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Pastry Crawling Through Valencia

Joe Montgomery

My Favorite Pastries in Valencia (so far…)

If you are planning a move to Valencia you have probably seen a lot of resources for where to live, what to do, how to find the best paella, etc. But what about the best pastries? Not enough attention is given to the pastries. Not to worry - we’ve got you covered. After conducting months of grueling (and sticky) research, I have compiled this resource to meet all your pastry needs here in Valencia. I’ve been to approximately 40 bakeries in the city so far, but this is far from an exhaustive list. These are not meant to be the “best” in Valencia, but all of these have been tried and tested and are absolutely recommended. Let’s dive in!

A cream-filled susu outside of Del Tossal Horno - Pasteleria

My Favorite Bakeries to get Pastries to Take Home for Breakfast

This is my favorite type of bakery. Very casual, display cases full to bursting, and often packed with locals getting something for lunch. These bakeries are stocked with baguettes, “bocadillos”, flatbreads, and croissants - and of course loads and loads of every other kind of pastry! These will probably be the cheapest places as well, so you don’t have to feel guilty about trying one of everything.

Here are my favorites in some of the main barrios in central Valencia:

A collection of treasures from Passage à Paris

Fancy Pastries - to Bring to a Party

Some things are a little too lovely to keep to yourself. Or maybe you just needed an excuse to justify indulging in something really decadent? Either way, these spots have got the cakes and tortes that will make you a legend at the next housewarming party.  If you want a flawless dessert packed with care in a lovely to-go box, you can’t go wrong with these spots.


Extravagant Pastries - to Indulge Yourself

Sometimes, you need a little something more than an everyday pastry. When those days come around, I suggest stopping by one of these spots - just don’t plan on being hungry for a few hours afterwards!

Pasteleria Nuezcafe’s palmera covered in white chocolate and bedecked with whole biscoff cookies is magnificent. The gooey cookies and super-rich cakes of Juliet are hard to pass by, and the cinnamon rolls are Instagram legends. Dulce De Leche Boutique has the most enticing display case of cream-filled, chocolate stuffed, dulce de leche-injected goodies I have ever seen. Sukar has an entire wall dedicated to massive croissants overstuffed with all kinds of chocolates, nuts, creams, and general decadence. Chök is famous for its candy-coated cronut masterpieces, but I’m partial to their super-fudgey vegan brownie.


Drinking coffee, eating a pastry or two and feeling the sun at Bluebell Coffee Roasters

Pastries with Coffee

Excellent coffee is not nearly as ubiquitous in Valencia as excellent pastries. When I want a really fine coffee and something sweet to go with it, I head to one of these spots. I particularly love Bluebell, who roasts their own beans and makes excellent brownies.

Almond croissant from The Baker

My Favorite Almond Croissant

Many bakeries have almond croissants - filled with creamy almond paste, topped with more almond paste and slivered almonds, then baked again - but the absolute best in Valencia is found at The Baker just a block away from the Ruzafa public market. If you can’t make it to Ruzafa, then the almond croissants at Sukar or Passage a Paris won’t let you down.


My Favorite Pastries to go with Horchata

Valencian Horchata is a lifestyle. You can find it all over the place, especially in the summer, but there are two spots I love for their pastries and their horchata. The traditional Valencian pastry to accompany horchata is the farton, but there’s no rule against having a slice of cake or chocolate-filled croissant too!


Sunday Pastries - Open on Sundays

A lot of places have limited hours or are closed altogether on Sundays, so it’s a good idea to have a plan when you need a little something sweet on the Lord’s day.

Stopping off on my way home to stock up on fresh bread and pastries from the lovely Levadura Madre


My Favorite Pastries from an Artisan Baker

Walking into Molt feels like stepping into a secret club for bakers - the shelves are lined with 20-30 different types of loaves, the shopkeepers are dusted in flour, the place is always steamy and smells amazing from the giant ovens in the back of the shop. I really like their baguettes and chapatas - but that’s not why we’re here, is it? Besides all that bread, they also make a really delicious cardamom roll. Also, their chocolate chip roll is incredibly soft and melts in your mouth.


The enticing window displays of Horno Miguel Martinez

The Round Up of my Favorite Pastries so Far

  • Cardamom roll … Molt.

  • Almond croissant … The Baker.

  • Farton, torrija, coca de calabaza, donut… Horno Miguel Martinez.

  • Milhojas … Passage à Paris.

Honorable mention: Palma, a short one-hour flight from Valencia, is a beautiful city on a gorgeous meditteranean island. They also have one of the best bakeries in the world, a little cafe called Fika Farina. They make great bread, coffee, and several types of Swedish pastries but best of all are the cardamom rolls. I ate four of them in a span of 24 hours and my only regret is that I didn’t get a 5th for the road.

And that’s it!

I’ve managed to narrow it down to my favorite 22 highly-recommended bakeries in the city center. I also want to mention that every one of these places is staffed by delightful people who are so patient and kind in helping me find the perfect pastry. When they ask, “Una cosita más?” I can’t help but answer “Si!”