Houston, TXBakeries

A Cambodian owned bakery in EaDo turning out laminated chocolate croissants next to inventive specialties like a two year aged salted lime tart and a beef brisket pho kolache. The mix of French technique and Cambodian flavor makes it one of the more distinctive pastry counters in the city.

Open since 1956 and baking kolaches from 5am, this South Houston shop moves through sausage cheese and fruit varieties by the half dozen and often sells out. One of the longest running kolache counters in a city that treats the pastry as a breakfast staple.

A Bellaire institution running more than 90 years, known for giant cinnamon rolls sold by the package and daily petit fours. The kind of neighborhood bakery generations of Houstonians grew up on for birthday cakes and morning pastry, and little about the cases has changed over the decades.

A European style bakery in Spring Branch with organic breads and pastries from Otto Sanchez, who cooked in high end kitchens before opening his own counter. Croissants, baguettes, and chocolate eclairs draw steady lines through the morning, and Sanchez's fine dining background shows in the laminated pastry work.

A playful Heights bakery built around classic chocolate chip and ginger cookies alongside inventive novelties. A colorful, approachable spot for cookies and cake by the slice that leans into whimsy over tradition, and a go to for birthday cakes and everyday sweets in the neighborhood.