The sweet side of town: Our guide to Atlanta’s best pastries (and breads!)

We celebrate the city’s finest, from bejeweled macarons to no-frills doughnuts, flatbreads to cornbreads, gooey Filipino blondies to fancy Rice Krispie treats, Korean cream breads to French fruit tarts—and everything in between.

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In Chamblee, a baker nearing retirement age clocks in a short time after midnight—he’s got doughnuts to make. On the Westside, one of the city’s best pastry chefs creates desserts that double as works of art. Off a busy stretch of road in Gwinnett County, sweets shops are so plentiful that they’re practically stacked on top one another, while all over the city, independent bakers working out of shared kitchens and rented spaces are bringing an invigorating array of flavors to Atlanta’s palate—delicate Filipino cookies, floral-scented Persian cakes, beautiful Mexican conchas, and Asian-influenced Rice Krispie treats. If you’re a pastry person—or a bread head—there’s never been a sweeter time to live here.

edited by sam worley | with contributions from heather buckner, von diaz, mike jordan, christiane lauterbach, and lia picard | photography by brinson + banks

 

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These articles appear in our February 2022 issue.

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