The best bakeries in Manchester are Pollen and Companio for sourdough and croissants, Trove for bread and brunch, Siop Shop for doughnuts, Gooey for cookies, La Chouquette and Bisous Bisous for French-style pastry, and Barbakan for traditional continental bread. Most sit in Ancoats, the Northern Quarter or the south Manchester suburbs. We checked every address and opening time in October 2026, but hours change, so check before you travel.
Bakeries in Manchester at a glance
| Best for | Bakery | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Sourdough and pastries | Pollen Bakery | Ancoats and city centre (Kampus) |
| Croissants and focaccia | Companio | Ancoats and Northern Quarter |
| Bread, brunch and cakes | Trove | Ancoats, Levenshulme, Marble Street |
| Doughnuts | Siop Shop | Northern Quarter |
| Cookies and stuffed doughnuts | Gooey | Northern Quarter and Ducie Street |
| French-style bakery | La Chouquette | Didsbury |
| Macarons and patisserie | Bisous Bisous | Chorlton and Deansgate |
| Traditional continental bread | Barbakan | Chorlton |
The 8 best bakeries in Manchester
1. Pollen Bakery
Pollen is the bakery most people mean when they talk about Manchester sourdough. Hannah Calvert and Chris Kelly opened it in September 2016 in a railway arch behind Piccadilly station, then moved to Cotton Field Wharf in Ancoats in May 2018. A second café and pastry kitchen opened at Kampus in the city centre in June 2022.
- Where: Cotton Field Wharf, 8 New Union St, M4 6FQ (Ancoats), and 42 Aytoun St, M1 3GL (Kampus)
- Open (Ancoats): Wednesday to Friday 8am to 4pm, Saturday and Sunday 9am to 4pm, closed Monday and Tuesday
- Try: sourdough loaves, croissants, cakes and the breakfast buns
- Good to know: expect queues on Saturday mornings. Phone 0161 273 3171. Official website
2. Companio
Companio started as a tiny unit on Radium Street in Ancoats and added a bigger café with indoor seating on Spear Street in the Northern Quarter in summer 2024. It is known for sourdough, laminated pastries and focaccia sandwiches. The Good Food Guide picks out its croissants, made with Edinburgh Butter Co butter, and its seed-packed Salford 5-seed loaf.
- Where: Unit 6, Flint Glass Wharf, 35 Radium St, M4 6AD (Ancoats), and Unit 1, 60 Spear St, M1 1AW (Northern Quarter)
- Open (Spear St): closed Monday, Tuesday to Thursday 8am to 3pm, Friday to Sunday 8am to 2pm
- Try: Salford 5-seed sourdough, Ancoats White, almond croissant and the maritozzi (a Roman cream bun)
- Good to know: read the Good Food Guide review of Companio
3. Trove
Marcus and Katy Saide opened the first Trove in Levenshulme in 2011, and it won Best Coffee Shop at the 2017 Manchester Food and Drink Awards. There are now three sites. Its pastry dough takes 42 hours from mixing to baking, and the bread, cakes, jams and chutneys are all made in-house.
- Where: 1032 Stockport Rd, M19 3WX (Levenshulme); 5 Murray St, M4 6HS (Ancoats); Bloc, 17 Marble St, M2 3AW (city centre)
- Open: hours differ by site, so check before you go
- Try: sourdough, seasonal pastries and the brunch menu
- Good to know: the Ancoats site is licensed for cocktails, natural wine and beer. See the Trove Ancoats listing
4. Siop Shop
Siop is Welsh for “shop”, so the name means “shop shop”. Iwan Roberts and Lucy Jackson, previously of Blawd Bakehouse, opened the café on Tib Street in October 2017. The sourdough doughnuts are proved for 24 hours, the flavours change constantly, and vegan doughnuts are part of the mix.
- Where: 53 Tib St, M4 1LS
- Open: Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm (one older listing shows shorter weekday hours, so check)
- Try: a doughnut or glazed twist, plus a flat white made with beans the team roast themselves
- Good to know: phone 0161 834 4416. Instagram
5. Gooey
Gooey launched in March 2020 selling New York-style cookies and brioche doughnuts by delivery, and soon had queues at its kiosk in Ducie Street Warehouse. Its Northern Quarter café on High Street opened in August 2022 and adds croissants, brunch and sandwiches. Cookies are best eaten warm, and doughnuts can sell out before closing.
- Where: kiosk at Ducie Street Warehouse, Ducie St, M1 2TP, and café at 103 High St, M4 1HQ
- Open (kiosk): Wednesday to Friday 12pm to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday 10.30am to 6pm. The café opened daily 9am to 6pm, so confirm current hours
- Try: the cookies, the sugar-coated stuffed brioche doughnuts and the Reuben sandwich
- Good to know: phone 07399 775196. Instagram
6. La Chouquette
La Chouquette is the Didsbury bakery for French-style croissants, baguettes, savoury tarts and cream buns. It appeared after lockdown and later added a second site in Poynton. Social media posts in September 2026 reported a reopening after an expansion at the same Wilmslow Road address, so check hours before a special trip.
- Where: 812a Wilmslow Rd, Didsbury, M20 6UH
- Open: 7am to 4pm most days, 7am to 5pm on Saturday
- Try: croissants, baguettes and the fruit-topped cream buns
- Good to know: phone 0161 448 7030. Open every day of the week
7. Bisous Bisous
Bisous Bisous means “little kiss” in French, and the pastel-coloured shops sell macarons, éclairs, small gateaux and lemon meringue tarts. It opened in Didsbury in 2014 and won Best Producer at the 2017 Observer Food Monthly Awards. Manchester’s Finest currently lists shops on Deansgate and Beech Road in Chorlton, plus a concession in Selfridges at the Trafford Centre.
- Where: Deansgate (city centre) and Beech Road (Chorlton)
- Open: hours differ by shop, so check the website
- Try: macarons, éclairs and a boxed selection as a gift
- Good to know: the original shop was at 663 Wilmslow Road in Didsbury, but recent guides list other sites, so confirm which shops are open. Official website
8. Barbakan
Barbakan has baked in Chorlton since 1964, when it opened to serve south Manchester’s Polish community. It sells more than 75 varieties of bread, from Polish rye to German and Italian loaves, plus cakes, deli goods and a covered terrace. It was reported to use nine tonnes of flour a week in 2021. In September 2026 the Manchester Evening News published a story about an open letter from the owner on money worries, so check that it is trading before you travel.
- Where: 67 to 71 Manchester Rd, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, M21 9PW
- Open: Monday to Friday 8am to 5.30pm, Saturday 8.30am to 5pm, closed Sunday
- Try: rye and sourdough loaves, cheesecakes and the sweet patisserie
- Good to know: phone 0161 881 7053. History and awards are on the Barbakan Delicatessen Wikipedia page
How long Manchester’s bakeries have been baking
Barbakan is by far the oldest on this list. Most of the others opened in the last 15 years, which explains why Manchester’s bakery scene feels so fresh.
Review scores at a glance
These are the scores we could find on public review sites. They come from different platforms with very different numbers of reviews, so treat them as a rough guide, not a ranking.
| Bakery | Score | Platform | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbakan | 4.7 | Yelp | 54 |
| La Chouquette | 4.7 | 624 | |
| Companio | 4.6 | 185 | |
| Pollen Bakery | 4.5 | Yelp | 8 |
| Trove (Levenshulme) | 4.4 | Yelp | 23 |
More bakeries worth a detour
| Bakery | Area | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| The Flat Baker | Ancoats (97 Jersey St) | Croissant cookies and pistachio bakes, with queues down Radium Street |
| Half Dozen Other | Cheetham Hill (17 Red Bank) | Filled croissants and danishes |
| Long Boi’s Bakehouse | Levenshulme (40 Forest Range) | Babkas, danishes and croissants |
| State Fayre | Crumpsall (77 Middleton Rd) | Kosher bagels and challah, baking for more than 100 years |
| Wong Wong | Chinatown (32 Princess St) | Char siu buns, pineapple buns and occasion cakes |
| Old Trafford Bakery | Old Trafford (126 Shrewsbury St) | Jamaican patties, hard dough bread and bulla cake |
| Holy Grain | Deansgate Mews (253 Deansgate) | Naturally leavened bread, mostly for restaurants |
| Lovingly Artisan (Greater Manchester) | Altrincham Market | Rustic sourdough loaves |
| MOST Bakery (Greater Manchester) | Altrincham (3 to 5 Cross St) | Loaves, sweet bakes and vegan pastries |
If State Fayre has you craving a warm bagel, our guide to the must-try bagel shops in Manchester has more places to try.
Plan a bakery crawl in Ancoats
Ancoats is the easiest place to try several bakeries in one trip. Pollen, Companio and Trove all have sites there, and Pollen and Trove are only around a four-minute walk apart. The Flat Baker is close by too. Go on a weekday morning if you can, since Saturday queues at Pollen are long.
Avoid Monday if you can. Pollen and Companio’s Spear Street café are both closed then, and Gooey’s kiosk is closed on Monday and Tuesday. La Chouquette and Barbakan are open on Mondays.
Celebration cakes and custom orders
Many Manchester bakeries take orders for birthday, wedding and celebration cakes. Wong Wong is known for occasion cakes, La Chouquette makes large celebration cakes, and one customer reported ordering a Bisous Bisous cake by email. Order early, since the best bakers book up weeks ahead for weekends and holidays. Be clear about numbers, flavours, dietary needs and delivery or collection, ask to see previous work, and confirm the price and deposit in writing.
Bakeries you can sit in
Pollen, Trove, Companio’s Spear Street café, Siop Shop and Gooey’s High Street café all have seats, which makes them good for breakfast or a working morning. Weekends are busy, so arrive early for a table. For more places to linger over coffee, see our guide to cafés and coffee shops in Manchester, or try one of the brunch restaurants in Manchester. If you are after the long-fermented sourdough and laminated pastries that have made Manchester’s bakery scene famous, see our deeper guide to artisanal bakeries and real sourdough in Manchester.
Vegan and gluten-free baking
Siop Shop changes its vegan doughnuts weekly, and MOST Bakery in Altrincham is praised for its vegan pastries. We found no bakery in the sources we checked that is confirmed as dedicated gluten-free, so ask in person. For coeliac disease, ask how gluten-free items are made and stored, since flour in the air of a bakery makes cross-contamination likely. Our guide to gluten-free restaurants explains the questions to ask, and our list of vegan and plant-based eateries in Manchester covers more options.
Bakeries with children
Bakeries are an easy treat with children, and many sell smaller bakes that suit little appetites. Check whether there is space for pushchairs, since some popular bakeries are small with queues outside. For a longer sit-down meal, see our pick of family-friendly restaurants in Manchester. Baking at home together is another way to share the fun; our simple British recipes for beginners include easy starting points.
FAQ
What is the best bakery in Manchester?
Pollen is the best known, thanks to its sourdough and pastries. Companio is a strong pick for croissants, and Barbakan is the oldest, baking in Chorlton since 1964.
Where can I find the best sourdough in Manchester?
Pollen, Companio and Trove are the three names that come up most. All three have sites in Ancoats, so you can compare loaves in one trip.
Where can I get the best doughnuts in Manchester?
Siop Shop on Tib Street is known for sourdough doughnuts proved for 24 hours. Gooey is the pick for sugar-coated stuffed brioche doughnuts and big cookies.
Which bakeries in Manchester sell French pastries?
La Chouquette in Didsbury is known for croissants, baguettes and savoury tarts. Bisous Bisous sells macarons, éclairs and gateaux at its Chorlton and Deansgate shops.
Which Manchester bakeries are open on a Monday?
La Chouquette and Barbakan are open on Mondays. Pollen and Companio’s Spear Street café are closed, so check each bakery’s hours before you go.
Are there vegan bakeries in Manchester?
Siop Shop sells vegan doughnuts that change weekly, and MOST Bakery in Altrincham sells vegan pastries. Many other independents offer vegan cakes or can make them on request.
Conclusion
Manchester’s bakery scene runs from 1960s continental bakers to Ancoats sourdough specialists and Northern Quarter doughnut shops. If you only have time for one trip, head to Ancoats for Pollen, Companio and Trove, then add Siop Shop or Gooey for something sweet. Everything here was checked in October 2026 against Manchester’s Finest, Taste of Manchester, the Good Food Guide and local news reports. For a wider list, see Manchester’s Finest guide to the best bakeries.