Pastries vs. Pâtisserie
A quick primer before we dive in. Pastries are a broad category of baked goods – usually flaky, buttery, or sweet. Think croissants, danishes, and turnovers. They can be homemade, mass-produced, or carefully crafted; the term is general and forgiving. Pâtisserie, on the other hand, refers to a specific French tradition of refined, often delicate pastries made with a high level of skill and precision. Éclairs, mille-feuille, and opera cake all fall into this camp, and the same name is given to the bakeries that specialise in them.In short: all pâtisserie are pastries, but not all pastries are pâtisserie.
1. Bembom, Linden
Bembom is a café specialising in freshly baked Portuguese pastries. The headline act is the pastel de nata – golden, crisp, and reliably addictive – but there’s more to linger over, from almond puffs and filled croissants to doughnuts and classic buttery viennoiserie (yeast-leavened dough products that are at a meeting point between bread and pastry). The Linden branch is our go-to, but check bembom.co.za for one near you.
2. De Baba Eatery, Melville
The colourful De Baba Eatery in Melville is a local favourite for fresh, handcrafted pastries and seriously delicious baked goods. A rotating selection keeps you guessing: will it be a Paris-brest layered with praline cream and flaked almonds, a slice of Russian honey cake, or a maple-syrup apple crumble Danish? Beware: their almond croissant is the best we've had.
3. Dough & Co, Parktown North
This delightfully tiny bakery in Parktown North has all the neighbourhood charm. Dough & Co is where you'll find friendly faces on every visit and an unfussy interior that lets the pastries do the talking. We're fans of everything we've tried here, but nothing beats the simple glazed doughnut. The mini crookies are next on our list: decadent but fun-sized. (Dough & Co's other locations include LXX, Sandton and Lynnridge Walk, Pretoria.)
4. Father Coffee, Rosebank
A blonde-wood, hole-in-the-wall shrine to good design and even better coffee, Father Coffee at The Zone @ Rosebank is quietly legendary. It’s also a great place to work, with Swedish buns being the perfect desk-side companions. FYI: the salted chocolate-chip cookies are sensational too. You can also buy a box of the best beans to take home, roasted at their headquarters in Kramerville.
5. La Tarte Pâtisserie, Sandton
La Tarte Pâtisserie, founded by award-winning Chef Jared Melamed, brings a taste of Paris to Sandton with its exquisite (and we don't say that lightly!) French-inspired pastries. His pastry is delicate and short, and doesn’t compromise on ingredients: butter and flour imported from France, chocolate from Belgium, and only the best in fresh cream. A stand-out among stars is the tartelette noisette, a sexy little number of rich hazelnut praline enclosed with a Belgian chocolate filling. Feeling peckish? Skip the drive and order online.
6. Pâtisserie de Paris, Blairgowrie
Peach Danish or white chocolate almond blondie? Made by filmmaker turned French-trained pastry Chef Paul Zwick and his team, Pâtisserie de Paris in Blairgowrie has both, plus arguably the best baguette in Joburg, cakes, and imported French goodies to boot. Their croissants are worth tasting more than once, and the small shaded courtyard makes for a relaxed breakfast.
7. The Test Bakery, Milpark
Photo: @thetestbakery.
The Test Bakery in Milpark is a weekend-only laboratory of flavour that might have seen us swing in one too many times. The rotating selection of artisanal pastries, including decadent twice-baked, pistachio-filled, kunafah-crusted croissants, choux buns and Italian maritozzi are just a few highlights from our sojourns. Our fave? The chocolate hazelnut sourdough. The banana bread also comes highly recommended.
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