Best Vancouver bakeries for your daily bread
Sliced sandwich bread is fine in a pinch, but there’s nothing like buying a fresh loaf from your local bakery (maybe sneaking a few nibbles on the way home) and then slathering a piece with butter for delicious simplicity. Make one of these your newest stop on your grocery run. [Image credit: iStock.com/kapulya]
Purebread
159 Hastings St W, Vancouver, BC V6B 1H4Once only available to Vancouverites at weekly farmer’s markets or with a drive up to their original store in Whistler, Purebread’s opening in Gastown in October 2014 was welcome to “breadheads” all over town. Having fun mixing interesting ingredients into their changing line of loaves, expect unusual combos like lavender-rosemary and cranberry-ginger-raisin along with classics like rustic Italian and baguettes. The space is gorgeous, so grab a coffee and a bite before taking your loaf home.
Terra Breads
1605 Manitoba St, Vancouver, BC V5Y 0B8A long-time city favourite, Terra Breads is a well-oiled machine. It handles its long line-ups with speed and efficiency but this in no way detracts from the rusticity of their breads, shaped and baked with care. Classic organic whole wheat will take your sandwich to the next level and salty green olive is perfect with a thick wedge of brie and soup. Ask them to slice it or simply tear off big chunks, sticking with the rustic vibe.
Tartine Bread & Pies
770 Beach Ave, Vancouver, BC V6Z 3E2On a quiet stretch of Beach Avenue, a small but bustling bakery and café has taken root. Since 2002, Tartine has been packed with locals who know exactly what they want. Their bread offerings are small but delicious: a hearty seed and grain loaf used for their house-made sandwiches, chewy French-style baguettes, country boules and a few specialty loaves. But come early; they sell out fast. If you miss the bread, though, content yourself with a sweet treat.
East Village Bakery
2166 Hastings St E, Vancouver, BC V5L 1V1Focussed on delivering gluten-free breads to accommodate the growing demand, this Hastings-Sunrise bakery suggests calling ahead to reserve their famous buckwheat seed loaf. They also make gf hamburger buns — a rarity — and gf and vegan flatbreads perfect for pizza or for dunking into hummus or tapenade. Gluten-philes, fear not. They also do daily wheat and sourdough breads and other tasty loaves with fun tidbits like cranberries and pecans thrown in. But they claim that even wheat-lovers crave their wheat-free offerings.
Uprising Breads Bakery
1697 Venables St, Vancouver, BC V5L 2H1Uprising promises to create 100 per cent natural breads with “no artificial anything,” sweetened only with honey or molasses. Regular offerings include multigrain, rye, raisin, cracked wheat and sunflower and more. With a bakery and cafe on Venables Street bordering the Strathcona neighbourhood, Uprising is a local hot spot for picking up a fresh loaf along with a morning coffee.
New Town Bakery & Restaurant
148 Pender St E, Vancouver, BC V6A 1T3Located in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown, New Town Bakery is an extremely popular spot specializing in traditional Chinese baked goods such as savoury steamed buns, apple tarts and legendary coconut buns. Whether you sit down and order from their restaurant menu or take a number from the bakery counter, there will usually be a wait around lunchtime. But it's worth the wait.
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