Fun, sun, and sand are three things that Florida is famous for. This is especially true for the city of Tampa. Year after year, thousands of people make their way to the “Big Guava”. Mostly to party, and to party hard. Sooner or later, folks get hungry. And when they get hungry, they get a taste of Tampa’s food scene.
You can’t eat fun, sun, or sand, but you can eat pastries. Baked goods are Florida’s specialty. In particular, Key Lime Pie is Florida’s signature dish. As expected, there are tons of places that serve KLP – each offering their own unique twist. Add donut holes, bear claws, apple fritters, croissants, and danishes to the mix, and you’ll still only scratch the surface of Florida’s food scene.
Tampa is a huge city, which means there are tons of restaurants to choose from. All of them are great in their own right, but we think the following establishments are some of the Best Bakeries near Tampa. We also think you should let a luggage storage service handle your extra baggage. Wouldn’t want KLP crumbs dirtying up your clothes.
Alessi Bakery
The United States is full of all kinds of cultural imports. Americans celebrate Taco Tuesday because Mexico is a neighboring nation. Pizza has always been popular in the states, and that comes from Italy. Shoes, technology, and tasty treats – a lot of those come from other parts of the world.
Alessi Bakery is another amazing cultural import. Founder Nicolo Alessi established this bakery in 1912. Since then, the citizens of Tampa have come in droves to feast on European-style baked goodies. Special mention goes to this restaurant’s Mousse Cream Pies.
Born and Bread
Yeah, you’re going to see a lot of bakeries with clever names in this guide. It’s one thing for a joint to have a great name and another thing entirely for a bakery to have great food. Luckily, Born and Bread delivers on both fronts. This shop is actually located in Lakeland, Florida – about a 30-minute drive from Tampa.
Their pastries are well worth the trip, however; cookies, croissants, and donuts are baked fresh each and every day. You can also order a whole cake for a special occasion, or if you just really like great tasting cake.
Chocolate Pi
Pi is a mathematical number that seemingly stretches on without end. Mathematicians get a kick out seeing how much Pi (see what we did there?) they can fit on one page. With all that in mind, think about Chocolate Pi’s name.
Basically, it means endless chocolate. That’s something we can certainly get behind. Cookies, cakes, ice cream sandwiches, coffee – there really doesn’t seem to be a limit to Chocolate Pi’s menu. Indulge your sweet tooth at this mind-bending bakery.
Dough
Hey, we can appreciate a restaurant that’s straight to the point. What you see is what you get at Dough, and what you’ll get are donuts galore. Every flavor and every style of donut you could possibly imagine is severed here.
Honestly, there are more than a few that we never even heard of. Dough is the kind of place that likes to add bacon strips to caramel eclairs. Dough is the kind of place that invents new flavors regularly. Dough is a donut lover’s dream come true.
Mike’s Pies
Earlier, we mentioned that Key Lime Pie is Florida’s signature dish, but we didn’t mention where you could go to find it. That’s because we wanted to give a restaurant like Mike’s Pies its just desserts (the puns write themselves). By far, this establishment is the most popular pie shop in Tampa.
People come in droves to order their favorite pies year-round. And by “favorite pies” we mean Mike’s Killer Key Lime pie. Ask anyone in Tampa where you can find the best pies in the city, and they’ll likely point you in this pie shop’s direction.
Ingenious Creations
Variety might be spicy, but creativity tastes oh, so sweet. At least that’s the case at Ingenious Creations. This fabulous bakery is much younger than many of the other entries in this guide. However, their baked goods are just as delicious as any other.
That’s because everything is baked with tons of passion and care. Specialty cake orders must be placed at least 2 weeks ahead of time. Specialty treats only require 1 week in comparison. Show your support and stop by Ingenious Creations when you get the chance.
La Segunda Bakery & Cafe
We’re switching from one of the youngest bakeries in Tampa to one of the oldest. La Segunda Bakery & Cafe has been in business since 1915. That sort of thing doesn’t happen by accident or by chance. An establishment really has to resonate with people to be popular for those many decades.
That’s where La Segunda’s Cuban bread and sandwiches come in. Cured turkey sandwiches, marinated pork sandwiches, and the famous 1915 club are all on offer.
Pané Rustica Bakery & Cafe
When it comes to baked goods, it’s all about the ingredients. That’s why freshly baked food tastes so much better than anything that’s packaged. Artisan bread prioritizes quality ingredients over preservatives and artificial sweeteners.
Pané Rustica Bakery & Cafe specializes in serving artisan delights. They serve sandwiches, salads, and more baked goods than you can shake a rolling pin at. Pané Rustica is also famous for its cool atmosphere, relaxed environment, and accommodating service staff.
Valhalla Bakery
We all know about Norse Mythology, right? The Avengers, American Gods, and more novels and games than we can count all reference it in some fashion or another. Valhalla is kind of like Viking Heaven in Norse Mythology. Warriors share stories and eat delicious food all the livelong day.
That last part is what inspired Valhalla Bakery. That, and the fact that Celine Duvoisin is the mastermind behind this vegan bakery. The care that goes into Valhalla Bakery’s goods is truly amazing. Duvoisin just might be a Valkyrie in disguise.
Content written for Destination Tampa Bay for ediotrial purposes only. Some of the photos are stock images to display the food you’ll find at these many Tampa Bay area barkeries. Soem images taken directly from the balery business website or facebook page for a better editorial experience–all right reserved. For another great food story check this out.