'A-LIST' DINING GUIDE: 2014

Northeast Ohio's dynamic dining scene continues to unfold as one of America's best. Our fifth annual "A-List Dining Guide" featuring the area's Top 100 restaurants will be unveiled Friday -- online on cleveland.com's Top Restaurants channel and in print in The Plain Dealer's Friday magazine.

We're also serving up a few "A-List" side dishes this year, including mini guides to the area's best bets in various categories.

Today, we're whetting your appetite with Northeast Ohio Media Group Restaurants & Dining Editor Joe Crea's 10 notable area bakeries and cafes.



Look for more posts and mini-guides this week, leading up to Friday's "A List" unveiling. Follow on Twitter, too, via

Northeast Ohio Media Group Restaurants & Dining Editor Joe Crea

Updated 10:45 a.m. Wednesday

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- We Clevelanders love our breads and baked goods. There seems no end to the standard-bearers that keep us well-supplied with loaves and cakes, sweet rolls and specialty pastries. (Christopher’s Bakery and Vera’s Nationality Bakery at West Side Market; Lucy’s Sweet Surrender in Shaker Heights; Rudy’s Strudel and Breads and Beyond in Parma; and Stone Oven in Cleveland, Cleveland Heights and Woodmere are just a few that come to mind.)

Now a new generation of stalwarts is stepping up to keep the art alive. Here are 10 notable shops, old and new.

Breadsmith: 18101 Detroit Ave. Lakewood; 216-529-8443

Earthy, satisfying, European style breads (including several whole-grain varieties and a very good French baguette) are signatures of Breadsmith. They’ll cut you a sample of the day’s specials. You’ll also find fresh scones and big, chewy cookies in the showcases.

Luna Bakery: 2482 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights; 216-231-8585

Almost every time I drop by, there are a few new surprises on display. Exquisite French-style pastries (including heavenly gougere and croissants and charmingly tinted macarons) are among the luxuries available. The made-to-order filled crepes make a savory and wholesome alternative to anything you’ll land at a drive-thru.

Farkas Pastry Shoppe: 2700 Lorain Ave. (Ohio City) Cleveland; 216-281-6200

One bite of a cream-filled Napoleon from Farkas is an unparalleled luxury -- and a step back in time. Few Cleveland bakeries rival this shop’s modest but well-curated selection of Old World favorites like Linzer squares, Dobos tortes and other Hungarian treats.

Michael Angelo's Bakery: 8035 Broadview Road, Broadview Heights; 440-526-0499

Although you'll find all sorts of breads, bars, cookies, pastries and sundry treats here, wonderful cakes are the real show-stoppers. I served one of brothers Michael and Matthew Ciocca's fudge-coasted Sacher Tortes at a gathering. Months later, friends were still singing its praises. Even their chocolate-covered graham crackers are memorable.

Chocolate coconut macaroons and hazelnut macaroons in the shape of a cookie from Zoss the Swiss Baker.

Zoss the Swiss Baker: 2397 Cedar Road, Cleveland Heights; 216-368-4055

Northern European breads are a specialty here. Indulge in one of the crispiest, most buttery-decadent palmier pastries around.

Various holidays find delectable coconut macaroons, flourless chocolate cakes and one of the most delicious stollens imaginable in the display cases.

On The Rise: 3471 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights; 216-320-9923

Thank God I live across town from On The Rise -- strictly because my triglyceride levels couldn’t take it. From challah to sticky buns to wonderful fruit tarts and … sigh, it’s as close to a Parisian shop as I can imagine stateside. Wonderful sandwiches, too, on OTR’s excellent baked-daily breads.

Kolos Bakery: 5346 State Road (Ukrainian Village), Parma; 216-741-1282

Take a deep breath when you step up into this modest shop on a Saturday morning, and it’s 1955. The air is redolent with the golden aroma of baking bread and sweet scents. Racks hold shelves of various rye breads, whole grain and white loaves, along with poppyseed, nut and fruit-laced breakfast treats. A refrigerated case brims with various cakes and rolls, sold by the pound. It’s a fine reminder of what an Old World bakery really is.

Bonbon Pastry & Café: 2549 Lorain Ave. (Ohio City), Cleveland; 216-458-9225

Handmade croissants, really good cookies, muffins and moist cupcakes are just of a few reasons to stop in for a cup of (good) coffee and an indulgence. Other reasons include good breakfast and lunch fare.

Rasberry Rose cookies at Coquette Patisserie, a new cafe/bakery in the Uptown section of University Circle.

Blackbird Baking Company: 1391 Sloane Ave., Lakewood; 216-712-6599

I could almost see living on bread-and-water, if Blackbird were one of the suppliers. Crusty epi, levain, ciabatta, focaccia, baguette … oh, and the selection of croissants is rivaled only by the delight that comes when your first bite breaks into buttery crumbs. Linger awhile in the adjoining café on the lower level.

Coquette Patisserie: 11607 Euclid Ave. (University Circle), Cleveland; 216-331-2841

For the longest time, the only opportunity you’d find to savor the exacting artistry of Britt-Marie Culey was if you attended a charity fund-raiser or a luxe party (or paid a visit to North Union Farmers Market). Now Culey has opened a shop in University Circle, and the region is richer. Her French pastries are miniature works of art. Delicious, too.

What's you favorite item from the bakeries on our list? Is your go-to bakery missing from our list?

Tell us in the comments section below.