When you think of communities located near major metropolitan airports, you probably think of noise. But Burien, Wash., a relatively affordable suburb just south of Seattle and west of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, avoids such a fate with flight paths mercifully positioned to the east. Charmed with breathtaking access to Puget Sound, snow-capped Mount Rainier and the wooded trails of Seahurst Park, Burien now has a downtown in the midst of a serious upswing, thanks in part to several outposts of popular Seattle originals.

Bakery Nouveau

This multifaceted bakery, now in three locations, consistently ranks among the West Coast’s finest. When the owner William Leaman went looking for a facility to expand his chocolate-making capacity, he found Burien to be a more affordable option than the West Seattle neighborhood that still houses his popular original storefront. While sweets are the main draw in this year-old spot, savory lunch items like stromboli and croque-monsieurs are also first-rate — and you can watch the chocolate being stirred mechanically through a glass floor panel, giving the place a wonderfully Willy Wonka-like vibe.

426 SW 153rd St., bakerynouveau.com