Melbourne’s inner north is a breeding ground for bakeries, with what feels like a constant stream of newcomers. And while it is, indeed, home to some of the city’s best baked goods, a clutch of new openings is upping the game in lesser-served areas. From recently relocated favourites to new arrivals leaning into their roots, here are seven to try.

Candied Bakery, Spotswood

Since opening in 2012, Candied Bakery has flourished into a firm west-side favourite. But husband-and-wife owners Orlando Artavilla and Toula Ploumidis have recently ushered it into a new era, moving from snug digs on Hudsons Road in Spotswood to a space Artavilla reckons is “four times the size, at least”, on nearby Hall Street. For the first time, you can dine in. That’s once you decide what to order from the enormous selection, ranging from sourdough breads of all shapes and sizes, and pies and sausage rolls, to layered red-velvet cake and vanilla-slice doughnuts.

Signature item: The generously frosted cinnamon roll ($5.80) has been a menu cornerstone for almost a decade.

136 Hall Street, Spotswood, candiedbakery.com.au

OCAB Bakery, Yarraville

French-trained pastry chef Tristan Rezzani and self-taught Iranian-born baker Houman Namavarkedanji are the dough bros behind OCAB. The pair really back their bakery: the name is an acronym for “overly confident arrogant bakers”. After the success of their first location in Moonee Ponds, they’ve opened a second, in the west. “Yarraville has a strong community feeling,” says Namavarkedanji. “We love being part of [it].” Go for flaky, savoury pies, sourdough loaves and sweets such as the bestselling cinnamon knot.

Signature items: It depends on who you ask. For Namavarkedanji, it’s the filled pistachio croissant ($8.50), “a Persian-inspired classic using pistachios and rosewater”. For Rezzani, it’s the tiramisu ($9), which celebrates his Italian background.

32A Ballarat Street, Yarraville, ocab.com.au

Savion Cakes & Bagels, Balaclava

If you haven’t heard of Savion, you might have had one of the bakery’s excellent bagels – they’re stocked in cafes and supermarkets across town, including Dan’s Deli and Hank’s. Owners Ina and Sergiy Sambor run production in a Cheltenham bakery that’s not open to the public, but have just relocated their cafe from Elsternwick to Balaclava to capture the foot traffic on Carlisle Street. Painted brightly with sunflowers, it’s a relaxed new spot for bagels (both loose and filled), as well as handmade biscuits, brownies and more.

Signature items: Lox bagel sandwich ($14) or cheese Danish ($5).

242 Carlisle Street, Balaclava, savionbagels.com.au

Creme de la Creme Patisserie, Spotswood

Husband-and-wife duo Samih Ladkani and Jasmin Jammal Ladkani spent five years building their patisserie business from home, “e-commerce style”. But in June, faced with overwhelming customer support, they opened a bricks-and-mortar site in Spotswood. Pastry chef Jasmin marries traditional French techniques with the flavours of her Middle Eastern heritage for creative pastries that strike a chord with locals. They’re all made from scratch in a kitchen that’s on full display through the front window.

Signature item: Knafeh croissant ($10.50), which riffs on the sweet, cheesy Middle Eastern dessert.

101 Hudsons Road, Spotswood, instagram.com/cdlcpatisserie

Austro Bakery, North Melbourne

Much-loved bakery Austro has swapped South Melbourne for North Melbourne, in the inner northwest, as owners Sally Roxon and Christian Gattermayr focus on wholesale. The no-frills Lothian Street shopfront, open Friday and Saturday only from 8am to 1pm, sells laminated pastries galore, from the typical (buttery croissants) to the not-so-typical (pastries with soft white cheese and Turkish pickles), plus focaccia.

Signature item: “My current favourite is karpatka ($9.50),” says Roxon. “It’s a Polish cake ... commonly referred to as an eclair cake, as it consists of two layers of choux pastry filled with plum jam and stiff, whipped mousseline creme.”

39 Lothian Street, North Melbourne, austrobakery.com

Baked Wonder, Burwood East

This rooftop bakehouse – the cherry on top of shopping centre Burwood Brickworks, in Melbourne’s east – is as playful as it is colourful. The staff wear frilly, pretty-in-pink uniforms to serve coffee from a similarly pink La Marzocco machine, and a fun array of pastries, including a croissant-cookie hybrid called a “crookie”. Savoury winners include sausage rolls filled with dry-aged chorizo from G. McBean Family Butcher, and a vegan version with broccoli, and pickled radish from the rooftop’s community garden.

Signature item: Pink croissant ($7.80), a tangy, strawberry-filled take on the classic, dusted with organic plum power.

Burwood Brickworks, 70 Middleborough Road, Burwood East, instagram.com/baked_wonder

Semla the Bakery, Seaford

Robin Ridell’s new Mornington Peninsula micro-bakery is an ode to his Swedish grandparents, who opened a patisserie on the little island of Salto in Sweden 75 years ago. “We hope to supply our community with fresh bread and buns with the same care as they did,” says Ridell, who runs the Seaford-based bakery with partner Georgia Hulse. The speciality is Scandi-style sourdough bread and buns; the namesake cream-filled semla is “the bun of all buns back home”, Ridell says. While there isn’t a physical shopfront, you can find Semla at regular markets, or order online for free local delivery from Edithvale to Mornington.

Signature item: Cardamom bun ($6). “Nothing beats a freshly baked [one] with your morning coffee,” says Ridell.

semlathebakery.com