10 Best And Worst Cities In 2023 For Pastry Lovers
Pastries are nice to look at, and even better to devour. With National Pastry Day over, what cities bake up the best éclairs and baklavas?
Lawn Love ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Pastry Lovers, after measuring about 200 of the biggest U.S. cities, looking for plenty of access to highly rated bakeries and patisseries. Lawn Love also considered bakers awarded by the James Beard Foundation and patisseries recognized by Mashed for having “The Absolute Best Pastries In The US,” among nine total metrics.
Check out their 10 best (and 10 worst) cities for pastry lovers with key insights. Also, see where your city ranks.
Best Cities for Pastry Lovers
1. San Francisco, CA
2. New York, NY
3. Chicago, IL
4. Seattle, WA
5. Los Angeles, CA
6. Portland, OR
7. Minneapolis, MN
8. Miami, FL
9. Philadelphia, PA
10. Charleston, SC
Worst Cities for Pastry Lovers
1. Kansas City, KS
2. Palmdale, CA
3. Pomona, CA
4. Olathe, KS
5. Jackson, MS
6. Rockford, IL
7. North Las Vegas, NV
8. Brownsville, TX
9. Denton, TX
10. Clarksville, TN
Key Insights
Foodie Favorites: San Francisco is a pastry lover’s paradise. The Golden City has the most patisseries and coffee shops per square mile in our ranking. There are also award-winning pastry chefs serving up delicious croissants and other baked goods across the city.
Other big cities puffed up to the top, including New York (No. 2) and Chicago (No. 3), which tied for first place in patisseries recognized in “best pastry” lists. NYC has the most James Beard Award-winning pastry chefs, with Chicago a close second.
Sweet Stand(outs): A few mid-sized cities rose in the ranks, landing in our top 20 and “proofing” they have what it takes to please pastry lovers. Charleston, South Carolina (No. 10), Boise, Idaho (No. 15), and Bridgeport, Connecticut (No. 18), all tied for No. 1 in share of highly rated patisseries. Charleston takes sixth place in Quality.
For four consecutive years, Sub Rosa Bakery in Richmond, Virginia (No. 16), was a semifinalist for the James Beard Award’s “Outstanding Baker” category. That’s not the only spot RVA has to offer for a sweet treat — the city has great access on top of high pastry Popularity.
Tartless Towns: Some mid-sized cities and suburbs crumbled to the bottom of our ranking. Places like Kansas City, Kansas (No. 200), and Palmdale, California (No. 199), have low scores across the board, with little access to tasty bakeries and patisseries.
Other cities, such as Pomona, California, Jackson, Mississippi, and Rockford, Illinois, lack access to delectable pastries, too. These cities’ “dough” do not seem to have affection for baked confections, as indicated by low local Google search volume.
