Bourke Street Bakery

LOCATION
On the corner of Devonshire and Bourke; two minutes from Crown Street, five minutes from Oxford Street, and 10 minutes from the city.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
A teeny bakery with surprisingly big pulling power, the queue snaking outside Bourke Street Bakery of a weekend morning is pretty good indication that the converts are onto a good thing. Attracting a broad mix of locals, celebs and the curious, this perennially popular bakery/cafe is ideal for breakfast, lunch or a little indulgence. Opened four years ago, Bourke Street Bakery has even surprised its owners with its cult-like popularity. Steal a spot in the sun outside, or if you’re lucky enough to nab a wooden stool inside you’ll be forced to jostle for elbow room – and you’ll certainly need all the room you can get to gobble up these little beauties.

Keep breakfast simple with a coffee, pastry and paper for company, or cast your eye over the front shelves piled high with freshly baked artisan breads. A varied assortment of sourdough varieties has the locals tucking goods in their shopping bags on their way home. Cast your eyes over the back blackboards to peruse lunch options; or do as the regulars do and tuck into a deliciously soft yet crispy pork and fennel sausage roll. An array of pies, quiches and mini pizzas emerge from the oven and fill the corner space with deliciously inviting aromas as nearby guzzlers scoff meat pies and pizzas dotted with chorizo and gruyere. Fresh salads and wholesome sandwiches please the health-conscious, as do glasses of nourishing orange juice. For the rest of us, the glass cabinets laden with all sorts of tempting treats will surely win over the tastebuds; the only trouble here is choosing between a deliciously light and fluffy flourless chocolate cake, a luscious lemon tart or a sugary pastry.

Lauren Barker