Because bar crawls are so last year.
Got a sweet tooth? You’re going to love our caramel-drizzled, chocolate-adorned, icing-dusted East London bakery crawl, taking in the best bakeries out east. Although it’ll be more of a waddle than a crawl after we’re done with this lot.
Rinkoff Bakery
We’ll start our tour in the backstreets of Whitechapel, with a bakery celebrating its 117th birthday in 2018. When you grab a cake or a loaf from Rinkoff’s, you’re gorging on recipes brought to London from Ukraine by Hyman Rinkoff, way back in 1911. Think about that when you’re munching down on a challah loaf or a babka. They’re also the people behind the Creme Egg Crodough, which definitely didn’t come from Ukraine, but does happen to be delicious, as are their chocolate and salted caramel brownies.
222-226 Jubilee Street, Whitechapel, E1 3BS. Nearest stations are Whitechapel and Stepney Green.
Dum Dum Donutterie
A short jaunt on the Overground will get you to Boxpark Shoreditch, where you’ll find Dum Dums serving up loveliness in both dough and cro variations. Our favourite here is the zebra cronut, a mix of regular and chocolate croissant dough, filled with chocolate buttercream. Crawling as a group? Pick up one of their 9 inch cronuts, which also handily serve as birthday cakes.
Lily Vanilli
If you’re planning on the full crawl – props to you – you’ll need to make it a Sunday sojourn. That’s the only day this pretty little bakery opens, nestled in a courtyard next to Columbia Road’s bustling flower market. On offer inside is a range of cakes, tarts, brownies, pastries, and whatever else baking impresario Lily Jones decides to conjure up that week. The result is highly seasonal baking, but a scan of her Instagram feed will let you know what’s coming. Make a beeline for the burnt butter salted pecan brownies if they’re available.
6 The Courtyard, Ezra Street, E2 7RH. Nearest station is Hoxton.
E5 Bakehouse
By this point, you’re most likely on the verge of a sugar coma, so we’ll mix it up with something savoury. Beneath the railway arches of London Fields, the E5 Bakehouse bakes batches of hand-crafted bread, even milling their own flour in a neighbouring arch. The result is tangy sourdough and intoxicating rye bread, although we’d recommend the cheese toastie if you’re sticking around for lunch. From 12-4pm on Sundays, they served homemade pizzas from their wood-fired oven, which aren’t to be missed.
395 Mentmore Terrace, E8 3PH. Nearest station is London Fields.
Violet Cakes
Violet owner Claire Ptak hit the headlines earlier this year for a lemon and elderflower wedding cake, served at Prince Harry & Meghan Markle’s nuptials. When she’s not concocting bakes for the royals, she’s churning out the treats from her understated Hackney shop. Seasonal ingredients and Ptak’s Californian roots come to the fore in her cupcakes, whilst there are a range of savoury dishes on offer too. If you’ve got any room left, grab a decadent butterscotch blondie, and congratulate yourself on the sweet success of your bakery crawl!
47 Wilton Way, Hackney, E8 3ED. Nearest station is Hackney Central.
Featured image: @lookbackandlaugh