These 27 Queen City Bakeries are Perfect Carbo-Loading Destinations

O Pie O

1527 Madison Road, East Walnut Hills
While originally famous for their sweet pies, O Pie O’s restaurant also does savory — pot pies, quiche, empanadas, etc. And they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a selection of both types. The pie crust anchors the menu with a flakiness that truly melts in your mouth and tastes just as lovely and buttery whether filled with braised beef or blueberry lavender.
Photo: Jesse Fox

Chako Bakery Cafe

611 Main St., Covington
Chako thrives in using natural and handmade baking processes with special Japanese ingredients and local, fresh produce. All items are served carefully with the Japanese hospitality concept of “Omotenashi."
Photo: Mesa Serikali

Donna’s Gourmet Cookies

10796 Montgomery Road, Montgomery
Donna’s Gourmet Cookies are made daily by hand, from scratch, without any artificial flavors or preservatives using the finest ingredients to make certain a delectable homemade taste and feel we all know and love.
Photo via Facebook.com/DonnasGourmetCookies

The Bagelry

1401 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine
Formerly known as OTR Bagelry, this family-run shop's first brick-and-mortar offers freshly boiled and baked bagels with housemade cream cheeses as well as breakfast and sandwiches.
Photo via Facebook.com/TheBagelryOTR

Brown Bear Bakery

116 E. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine
Cincinnati pastry artist Blair Fornshell uses all-natural ingredients to create so-beautiful-you-almost-feel-bad-about-eating-them desserts, such as vanilla bean scones, salty chocolate chip cookies, gooey cinnamon rolls, matcha snickerdoodles and savory brioche. The OTR bakery and café space is the perfect blend of old and new and has a very Lower Manhattan vibe.
Photo via Facebook.com/BrownBearBakeryCincinnati

Allez Bakery

1208 Main St., Over-the-Rhine
This bakery has a small but mighty team, preparing and baking heaps of sourdough, ciabatta and rye on a three-deck Polin oven — an Italian import that dominates the front of house. The menu features lunch sandwiches — like chicken salad with tarragon, marinated beet and prosciutto with rapini pesto— served with a La Croix seltzer water and a bag of local Hen of the Woods chips.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Cherbourg Cyprus

1804 Race St., Over-the-Rhine
Well known for its selection of gluten-free, nut-free goodies, the OTR shop features not only pastries — donuts, Cherbourg’s famous double lemon bars, muffins, cookies and cake — but also eggy deliciousness, like inventive stratas, quiches and individual skillet servings of shakshuka.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Lil’s Bagels

308 Greenup St., Covington
The alleyway beside Roebling Point Books & Coffee is laced not only with plants peeking through a sidewalk, but the wafting scent of warm, doughy bagels — made with chutzpah. They serve up both sweet and savory takes. Want a classic cream cheese variation? They got you. Or, try ‘em sandwich style, with variations like The Gawd Father (pimento cheese, bacon, bibb lettuce and pickled green tomato) and The Bad Judy (hummus, baba ghanouj, turmeric pickled jicama, radishes and spicy greens).
Photo: Jesse Fox

The BonBonerie

2030 Madison Road, O’Bryonville
Have your cake and eat it too as the BonBonerie crew shows off their savory skills. Scones, tea and quiche adorn the café menu, but the real treat is for those with a sweet tooth. The bakery menu features tortes, cakes, pastries and old-fashioned cookies to please everyone.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Baladi Restaurant and Bakery

3307 Clifton Ave., Clifton
Baladi means “my country” in Arabic, which describes how the Barazi family wants their guests to feel — welcomed and at home. The Syrian-focused and authentic menu has French and Turkish influences and features dishes like cheese fatayir, kafta kebabs, foul, musaka and more, including delicious and unique baked goods.
Photo via Facebook.com/BaladiRestaurantandBakery

Mainwood Pastry

113 W Elder St., Over-the-Rhine
This Findlay Market-based pastry shop turns out baked goodies like cookies, fruit danishes, chocolate croissants and more — all from the minds behind cult favorite Collective Espresso coffee shop. Check their social media for info about secret pizza parties featuring homemade dough and seasonal toppings.
Photo via Mainwood Pastry Facebook

Sweet Sinsations Bakery

6221 Snider Road, Mason
This suburban bakery serves up a wide variety of freshly-baked breads, donuts and pastries as well as beautifully iced cookies and made-to-order cakes.
Photo provided by business

French Crust Cafe & Bistro

1801 Elm St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
French Crust Café and Bistro is as jaunty and friendly as its owner, chef Jean-Robert de Cavel. Patrons sit at booths, tables or a 20-seat bar and soak up the bonhomie of a lively ambiance. The food matches the surroundings and delivers note-perfect versions of dishes you’d expect for breakfast, brunch or lunch — a variety of quiches, sandwiches on croissant or baguette, omelets and, of course, a croque monsieur. At dinner, more bistro classics tempt diners, from appetizers of snails and beef tartare to mains ranging from duck leg confit to steak frites.
Photo via Facebook.com/FrenchCrustCafe

The Baker’s Table

1004 Monmouth St., Newport
Chef Dave Willocks and his wife Wendy have created a Newport bakery that serves a cultural variety of meals for breakfast and lunch. This local bakery sources from the local Dark Wood Farm for the freshest ingredients. The Baker’s Table carries an exciting range of drinks from teas and coffees to beers and wines and also caters events.
Photo via The Baker's Table Facebook

Bluebird Bakery

29 Village Square, Glendale
Twin Peaks’ Agent Dale Cooper was onto something with his interest in pairing a cup of coffee with a slice of pie. And at Bluebird Bakery in historic Glendale’s quaint village square, their from-scratch seasonal pies, made with farm-fresh eggs, sweet butter and real garden-fresh fruit, are as authentic as it gets.
Photo via Facebook.com/BlueBirdBakeryGlendale

Blue Oven Bakery

125 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine
Sara and Mark Frommeyer own and operate the bakery from their family farm in Williamsburg, Ohio, on the banks of the Little Miami River. Blue Oven breads can be purchased year-round on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at Findlay Market and at farmers markets and stores across the city. The bread is baked in, yes, a blue oven. More specifically, it’s a wood-fired oven, and with around 20 breads in the rotation, everyone can find something they love.
Photo via Facebook.com/BlueOvenBakery

Holtman’s Donut Shop

Multiple locations including 1332 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine; 1399 State Route 28, Loveland; 214 W. Main St., Williamsburg
In September 2013, the Loveland-based Holtman’s Donuts finally opened an OTR location, complete with a window you can peer through and watch them make donuts, like the sensational maple bacon.
Photo via Facebook.com/HoltmansDonuts

OTR Bagel Bar

107 West Elder St., Over-the-Rhine
This Findlay Market bagelry opened in December 2018. The space takes its decorative cue and overall ambiance from a “nostalgic” stance. The tables have gameboard tops — ’80s board games are present to play — and colorful chairs have been sourced from elementary schools. A lineup of standard bagels — such as poppy seed, onion, everything and plain — and specialty bagels like carrot cake grace the menu. They make making specialty cream cheeses, like jalapeño and cookie dough, and bagel breakfast sandwiches.
Photo: Hailey Bollinger

Bread House Bakery

11974 Lebanon Road, Sharonville
Bread House Bakery gives you a genuine taste of Chinese bread, cookies, cakes and desserts. They accept walk-ins and now offer local deliveries and pick-up locations.
Photo via Facebook.com/BreadHouseBakeryCincy

Busken Bakery

Multiple locations including 2675 Madison Road, Hyde Park; 5345 Glenway Ave., Western Hills
Busken Bakery opened in 1928 and quickly became a Cincinnati staple with bakery counters in grocery stores, 24-hour drive-in bakeries and delicious donuts, bread and apple pies. Their award-winning baked goods can be found in Remke Markets, Kroger, UDF and eight bakeries around the city. Hyde Park location open 24/7.
Photo via Facebook.com/BuskenBakery