The 20 best bakeries in Greater Manchester to try in 2025
Manchester's independent bakery scene is booming but it's facing challenging times - here's some of the best to visit across the region
There's never been more choice when it comes to bakeries in Greater Manchester. The last five years have seen a real uptick in the number of independent bakeries and patisseries opening their doors across the region.
From the city centre to the very far edges of our boroughs, there's a whole host of concepts setting up shop and building up a strong following. Everything from piping hot savoury bakes and sourdough to intricate Viennoiserie including croissants, pains au chocolat, and brioche is accounted for.
They're becoming increasingly creative too. Rather than chase the latest fad or viral TikTok trend, many of the region's master bakers are coming up with their own unique twists on classic bakes.
We're also fortunate to boast a diverse food and drink scene which means that a whole host of cuisines and tastes are accounted for, with bakeries in Trafford serving up Jamaican pasties, while Levenshulme Bakery is famed for its traditional breads, and Solar Bakery in Wythenshawe is drawing in punters with its Hong Kong pineapple tarts.
But while many boast queues out of the door and a loyal fan base, there's no denying that it's a really tough time for hospitality right now, and in the last week alone several bakeries have spoken out about the skyrocketing costs they are facing. This week we also saw one sadly close its doors.
As well as dealing with the changes in National Insurance and the Living Wage which came into force in April, and a reduction is business rates support, many are having to deal with staggering increases for basic ingredients including flour, chocolate and cheese.
With this in mind we wanted to showcase some of Greater Manchester's very best - the crème de la crème. That said, this really is just scratching the surface and it was very difficult to narrow it down, so this is by no means an exhaustive or complete list, but more a guide on where to start.
If there's any you would like to shout about or think are worth a visit, let us know in the comments.
Sticky Fingers - Stockport
Tucked away in Stockport Marketplace you'll find Sticky Fingers, an authentic Polish bakery serving up buns bigger than your head. They'll be opening their first brick-and-mortar shop on the Underbanks in the coming weeks but their unit in the market is well worth a visit.
Opened in Spring 2022 by husband-and-wife duo, Adrian and Klaudyna, who are originally from Poland, they specialise in huge brioche-style yeast cakes filled with cream, as well as eclairs, meringue, babka, and croissants - and it's hoped it will be more of the same at their new bakery on the Underbanks.
Sticky Fingers is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday - 8:30am until 4.30pm - at the Market Place, Stockport, SK1 1UN.
Lovingly Artisan, Altrincham
In January, Lovingly Artisan in Altrincham claimed the top spot in the prestigious "Bakers Dozen" list for 2025 - for the THIRD year in a row - so you know it's the real deal.
The bakery was established over a decade ago in Cumbria by Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor. Aidan would sell his freshly baked goods at Oxenholme Train Station, attracting passengers who began to "smell the bread and hunt them out".
They're big advocates of "real breadmaking", right from the cultivation of the grain in the soil, and the jewel in the crown here is there abundance of sourdough, but there's also dark chocolate and orange tin loaves, spicy cheese and chilli boules, plus croissants, malted barley bloomers and focaccia.
Altrincham Market, Greenwood Street, Altrincham, WA14 1PF.
Old Trafford Bakery
Since the early 1960s, this small, but perfectly formed bakery has been supplying Caribbean hard dough bread, fruit buns and patties to the neighbourhood. And well beyond too.
Behind the counter, Mrs Thompson - Joanne, but known better as ‘Mrs T’, or the more respectful ‘Mrs Thompson’ has owned the bakery since 2002, and her son Paul can be found in the back making patties, the pastry deep yellow and made with margarine.
You'll be in awe at the rich, spiced and full of fruit buns, which are glazed and slathered in butter. There's also the sweet banana and ginger cakes, stacked high on the shelves.
126 Shrewsbury St, Old Trafford, Stretford, Manchester M16 7NY
Flat Baker - Ancoats
In a relatively short space of time, The Flat Baker - which started off as a lockdown project in a flat in Ancoats - has gone on to become one of the best-loved bakeries in Greater Manchester. Serving up everything from boozy brioche and pistachio-filled croissants to traditional Brazilian cheese bread its attracted everyone from footballers to TV stars.
After outgrowing their flat, self-taught baker Matt and his partner Deborah, both originally from Brazil opened up a hatch on Radium Street. Starting with baked goods such as croissants, cronuts and tarts, the team then put their own spin on these creations, infusing them with a tropical twist.
Whether it’s the passionfruit and lime meringue sweet tarts, or their banana and Nutella knots, The Flat Baker’s creations have cut through the crowd. For those looking for something savoury, you can pick up one of their Brazilian loaded sandwiches as well as a variety of breads including focaccia, sourdough, cornbread and Pão de Queijo - a type of cheese bread.
23 Radium St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 6AY
Get Baked - Northern Quarter
There's very little chance that you've missed this opening in recent months. After a long wait, the hit Leeds bakery known for its mammoth 24-layer chocolate cake, finally flung open its doors last month to a delighted - and hungry - line of customers, many of whom had queued for hours.
The cake everyone queues for is the iteration of the chocolate layered cake that set social media alight after its launch in 2021. It was recently replaced by 'Bertha' which comes with a sweeter ganache filling.
Aside from Bertha, customers can also enjoy a range of showstopping pies (£7 a slice) in varieties spanning Caramel Fudge Brownie, Movie Night and Birthday Cake, amongst others. There's a sticky toffee version made just for the Manchester site too, plus brownies, and soft serve, which will be perfect in the summer months.
1 Stevenson Square, Manchester M1 1DN
Jenna Patties Co - Altrincham
Growing up, Jenna Walker spent her days at her grandmother’s home watching her cook traditional Jamaican food. Recently, the businesswoman opened a Jamaican patty store in Altrincham in tribute to her late relative.
Before opening the store, Jenna, from Altrincham, was an interior designer with years of experience before the lockdown saw a slow down in business. Always an avid baker, she began to pivot into the food industry and started a successful Instagram page that saw her sell through local bakeries.
The unique selling point of the store, which she opened in 2024, comes in the Jamaican patties that are made the same day at 4.30am by the industrious baker.
The options available are beef, cheesy beef, chicken curry, lamb, and curried lentils, spicy vegetables and quorn for the vegans and veggies. Prices range from £5.50 to £6 a piece and the meat patties are halal. She also sells authentic baked goods like banana bread, hard dough bread (plaited and regular), rum cake and bulla cake which are all sourced from local black owned businesses and bakeries.
11 Moss Ln, Altrincham WA14 1BA
Long Boi's Bakehouse - Levenshulme
This neighbourhood bakery run by an all-female team has racked up a number of awards since being established by three baking pros in 2020.
Long Boi's Bakehouse set up shop in a former off-licence on the corner of Forest Range and Birdhall Grove, selling cakes and bakes to go a few years ago and have become a massive hit with locals and vistors alike.
Past creations have included cherry and pistachio tart; white chocolate, chamomile and maple syrup cake; courgette, banana and coffee loaf; peach and walnut galettes; rhubarb and custard lamingtons; and - for for a bit of fun - strawberry pop tarts.
40 Forest Range, Manchester M19 2HP
Pollen - Piccadilly and Islington Marina
Joining Long Boi's in a recent top 50 Best Bakeries list from The Good Food Guide is Pollen, which over the last few years has gained a cult-like following for its top-tier viennoiserie and sourdough loaves.
Pollen started its life underneath Manchester’s Piccadilly's railway arch, before going on to open its bakery overlooking New Islington Marina next to Ancoats. Its second site is at Kampus near Manchester Piccadilly.
It has become renowned not only for it sourdough loaves, but its croissants and pastry confections including its coveted "Cruffin" - a croissant and muffin hybrid. Its Kampus location is perfect for batching the bakers in action too, and picking up some savoury bakes.
Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union St, Manchester M4 6FQ // 42 Aytoun St, Manchester M1 3GL
Companio - Northern Quarter
Tucked down a quiet backstreet in the Northern Quarter, the team at Companio are likely to be found behind the counters prepping for a busy day at their city centre bakery and cafe which opened last summer.
Over the last few years, the Ancoats-born bakery has firmly established itself as one of the city’s best bakeries, attracting long queues for its fresh sourdough loaves, pastries and Viennoiserie.
In 2019, its flagship site on Radium Street in Ancoats was taken on by clinical scientist Baneta Yelda and Neil Large, a project manager in construction who, after completing a baking course at The School of Artisan Food, decided to purchase the business.
Under their stewardship, it’s become a go-to for its slow-fermented sourdough and crowd-pleasing almond croissants made in small batches.
Its second site on the corner of Spear Street and Warwick Street, its bread range - encompassing its Ancoats White sourdough, Salford-5-Sead, Pennie Rye, Mad Brod meal bread, and country sourdough - sits alongside sweet bakes such as fruit Danish, chocolate chip brownies surprise pudding and a speciality hazelnut chocolate croissant.
Unit 1, 60 Spear St, Manchester M1 1AW
La Chouquette - Didsbury
La Chouquette in Didsbury Village opened in December 2020 and was an instant success, with hungry locals queuing down he street for their freshly baked croissants, breads and assortment of patisserie. It subsequently opened a second branch in the Cheshire town of Poynton.
La Chouquette, which translates as ‘little bits of (choux) pastry”, has, in a short space of time, become an integral part of the village’s vibrant café scene. Specialising in sourdough loaves, as well as traditional French pastries such as eclairs and macarons, everything is made within the bakery, and served up alongside coffees.
Just down the road they also run PIQNIQ, which serves takeaway lunch bites including sandwiches, salads, alongside coffee and 'top-quality' catering for corporate events.
812a Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6UH
Barbakan - Chorlton
Barbakan is an award-winning artisan bakery and continental delicatessen situated in the heart of Chorlton. Established in 1964, they're committed to continuing their heritage of freshly baked breads and pastries, as well as serving the freshest and most delicious foods.
At the on-site bakery, master bakers use traditional baking methods and specialise in continental loaves, such as the award-winning German Norlander, French Campagrain, Italian Contadina, Polish Rye, and Irish Soda.
They bake a staggering 75 varieties of hand-moulded loaves, rolls, cakes and pastries throughout the night which are then presented fresh every morning. Breakfast and lunch is crafted around the flavours and textures of breads and pastries too.
67-71 Manchester Rd, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9PW
All Things Nice - Marple
A bakery, cafe and wine bar all under one roof sounds like a food lover's dream, but over in the leafy village of Marple in Stockport, it's a every-day reality for lucky locals.
The All Things Nice six-strong bakery team, which includes co-owner Dean Blackwell, are a force to be reckoned with, baking perfectly flaky pain au chocolate and sourdough alongside some rather hefty sausage rolls and other savoury options.
By day, they bake their bread daily in-house, serve up European charcuterie, artisan cheeses, and premium meats from local butchers, and offer a variety of delicious pastries and treats to pair with your coffee too. And by night, they handcraft sourdough pizzas with a 24-hour proved base, topped with the finest local and seasonal ingredients.
48-50 Market St, Marple, Stockport SK6 7AD
Old Fire Station - Salford
For more than a decade, Salford’s Old Fire Station, by the cenotaph on Albion Place, was derelict - neglected and mainly used for storage as part of the estate of Salford University.
But two years ago it was reclaimed as part of both the University and Salford City Council’s ‘masterplan’ to revive the area as a cultural quarter of the city, with the Old Fire Station cafe, bar, bakery and brewery it gleaming jewel in the crown.
In the bakery, bakers make white, rye and seeded sourdough, and some very serious pastries from scratch - from pain au chocolat to Scandinavian-style cinnamon knots to old school cream buns.
The Old Fire Station, Albion Place, Salford M5 4NL
Solar Bakery & Cafe - Wythenshawe
In the middle of a Manchester housing estate between Northenden and Sale Moor sits a wonderful bakery cooking up authentic Hong Kong sweet treats.
The bakery, which serves up an assortment of Chinese bakery classics as well as Hong Kong baked delicacies, traditional Cantonese desserts and a selection of noodle and rice dishes, hasn't been open too long, but it's always packed out.
Expect delicacies including pineapple buns and egg tarts as well as Cantonese buns with big slabs of butter stuffed inside and traditional Hong Kong-style French toast drizzled with butter and honey. If you have time, we recommend grabbing a table and digging into their deep fried pork culet with fluffy rice.
39 Button Ln, Wythenshawe, Manchester M23 0LZ
Half Dozen Other - Oxford Road and Red Bank
In summer 2023, Half Dozen Other, the bakery arm of independent coffee shop Pot Kettle Black, opened within a 5,000sq ft warehouse within the Red Bank neighbourhood - part of the wider Victoria North development. It counts culinary gems like Sparrows as neighbours, and has become a must-visit spot for pastry and coffee lovers across the city.
And while that's great if you're in the mood to explore the neighbourhood, a bit closer to the main drag you'll find their second site slap bang in the middle of Oxford Road. It's here that products arrive every morning freshly baked from the Red Bank site before being hand finished in the pastry room visible via a window which customers can catch a glimpse of whilst waiting for their coffees and bakes.
Here, visitors can expect signature bakes such as their almond bear claw, Pain Suisse, cinnamon buns, and beautifully laminated range of croissants. Taking on the big guys across the road, they're also branching into savoury treats such as sausage rolls and a Greek twist on a Pain Suisse with tomato, feta, olives, as well as a macaroni cheese Pan Suisse.
Half Dozen Other is located at Circle Square on Oxford Road.
Holy Grain - Deansgate Mews
Tucked away up a hidden staircase just off of Deansgate is Holy Grain, a small, independent bakery specialising in naturally-leavened bread for wholesale supply to Manchester's food and drink industry.
Found alongside other independent businesses on the Deansgate Mews strip, they use only organic ingredients, an every loaf is handmade and slowly fermented over a two-day period for maximum flavour, digestibility and health.
Bread is currently available for the public to buy each day, and you can pre-order your loaf for collection via their website.
253 Deansgate Great Northern Mews, Manchester M3 4EN
State Fayre - Crumpsall
At Manchester's longest-running Kosher bakery, bakers are up before the light baking bagels, challah and kichels, the sweet, sugar-coated biscuits traditionally served in synagogue after the shabbat service on a Saturday. Then there's the cheesecakes, muffins, savouries, barm cakes too.
The amount of challah produced each week is tricky to quantify, as there are a few different varieties, and demand can vary. But when it comes to bagels its between 15,000 and 18,000 every week.
It's a well-oiled machine here, so some loaves will be proved and baked, others will be frozen for a couple of days and baked later in the week, so that they’re constantly ahead of themselves. It's quite the place.
77 Middleton Rd, Crumpsall, Manchester M8 4JY
Wong Wong Bakery - Chinatown
This small Chinese bakery on Princess Street was established in 2003 by Lin Chan’s parents, who had also previously run the Great Wall restaurant from its opening in the 1970s until its closure after the pandemic. They had no baking experience but wanted to share their love for the food they enjoyed back home.
Offering a wide variety of freshly baked traditional and modern Chinese buns, cakes and pastries, alongside decorative concoctions for celebrations, it is a much-loved spot that always serves up the goods.
It's a a feast for the senses stepping inside the bakery. At one end a glass-fronted kitchen allows you to watch the team bake up a storm, while the shelves are stocked full of golden-hued baked goods.
Alongside the likes of Hong Kong-style buns, Wong Wong was one of the first places in the area to serve something that is now being sold on practically every corner of Chinatown - bubble tea.
32 Princess St, Manchester M1 4LB
Masa Bakery - Prestwich
A relatively new but definitely worth addition to our lineup is Masa, which only opened its doors a few weeks ago - but it's story goes back much further.
Started in 2020, during lockdown, and operating solely out of owner Rick's mum’s garage, Masa grew to prominence with its award-winning sourdough breads sold at a number of independent and local shops across Prestwich, as well at the town's weekend Makers Market.
In November 2024, Rick confirmed that it would be moving from the Longfield Centre to its own bakery on Bury New Road and its first few weekends have been a roaring success with loaves of bread flying off the shelves.
441 Bury New Rd, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1AF
Levenshulme Bakery - Levenshulme
The word legendary is used far too loosely these days but this place is the real deal. Known for its shawarma kebab sandwiches on freshly baked bread, it's hailed by many as the best kebabs found anywhere in Greater Manchester.
Alonso Ahsan has owned Levenshulme Bakery for just about eight years, but he’s pretty much a local celebrity at this stage. When he joined the bakery was being run by friends of his, and was originally solely a bakery, making traditional breads, but then he brought in the shawarma.
He makes his every day fresh, marinating the lamb and chicken overnight stuffed alongside crisp cabbage, yoghurt, mango, fresh green chilli sauce, and pickled gherkins inside the samoon, a traditional Kurdish Iraqi bread, similar to some of the other flatbreads found around the Levant, with variations in Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait.
842 Stockport Rd, Levenshulme, Manchester M19 3AW