A guide to Dublin’s best bakeries

Pearse Street in Dublin 2, as well as Stillorgan, Greystones, and pop-up locations

The Dublin bread boom might never have happened without Bread 41, the oldest of the new bakeries, which has been operating on Pearse Street since 2018. In the years since, co-founder and head baker Eoin Cluskey has expanded the business to locations in Greystones and Stillorgan, and you can pick up Bread 41’s now-famous sourdough, morning buns and other treats at more spots around Dublin, including St Anne’s Park Market on Saturdays.  

Walk into the Pearse Street location (though be prepared to queue) and you’ll be greeted by a wall of crusty brown boules made with organic flour – choose from whole wheat or country white sourdough, a glentie malt loaf or an oat porridge loaf, among others. While some Dublin bakeries go with a less-is-more approach, there are a dizzying number of options at Bread 41 on any given day, and the pastries and brunch bits are hefty – you can make a proper meal out of the sausage rolls, focaccia sandwiches and croissants. 

If you get a coffee (from Wicklow roasters Never A Day’s Trouble), you’ll need to pay extra for a takeaway cup – or you can sit in at one of the in-demand tables. All of Bread 41’s locations are also dog-friendly, so you can bring your pup along to help you make up your mind about what to get. 

Media captionThe treats in Bread 41 are well worth the queue.

Ranelagh, Dublin 6

Una stands out against the redbricks of leafy Ranelagh with its simple pink wordmark and cool forest green shopfront – distinctive, yet every bit as sophisticated. Founded by husband-and-wife team John and Sandy Wyer (of Michelin guide-recommended Forest Avenue), this small but mighty bakery has been selling a spread of exceptional viennoiserie and bread since opening in early 2024. 

With a few seasonal specials – like a rotating Bakewell – the pastry menu stays consistent: expertly-laminated croissants, caramel-drizzled kouign-amann (a Breton-style pastry), Gubbeen and mushroom quiche, bacon jam escargot and a classic chocolate chip cookie. When you step inside, you can immediately see the bakers in action in the back, making this a proper boulangerie. There’s no seating here, but if you stop by early enough, you can pick up a pastry and an Imbibe coffee for a stroll around Ranelagh – and don’t forget to get a baguette, sandwich sourdough or glistening focaccia to bring home. (Una is dog-friendly, too.)  

Media captionBring your pup along to dog-friendly Una.

Phibsborough and Smithfield, Dublin 7

Perhaps the most inventive bakery on the Dublin scene, northside favourite Elliot’s has a constantly evolving menu of seasonal sweet and savoury treats, so don’t get too attached to any one pastry. In spring, you’ll find things like leek and potato galette, pistachio and rhubarb maritozzi (a cream-filled Roman bun), chocolate and miso caramel choux, a fig leaf custard with honey-roasted peach bun, and a Guinness beef and mushroom pie. Still hungry? There’s also a spread of usual suspects, including croissants, cardamom knots, Basque cheesecake, chocolate babka and plenty of bread. Oh, and a stunning jamon-beurre. And Cloudpicker coffee to wash it all down.  

Media captionGet to Elliot's early before all their pastries sell out.

The bakery’s bold and playful approach to recipes is reflected in its physical spaces – it’s hard not to notice the giant ELLIOT’S scrawled in messy white paint across the black shopfront of its second location at Arran Street East. This unique wordmark is in the handwriting of Elliot himself, the son of founders Conor Higgins and Amie Costello (the same team behind Oxmantown). There’s no seating inside at the original Phibsborough location, but there are some tables at Arran Street East.  

Dublin 8 pop-ups and stock in Glenageary, also in Greystones, Co Wicklow 

Scéal (Irish for “story”) began life as a beloved market stall in Dublin 8 and has grown into one of the most exciting names in Irish baking. Today, you can still find its pastries popping up across the capital – at seasonal collaborations with old neighbours like The Wine Pair, at Éist Espresso Bar in Glenageary DART station, and through creative pairings with other Dublin favourites like Bambino. 

Media captionFrom their stall in the Fumbally Stables to their own space in Greystones, Scéal has come a long way.

The menu strikes a nice balance between sweet and savoury, with classic sourdough bread and laminated pastries sitting alongside wild garlic focaccia, cream-filled brioche, a black forest gateau Danish and an everything bagel croissant.  

Scéal’s only permanent location is in a light-filled seafront shop in Greystones. Here you can sit in and sip on a seasonal drink like pink jasmine iced tea or a frothy Mont Blanc iced coffee, and people-watch along the marina. The space is dog-friendly, too. 

Media captionTry the fan favourite everything bagel croissant.

Stoneybatter, Dublin 7

No Messin’, the laid-back younger sibling to Smithfield’s Proper Order Coffee, has been brewing in its bright, roomy Stoneybatter café just off Smithfield Square since 2020. As you’d expect, the coffee takes centre stage, with a great selection of beans and brews available on any given day. You’ll find indulgent pastries, cookies and pies – like morning buns, blood orange Danishes, sun-dried tomato and hot honey focaccia and maple pecan pie – alongside proper sandwiches, making it a great option for a midweek pick-me-up. No Messin’ is perhaps best known for its buttery mince pies, which you can even order online at the right time of year. 

There’s loads of room to sit (or chat over a standing table) inside, or you can try to sneak your pastry into a film at the Light House Cinema around the corner.  

Liberties in Dublin 8 and Fairview in Dublin 3 

Dublin 8 favourite Two Pups Coffee has grown well beyond its dog-friendly brunch roots. It now includes a second café in Fairview, an after-hours wine bar called Notions and Bold Boy Bakery – an in-house bakery supplying both sites with fresh pastries and focaccia each day. Choose from standard fare like almond croissants and sausage rolls, or more adventurous creations like a vegan lemon curd cruffin or peanut butter and jelly Danish. Pair with one of their Square Mile or Farmhand coffees for a great start to the day – and take more pastries home with you, if you’re feeling bold. 

Russell Street, Dublin 1

Thibault Peigne, the French-Irish baker who helped kickstart Dublin’s sourdough movement with Tartine Organic Bakery in 2012, opened Russell Street Bakery beside Croke Park in 2023. Crane your neck up at the window racks of picture-perfect pastries that reflect Peigne’s international expertise – from the tall, beautifully-laminated New York rolls layered with pistachio cream to the delicately-piped lemon meringue pies. Near the front, you can also browse the more delicate patisserie in the pastry case, from madeleines and other cookies to brownies and chocolate tarts.  

You can also get a proper lunch here, like a smoked chicken Caesar sandwich on a homemade roll or a vegan garlic focaccia – or stock up on bread for the week. There are no tables inside, so you’ll have to take your plunder and Imbibe coffee to a bench out front. 

Parnell Street, Dublin 1 

Thibault Peigne’s newest walk-in, Parnell Street Bakery, opened in early 2025 and builds on the success of Russell Street – and then some. You’ll find the same beloved pistachio rolls, morning buns, Danishes and focaccia, now joined by a broader patisserie selection: éclairs, opera cakes, pain Suisse, Paris-Brest and strawberry sponges all make regular appearances. This shop looks and feels more like a French-Italian deli than a Dublin micro-bakery, with a lengthy list of options to choose from on any given day. At the end of the long deli counter you’ll even find gelato and sorbet. 

Like Russell Street, Parnell Street serves Imbibe coffee and doesn’t have any indoor seating, so you can take your goodies and head on an adventure in town.  

Media captionFind layers upon layers of perfectly-laminated pastry in the pain Suisse.

Media credit@parnellst.bakery

Kimmage in Dublin 6, Sandymount in Dublin 4, Grand Canal Station in Dublin 2, and Dalkey and Blackrock 

Owned and operated by French baker Romain Tessier, Artybaker has pink neon signs that speak to its Instagram aesthetics, but its menus are focused on doing French pastries right. Pick up a flaky croissant, pain au chocolat or pain Suisse to have alongside a coffee by Wicklow roaster Pine Cone Coffee, or grab some homemade granola or overnight oats for a more balanced breakfast. Artybaker has also expanded into bagels in some locations, and they’re excellent – you can get a New York-style bagel sandwich and a half-dozen to bring home.  

It has five permanent locations throughout Dublin – Dalkey, Kimmage, Sandymount, Grand Canal Station and weekends at Blackrock Market. Some locations have indoor and outdoor seating, but the Grand Canal Station and Blackrock Market stalls are takeaway only. 

Media captionArtybaker does bagels right.

Media credit@artybaker

Temple Bar and Grand Canal Dock and Dublin 2, and Ballsbridge in Dublin 4 

While Italian Il Valentino Café & Bakery is more of a long-standing favourite than a new arrival, it earns its place on any list of great pastry spots in Dublin. Now operating in three locations (including the former Temple Bar home of beloved cake shop Queen of Tarts), Il Valentino delivers the full spectrum of continental confections, from madeleines and financiers to cannoli, éclair, ricottini, tiramisu and a strawberry pistachio tartlet. You’ll also find vegan options like vegan carrot cake and chocolate cake alongside a huge spread of sandwiches and other café fare, including soups, scones, croissants and loaves of bread.  

Media captionBrowse the continental confections at Il Valentino Café.

Portobello, Dublin 8 

Bretzel is a true Dublin institution – founded by a Russian-Jewish immigrant, this shop has been operating out of its original Lennox Street location in Portobello since 1870. Over 150 years later, you can still stop by and pick up artisanal rye, sourdough and brown bread, seasonal cakes and scones, and a smattering of muffins and croissants. You’ll find Bretzel bread in stores across Ireland, but only in the Portobello shop can you order the pastrami special and a coffee. There’s a small seating area to sit in with your sandwich or sweet treat, or you can bring your selections on a stroll down the canal.  

Raheny, Dublin 5 

Bread Naturally has been wowing Dublin’s north coastal locals with its artisanal loaves, oversized pastries and sweet cookies and buns since 2015. Step inside the burnt sienna shopfront and you’ll be greeted by rows of gorgeous viennoiserie and patisserie, from rhubarb compote buns and maple and pecan plaits to pain Suisse and summer berry sablé tarts. You can’t sit in, but the shelves are always stocked with fresh sourdough, baguettes and focaccia, so you can pick your faves and pack a picnic for a Saturday in St Anne’s Park. 

Media captionTry a seasonal maritozzi at Bread Naturally.

Media credit@breadnaturally

Rush 

What happens when the head baker at Bread Naturally (Vaarsha Baugreet) and the head pastry chef at Tartine (Jeremy Pastor) meet and fall in love? They open Noisette, a superb bakery on Rush Main Street specialising in organic bread and fine pastries. Noisette has been out-the-door busy since opening in 2023, and it’s not hard to see why – the seasonal menu features a Rush strawberry and crème diplomate Danish, a raspberry and pistachio croissant, cardamom knots, sausage rolls, jelly-filled doughnuts, and lots and lots of bread. 

There’s indoor and outdoor seating (dogs are only allowed at the tables outside), or you can take a walk down to Rush Harbour or the South Beach to enjoy your pastries and Imbibe coffee with a view.  

Skerries 

What began as a pandemic baking project between brothers Cian and Pearce Carty Heffernan with pop-ups and home deliveries has evolved into the now permanent The Rock Bakery in Skerries, the northernmost stop on the Dublin Coastal Trail. The ever-changing monthly menu includes classic favourites like croissants, cinnamon rolls and filled buns alongside specials like everything bagels and smoked honey and sea salt knots. 

The Rock Bakery serves Farmhand coffee (with a few different oat milk options), and you can sit in with your pup by your side in one of the many booths or high-tops (the space used to be a pub, and the ample seating is a welcome surprise for a micro-bakery). You’ll want to take one of the fresh loaves home for a week’s worth of toast, too.  

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