant and their gingerbread-spiced almond frangipane croissant.
Zingerman’s Bakehouse (Ann Arbor, MI) – This bakery has a loyal following, thanks to its artisanal, handcrafted breads, pastries, and cakes made with high-quality ingredients. Just some of their stand-out items include: Their chocolate orange almond torte, made with dark chocolate, orange oil, and ground almonds coated in chocolate ganache and more sliced, toasted almonds; Juliette’s Almond Croissants filled with almond cream; their Almond Pound Cake made with almond paste, and their Bostock, made with thick slices of brioche dipped in orange syrup, generously layered with almond frangipane, and sprinkled with slivered almonds.
Tartine Bakery (San Francisco, CA) While Tartine became famous for its signature crusty, tangy, bread, it is also beloved for its pastries. Their seasonal frangipane tarts have a flaky pastry and a rich, moist almond frangipane center, topped with fresh fruit that changes throughout the year.

Quality:

Use of high quality, fresh ingredients: Great bakeries resist shortcuts and inferior substitutes because customers can taste the difference in both flavor and texture. Swapping real butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla for lower-quality alternatives like vegetable oils, shortening, high-fructose corn syrup, or artificial flavors—and relying on pre-made components or preservatives to extend shelf life—may reduce costs, but it inevitably compromises the quality of the baked goods.
Skilled craftsmanship: Breads with proper fermentation, crust, and crumb; pastries with perfect lamination; cakes with even layers and moist, balanced interiors show technical competence and craftsmanship.  
Consistency over time: Items should look and taste the same from day to day, signaling controlled processes rather than occasional luck.   Using the same high-quality ingredients and making sure pastry team members are trained in perfect technique are key to delivering consistently excellent products.
Freshness: A great bakery bakes frequently, avoids stockpiling stale goods, and rotates product so displayed items are at peak quality.

Selection:

A star product with a cult following: Whether it is cronuts, mochi muffins, long-fermented sourdough, perfectly gooey chocolate chip cookies, or banana pudding, many standout bakeries are defined by a single exceptional item—one that inspires devotion, fuels social media buzz, and keeps customers coming back.
Focused yet varied selection: A great bakery has a clear identity and area of expertise—whether sourdough, viennoiserie, or Asian fresh-cream cakes. While consistently delivering customers’ favorite baked goods, including beloved “cult classics,” it also offers enough variety, along with seasonal or innovative items, to keep the menu fresh and engaging.
Inclusive options: Attention to dietary needs, such as Kosher, vegan, gluten-free, wholegrain choices, reflects awareness of modern preferences, and can also foster customer loyalty.

The Sensory Experience:

Appetizing aroma: A great bakery smells like warm bread, butter, vanilla, caramelized sugar, or fruit—not of staleness or cleaning products.  
A beautiful display: Pastries and loaves are neatly arranged behind spotless glass, free of crumb piles, with portions that appear generous and authentic. Displays should be visually appealing and photogenic.
Visual signs of craftsmanship: Cakes with even layers and smooth, not overworked frosting, and loaves that look properly proofed and baked, suggest perfect technique and attention to detail.

Service and Vibe:

Warm, efficient staff: Guests are warmly welcomed, questions are answered with confidence and product knowledge, and special requests are handled with courtesy—creating a genuinely inviting atmosphere.
Clean, organized environment: Tidy counters, uncluttered work areas, and visible cleanliness signal that the back-of-house is equally disciplined.  
Coherent feel: The interior, colors, packaging, and story of the bakery (family-run, heirloom grain-focused, French-style, etc.) align to create an inviting, memorable personality.  
The little joys: The combination of excellent products, warm hospitality, and an inviting space transforms a simple purchase into a small, uplifting ritual—one that sparks joy and builds lasting customer loyalty.

We hope you enjoyed this world tour of almond pastries and learning about the key elements of what makes a great bakery. Treat these bakeries, pastry shops, confectionaries, and cafes as anchors, then compare them with local favorites suggested by residents or social media influencers in each city. Be sure to combine “famous institutions” with one or two newer artisan shops per city to see how the local baking traditions are evolving.

As you make your own pilgrimage to the world’s best bakeries, pay attention to the details—ingredient quality, technique, consistency, atmosphere, and how each shop reflects its local culture—to sharpen your sense of what truly defines a great bakery.