Visiting bakeries is one of my favorite hobbies and I love Omaha. While Seth, my boyfriend, was going to school in Omaha at Creighton I had many chances to patron bakeries all across the city and ended up with a list of bakeries that I adore. I mean it would be tragic if I kept this knowledge all to myself... So here we go!
Sweet Magnolias Bake Shop
First off, Sweet Magnolias, the perfect Omaha bakery. She's bright and colorful and takes nostalgic bakes and gives them a modern twist. The purple door into the bakery matches the brightly frosted unicorn bars you'll find in the bakery case. This bakery serves up a variety of rolls (savory + sweet), scones, bars, brownies, cookies, and makes custom cakes. Between the use of seasonal ingredients (cherry pie bars) and innovative flavor combinations (hello malted milk chocolate Oreo cookies) there will be something new to try every time you visit. They also serve a selection of options of gluten free and vegan options if needed!
(photos from me + @sweetmagnoliasbakeshop)
Le Quartier Bakery & Cafe
I was first introduced to this bakery via the Omaha farmer's market (which I highly suggest you visit if you are in Omaha on Sat or Sun between May-October). While Le Quartier is known around town for their bread, which is served at a variety of grocery stores and restaurants, its the classical pastries that stole my heart. Perfect croissants, beautiful danishes, huge cinnamon rolls, seasonal cupcakes, and innovative cruffins are the results of pastry chef that trained in Montreal and Paris before setting up shop in the Midwest. It's french pastry but made approachable. There are multiple locations in Omaha plus the pop up shops at the farmer's market on the weekend which makes it super easy to stop by and grab a treat to try!
(photos from @_le_quartier)
Culprit Cafe
The cinnamon roll got me hooked. I'm still thinking about it. The fluffiest layers of yeasted dough rolled with the perfect amount of cinnamon filling topped with **tangy** cream cheese frosting that provided the perfect contrast to the caramely layer of crystalized sugar on the bottom of the roll. TAKE ME BACK. In addition to the divine cinnamon rolls, they bake up croissant monkey bread, danishes, croissant, and seasonal cakes, PLUS they have a robust cafe + cocktail menu. Stop by and bring me back a cinnamon roll while you're at it.
(Photos from me + @culpritcafe)
Lithuanian Bakery & Deli
Under the radar? Probably. Delicious? Most definitely. We drove by the Lithuanian bakery many, many times as a family during my childhood before every stopping in. This unassuming bakery serves up a variety of traditional Lithuanian baked good from ponckos (Lithuanian donuts) to sour dough loaves. However, they are most know for their Napoleon Torte. The Napoleon Torte is named after the famed French emperor but has Eastern European roots. The cake takes over three days to make and is an intricate combination of crisp wafers, buttercream, and fruit fillings. The torte comes in two flavors: Chocolate Raspberry or Vanilla Apricot. This unique dessert alone warrants a visit the Lithuanian Bakery while visiting Omaha but if you won't be in Omaha anytime soon you can also order it online via Goldbelly here.
(Photos from Facebook @Lithuanian Bakery)
Carter & Rye
HAND PIES. I had been following this cute little shop on instagram long before I got to try it. What started out as booth at the Omaha farmers market quickly turned into a brick and mortar location open on the weekends in Omaha. Now what is hand pie you ask? It's like the best possible combination of a pop tart and a pie. Think pop tart shape but with the flaky pie crust and gourmet fillings. Carter & Rye makes both sweet and savory hand pies but you already know I'm partial to the sweeter options. From traditional brown sugar and cinnamon handpies to the seasonal rhubarb cream hand pie you **must** check out what they are serving up while you are there! (Also they often sell out so check their insta first)
(Photos from @carterandrye)
Olsen Bake Shop
And lastly, a classic: Olsen Bake Shop. This humble little shop not far from the Creighton campus has been serving bakery classics for decades. Olsen's is well known for its doughnuts and kolaches and is often cited as the best doughnut's in Omaha for a reason. The kicker: they sell out FAST. I have been twice and both times a good portion of the bakery case was already gone by around 9:30 am. You can't sleep in if you want to visit Olsen's, but you won't miss the hour of sleep when you're biting into one of their doughnuts!
(Photos from Facebook @Olsen Bake Shop)
If you stop at any of these places I'd love to see a pic ❤️
Do you have a favorite that I am missing?! Let me know!
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