We are living in the golden age of Nashville bakeries, and this new era rose pretty quickly (baking pun intended). A decade ago, you could get good bread at a restaurant, but finding a shop where you could grab a loaf to take home and make a big tomato sandwich was tougher.
But in 2026? I can pop over to Mama Bread in East Nashville and grab a loaf of Jennifer Latham’s olive bread, say hi to friends hanging out on the patio, and also shop for a few essentials in the small market. If I realize I need bread later in the day (when Mama Bread is already closed), I head to Butterlamp Bread & Beverage, where chef Benjamin Tyson was just named one of StarChefs’ Nashville rising stars.
I’m a huge fan of Elodie Habert and her Cocorico Bakery. Cocorico supplies baguettes to many local restaurants, and I like to stop in for a veggie sandwich while I read a book and people-watch. There’s no Wi-Fi in the Music Row spot, so it’s a good excuse to disconnect and enjoy the baked goods. (Fun fact: “Cocorico” is the sound a rooster makes in French. Sounds so much better than “cock-a-doodle-doo.”)
I still haven’t made it to Dozen Bakery’s “new” location in Woodbine (I know, I know), but I am planning to get there on Aug. 2. That’s when the next Summer Staff Market is taking place. Buy art and vintage goods from Dozen’s employees, and the bakery will stay open an extra hour for more pastries.
When I want to impress someone, I stop at D’Andrews Bakery and Café to get some of the prettiest pastries I have ever seen. (The only others that come close are from Edelweiss in Highlands, North Carolina, and I yapped about those in this episode of the podcast.) If I am trying to impress someone vegan, then I go to Sunflower Bakehouse in Donelson. If I were trying to impress proud Houstonian and City Cast Nashville executive producer Whitney Pastorek, I’d go to Yeast Nashville, home of kolaches, which is a baked good that Texans feel strongly about.
No, Levain Bakery is not a local small business. But the New York cookie sensation is coming to 12 South, and I’m ready to give their 6 ounce treats a try. Who am I to turn down the opportunity to make a day sweeter?
