Good Food ranks Sydney’s best croissants (and Lune isn’t number one)
Five judges blind taste 27 buttery pastries in a quest to find the city’s No.1, from Iggy’s to Baker Bleu and Loulou. (Yes, it almost killed us, but this is important investigative journalism.)
It’s just after lunch on a Thursday, and a Herald meeting room has been transformed into a fever dream of 54 croissants sourced from 27 of Sydney’s best bakeries (two from each). Every spare surface, from the filing cabinet to the chairs, is covered with carefully plated crescents of golden viennoiserie, and the scent is so overwhelmingly delicious it attracts hungry stares each time the door creaks open.
The stage is set for the first Good Food croissant taste test, and we are setting out to find Sydney’s best.
The breakfast pastries have become an obsession in Sydney, where people have been known to queue up to three hours for a croissant; run in groups through Centennial Park for a croissant; and post photo after photo of novelty croissants shaped like cubes, circles or hearts on social media.
Maybe it’s all because of the Lune effect. The Melbourne croissanterie, founded in 2012 by former aerospace engineer Kate Reid, was among the first in Australia to focus its baking efforts exclusively on croissants, and to great success. A New York Times article published in 2016 suggested Lune’s croissants “may be the finest you will find anywhere in the world”, and the brand has since expanded to seven locations nationwide, with plans to go global.
But it’s no longer the only player in the croissant game. By the time Lune landed in Sydney in December, the city was home to so many fancy bakeries we could have easily doubled the number included in this taste test – if not for the limitations of the human stomach and palate fatigue (and a desire not to induce a heart attack).
In our quest for Sydney’s best, the Good Food team spent one frantic morning travelling across the city, from west, to south, east and north, focusing on bakeries well known for making exceptional plain croissants.
So what makes a good croissant? As Reid once told us, it’s often subjective: “I don’t think Lune makes the best croissant,” she said, ahead of the Rosebery launch. “But I think Lune is my favourite because it’s the way I like to eat croissants.”
With that caveat in mind, we asked professional pastry chefs Andy Bowdy, from Surry Hills restaurant Kiln, and Charlie Hutton, from Paddington’s three-hatted Saint Peter, to assist in developing our judging criteria.
How to spot a good croissant, according to the experts
- Colour
A deep amber which “takes it right to the very last point in the oven [before it burns] to give it a deeper flavour,” says Bowdy. - Crust
Hutton says the crust should be thin and flaky, crisp but not dry: “You have to be able to tear it apart without a million pieces going everywhere.” - Shape
“A flat croissant is a no-go,” says Bowdy. “It means the croissant has sucked in a lot of moisture and it’s all just collapsed in on itself, so it either didn’t start off as a well-constructed pastry, or it could be old.” - Scent
A light, yeasty scent is ideal for those who prefer a European-style croissant, like Hutton. For Bowdy, bold is better: “You should be able to smell before you take the first bite,” he says. - Structure
“I’m not the kind of guy who cuts a croissant in half to judge it by the honeycomb,” says Bowdy. “But it does play a role in the structure, and the flakiness and lightness.” - Flavour
The most objective component. A “fresh buttery taste, maybe slightly yeasty,” says Hutton. “But no acidity, and no eggy flavour.”
For this taste test, I was joined by head of Good Food Sarah Norris, Good Food app editor Erina Starkey, social media editor Isabel Cant and Good Food Guide editor Callan Boys. Yes, it was a lot of kilojoules, but this is the kind of investigative journalism we offer Good Food and Herald subscribers.
Each croissant was taste-tested without knowing which bakery it came from and ranked – from 11 to 1 – based on a score out of 20 (five points for appearance, five points for texture, 10 points for taste). Like all Good Food taste tests, it was conducted independently (a business couldn’t pay to be included).
Sydney’s top 11 bakery croissants
11. Lune Croissanterie, Rosebery and Martin Place
“I think a croissant, ideally, should be bronzed like it just spent three weeks at Surfers Paradise,” says Boys. “This one just doesn’t have that glow.” However, with such precise shaping, the appeal of a Lune croissant is obvious. “There is an incredible level of craft to the construction, the flavour just isn’t at the same level of deliciousness of some of the other ones we’ve tried.” Norris adds: “I would certainly like to taste more butter.”
115/151 Dunning Avenue, Rosebery and 1 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, lunecroissanterie.com
10. Madame and Yves, Clovelly
Imagine the last croissant you ate at a hotel buffet breakfast. Now, imagine it was a hundred times better. This is a classically French entry from a classically trained pastry chef, Yves Scherrer. It’s beautiful, buttery, and soft, with honeycombed layers of viennoiserie that are ever-so-slightly denser (and more decadent) than most.
343-345 Clovelly Road, Clovelly, madameandyves.com.au
9. Bourke Street Bakery, various locations
“I mean, I don’t think a croissant could look any better than this,” says Starkey. With an even, golden bake and subtle sheen, Bourke Street Bakery is off to a good start. And this croissant is crunchy, loudly flaking apart to reveal light swathes of buttery (but not greasy) honeycomb. It’s a solid choice for those who consider croissants a vehicle for jam, or ham and cheese: “The texture is excellent, but there isn’t a lot flavour,” she says.
8. Cherry Moon General Store, Annandale
Apollonia Oven, the wood-fired heart of Cherry Moon, makes a croissant with character: a little charred around the edges, a deliciously caramelised base, and subtle buttery flavours. We were midway through the taste test by this point, but still couldn’t help but go back for more: “I finished that without even realising it,” says Cant.
77 Nelson Street, Annandale, cherrymoongeneralstore.com.au
7. Iggy’s Bread, Bronte
The early morning queues down Macpherson Street don’t lie: Iggy’s makes a damn good croissant (if a little small). By using a combination of sourdough and poolish yeast and baking it to a deep umber, Iggy’s croissant becomes more flavoursome than most, with a gentle, buttery earthiness. “It’s got a lot of personality,” says Boys. “This is a pretty banging croissant.”
131 Macpherson Street, Bronte, iggysbread.au
6. Flour, Caringbah
The pastry cabinet at Flour is the stuff sweet dreams are made of, filled with fun, novelty bakes like fairy bread croissants and fig and walnut twists. But they give proper due to the classics, too, spending three days making this absolute looker of a croissant: “Oh, heck yeah, that one stands out,” says Boys. “If a good croissant is all about that contrast between a crisp outer shell and a soft interior, this might be as good as it gets.”
277 Willarong Road, Caringbah South, weareflour.com.au
5. Happy Alley, Rockdale
This cheerful Rockdale cafe is best known for its cookies, served warm with soft, gooey centres and swirls of vanilla soft serve. But they also bake some of the best-looking croissants in Sydney – so shiny, carefully shaped and well-risen the room filled with “oohs” and “aahs”. And, while the inside was a little heavier than expected, there was substance behind the style, says Starkey: “I can tell there’s nice butter in there, it was pretty tasty.”
13 Bay Street, Rockdale, happyalley.com.au
4. Shadow Baking, Darlinghurst
The popular side-project from the chefs at Gelato Messina makes a croissant that sure isn’t hiding in the shadows. The panel is immediately impressed with the croissant’s defined layers and cross-section. “The butter flavour is so good,” says Starkey. At the same time, Boys notes “it doesn’t leave a greasy aftertaste ... it’s crisp and flaky, but not dry.”
243 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, nomnie.com/shadowbaking
3. Loulou Boulangerie, Milsons Point and Martin Place
The baking team at Loulou, led by head baker Brendon Woodward, aims to make an authentic French boulangerie-style croissant with sourdough, and Cant (fresh from a European holiday) picks it within seconds. “This is the type of croissant you buy on the streets of Paris,” she says. There is a crisp, audible bite to the shell, and the flavour is a standout. “Rich without becoming overpowering,” says Boys.
61 Lavender Street, Milsons Point and 1 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, loulou.sydney
2. Baker Bleu, Double Bay
Yes, a Melbourne export has snuck to (almost) the top of the list, just not the one you might have been expecting. This is a bold croissant, naturally leavened with sourdough starter and pushed to the absolute brink in the oven. The results are pretty special. “This feels like it’s made by a croissant master,” says Starkey. “I would cross town for this croissant ... I would take two buses and then line up for it.” It’s the flavour that is most memorable: round, developed and just sweet enough.
2 Guilfoyle Avenue, Double Bay, bakerbleudoublebay.com
WINNER: Goodwood Bakeshop, Marrickville
The first thing I hear on the recording of the judging is the muffled, “Oh my god,” as Cant bites into the croissant from this small-batch bakery. In a room filled with pastries, this one stands out for its exceptional warmth and richness. The crisp, caramel-coloured shell crackles as it yields to soft, airy striations of dough, and there’s a delicious complexity of flavour from the addition of “just a little bit” of sourdough starter. This is a four-day labour of love, using freshly milled NSW flour, from Goodwood’s veteran bakers and owner-operators Alex Alewood and Jamie Goodin, and it’s worth waking up early for.
297 Marrickville Road, Marrickville, goodwoodbakeshop.com.au
Full list of croissants blind taste tested
In alphabetical order:
- A.P Bakery, various locations
- Baker Bleu, Double Bay
- Berkelo, various locations
- Dawn Baked Goods, Rozelle
- Cherry Moon General Store, Annandale
- Crescent Croissanterie, Crows Nest
- Flour, Caringbah
- Flour & Stone, Woolloomooloo
- Goodwood Bakeshop, Marrickville
- Henry’s Bakehouse, Granville
- Home Croissanterie, Balmain
- Iggy’s Bread, Bronte
- Lode Pies, Surry Hills
- Lune Croissanterie, Rosebery and Martin Place
- Loulou Boulangerie, Milsons Point and Martin Place
- Madame & Yves, Clovelly
- Moon Phase, St Leonards
- Mrs Jones The Baker, various
- Pantry Story, Stanmore
- Penny Fours, Balmain
- Pioik Bakery, Pyrmont
- Rollers, Manly
- Self Raised Bread Shoppe, Carlton
- Shadow Baking, Darlinghurst
- Threefold Pastry, Parramatta
- Tuga Pastries, Alexandria and Clovelly
- Yin Viennoiserie, Glebe