For the longest time, if you asked me my favourite dessert, I’d tell you I wasn’t a dessert person. Enough tasting menus where dessert is a default has changed that. It’s opened my eyes to how good dessert, done well, can actually be, and how it can elevate everything that came before it, ending the meal on a high.
I’m still extremely particular about my dessert selection, though. A good dessert can’t be overpoweringly sweet, it needs different textures in every bite, and ideally different temperatures too… a level of precision that, in my experience, only shows up in more experienced kitchens.
But sometimes a sweet tooth calls, and what you actually want is that same precision without the eight courses that come before it.
London has no shortage of options: bakeries opened by pastry chefs who built their reputations in some of the world’s best Michelin kitchens, and are now running things on their own, in a far more casual format.
Below you’ll find 7 bakeries opened by chefs who’ve led pastry in Michelin-starred kitchens. Each costing a fraction of a full Michelin meal but delivering the same satisfaction of dessert done at the highest standard.
I’ve been to all of them personally, so consider it properly vetted with ordering recommendations, plus what to know about each chef’s pedigree.
01. Onsu (Soho)
Chef:
Michael Kwan
Type of Desserts:
Pastries & Cakes
Pedigree:
Michael Kwan trained in the pastry sections of The Fat Duck (3-stars) and Hakkasan, before becoming Head Pastry Chef at Ladurée and Executive Pastry Chef at The Dorchester (3-stars) in 2022. In addition to his glowing CV, Kwan is a multi title competitive pastry chef, he was the UK Sugar Champion (2019), European Pastry Cup Champion (2022), and Craft Guild of Chefs Pastry Chef of the Year (2024). Onsu is his first standalone concept.
What to know:
Onsu opened in Soho this past January, blending Asian flavours with classical European patisserie technique. The bakery arrived to huge fanfare (queues spanning down the street) but arrive at opening and you'll beat the crowds.
What to order:
For pastries: The Wagyu curry bun (if you don’t see it on the counter ask if they have any left), the kumquat cheesecake, the Salted egg yolk mille-feuille and the blackcurrent & blueberry yoghurt mousse (pictured above)
For drinks: Any of the -86°C coffees or teas are Onsu’s signature. The glass is so cold it ends up freezing your beverage like its a slushy. Go with somebody you can share with, this was sweet and I couldn’t have more than a few sips.
Format:
Takeaway or eat in
02. Le Café by Nicolas Rouzaud (Mayfair)
Chef:
Nicolas Rouzaud
Type of Desserts:
Cakes & Pastries
Pedigree:
Nicolas Rouzaud trained for seven years at Le Bristol Paris (3-star) under pastry chef Laurent Jeannin, before becoming Executive Pastry Chef at The Connaught, leading pastry at Hélène Darroze at The Connaught’s (3-stars) Afternoon Tea. Le Café is his first standalone café concept.
What to know:
Le Café opened in January 2026 in Burlington Arcade, the first independent shop from Chef Nicolas Rouzaud, who also remains Executive Head Chef at The Connaught. Its bright red storefront stands out against the formal independents around it, and the branding feels like pure joy. The pastry is delicate, the flavours well balanced. Order at the counter, then grab a seat by the window upstairs.
What to order:
The vanilla flan, the saint-honoré, the hazelnut Paris-brest or, for something savoury, the tomato & mozzarella feuilleté.
Format:
Table service & takeaway
03. Cedric Grolet at The Berkeley (Knightsbridge)
Chef:
Cedric Grolet
Type of Desserts:
Cakes
Pedigree:
Cédric Grolet trained at Fauchon for five years before joining Le Meurice (2-sstars) as sous-chef in 2011, becoming Executive Pastry Chef there in 2012. In 2018 he was named World's Best Pastry Chef by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Cédric Grolet at The Berkeley is his first standalone pastry boutique outside Paris.
What to know:
Cedric Grolet is part of The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge, however to access you must walk through the bakeries entrance on Wilton Place. Here you have the option to dine in, with either a 5-course menu (£90), or seven-course menu (£135). Alternatively, you can order a treat at the counter for takeaway and eat it at one of the tables outside.
What to order:
Trompe-l’oeil fruit sculptures…the pear or flat peach is the most popular.
Format:
Table service & takeaway
04. Cakes & Bubbles, Hotel Café Royal (Mayfair)
Chef:
Albert Adrià
Type of Desserts:
Cakes
Pedigree:
Albert Adrià built his early career as a pastry chef at elBulli (3-stars when it was open) and today owns and runs the restaurant Enigma (2-stars) in Barcelona. In 2015 he won the World's Best Pastry Chef award. This is Albert Adrià's first spot outside Spain.
What to know:
Cakes & Bubbles is the most formal spot on this list, it has more of a restaurant feel than a bakery feel, so it's better suited to occasions where you want to sit down with a glass of bubbles and a sweet treat. That said, there's a small bar area if you'd rather sit casually, or you can get chocolates or cakes to go. To access you can either go through the hotel lobby or the bakery has its own entrance on Regents Street
What to order:
Basque burnt cheesecake and a glass of champagne
Format:
Table service & takeaway
05. Claridge’s Bakery (Mayfair)
Chef:
Richard Hart
Type of Desserts:
Breads with a small selection of pastries
Pedigree:
Trained as a fine-dining chef at Maze (1- star) and Bistrotheque, before relocating to California, where he became head baker at the world-renowned Tartine Bakery in San Francisco for seven years. In 2018 he co-founded Hart Bageri in Copenhagen with Noma's René Redzepi.
What to know:
This spot is best for breads, there are very few pastries here. It's a tiny little space that feels quite sweet, and if you were dropped in with no context, you might mistake it for a neighborhood spot. There's no entrance through the hotel; you can only access it via Brooks Mews.
What to order:
The sourdough country loaf or the marmite cheese straws (pictured above)
Format:
Takeaway only
06. Quince (Islington)
Chef:
Anna Higham
Type of Desserts:
Pastries
Pedigree:
Anna Higham trained under Gordon Ramsay before becoming Head of Pastry at Lyle's (1-star) and running the bakery at its Borough Market spin-off, Flor, where she won Baker of the Year at the Young British Foodie awards in 2019. She went on to become Executive Pastry Chef at The River Café (1-star) before founding Quince.
What to know:
While most of the bakeries on this list lean French technique, Quince intentionally goes the other way. No croissants at all, the focus is entirely on British baking traditions: soda breads, butteries, scones, country loaves and rustic baguettes made exclusively with UK grown stoneground flour. I read that Nigel Slater is a regular, rumoured to pop in most Saturdays for an oat cookie.
What to order:
The brown butter bun, which is the best seller
Format:
Takeaway only
07. William Curley Patisserie Chocolatier
(Soho)
Chef:
William Curley
Type of Desserts:
Chocolates
Pedigree:
William Curley trained through the pastry sections of Pierre Koffmann's La Tante Claire (3-stars) and Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons (2-stars), before becoming the youngest ever Chef Pâtissier at The Savoy. He's since been named Britain's Best Chocolatier four times by the Academy of Chocolate.
What to know:
This spot is much more a fancy chocolate shop than a bakery, but it's the perfect place to pick up a box for a hostess gift, or a few pieces for yourself to keep in the fridge and make your evening square of chocolate feel far more elevated (I can say from experience this is an excellent idea).
What to order:
Top sellers include the Thyme & Scottish Heather Honey and Rosemary & Olive Oil
Format:
Takeaway only
Every one of these bakeries is a fraction of the price of the meals these chefs made their names on. Same hands, same standard, but no eight courses in front of it.
Let me know in the comments which one you’d try first, and if there are any others that belong on this list.
Table for Two lives at the intersection of food and culture, not simply recommendations, but a considered point of view on why dining matters, and where to find the best of London’s table culture. If this piece resonated, please support us by subscribing.
All look great (the first two in particular!). If you were to recommend just one, which would it be?
I’ve been to Cedric Grolet a few times now and despite the fact of instagram and the prices etc it really is a work of art
Visually and taste wise it is worth it and something you will remember