Over the last several months, I’ve eaten my way through dozens and dozens of baked goods around the Twin Cities.
Why? Well, more than anything, journalism is a public service. Some of us don’t love sweets, and walking into a coffee shop to see the various caramel-filled, chocolate-covered, fruit-blasted goodies illuminated in the pastry case does absolutely nothing for us. So in this case, I guess the service is… me eating enough savory treats to raise the salinity of my body, then telling you which bakeries, pop-ups, farmers market favorites, and cafes are looking out for the more sweets-averse among us.
Some of these places really do savories well, and they might have more than one entrant on this list. I tried wherever possible to avoid recommending standards—ham and cheese croissants, bacon and cheddar biscuits—but, what the hell, there are a few of those on here, too.
And while some of these savory treats are reliably available week after week, many are seasonal or sporadic. I suppose you could call, email, or harass these wonderful bakeries and coffee shops via social media to ask if they’d make them more regularly, but—no, no, we’d never encourage that.
Without further ado: These are the 30 savory scones, turnovers, tarts, croissants, biscuits, buns, rolls, danishes, hand pies, and squares to eat in the Twin Cities before you die, possibly of cholesterol-related complications after munching your way through this list.
1. Duck Duck Coffee
Cheddar Biscuit with Cayenne, $3
Duck Duck doesn’t have a vast array of baked goods, but who needs that when you’ve got a cheesy biscuit this good (and cheap!). With just a tickle of cayenne warmth and a sprinkle of chives, this is meant to invoke the cheesy biscuits from a certain seafood chain that recently entered shrimp-related bankruptcy. It’s soft, squishy, and as orange as the jack-o-lantern lights that hang, year-round, from this neighborhood coffee shop’s ceiling. 1830 E. 38th St., Minneapolis; duckduckmpls.com.
2. Fruit & Grain Bakery
Pepperoni Pizza Hand Pie, $6
Pepperoni pizza in a palm-sized pastry pocket? Perfection. A few years ago, when we caught up with Fruit & Grain baker Emily Lauer, the pop-tart and hand-pie maker said she’d like to get to work on more savory treats. This oregano-y snack, stuffed with peps and onions and tomato sauce, is proof that her not-so-sweet offerings are every bit as good as the stuff that comes covered in frosting and sprinkles. fruitandgrainbakery.com.
3. Asa’s Bakery
Onion Bialy, $3
The bialy came to the U.S. in the late 1800s, but you wouldn’t know that here in Minnesota, where the pride of Bialystok, Poland, was a rarity until Asa Diebolt’s bakery came along. A worthy bialy doesn’t need cream cheese or butter to make it sing—take the chewy, bagel-like Onion Bialy from Asa’s, where the soft, doughy outer ring gives way to a tongue-tantalizing caramelized-onion center. 5011 S. 34th Ave., Minneapolis; asasbakery.com.
4. Laune Bread
Lentil Daal Curry Roll, $5
Too many bakeries seem to get stymied when it comes to dreaming up savory pastries that look beyond salted meat and cheese. That’s not a problem at Lake Street’s Laune Bread—take, for example, this unassuming cylinder sprinkled with black sesame seeds. Biting into it, you’ll discover a turmeric-yellow curried lentil core, with notes of cumin and coriander. Simply put, it’s one of the best bites I’ve had this year. 3605 E. Lake St., Minneapolis; launebread.com.
5. May Day Cafe
Dill Pickle Cheese Scone, $3.50
I know people have opinions about putting pickles in places they don’t belong, but Racket is a pro-pickle publication, and this May Day scone is a prime example of why. Moist and soft and not overwhelmingly dilly, it’s dotted here and there with little wedges of pickle and just enough cheddar to balance out the vinegar. Obviously, don’t get it if you’re not a pickle freak; more for the rest of us. 3440 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis; facebook.com/may.day.cafe.mpls.
6. Dahlia
Roasted Butternut Squash Croissant, $9.50
Pickle Roll-up Danishes, Kimchi Cheddar Bacon Danishes—no one in the Twin Cities does savory pastries quite like Dahlia, the pastry pop-up from Alex Althoff, Sarah Julson, and Nat Moser. But perhaps because the Roasted Butternut Squash Croissant was the first Dahlia treat I tried, during a pop-up at Bench Pressed last fall, it’s this one—loaded with bacon and balls of soft ricotta, then sprinkled with pumpkin seeds and honey—that sticks with me. It helps that it was bigger than a football, and far more flavorful. (I assume.) We hear it’ll be back on their Thanksgiving menu this fall. eatatdahlia.com.
7. Diane’s Place
Sweet Corn and Bacon Danish, $8
The sheer amount of flavor packed into this square should be studied by science. Salty, crispy strips of bacon mingle with candy-like kernels of fresh corn, and there’s a gently spicy puree of something—sweet corn and peppers?—at the base. Not to oversell it, but it’s a marvel. A James Beard honor isn’t enough; Diane Moua and the team at Diane’s Place deserve a Nobel Prize for physics or something. (Not to oversell it!!!) 117 14th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; dianesplacemn.com.
8. Sun Street Breads
Spinach Swirl, $4.75
This little ring is so good Gollum would obsess over it. Sun Street Breads uses a time-intensive method for its laminated pastry dough; I don’t fully understand it, but it involves a sour cream pie dough, several steps, and super high-quality butter. When you pair that patisserie perfectionism with savory ingredients—for example, creamy spinach and a crest of cheese—the result is this swirling wonder. 4600 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; sunstreetbreads.com.
9. Cooks | Bellecour
French Onion Soup Seasonal Danish, $5.50
This danish manages to literally, actually, seriously recreate the experience of eating French onion soup on a pastry. “Holy shit,” you may find yourself murmuring aloud, as you sink your teeth into sweetly caramelized onions surrounded by a halo of cheese. There’s even cream cheese on here, upping the decadence ever so slightly and raising an important question: Should you be putting cream cheese in your soup? Multiple locations; cooksbellecour.com.
10. Savory Bake House
Beef and Cheddar Polish Roll, $7
The first bite I took of a Savory Bake House Polish Roll turned me into the “spectacular, gimme 14 of them right now” guy. Now, you might be like, that’s just a roll with sesame seeds on it—who cares? Oh, you beautiful idiot! This humble roll is stuffed with a meaty mix of ground beef, gooey cheese, and onions, like a chopped cheese inside a sweet roll. Is that… still not selling it? It’s hard to explain; the Polish Roll is greater than the sum of its parts. But from the first bite, you’ll understand why Savory Bake House has a line down the block during the brief window it’s open each week. 3008 36th Ave. S., Minneapolis; savorybakehouse.com.
11. Bakery Box
Cheesy Apple and Onion Rugelach, $4
Nothing on this list is quite like Bakery Box’s savory rugelach, and not just because it’s only available for porch pickup or delivery to a lucky few south Minneapolis ZIP codes. No, there’s something else about these little rolled-up wonders, stuffed with swiss and gruyère cheese, that sets them apart. Maybe it’s the sweetness of the apple toying with the acidic bite of pickled red onion, or maybe it’s that there’s some kind of fancy mustard in here, too, offset by a drizzle of sweet honey. Whatever it is, it simply rocks. 3021 Oakland Ave., Minneapolis; bakeryboxmpls.square.site.
12. Butter Bakery Cafe
Bacon and Cheddar Biscuit, $5
Sometimes you’re craving a timeless classic, and in those moments, there’s Butter Bakery’s Bacon and Cheddar Biscuit. For a little dough mountain loaded with bacon and cheese, this biscuit isn’t as salty as you’d think, with a subtler smoky profile. The towering biscuit is on the crunchier side, baked to a toasty brown, and it’s perfect scarfed down alongside a cold press as you rain crumbs down upon your laptop keys. 3700 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; butterbakerycafe.com.
13. Solomon’s Bakery
Mushroom Potato Turnover, $4
There are many, many savory treats to choose from on Saturday mornings at the Mill City Farmers Market. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some of the best come from one of the market’s longest-running tenants: Solomon’s Bakery, which specializes in African and Caribbean bread, has had a presence at the market for more than a decade. The Mushroom Potato Turnover is like a bowl of cream of mushroom soup in a pastry shell. Shroomier than it is potatoey, it bursts with flavor, though it’s not as dense as you might worry. I split this with a mushroom agnostic, who enthused, “I would choose to get this again.” 833 Third St. SW, New Brighton; solomonsbread.com.
14. Laune Bread
Carrot Chevre Chermoula Square, $5.25
If the Alison Roman Turmeric-Roasted Carrots with Seeds and Labne ever had you in a chokehold, you’ll love Laune Bread’s Carrot Chevre Chermoula Square. The sweet roasted carrots are nestled on a bed of tangy goat cheese, and just a whisper of the herby chermoula sauce is all you need; it lends a flavor that’s both earthy and fresh. It all comes together atop Laune’s flaky pastry, which stands out thanks to the whole grains that give it an almost nutty quality. 3605 E. Lake St., Minneapolis; launebread.com.
15. Ai Hue's Bakery & Deli
Pate Chaud, $3.75
Several months ago, in a Reddit thread about whether there were any bakeries like Keefer Court closer to the Twin Cities, some kind stranger mentioned Ai Hue's Bakery & Deli on University. It’s a little tricky to find—the entrance is on the back of the building, and the building itself is tucked away from the street—but once you step up to the counter you’ll see all manner of brightly colored sweets and a few savories, like the Pate Chaud. Thanks to the egg wash, it’s like a glowing sun in both color and shape, and the sunny exterior surrounds a magical pork and mushroom meatball. Don’t say local Reddit never did nothin’ for ya. 432 University Ave. W., St. Paul.
16. Keefer Court Bakery & Desserts
BBQ Chicken Puff, $4.75
That being said, it’s fully still worth taking a trip out to Keefer Court from time to time. The Chinese bakery may have moved from Minneaoplis to Eden Prairie’s Asia Mall, but we’re lucky it’s still here at all, along with its selection of breads, buns, pastries, and cakes. The selection of savories here is unrivaled—throw a dart at the menu and you’re guaranteed a winner—so we’ll just go ahead and recommend the BBQ Chicken Bun, which showcases two of the things Keefer Court does best: barbecue and pastries. 12160 Technology Dr., Eden Prairie; keefercourt.com.
17. Modern Times
Fermented Jalapeño + Bacon + Jack Tart, $5
If you’ve never visited the pastry case at Modern Times, just know that you’re missing out on some really excellent house-made baked goods—for example, this Fermented Jalapeño + Bacon + Jack Tart. Roughly chopped chunks of pickled jalapeños are the star here, bursting with briny heat, but thick bacon bits work nicely as an accent, and crispy onions on top give it a whole added savory element. 3200 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; moderntimesmpls.square.site.
18. Aki’s BreadHaus
Soft Pretzel, $3
In assembling this collection of savory goods, I set some arbitrary ground rules for myself. No breads, for example, or bagels, no matter how good they are, just pastries, biscuits, tarts, and the like that you can eat by themselves, un-accoutremented. That said, Aki’s BreadHaus gets a pass. These pretzels are too good to leave off the list. 2506 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis; akisbreadhaus.com.
19. Café Cerés
Savory Bialy, $6.50
Here’s something else you don’t get a lot of in your baked goods: kielbasa and asparagus. What an oversight! On this Café Cerés bialy, rich and salty hunks of Polish sausage are nestled under a piquant gouda crust and coated in sesame seeds. “The chewy bread hole is loaded with asparagus,” I wrote in my notes, an unfortunate phrasing that now you must read, too. Multiple locations; cafeceresmpls.com.
20. Patisserie 46
Ham & Gruyere Croissant, $5.75
Hey, I said there wouldn’t be many ham and cheese croissants on here. I didn’t say there wouldn’t be any. At Patisserie 46, they prepare one of the classics of the form, with a slender slice of meat carefully wrapped inside its pastry shell. Just look at that rippling lamination! These are pastries of global renown, and it shows. That they’re served on a little metal lunch tray just ups the adorable factor. 4552 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis; patisserie46.com.
21. Vikings and Goddesses Pie Co.
Maple Roasted Sweet Potato Danish with Harissa Cream Cheese, $5.50
The harissa cream cheese on this danish is the kind of thing I’d buy by the tub. Flecked with hot chilis, it has just a hint of heat, and that light spice highlights the sugary, pillowy hunks of sweet potato. It’s all sheathed in a diamond of dough, the appropriate shape for such a stunning little pastry. 2036 Marshall Ave., St. Paul; vikingsandgoddessespiecompany.com.
22. Hot Hands Pie & Biscuit
Ham and Cheese Turnover, $4.95
Probably one of the first things I learned to cook for myself was a grilled ham and cheese, and Hot Hands’ Ham and Cheese Turnover evokes that after-school sandwich in the best possible way. You’re starting with Hot Hands’ pie crust, which is divine, and it’s wrapped in a tight half-moon around ham and tangy cheddar. If just a little cheese oozes out and crisps up along the side? Well, aren’t you the lucky one. 272 Snelling Ave. S., STE 100, St. Paul; hothandspie.com.
23. Colossal Cafe
Roasted Corn, Poblano & Onion Scone with Queso Fresco, $4
A bakery’s pastry rotation can be a mystical thing—you never know what’ll be in the case on a given day—but not at Colossal Cafe, which keeps a calendar for the scones and croissants available daily. This one is like a small meteor, or a really large ball of hail, and layered flavors hide in its craggy surface. Corn kernels pop and poblanos add pep, as the hunks you tear off give way to a surprisingly soft core. 1340 Grand Ave., St. Paul and 2315 Como Ave., St. Paul; colossalcafe.com.
24. Diane’s Place
Green Scallion Danish with Garlic Butter, $5
I’ve often thought to myself that a bakery in this town needs to start serving savory monkey bread, and this comes close. It’s soooo buttery (“what if butter was bread?” I wrote in my notes), and soooo garlicky, with a cloud-like texture that’s satisfying to pull apart into hunks. Utterly decadent in its simplicity. 117 14th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; dianesplacemn.com.
25. Sun Street Breads
Potato Fennel Bundle, $4.95
Can we agree that a “bundle” is the cutest name you could give your stuffed pastry? Sun Street has the only bundle on this list, and it’s hefty, with chunks of potato and nutty cheese (is that asiago?) forming a crown atop it. It’s all bundled up, like a kid waiting for the bus on a frigid winter morning, inside Sun Street’s wonderful laminated dough. 4600 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis; sunstreetbreads.com.
26. The Buttered Tin
Cubano Hand Pie, $6
Perhaps you’ve been looking for an excuse to eat a Cuban sandwich with your morning coffee? Well folks, this is it. The Cubano Hand Pie from The Buttered Tin is a “hand pie” in that it’s as big as a hand, maybe even as big as Shaq’s hand. And the flavors packed in here are also huge—bright-yellow mustard, snappy pickles, smoky ham, juicy shredded pork, gooey swiss. Everything that makes the Cuban a perfect sandwich is here, encased in a flaky pie crust. 237 Seventh St. E., St. Paul and 2445 NE Marshall St., Minneapolis; thebutteredtin.com.
27. Savory Bake House
BLT Baked Brioche Sandwich, $7.50
Now yes: Savory Bake House calls this a sandwich, which is perhaps pushing the limits of the baked good genre. But this is a self-contained situation; a soft brioche envelope surrounds innards of bacon, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, sweet corn, onion, and cheddar cheese, and it’s all baked together as a single pastry. When it emerges, its delicious guts are spilling out around it, boasting a crispy glaze wherever they’ve touched the pan. 3008 36th Ave. S., Minneapolis; savorybakehouse.com.
28. La Boulangerie Marguerite
Spinach Feta Walnut Croissant, $5
It’s garlicky, it’s salty, it’s flaky, it’s crunchy: This delicious disc from La Boulangerie Marguerite is a force of flavor and texture. One thing I noticed as I wolfed down savory pastries over the last year is that not many of them have nuts; those tend to be reserved for sweets. But the walnuts here add a crucial toasty richness to the soft spinach and feta. 1279 Randolph Ave., St. Paul and 300 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis; la-marg.com.
29. Cooks | Bellecour
Everything Croissant Twist, $5.50
Absolutely not to be eaten in a freshly vacuumed area (or out of reach of dental floss), the Everything Croissant Twist from Cooks | Bellecour has a thin crust of poppy and sesame seeds atop it—enough that maybe you should avoid it if you have a drug test coming up. That seedy shell gives way to an impossibly fluffy-soft center; it’s like a less-eggy, more bready popover. Does it “need” the accompanying ramekin of cream cheese? Maybe not, but you’ll scoop it all up anyways. Multiple locations; cooksbellecour.com.
30. Black Walnut Bakery
Ham & Gruyere Croissant, $6.50
I just know that some of you scrolled all the way to this point, mouth increasingly frothing, cracking your knuckles as you prepared to leave a comment about Black Walnut Bakery’s omission from this list. As if! There are ham ‘n’ cheese croissants, and then there’s the Ham & Gruyere Croissant from Black Walnut, which for our money could top any global savory croissant bracket. The sensational flavors, the way the layers explode like a small firework with each bite, as if the croissant is celebrating its own devouring. It’s really spectacular. 3157 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; blackwalnutbakery.com.
