From glazed ham and turkey roll to gingerbread biscuits and pavlova, here are the best recipes from the RACV Club kitchen to help make your festive season extra special.
A guide to the best bakeries in Melbourne
Got a sweet tooth? Whether it’s an award-winning vanilla slice or a croissant with the perfect amount of pastry, here’s a list of the best bakeries to visit in Melbourne.
When we think of a great bakery that stands above the rest, what often comes to mind is the flaky, buttery pastry of a good croissant, a fresh vanilla slice, the tasty filling of a homemade pie, or the smell of freshly baked goods made by an artisan baker or pastry chef.
From Melbourne's inner city to the outer suburbs, here’s our pick of the best bakeries near you.
Use the arevo journey planner app to find the best way to your favourite bakery.
Best bakeries in Melbourne and the suburbs
Best bakeries in Melbourne's CBD
Lune
161 Collins Street, Melbourne, as well as locations in Fitzroy and Armadale
This is one bakery that aims for perfection when it comes to their speciality – croissants, with people often lining up for an hour just to get one.
Most creations at this bakery are gone by noon, and it’s not hard to see why. Lune’s out-of-the-box flavours like twice-baked almond frangipane and vegemite bechamel are made in a climate-controlled lab, with the end product showing visible layers of delicate pastry, with a crisp and golden outside.
If you’re still looking for more once you visit Lune, our guide to Melbourne’s best croissants can help you find your next pastry hit.
Le Petit Gâteau
458 Little Collins Street, Melbourne CBD
Le Petit Gâteau's window is the place of dreams, where a display of elaborate cakes, mouth-watering tarts, decadent desserts and colourful macarons greet you in the heart of Melbourne's CBD.
When you enter this bakery, the feast of the senses continues, with a plethora of small cakes, fluffy croissants and chocolate delights that can be enjoyed in-house with a coffee, or taken home to impress the family.
Plus, they have plenty of in-house recipes from their executive chefs you can replicate at home, from their easy sausage rolls to this delectable one-bowl sponge cake.
Best bakeries in Melbourne's north
Baker D. Chirico
178 Faraday Street, Carlton, 3053 and 183 Domain Road, South Yarra
If you’re looking for a good pie, call off the search, because Baker D. Chirico is serving the goods.
Think chunky beef pies with tomato-infused gravy, spinach and cheese pastry parcels bursting with salty feta, and freshly baked whole-wheat bread that has become the bakery’s signature.
Specialities include their hot cross buns, cannolis and bombolinis - but be quick, because they certainly don’t last long!
Mister Nice Guy's Bakeshop
151 Union Rd, Ascot Vale, 3032
Mister Nice Guys is Victoria’s first entirely plant-based bakery that’s been serving fresh-from-the-oven treats since 2010.
The bakery specialises in vegan desserts, including cupcakes, celebration cakes and character cakes in a large variety of flavours, from pink lemonade to peanut butter pretzel.
They also makes sweet and savoury pastries (try the brioche doughnuts, cheesymite scrolls or vegan cheesecakes) that are so good they regularly sell out by lunch.
Gluten-free and sugar-free cakes are also available, with full allergen information available for everything on the menu.
Ovens Street
19 Ovens Street, Brunswick 3056
You’d be forgiven for not recognising Ovens Street as a bakery if you walked past, considering they run out of an industrial strip next to a panel beater.
However, this humble looking facade is home to one of Melbourne’s most popular bread suppliers.
But if you fancy going straight to the source, head down to Brunswick for your fresh loaf, including rye, white, polenta soy, linseed and whole wheat.
Bread Club
558 Queensberry St, North Melbourne, 3051 and 65 Cardigan Pl, Albert Park
With two French bakers at the helm, Bread Club churns out fruit loaves, baguettes, croissants, doughnuts, and everything else you’d expect from a classic bakery, behind stylish white rendered brick walls at its North Melbourne locale.
Be quick as the line gets long and the produce doesn’t wait, especially for their exclusives like the Morning Bun and Banana Split.
A1 Bakery, Brunswick
643-645 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC 3056
The famed Lebanese bakery on Sydney Road in Brunswick has developed a cult following, so much so that they have opened two more locations in Fairfield and Fitzroy that stock merch, groceries, and of course, baked goods.
A1 is popular for its savoury produce, including a variety of Middle Eastern breads, pitas, pies and pizzas with flavourful fillings and toppings.
Customers can also buy a range of the region’s groceries, from baba ghanoush dip to cheese sambousik and a range of herbs and spices.
Southsiders looking for their Middle Eastern fix can also head to Oasis Bakery in Murrumbeena.
Best bakeries in Melbourne’s south
Baker Bleu
119/121 Hawthorn Rd, Caulfield North, 3161
A lot of Victorians will be able to relate to the desire for the perfect sourdough bread.
If you’d rather pick up a loaf from a bakery that has mastered the art, Baker Bleu in Caulfield North is where it’s at, with highbrow restaurants Attica and Cumulus Inc using them as a supplier – so you know it must be good!
Coco's Patisserie
88 Koornang Road, Carnegie, 3163
Bringing a little Parisian flair to the streets of Carnegie with fresh bread, pastries and delicious cakes baked daily, Coco's is a hit amongst locals, as well as those further away.
Here, you'll be treated to classic almond croissants, tarts, slices, cruffins, and artisan challah made on-site - if you can get one before they're all gone.
Perhaps the star of the whole show though is a seven-layer lamington, freshly created with a fluffy sponge and homemade jam.
Continental Bakehouse
Unit 1/20/22 Old Dandenong Rd, Oakleigh South VIC 3167
Stop by this Oakleigh South locale and you’ll be greeted by friendly faces who know their customers’ names and orders as well as they know how to make award-winning pies.
Continuing to evolve, their specialty is their sweet and savoury bakes, including the steak and onion pie, freshly baked slices, cakes and tarts, and their famed gingerbread houses come Christmas time.
Escargot Bakery
154 Martin St, Brighton, 3186
Oui oui oui to the little French bakery on the bayside. Trained in France, the artisal bakers pride themselves on French delicacies with an Australian twist.
Think the Epi, a pull-apart sourdough baguette filled with bacon and cheese, vegemite, or caramelised onions and jalapenos; or their famed Escargot, a 'snail' shaped pastry for the sweet and savoury conoisseur, from chocolate or cinnamon to parmesan with chives, jalapenos and black garlic. Bon appétit!
Tivoli Road Bakery
3 Tivoli Road, South Yarra, 3144
Tivoli Road Bakery has been serving up some of the best bread – in many varieties – since it opened south of the river in 2012.
Anyone looking for a good spelt, soy and linseed, multigrain or sourdough, as well as fruit Danishes, croissants, doughnuts, or a thick cut toasted sandwich for lunch won’t be disappointed with their range of freshly made goods.
Glazed Gluten Free Patisserie
2/1-3 Carre St, Elsternwick, 3185
Considered one of the best gluten-free bakeries in Melbourne, Glazed Gluten Free Patisserie is a coeliac accredited, kosher certified, gluten, dairy and nut free bakery. Located in Elsternwick, they make basic and artisan loaves plus baguettes, rolls, focaccias, bagels and Turkish pide bread.
All breads are also vegan, as are the sausage rolls. If you’re not vegan, they also produces several quiches and celebration cakes. Drop by on a Friday to pick up a gluten-free challah loaf or roll.
Blanc Bakery
14 Adams Lane, Berwick, 3806
Bringing artisan baked goods to Berwick since late 2021, almost every item at Blanc Bakery is sold up by 10.30am each day - so if you want some of the best sourdough, croissants, or custard filled doughnuts in the southeast of Melbourne, you better be quick!
Blanc Bakery also offers some more alternative options, like a cheese and jalapeno bagel, sourdough fruit loaf, and their famed focaccia and chocolate pistachio pastry scrolls made with French butter.
Best bakeries in Melbourne’s east
Hugo’s Café & Dessert Bar
3 Kingsway, Corner Colman Pde, Glen Waverley
Famed for their delectable desserts, you’re spoiled for choice when you head to Hugo’s Café & Dessert Bar with your biggest decision being, which one?
Whether it’s the Nutella-filled freshly glazed donuts, European pastries, the giant Monte Carlos or even a Middle Eastern borek, stay for a coffee as you trial the freshly baked goods on offer.
Falco Bakery
288 Smith Street, Collingwood, 3066
Another inner-city gem is Falco, but this bakery is a little different in what it offers. Along with the usual breads like country loaves and sourdough, you’ll also find creations like a fermented oat and porridge loaf, a fruit Danish pastry with cream cheese filling, or the peanut butter and house-fermented miso cookie.
Don’t forget to also try one of their famous pies while you’re there, like the smoked chicken and buttered leek for a delectable lunch on the go.
Monsieur Dupont Café and Patisserie
41 Brentford Square, Forest Hill
A taste of France in the centre of Melbourne’s east? Ooh la la!
Serving speciality French cakes, pastries and desserts like the flourless pear and ginger or mixed berry cheesecake, fruit flans, strawberry tarts and chocolate eclairs, you can start your order with a savoury pie, slice or frittata.
Perfect for when you’re looking to experience a little joie de vivre!
Best bakeries in Melbourne’s west
Masarap Bakery
178 Churchill Avenue, Braybrook, 3019
This Filipino bakery has been slinging Braybrook with sweet and salty treats for years – and the best part is that it’s open seven days a week.
Get in quick if you want the West’s best pan de sal, ensaymada, cheesy topped bread, or some steamed siopao (pork buns) - just be prepared to wait in line!
Candied Bakery
81a Hudsons Rd, Spotswood, 3015
You might enter Candied Bakery intending to only buy a loaf of bread, but you'll probably leave with an armful of baked goods.
This westside bakery serves hot, big-as-your-face cinnamon scrolls, generous slices of cake, sweet and savoury pastries, filled doughnuts, American-style sweet tarts, cookies, and sandwiches made with the bakery’s own bread and focaccia.
The team love celebrating all holidays too, so you’ll often find seasonal treats available in store.
Borgs Cakes
20/20 Harrington Square, Altona West, 3018
An Altona institution since 1966, this family-run bakery are famous for their Maltese pastries like fun-filled pastizzis, cake decorating and freshly baked goods.
Customers come from near and far to get their hands on these and other handmade bakery items made daily in-house.