Unrated: This is a restaurant we want to re-visit before rating, or it’s a coffee shop, bar, or dessert shop. We only rate spots where you can eat a full meal.

You know that urge to take a picture of the sunset every time the sky looks camera-ready? That’s the feeling you’ll get when you walk into Dreamworld Bakes. The Kensington shop makes gorgeous sweet and salty baked goods–glistening brownies here, a flowery slice of cardamom cake there, and a buttery breakfast bun with sausage and scrambled egg to boot. Come in with friends, grab a seat in the corner, and eat your way through the menu. Or take a mixed box home where there’s no judgment for licking chai mousse off your fingers and keeping the three-kinds-of-chocolate cookie all to yourself. 

Grab extra napkins and prepare to get messy. The smears of frosting and caramel-tacky fingers are worth it for just about everything from this Brewerytown bakery. The bright counter-service spot serves syrupy Earl Grey buns, miso cashew and white chocolate cookies with gooey centers, and towering, royal wedding-worthy cakes (shocker: they also sell them by the slice). There are no tables inside, but it’s not about where you’ll sit to eat your stunning treats—it’s about where you are in line. 

Don’t choose between sweet and savory at Loretta’s in Society Hill. The flaky cherry pop tarts with a thick layer of frosting and rainbow-sprinkled cosmic brownie riffs are just as worthwhile as the greens-and-cheese handpies or the ever-so-slightly spicy bacon, egg, and pimento cheese sandwich. You might not be able to find an open seat at this tiny bakery from the Bloomsday team, but it’s a great place to change up your coffee and pastry to-go routine. Or come by in the afternoon when they sell sandwiches on Liscio’s rolls with deluxe fillings like brie, ham, and jam.

Majdal started as a pop-up, selling everything from stunning cherry and labneh tarts to savory, buttery borekas at Her Place and Herman’s Coffee. But at its permanent home in Queen Village, you’ll find locals lining up at the tiny shop for the delightfully gooey Turkish eggs in a sourdough boat, or taking the shredded sumac chicken borek with an herby aioli home for lunch (there are just a few seats if you want to eat in). We love the flatbreads that have a tangy, slightly chewy sourdough base, as well as the green olive and cheese borek. But if you’re looking to wow with dessert, it’s all about the delicate layered tarts, which come in seasonal flavors like pumpkin, maple, and labneh.

This husband and-wife-run Bella Vista shop has regulars doing two-a-days (and it's only open from 9am to 1pm). They need one of the pillowy, hand-sized buns topped with sugary icing or blueberry compote for breakfast, and stop back in for an egg or sausage gravy-filled kolache for an afternoon snack. There’s only a window out front where you order from, and only open on Fridays and Saturdays, so bring a chair and plan to stock up for the week.

We compare all other bread in Philly to Mighty Bread's hearty sourdough loaves. This East Passyunk bakery started as a wholesale business before expanding with a dining area and a menu of sandwiches, quiche, good soups, and more. The tables get snatched up on weekends with people eating egg and cheeses with spicy conserva, or not-too-sweet pastries like caramel apple pie or orange ricotta tea cakes. If you want a seat, get there close-ish to 9am or at a weird time in the late afternoon.

South Philly’s Machine Shop Boulangerie is easy to find—just peep the line forming on the first floor of the Bok Building. This French-leaning bakery is only open Thursday through Sunday, but the apple and oat danishes, crispy-edged lemon tarts, and everything croissants stuffed with pistachio cream cheese are worth crossing the city on a weekend morning. Their strong suit is laminated dough, so follow the flakes when you order.

Termini Brothers is arguably the most famous bakery in Philly, and it has every right to be. They’ve been making crispy cannoli shells since Louis Armstrong had hit songs. There are two locations in South Philly, one in Reading Terminal Market, and another in the Comcast Center. No matter where you go, you’ll see a hub of indecisive people trying to choose between Italian sweets like almond horns or biscotti. (Order online if you know what you want.)

If you’ve been a victim of hard, dry brownies at an office potluck, any batch from this Black-owned bakery in the Bok Building will lead to brownie redemption. You can order these gooey squares, plus babka slices and brown butter chocolate chip cookies for same-day pickup or delivery. Or head into their shop and walk out with eggy red pepper quiche and sweets that you'll want to share with everyone and keep to yourself at the same time.   

About 80% of the counter at Kensington’s Fiore is covered in Italian sweets like pistachio cornetti and torta della nonna that tastes more cookie-like than cake-esque. So you’ll have to fight the urge to keep adding things while you’re paying. Or don’t fight it. The baked goods here are better than anything else on the menu—though their sandwiches are fantastic, too.

We go to this Jewish bakery in East Passyunk to inhale chocolate rugelach, zaatar croissant sandwiches, and dark-blonde bagels covered in mini bubbles from a speedy boil at high heat. Both the salty and sweet options are reliable. So order a sesame bagel with scallion cream cheese, or fill a box with seasonal donuts, salted chocolate chip cookies, and a slice of slightly toasty basque cheesecake.

When we get the urge to eat Chinese buns and mooncakes, this bakery in South Philly pops into our heads. No matter what situation we're in, we always walk in here, stare ferociously at the red bean buns, lotus moon cakes with salted egg yolks, and golden egg tarts behind the counter, and leave with five things we didn’t plan on ordering. Dodo Bakery closes at 6pm, so this is also a useful option if you want to pick up something later in the day.

Bella Vista’s Isgro Pastries has been open since 1904, and the years of experience have made them extremely efficient. Even if there's a line, you’ll be in and out with your cannolis and chewy chocolate ricotta cookies within 10 minutes. The selection is massive. People come here for everything from Christmas cookies to birthday cakes or maybe just to soak up the almond scent on the sidewalk (also known as South Philly pheromones).

The baklava and buttery pistachio maamoul at this Lebanese daytime spot make us produce noises no one should hear. (A hybrid of "yoooooooo" and a cat purr.) The West Philly cafe is just as much a lunch destination as it is a bakery, so you can hang out with a friend or your laptop, drink coffee, and eat lahm bajeen with spicy lamb. Just prepare to leave with bags of baked goods: scanning the cases always results in syrupy knafeh and some coconut cake.

This Rittenhouse icon started the city’s French bakery trend way back in ‘93. But it gets bragging rights for more than just its age—Metropolitan makes the city’s best canelé. Even if you’re just popping in for a baguette, get one of these caramelized little guys with a custardy center, and grab an airy almond croissant, too. The 19th Street location has an adjacent cafe that sells blistered thin-crust pizzas and sandwiches made with their incredible bread. There's also a stand at Reading Terminal Market where you can grab a sour cherry chocolate chip cookie after a roast pork sandwich.

Kouklet Bakehouse has a wide variety of Brazilian bolo de rolo, including a Philadelphia pretzel cake with salted caramel milk that nails the balance of salty and sweet. But it’s the plump, airy sonhos at this East Passyunk bakery that make us feel like we’re biting into a sugary pillow. The flavors rotate. So you might find peach, cherry and chocolate custard, or strawberry.

This Israeli bakery and cafe in Rittenhouse lives up to its hype as a member of the Zahav family. Get at least one pastry—we're into the lemon cheesecake babka and marzipan challah danishes—and something bready, like a Jerusalem bagel or thick kubaneh toast topped with whipped ricotta and brown sugar. The place gets busy on weekends. Come on a weekday if you want to avoid the lines and eat a $5-and-under treat that you’ll swaddle like a newborn.  

If you’re looking for some great pastries in a room where you can sit down with a few people, put Cake and Joe on your list. The sweets look like art—especially the swirly matcha cheesecake and a Càphê Roasters mousse cake shaped like a wedge of swiss cheese. But they taste just as good as they look. Stop by the Pennsport bakery to eat dessert for breakfast with a cup of coffee. 

Small Oven Pastry Shop on Washington Avenue sells both savory and sweet menus, and we like to order things from both worlds. With so many options, it's the kind of place where a quick tart can turn into a banquet of snickerdoodles, leek and feta croissants, and thick slices of mocha loaf. But you've got room on your kitchen counter for all of that, right? (There are no seats here, so you'll have to take everything to go.)

If you normally wake up in West Philly, start your day with a cheese-and-ham-filled mafalda, buttery medialunas, or a creamy ricotta torta at this Argentinian shop. But any trip to Jezabel's also requires a baked empanada—these are the true headliners. You can get them stuffed with cuts of beef, juicy chicken, tangy root vegetables, spicy lentils, and more. And there are a few tables in the cafe, so you don't have to eat it on the 42 or a park bench.