8 Bakeries in Philly That Will Replace Your Coffee Shop Hang

Good joe, comfortable seating, excellent food — why, yes, you can have it all.

J’aime French Bakery – Photo by Neal Santos

Have you seen them? Those cafés with stellar baking programs? Those bakeries with fantastic coffee drinks? They’re always full, and there’s a reason why.

Philly’s caffeinated, sugar-toothed diners are living their best lives these days, hanging out in shops that do it right on both fronts: pastry and coffee. So, now that the days of bad biscotti and cheap java are behind us, we’ve put together a list that will, no doubt, brighten up your mornings.

Here, now, eight bakeries (and coffee shops with great fresh-baked goods) known to give us the best of both worlds.

J’aime French Bakery, Midtown Village
Bastien Ornano didn’t just bring his French pastry skills to Philly; he brought his je ne sais quoi, making this new spot — with its all-white everything — the neighborhood’s freshest hang.

A La Mousse, Chinatown
They really like matcha at this bustling Asian/French spot. It’s in pretty much everything, from the green cappuccinos to the mille crepe cake.

Crème Brûlée bistro & cafe, Pennsport
Opera cakes adorned with gold leaf? In Pennsport? You betcha. Armando Tapia’s cafe does the tartlet better than some of Rittenhouse’s poshest bakeries. Plus: colorful meringues, textbook éclairs, and plenty of seating to take in the aromas.

Délice et Chocolat, Ardmore
French-born brothers Joseph and Antoine Amrani worked at Le Bec-Fin when Perrier had the tallest toque in town. Now they’ve resurfaced, with a sleek cafe complete with artisan chocolates and delicate macarons.

Cake Life Bake Shop, Fishtown
It’s bright, colorful and friendly, which is why Fishtowners camp out here for hours. And then there’s the monkey bread, the brownies, that Double Dank cake. Okay, scratch that; that’s actually why people stay.  Fishtown.

Hungry Pigeon, Queen Village
If you’ve only had the egg sandwich, you haven’t really experienced HP. In the mornings, the bar is set with an inimitable daily lineup of peach financiers, buttermilk biscuits and ham-and-cheese croissants.

Constellation Collective, Collingswood
Valentina Fortuna and Maura Rosato’s cheery scratch- everything kitchen is a destination for old-fashioned pies, buttery biscuits, and scones studded with farm-fresh fruit — or, for the kiddo, rainbow sprinkles.   

ICI macarons & cafe, Old City
Macarons with your morning coffee? Oui. And at ICI, France’s most delicate export is as it should be: dainty, tasty and easy on the eyes.

» Read more about Philly’s booming bakery scene

Published as “Bakeries Are the New Coffee Shops” in the October 2017 issue of Philadelphia magazine.