Valentine’s Day may be over, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t indulge yourself with sweet treats. Skip the marked-down Valentine’s Day candy in the super markets — Boston has such a wide variety of fantastic bakeries that can help you satisfy any sweet tooth.
With locations in the Back Bay, Waterfront, and Cambridge, Flour Bakery + Cafe is one of Boston’s favorites and most popular. Owner and head chef Joanne Chang is known for her famous sticky buns, and they have even been a feature on the Food Network’s show “Throw-down with Bobby Flay.”
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the show’s concepts, Bobby Flay goes around the country and challenges chefs to a bake off with their signature dish. Joanne Chang was challenged to a sticky-bun face off with the famous chef himself, and the results? Her sticky buns were the winner.
And here’s a debate you can join: who has the better cannoli — Mike’s or Modern Pastry? With the two located right across the street from each other in the North End, it’s easy to try both for yourself and then choose your side.
However, each of those bakeries have so much more to offer than just cannolis. Modern Pastry makes some of the best lobster tails in Boston, and you shouldn’t go to Mike’s without trying their pistachio macaroons. There’s a reason both of these places generally have lines that reach outside the front doors!
But for those of you who want to avoid the touristy bake shops in the North End, bypass Hanover street and look for Bova’s Bake Shop on Salem Street. Bova’s is known for their signature black and white cookies, but the best part? They also have fantastic calzones and pizzas.
For something a bit more unconventional, Tatte Bakery and Cafe in Coolidge Corner and Kendall Square is just that. It is a specialty Turkish bake shop, and their fruit tarts are the most popular items on the menu.
But you don’t have to look in the heart of Boston for the best bakeries. Babycakes across from the Wollaston T-Station in Quincy is a specialty cupcake shop, and the Phantom Gourmet coined this place as a “hidden gem.” According to the owner, their most popular cupcake is the “babycake,” which is her gourmet version of a Hostess cupcake.
So instead of gorging yourself on marked down Valentine’s Day candy, grab a coffee and a book, take advantage of the free wifi many of these places offer, and curl up in one of these fantastic bake shops to beat those February winter blues.