Sweet dreams and insulin spikes are made of these. A pastry arms race kicked off five-ish years ago, and it continues to rage in the proving trays of Melbourne’s best bakeries. Recently, however, it’s the sweet developments in the no-dough venues that have blown the category wide open (see: ice imported from Japan, shaved to order and topped with the likes of rare cheese and berry compote).

This list is part of Good Food’s Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025. Presented by T2, the guide celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city’s best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. (These reviews also live on theGood Food app, and are discoverable on the map.).

Monforte Viennoiserie

From a miniature workspace, Giorgia McAllister-Forte conjures mahogany-coloured pastries with dainty, ultra-seasonal toppings. We’re talking poached pear with gingerbread, fig leaf cream and dark berries, and salted yuzu with almond frangipane and meringue. One savoury pastry usually joins these and her leatherwood honey and sea salt croissant, a candidate for Melbourne’s baked good hall of fame.

Good to know: This is a takeaway window in a residential area – head to Princes Park for your pastry party.

585A Canning Street, Carlton North, monforte.com.au

Holy Sugar

Styled like a country kitchen, this cake shop serves towering slices on beautiful china (a family heirloom), while an upright piano adorned with flowers and still life paintings overlooks a communal table. The glass display cabinet is the sweet spot, lined with billowing lemon meringue pies, burnished Basque cheesecake, glistening chocolate eclairs and baker Audrey Allard’s signature flower-shaped cinnamon crullers.

Best for: Dreamy desserts in cottage-core surrounds.

236 High Street, Northcote, instagram.com/holysugar

Bloomwood

The line-up rotates regularly at this CBD newcomer, where decadent pastries are often Asian-inspired and lean into trends without compromising integrity. Take the flower-shaped Dubai chocolate Danish – inspired by the smash-hit chocolate bar – with flaky layers sandwiched between chocolate ganache and crisp pistachio kataifi (spun pastry). Watch the magic unfold from above at the mezzanine or nab a sun-drenched table on Exhibition Street.

Must order: Upgrade strawberry or coconut iced matcha to a “Bloom-tini”, which comes with three tiny, dunkable croissants.

G01/121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne, instagram.com/bloomwoodmelbourne

Lulu and Me Cheesecakes

This warehouse sweet spot is as light and airy as the cheesecakes its team sells, quite uniquely, by weight. Watch cakes being lovingly made, then try a few flavours before committing to a slice or slab. From the creative (pandan, Monte Carlo, jelly slice) to the traditional (New York, Basque, Japanese), there are varieties for all.

Good to know: A handful of flavours are only available as whole cakes.

1-5 Hotham Street, Collingwood, instagram.com/luluandme_cheesecakes

The Flour

Blink and you might miss this patisserie-cafe specialising in small-batch bakes and sought-after filter coffees. The counter holds a bounty of caneles, madeleines and financiers, while cakes subtly reflect the owners’ Korean roots. Don’t miss the Mont Blanc featuring chestnut “noodles” piped around cream and candied chestnuts. Not up for a $20 Geisha coffee? The $5 batch brew is excellent.

Best for: People-watching from the window with a coffee and sweet treat.

199 Victoria Street, West Melbourne, theflourmelbourne.com

Tarts Anon

Some bakeries chase mass appeal as jacks of all trades. Others are masters of one. Like Tarts Anon, devoted to making exceptional, elegant tarts that many consider Melbourne’s best. A roster of enduring classics features silky choc-caramel and light, zingy lemon. But seasonal specials mix it up; you might find swirly Black Forest or a warming smoked pecan and butterscotch.

Good to know: Buy a five- or 10-pack and save a couple of bucks.

44 Sackville Street, Collingwood, instagram.com/tarts_anon

Siora Tiramisu

Pastry-haven AM Bakehouse runs the show by day, but after dark, it becomes a playful hangout for fans of tiramisu and Italian culture. Tray after tray of zabaglione-layered goodness is served straight from the bench, scooped into pots starting at $9. Classicists will seek out the espresso-soaked original, but limoncello is show-stealing with its velvety texture and light zingy finish.

Good to know: Every table has a set of cards (UNO or the Italian game Briscola) to spark friendly competition between bites.

286D Tooronga Road, Glen Iris, instagram.com/sioratiramisu

Penny For Pound

This giant bakery-cafe is a beacon for sweet tooths. Ogle through floor-to-ceiling windows at croissants being filled with almond frangipane and tangy blueberry jam as you ponder your selection. The orange-poppyseed escargot is so zesty it’s like bathing in citrus, while cracking through the chocolate glaze of a peanut butter cup cruffin to reveal its oozing salty-sweet centre almost feels illegal.

Good to know: Nab a pack of pre-made croissants or pain au chocolat to bake at home and impress your friends.

7 Cochranes Road, Moorabbin, pennyforpound.com.au

Tori’s

Tucked down a bluestone laneway, this student haunt’s vintage furniture matches the hue of its ever-popular iced matchas. Pair yours with strawberry and cream layer cake; a Thai milk tea friand; or cream-topped cheesecake in ube, matcha, or genmaicha with a surprise mochi layer. Can’t decide? Spin the cardboard wheel at the counter to find the slice that’s right.

Good to know: Open ’til 6pm daily for late-afternoon coffee-and-cake cravings.

28 Niagara Lane, Melbourne, toris.com.au

Amann Patisserie

This French-owned hole-in-the-wall patisserie has injected new life into Nicholson Street, with a constant but quick-moving queue of those in the know. Since it opened in 2024, its small but expertly executed selection of mostly sweet, buttery treats – along with creative cold brews – has only gained traction. Maple-bacon Danish, almond croissant or kouign-amann? It’s difficult to choose, so don’t. Make a beeline early and load up with everything.

Must order: Raspberry-laden Danish. Few things are prettier and more perfect.

645 Nicholson Street, Carlton North instagram.com/amannpatisserie

Baker of Things

“Funfetti white-choc-chonk” cookies. Vegemite-butterscotch cheesecake. Heart-shaped blueberry Yo-Yos. Playfulness reigns at Maker Coffee’s new bakery, thanks to former Beatrix baker Zoe Pearce, who lets her creativity run free. Visit mid-morning when the backstreet space is flooded with sun. And if you’re not in Richmond, Baker of Things also provides goods to Maker’s coffee shops, which are spread across the CBD and the inner south.

Must order: Citrus layer cake, a stacks-on of zesty goodness.

17 Burnley Street, Richmond, bakerofthings.com.au

Sebastian Kakigori

Kakigori, Japanese shaved ice desserts, are the name of the game at this (literally and figuratively) cool city dessert bar, direct from Tokyo where the first location opened in 2011. Crystal-clear ice is shipped from Kanazawa, made using water from Mount Hakusan, then masterfully shaved, flavoured with syrups and garnished with a variety of toppings.

Must order: Blow-torched creme brulee kakigori, with layers of sweet meringue, different textures of ice and hidden strawberry swirls.

203 Queen Street, Melbourne, sebastiankakigori.com.au

Good Food’s Essential Melbourne Cafes and Bakeries of 2025, presented by T2, celebrates the people and places that shape our excellent cafe and bakery scenes and includes more than 100 venues reviewed anonymously across 10 categories, including icons, those best for food, tea, coffee and matcha, and where to get the city’s best sweets, sandwiches and baked goods. Download the Good Food app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store to discover what’s near you.