I met a helpful person at the Airport Budget in Philly. Jen lives in Boston and had the following bakery analysis …
Bread = Iggy’s (East Cambridge), not artisnal, but good and reliable
Cakes/Cupcakes = Party Favors (Brookline) ... butter cream frosting is the best!! Cupcakes you can’t go wrong, but I recommend the marble cake as the either chocolate or yellow is very sweet. Although, it depends on the consumer … all of it is very good. It’s my birthday cake every year!!
Cannoli’s = Modern Pastry (North End) .. hand filled upon order, don’t go to Mike’s Pastry as it’s a tourist site
Italian pastries = Maria’s (North End) ... awesome almond macaroons
Cookies = can’t say I have found a favorite bakery, but any of the above would be fine. Dancing Deer is located in Jamica Plain and donates a percentage of it’s profits to local shelters which is a good reason to pay a little extra at some markets around town. And, the cookies are quite delish! 7 years ago
According to Manine (who I trust) it’s Fornax Bakery in Roslindale Village. Now I just have to make it to Boston and try this joint out. 8 years ago
look no further. fornax bakery in roslindale village is where you should go. it’s my favorite bakery in boston. they bake gorgeous, hearty breads, delicate pastries, and their scones are the best i’ve ever had (as is their irish soda bread). they make great sandwiches, too. it’s local, friendly (in that excellent boston kind of way), hard-working, and unpretentious. 8 years ago
blue frog is a mostly pastries and they don’t make their own breads. we tried a lemon meringue tart, it was disappointing.
flour in the south end was difficult to get to, expensive, and bougie, but the bread was excellent, good crisp crust, interestingly sour peasent loaf. 8 years ago
There must be one, somewhere where you can get fresh, well baked bread.
Fiore just opened in JP, but they seem to be more on the North End mold of bakery, i.e. a heavy focus on cannolli(sp?) and eclairs.
Towns a tenth the size of Boston will have one or two artisanal bakeries.
My first step is to go to the book store and flip through those food travel guide style books until I have a list of 5 possibles. 8 years ago
