The best of
Wellington. Ranked.

A Wellington institution since 1975 — this family-owned bakery has been turning out pies, sandwiches and traditional baking staples across generations. Two suburban stores plus online delivery keep the old-school craft alive without the CBD price tag.

Swiss master-baker Max Fuhrer built this Aro Street fixture in 1989 and it's still the neighbourhood's daily bread run. European-style loaves, vegan cakes and gluten-free options sit alongside Kiwi classics, with wholesale reach into cafes across the region.

A tiny four-day-a-week shopfront that pulls croissant pilgrims from across the whole city. Owner James Whyte keeps the sourdough down to flour, water and salt, but it's the almond, ham-and-gruyère and jalapeño cheddar croissants people queue for.

A pocket-sized French patisserie run by Le Cordon Bleu grads Jocelyn and Eddy, tucked down Left Bank off Cuba Street. Petit gâteaux, madeleines and a salted, butter-crisp salt bun draw a line that regularly spills into the laneway.

Chef Sam Forbes mills his own organic NZ grain on site and turns it into naturally levained sourdough, bagels and baguettes. What began as a Shelly Bay side project now runs a proper mill-and-bakery HQ plus outposts on Leeds Street and Karori Road.

A proudly Māori-owned micro-bakery built on manaakitanga, best known for rēwena baps and cinnamon buns baked with real care. What started as a Lower Hutt market stall now runs a converted-container café in Miramar that regularly sells out by early afternoon.

Bagel bakery going since 1998, with sites in Thorndon, on The Terrace and in Lower Hutt — and jumbo 20-inch New York-style pizzas alongside the bagels.

Local tip: Replaces Pandoro Panetteria on this list — all three Wellington Pandoro outlets closed permanently after 28 years.

Down a hidden laneway off Leeds Street, this compact bakery built its name on stone-ground organic sourdough and a salted caramel cookie locals still talk about years later. Now folded into the Shelly Bay Baker family without losing its own identity.

Kate Marinkovich's cosy Majoribanks Street cakery turns out a daily-changing cabinet of doughnuts, brioche and cakes finished with freeze-dried fruit and edible flowers. Custom birthday and wedding cakes are the real drawcard for Mount Vic locals.

Started as a cake shop in 2016 and grew into a full Italian-style bakery-pizzeria, famous locally for its tiramisu doughnuts and rotating vegan flavours. A proper Miramar hangout with pizza and calzones alongside the pastry cabinet.

An award-winning all-vegan bakery that started as a Newtown Market stall and now runs a tucked-away CBD shopfront. Pastries, focaccia and doughnuts prove plant-based baking doesn't have to compromise on flake or flavour.

The newest name on this list, built by bakers trained in Paris and New Zealand's top French schools. Near-flawless almond croissants and proper sourdough have made it a fast favourite despite only recently opening its doors.

Jackson Street bakery open every day, with a late-afternoon happy hour that most Wellington bakeries do not bother with.

Local tip: Happy hour runs 3–4pm, and "The Sweet Box" is any six sweet items for $32.

A no-frills, high-volume corner bakery serving one of Wellington's busiest and most multicultural strips. The kind of place locals duck into daily for a pie or a coffee-and-slice without ever needing a recommendation.