The 10 Best Grocery Store Bakeries, Ranked
For years, grocery store bakeries have been there for us when we're in a pinch. Whether it's the need for a last-minute cake or a container of frosted sugar cookies, that small corner near the produce plainly titled "bakery" is a utopia tucked next to the deli. Baked goods have been around since Ancient Egypt in 2600 B.C., but grocery store bakeries are much newer. When the first King Kullen supermarket opened in 1930, it included freshly baked bread from an in-house bakery. And so, humankind reached a new pinnacle.
Not all bakeries found inside markets are the same, though. Sure, most of them offer the same items, like bread, cookies, donuts, and cakes, but each place has its own trademark taste and atmosphere. Some bakeries offer a special warmth, while others blend in with everything else around it. For this list, we are looking at what separates the good from the bad. From Giant Eagle's Market District to Whole Foods, we break down the most popular in-store bakeries and rank them.
10. Meijer
Meijer may be one of our list's lesser-known grocery store chains, with locations only in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. If it weren't for Meijer being a decently known name in the grocery store circuit in those areas, it might not have even made it onto this list.
You can get most things sold at Meijer at other grocery stores, especially if you live outside of the Midwest. While the chain does not have nearly as much to offer as other bakeries, it does offer custom cakes and cupcakes, which can be fun, tasty, and worth a stop. You can easily design and order your cake online and then pick it up in the store you ordered from. As the store's site says, "ordering is a piece of cake."
Overall, Meijer is like Walmart but without the unpredictable pedigree. There's no "wow" factor here, which is why it isn't higher on our list.
9. Kroger
Kroger's bakery department has everything under the sun: cupcakes, cheesecakes, pies, artisan bread, donuts, and danishes, among countless others. You can get a whole birthday cake for around $7 and artisan French bread for about $2 a loaf.
Though Kroger has over 2,700 stores in America, it's not because of its bakery section. Beyond customizable cakes, the grocery store doesn't offer unique items that help it stand out from the pack. The store's angel food and pound cakes give some edge to the assortment of cupcakes and cookies, but the most out-there item in the bakery is the Everything Croissant.
Kroger's store atmosphere also plays a big role. When you walk into any store, not only are the fluorescent lights just a bit too bright, but the bakery, deli, and produce areas are usually sectioned off away from the rest of the store, making them hard to reach. If Kroger is your only bakery option, it will get the job done. Kroger cakes are delicious, and it is one of the few grocery store bakeries that makes and sells its own gluten-free bread, which is also really tasty. However, if you don't get to the store at the right time, the dessert you pick up might not be so fresh anymore. The bakery doesn't appear to be Kroger's top priority as it has many things going on in every store, like a pharmacy and kid's toys section.
8. Wegmans
Wegmans, another grocery store that isn't in every state, only has locations in Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Washington D.C., New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina. While Wegmans is one of the oldest stores on this list — founded in 1916 by brothers John and Walter Wegman — it does have one of the best in-house bakeries.
At Wegmans bakeries, you can get artisan bread, naan, crumb cakes, and gluten-free options. The store makes bread such as rosemary sourdough, garlic Tuscan, ciabatta, and pane Italian, all praised by its online shoppers. You can also get a loaf of sourdough bread for $6.00, which isn't the cheapest option on the list, but it's made by a reliable company and has four-star reviews on Wegmans' online shop.
The chocolate chip cookies at Wegmans are so famous and beloved that numerous copycats have emerged, trying to perfect their take on the recipe. Out of all of the regional stores on our list, Wegmans isn't the strongest, but it does have an excellent variety of treats and bread products.
7. Safeway
An even older grocery store chain than Wegmans is Safeway, which opened in 1915 in American Falls, Idaho. You can find a Safeway in 17 U.S. states, which doesn't make it the most accessible store on our list, but it is widespread enough to be well-known.
Safeway will satisfy your sweet tooth, but at a higher cost than most other grocery stores on this list. An entire triple chocolate cake will cost you around $28, and 24 cupcakes run about $19. The store offers a variety of options, including carrot cake, crostini, breakfast claws, and donut holes. Safeway has even garnered love as a go-to spot for wedding cakes, with one reviewer claiming that the cake had "exceptional value" and was "beautifully executed."
If there were more stores in the country, it might rank higher. But, based on its selection and prices alone, this is where it falls. Middle-of-the-road is a perfect descriptor for this grocery store and its bakery, as the prices are a bit too high in accordance with the product quality.
6. Publix
Publix is a great grocery store with a solid bakery section. The problem is Publix only has stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky. If you live on the West Coast or in the Midwest, you're simply out of luck. That's a big downside, as other places, especially Walmart and Kroger, are considered more widely accessible grocery stores in the country.
Yet, it has some upsides. Not only is Publix the largest employee-owned company in the U.S., but it also has a pretty good bakery section. The best item at Publix's bakery? According to Chick Advisor reviews, the cakes are top-tier. The store also has great challah bread. From cream cheese carrot cake to sourdough bread, Publix's bakery is an ensemble of heavyweight sweet treats that will satisfy your tastebuds.
Food 52 labeled Publix as "one of the best" in-store bakeries in the country. We'd be more comfortable agreeing with that assessment if more folks in the country had access to its decadence.
5. Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's stores are rare in rural areas, much like Whole Foods. What Trader Joe's has to offer, though, is an affordable food selection. Many of its baked goods taste better than those at other stores and come at a fraction of the cost. In many ways, that's an unbeatable combination. If more people had access to those deals, Trader Joe's would reign supreme as not just one of the top grocery stores that offer baked goods in the country but one of the best supermarkets altogether.
The baked goods found at Trader Joe's are pre-packaged, so you don't get the "fresh off the shelf" warmth you'd get elsewhere. But its products are delicious. You can get a pack of classic English muffins for around $2, six glazed maple donuts and a whole loaf of gluten-free bread for around $5 per 12 ounces, while the sea salt brownie bites are about $3 per 6 ounces.
Trader Joe's is one of the most popular grocery stores in America, and its bakery is heavily beloved by its customers. Add a great, communal store atmosphere on top of delicious products, and you've got a winner.
4. Walmart
The vibe at a Walmart can significantly vary depending on where you are in America. What doesn't change, however, is its bakery quality. Of course, Walmart is a grocery store conglomerate, and most of its products lack any uniqueness. Sure, you can get a donut at any grocery store in the country, but then again, there is something special and familiar about Walmart.
Like other stores on this list, Walmart's bakery is stationed near the deli, hot foods, and produce sections. Unlike other stores, though, someone is almost always working behind the counter, which is a nice touch.
Despite the bad lighting, terrible pop radio blasting overhead, and an odd assortment of people traversing the aisles, Walmart is reliable even on its worst days. The store's sheet cakes are loved by many, including a reviewer who said the cake was "moist and delicious" and that they would "definitely recommend 10/10 for any occasion."
Anywhere you can get a strawberry swirl cheesecake, a can of paint, and a flannel button-down on the same trip is a magical oasis. Plus, it's Walmart, so you know what you put in your cart will be affordable. It might be easy to write off Walmart's bakery, but there's something romantic about it, even in its normality.
3. Giant Eagle Market District
If you go to a Giant Eagle to pick up some baked goods and it's also a Market District, you're in luck. If we were just ranking Market District, there'd be an argument for putting it in the top slot. However, not every Giant Eagle is or has a Market District. When you walk into an average Giant Eagle, most often, the bakery section is empty, there are some cakes in the glass case, and the donut area is picked over and littered with crumbs. There's usually so much bread that the old loaves are sold for stuffing or other breadcrumb purposes.
But the Market District is a heavenly place. Everything feels cleaner, the lighting is perfect, and it smells delicious when you enter the bakery, deli, or produce area. You can get freshly made honey butter buns and housemade jalapeño with cheddar bread. Someone behind the counter is working on cakes or pies, and the entire section is surrounded by aesthetically pleasing meat and cheese displays.
Unlike other grocery store bakeries, Market District offers some unique options, including brioche, parmesan focaccia, and cinnamon swirl. It's too bad you can rarely get such an array of delicatessens at a normal Giant Eagle. Otherwise, Market District would secure the top spot in our ranking.
2. Whole Foods
Including Whole Foods in this ranking is almost entirely unfair to the other nine grocery stores. If the chain was more accessible in price points and locations, like Walmart or Giant Eagle, it would be easy to give them the gold medal. Unfortunately, it's hard to find a Whole Foods market if you don't live in a city or its suburbs.
As with many products at Whole Foods, price is an issue, too. One slice of cake can run you $5.00, while vegan croissants cost $8.00 for three pieces. You will pay more for one item here than at any other place on our list.
Still, much like its hot food bar and deli section, Whole Foods' bakery is superb. Where else can you get mini butter croissants and tiramisu cake? Okay, maybe at your neighborhood deli, but that's not what we're here to rank. If we're looking at quality and selection, shopping at Whole Foods is uncontested. Due to its lack of accessibility and high prices, it's hard to give Whole Foods the top spot.
1. Costco
What can be said about Costco that hasn't already been shouted from rooftops? A food warehouse specializing in selling products in bulk through the genius tactic of shelling out free samples to any hungry customer has taken the grocery world by storm. It might be a surprise that we believe several of Costco's bakery items are tasty, but trust us here. Indulging in a sweet treat from Costco might just change your mind.
Not much of what Costco sells in its bakery is unique. The bakery items can surely be found elsewhere. However, fudge brownies, butter pound cakes, and cinnamon pull-a-parts rule the store. A fan on Instagram said Costco's cinnamon pull-a-parts were "better than cinnabon rolls." So, how does a bakery that isn't offering one-of-a-kind products take the gold medal here?
What makes Costco the best on our list are the price and value of its items. Most of what you find in the bakery is affordable, and you can buy them in mass quantities. It is unfortunate that there aren't more Costco stores across America because more folks should have access to such a brilliant selection of delicious treats that won't break the bank. If there's a Costco near you, you should've been raiding the bakery section yesterday.