The Best Bakeries in Denver, by the Record
The best bakeries in Denver, by the professional record: James Beard Awards, Westword, and 5280 have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Poulette Bakeshop comes out on top.
Bánh & Butter Bakery Cafe and Reunion Bread Co hold the next two places. Westword shows up on more of this list than any other guide, with James Beard Awards next.
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Rank 1. Poulette Bakeshop
French Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2025 · Nominee · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos
- James Beard Awards 2026 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Bakery
- James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Carolyn Nugent and Alen Ramos
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Rank 2. Bánh & Butter Bakery Cafe
Asian-fusion Bakery
- Westword 2023 · Best East-West Bakery · Best of Denver
- Westword 2025 · Best Breakfast Sandwich · Best of Denver
- 5280 Bánh Mì · The 17 Best Sandwiches in (and Around) Denver
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Rank 3. Reunion Bread Co
Portuguese Bakery
- Bon Appétit America's Best New Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2023 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker · Ismael de Sousa
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Rank 4. Bakery Four
Bakery
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The Spring Fling cake, a zucchini bread layer frosted with cream cheese icing and piled with fresh fruit, was the calling card of a beloved Denver institution for decades. When that place closed, the head baker struck out on his own, and now his family-run bakery in west Denver keeps the recipe alive year-round. People fly in from out of state for that cake alone, which is either a testament to nostalgia or to zucchini bread's untapped potential.