I refuse to queue for food (although I did years ago for breakfast at a place called Mama's in SF which was worth it) and I don't get why everyone is so desperate to have everything everyone else has (food, clothes, whatever), instead of discovering stuff on their own? I don't mean that people shouldn't take recommendations, of course, but I'd run a mile from viral food.
I think the problem now is that it's not just novelty things (like Freakshakes, etc) that take social media by storm but genuinely delicious, ordinary foods, like pastries. If you love baked goods, as I do, queues seem unavoidable if you want to try all the best places. Thankfully I can go on my cake searches at odd times of the day during the week, when places are much quieter!
Of course you are right, and after I had written my comment, I took myself off to the (great) bakery in my little town, and waited in line for quite some time, feeling humbled.
I was pleased to discover I was staying on the same street as Mamiche in Paris last week – never managed to go once because the queue was round the block every day. Ditto Lannan, despite being from Edinburgh I’ve never been because there isn’t a pastry in the world good enough that I’ll cross town at 6am. The upside of the Mamiche queue is I ended up going to a place directly across the street called Blondie, which makes the best brownie I’ve tasted in my entire life. That’ll be my recommendation from now on.
I've eaten a lot of croissants and one I had made by Darcie when she was at The Palmerston still appears in my dreams. I wll avoid queues wherever possible but will queue for excellent things (Juno in Copenhagen, for example). I also queued for a Cronut in NYC in the early days; didn't love it but did like some of the ones I got without queuing in London, later. I queued for Lune's cruffins in Melbourne when Kate was still making them from home. They were worth it, but now I'd only go to Lune when there isn't a queue because Melbourne has other amazing pastries.
I cannot wait to find a way to get to Edinburgh for Lannan.
FWIW, Mamiche has some excellent things but I wouldn't say any of them are so exceptional that you would queue,unless you're using the time to catch up with a friend.
I’m not sure I knew she used to be at The Palmerston – I think about their bread more than I care to admit.
Good to know about Mamiche too! Although I’m actually about to move to a new apartment five minutes away, so now I’ll have ample opportunity to decide on whether that queue is worth it. And to go to Blondie for that brownie on days it’s not.
I love Quince Bakery but it’s so far from my flat and by the time I manage to cross town, there’s only sausage rolls and rye bread left usually. Don’t even start me on Layla. It’s like a cult. If you arrive there later than 09am, you better got your packed lunch and bottle of water ready for the queueing. And then no pastries. Sadness. When did it become such a mission to get a pain chocolat?
I still haven’t been to Quince but I’d seen something they posted on Instagram that I fancied trying and decided to go on Sunday as it’s not too far from me. Turns out they’re closed on Sundays… 🙃
Honestly, I really don’t know. The queueing mania just seems to get worse and worse!
Well I guess one of the advantages of living in the sticks is that there are no bakeries closer than a 20 minute drive away, and even those are of the very run of the mill variety - I have never witnessed a queue (nor anything worth queuing for). I’m not a good queuer in any case, and fortunately the worst we’re likely to encounter round here is a herd of cows in the road, but it doesn’t mean I don’t long for a decent bakery on the doorstep!
I work round the corner from Lannan and when it first opened I went a couple of times. In the early days there were queues, but not like they are now. Like 30 mins max I think I waited, which I felt was acceptable. The hysteria around Lannan in particular is funny, it’s definitely that social media has blown it out of control. The aesthetic of the shop and the hype itself has just brought more hype. I feel so bad that the staff get hassled for it, like they can control how many people turn up! People are acting possessed over pastries. There are so many wonderful bakeries in Edinburgh that still have minimal to no queue (Hobz is incredible), but I would say Lannan is still amazing - definitely NOT one of those viral places that in reality isn’t great. Difficulty is, like you say, the disappointment when you wait 2 hours. There isn’t much that is sweet enough to make that worthwhile.
Ooh, whenever I can get myself up to Edinburgh I'll definitely be asking for recommendations! It's years since I've been. Social media hype ruins perfectly lovely places and I always find it so interesting to see who gets 'chosen' and propelled to queues and stardom and which ones remain under the radar, despite being just as good.
Whilst I love a decent cake, to my taste buds the finest thing a bakery can do is to sell perfectly baked tasty bread. For any Ealing folk out there the finest bread bar none is from Pitshanger Bakery (three bakeries in Ealing). Highlights: the French Country Loaf, their version of sourdough, their granary, and the white boule loaf. All are exceptional.
Regarding cakes and the City: I don’t know where she gets them from but both the doughnuts and the Eccles cakes sold in the Barbican Shop (called Geranium) are truly excellent.
I hate queuing for food so the maximum I agree to wait would be 10min or so. I was lucky when I went to Layla Bakery mid week I was served within minutes and there was a huge selection. However every time I walked past It’s Bagels in Pimrose Hill I would see a massive queue which worked in my favour as I didn’t end up spending an astronomical amount for a bagel that I could have made at home buying quality ingredients from Panzers.
I do like Buns from Buns and there’s never really a massive queue. Have you tried them?
Totally – I had a bagel from Panzers the day after I tried It's Bagels and it was half the price but twice as delicious! Though, the wise folk of Instagram did tell me that Panzers are Montreal-style bagels, which are more up my street I think. And yes, love Buns from Home, though I don't go that often as the cinnamon buns are so tiny for the price and the filled buns are so enormous that I always feel sick trying to finish one. There's one about 10 mins walk from my flat and there's never a queue.
I haven't tried that particular place before but my grandma LOVED maids of honour so I always had it at her house. I'll have to give them a try, the nostalgia would be strong!
Have known about Lannan since it opened and still never been because nothing disappoints me like making a pastry-plan for there to be nothing left once I'm at the front. I also will not be waking up before 9am on a weekend to stand in a queue with people who cannot stop filming for their foodie tiktok. London bagel rec that did not disappoint and was consistent at every outlet is B Bagel. The bagels were always toasted, classic filling options even though I'm a basic cream cheese devotee, and pretty quick service despite (normal length) queues.
I lived in Moscow in the early 1990s and back then, queueing for food was not about hype and prestige, but poverty and the utter inefficiency of communist centralised ‘planning’. Often people would join a queue without even knowing what it was for, but in the hope of getting hold of some essential item which was nowhere to be found in the shops. Mostly they queued for nothing more than the sight of empty shelves, the musty smell of old cabbage mixed with despair. In our far more comfortable times, if I really want something from Pophams, I’ll wait for it and listen to a podcast or something - I like them, and I like that they are a success.
I refuse to queue for food (although I did years ago for breakfast at a place called Mama's in SF which was worth it) and I don't get why everyone is so desperate to have everything everyone else has (food, clothes, whatever), instead of discovering stuff on their own? I don't mean that people shouldn't take recommendations, of course, but I'd run a mile from viral food.
I think the problem now is that it's not just novelty things (like Freakshakes, etc) that take social media by storm but genuinely delicious, ordinary foods, like pastries. If you love baked goods, as I do, queues seem unavoidable if you want to try all the best places. Thankfully I can go on my cake searches at odd times of the day during the week, when places are much quieter!
Of course you are right, and after I had written my comment, I took myself off to the (great) bakery in my little town, and waited in line for quite some time, feeling humbled.
I was pleased to discover I was staying on the same street as Mamiche in Paris last week – never managed to go once because the queue was round the block every day. Ditto Lannan, despite being from Edinburgh I’ve never been because there isn’t a pastry in the world good enough that I’ll cross town at 6am. The upside of the Mamiche queue is I ended up going to a place directly across the street called Blondie, which makes the best brownie I’ve tasted in my entire life. That’ll be my recommendation from now on.
I'm not familiar with them but now I need to go!!
I've eaten a lot of croissants and one I had made by Darcie when she was at The Palmerston still appears in my dreams. I wll avoid queues wherever possible but will queue for excellent things (Juno in Copenhagen, for example). I also queued for a Cronut in NYC in the early days; didn't love it but did like some of the ones I got without queuing in London, later. I queued for Lune's cruffins in Melbourne when Kate was still making them from home. They were worth it, but now I'd only go to Lune when there isn't a queue because Melbourne has other amazing pastries.
I cannot wait to find a way to get to Edinburgh for Lannan.
FWIW, Mamiche has some excellent things but I wouldn't say any of them are so exceptional that you would queue,unless you're using the time to catch up with a friend.
I’m not sure I knew she used to be at The Palmerston – I think about their bread more than I care to admit.
Good to know about Mamiche too! Although I’m actually about to move to a new apartment five minutes away, so now I’ll have ample opportunity to decide on whether that queue is worth it. And to go to Blondie for that brownie on days it’s not.
Oh I'm envious. I feel like it's my destiny to live in Paris for a while at some point.
I love Quince Bakery but it’s so far from my flat and by the time I manage to cross town, there’s only sausage rolls and rye bread left usually. Don’t even start me on Layla. It’s like a cult. If you arrive there later than 09am, you better got your packed lunch and bottle of water ready for the queueing. And then no pastries. Sadness. When did it become such a mission to get a pain chocolat?
And what’s the solution for that madness?
I still haven’t been to Quince but I’d seen something they posted on Instagram that I fancied trying and decided to go on Sunday as it’s not too far from me. Turns out they’re closed on Sundays… 🙃
Honestly, I really don’t know. The queueing mania just seems to get worse and worse!
Next time in Notting Hill go to Chai Guys Bakehouse. Their pain au chocolat is incredible and they open at 9am and aren't (so far!) busy at that time.
Well I guess one of the advantages of living in the sticks is that there are no bakeries closer than a 20 minute drive away, and even those are of the very run of the mill variety - I have never witnessed a queue (nor anything worth queuing for). I’m not a good queuer in any case, and fortunately the worst we’re likely to encounter round here is a herd of cows in the road, but it doesn’t mean I don’t long for a decent bakery on the doorstep!
I work round the corner from Lannan and when it first opened I went a couple of times. In the early days there were queues, but not like they are now. Like 30 mins max I think I waited, which I felt was acceptable. The hysteria around Lannan in particular is funny, it’s definitely that social media has blown it out of control. The aesthetic of the shop and the hype itself has just brought more hype. I feel so bad that the staff get hassled for it, like they can control how many people turn up! People are acting possessed over pastries. There are so many wonderful bakeries in Edinburgh that still have minimal to no queue (Hobz is incredible), but I would say Lannan is still amazing - definitely NOT one of those viral places that in reality isn’t great. Difficulty is, like you say, the disappointment when you wait 2 hours. There isn’t much that is sweet enough to make that worthwhile.
Ooh, whenever I can get myself up to Edinburgh I'll definitely be asking for recommendations! It's years since I've been. Social media hype ruins perfectly lovely places and I always find it so interesting to see who gets 'chosen' and propelled to queues and stardom and which ones remain under the radar, despite being just as good.
I’m craving a pistachio and chocolate swirl after reading this.
Next time you're in London, Arome bakery has them
Whilst I love a decent cake, to my taste buds the finest thing a bakery can do is to sell perfectly baked tasty bread. For any Ealing folk out there the finest bread bar none is from Pitshanger Bakery (three bakeries in Ealing). Highlights: the French Country Loaf, their version of sourdough, their granary, and the white boule loaf. All are exceptional.
Regarding cakes and the City: I don’t know where she gets them from but both the doughnuts and the Eccles cakes sold in the Barbican Shop (called Geranium) are truly excellent.
I'm pretty certain they're from St John's bakery just up the road!
I hate queuing for food so the maximum I agree to wait would be 10min or so. I was lucky when I went to Layla Bakery mid week I was served within minutes and there was a huge selection. However every time I walked past It’s Bagels in Pimrose Hill I would see a massive queue which worked in my favour as I didn’t end up spending an astronomical amount for a bagel that I could have made at home buying quality ingredients from Panzers.
I do like Buns from Buns and there’s never really a massive queue. Have you tried them?
Totally – I had a bagel from Panzers the day after I tried It's Bagels and it was half the price but twice as delicious! Though, the wise folk of Instagram did tell me that Panzers are Montreal-style bagels, which are more up my street I think. And yes, love Buns from Home, though I don't go that often as the cinnamon buns are so tiny for the price and the filled buns are so enormous that I always feel sick trying to finish one. There's one about 10 mins walk from my flat and there's never a queue.
Have you ever tried an original Maids of Honour tart? Omg they are so delicious! The bakery is in Kew, but they deliver! https://theoriginalmaidsofhonour.co.uk/collections
I haven't tried that particular place before but my grandma LOVED maids of honour so I always had it at her house. I'll have to give them a try, the nostalgia would be strong!
Have known about Lannan since it opened and still never been because nothing disappoints me like making a pastry-plan for there to be nothing left once I'm at the front. I also will not be waking up before 9am on a weekend to stand in a queue with people who cannot stop filming for their foodie tiktok. London bagel rec that did not disappoint and was consistent at every outlet is B Bagel. The bagels were always toasted, classic filling options even though I'm a basic cream cheese devotee, and pretty quick service despite (normal length) queues.
I lived in Moscow in the early 1990s and back then, queueing for food was not about hype and prestige, but poverty and the utter inefficiency of communist centralised ‘planning’. Often people would join a queue without even knowing what it was for, but in the hope of getting hold of some essential item which was nowhere to be found in the shops. Mostly they queued for nothing more than the sight of empty shelves, the musty smell of old cabbage mixed with despair. In our far more comfortable times, if I really want something from Pophams, I’ll wait for it and listen to a podcast or something - I like them, and I like that they are a success.
Bakeries have always sold out too soon. I think it's in their DNA. So I assume they can't respond to demand.....