Cleveland, OHBakeries

Blackbird Baking Co. has been a cornerstone of Lakewood since 2009. Husband-and-wife founders Tom and Adria Clark built it from Tom's passion for artisan baking as a living room of the neighborhood, where handcrafted breads and pastries are made from scratch every day. The pecan sticky buns, made with flaky croissant dough, cinnamon sugar and pecans, are a featured classic, and a freshly brewed latte goes with any of it.

Luna Bakery & Cafe has grown to three locations since 2011 and has become a destination for artisanal pastries and cafe fare across Cleveland. Its Cleveland Heights bakery on Fairmount Boulevard has drawn legions of fans.

Leavened is an artisan bakery in Tremont whose weekly cruffins sell out fast: crunchy on the outside and buttery and flaky inside, they are shaped like a muffin but built like a croissant, and the flavor goes up on Instagram as the Saturday doors open. Past flavors have paired peanut butter pastry cream with whipped raspberry jam, and coffee with chocolate, cocoa sugar and mocha sauce.

On The Rise is famously known for fresh bread made daily with Ohio stone-ground flour, and it has put a new emphasis on pastries, from macarons to eclairs. This Fairmount Boulevard shop in Cleveland Heights is the original location; a newer one is at Van Aken.

Presti's is a fourth generation Little Italy bakery where Italian cookies, cannoli, cakes and breads fill the cases beside pizza and cafe plates. The single storefront has enough range for a pastry stop, a loaf to take home or a casual meal.