16 bakery-cafes to check out in KL & Selangor

Fresh bread and  pastries are baked with love at these 16 independent cafes:

1. The Midnight Baker at Mont Kiara

Jason bakes bread, his wife Cheryl crafts cakes and pastries, and their buddy Neil makes coffee – The Midnight Baker is a fetching new stop for a fuss-free breakfast, lunch or tea, run by a small, self-reliant team with skill and soul. Curious about the cafe’s name? Jason has a separate day-job, so he oversees the oven only after most of us have headed to bed. The chicken sandwich is constructed with satisfying bread, fresh and flavoursome, dense but yielding, stuffed with a substantial balance of tender, well-marinated meat and wholesome vegetables. The pesto tomato quiche succeeds as a light, savoury meal, while the scones come crumbly-buttery, infused with real vanilla and served with kitchen-made cream. Cap off your visit with a caramel chocolate pecan bar, an indulgence worth the calories.

Read review: The Midnight Baker at Seni Mont Kiara

Find: Contact details and map for The Midnight Baker

2. The Bread Shop at Damansara Heights

In a world of inexorable changes, The Bread Shop has remained comfortingly the same beloved neighbourhood bakery-cafe, bustling for weekday lunches and an oasis of calm for tea. You’ll still find the original Bananascotch pastry, plus lemony cupcakes, hot cross buns, croissants, scones, kouign-amann, various tarts and sandwiches (roast beef, smoked chicken, melted cheese and more, served with salads).

Find: Contact details and map for The Bread Shop

3, Simplicity Sandwiches at Cheras

Making sandwiches might seem like a simple task, but the most satisfying ones are prepared with lots of heart and skilfulness; this modest bakery cafe – run by buddies Hong and Eric – does an admirable job in bringing customers bread they can believe in. Possible choices here include baguettes filled with chicken meat, sourdough slices topped with rib-eye steak and white bread stuffed with egg and tomatoes, each served nice and warm, with unmistakably fresh flavours. Our favourite is the crusty baguette, which provides a pleasant bite and an easy chew.

Read review: ‘Simplicite’ Simplicity Sandwiches at D’Alamanda Cheras

Find: Contact details and map for Simplicity Sandwiches

4. Der Backmeister at TTDI

Cast a ‘rye’ look at TTDI’s German bakery-cafe, run by a two-nation collaboration that includes Oliver Rollar (who has lived in Malaysia since 2000), Bobby, Chris and Steve, with the help of Klaus and Monica, who helm their own bakeries in Cologne. Der Backmeister’s shelves should delight devotees of dense, dark breads, including some made with up to 80 percent rye, relying on traditional German recipes that emphasise honest, wholesome goodness. Specialities span the likes of ‘sesam semmel’ (sesame roll) and ‘bauern brot’ (farmer’s bread loaves), plus plenty of pretzels, pastries and almond cakes.

Read review: Der Backmeister at TTDI

Find: Contact details and map for Der Backmeister

5. Chequers Bakery in TTDI

Taking doughnuts to the next level, TTDI’s friendly neighbourhood cafe Chequers recently unveiled a first-floor bakery that specialises in imaginative savoury and sweet doughnuts worth devouring, alongside an array of house-baked bread and pastries.

Read review: Gourmet doughnuts at Chequers Bakery

Find: Contact details and map for Chequers Bakery

6. Kenny Hills Bakers at Bukit Tunku

Step inside and the irresistible fragrance of fresh baking might sweep you off your feet. Hand-crafted sourdough loaves, ciabatta bread and baguettes made with stone-ground organic flour share the showcase with croissants, scones and tarts, supplying a sensational excuse to indulge in the most satisfying of carbs.

Read review: Kenny Hills Bakers at Bukit Tunku

Find: Contact details and map for Kenny Hills Bakers

7. The Carpenter’s Daughter at USJ

It’s encouraging to encounter a cheerful bakery-cafe that takes the craft of baking seriously, offering bread made daily with ingredients like organic flour, rock salt and olive oil.

Find: Contact details and map for The Carpenter’s Daughter

8. Brooklyn B at SS15, Subang

Brooklyn B specialises in a bevy of bagels, freshly baked, supplying a distinctive chew that’s densely solid without being distressingly strenuous.

Read review: Brooklyn B Bagel Bakery at SS15 Subang

Find: Contact details and map for Brooklyn B Bagel Bakery

9. Tommy Le Baker at Jalan Ipoh

Run by a Malaysian-born pastry chef who honed his craft in France, Tommy Le Baker’s specialties include baguettes, sourdough bread and tarts.

Find: Contact details and map for Tommy Le Baker

10. Dotty’s at TTDI

Get naughty at Dotty’s: Guilty indulgences gild the counters of this cafe-bakery, where sweet curiosities are conceived with fanciful aplomb, like a speculoos eclair, sprinkled with shortcrust cookie crumbs and stuffed with rich cream that hints of cardamom and cloves.

Read review: Dotty’s at TTDI

Find: Contact details and map for Dotty’s

11. Bakeology at Taman SEA

Bakeology maintains a low profile in Taman SEA, but this friendly cafe, run by sisters Cheryl and Caryn, is well worth a visit. Be sure to pick up a beetroot-thyme loaf – lovely bread, enjoyable entirely on its own.

Read review: Bakeology at Taman SEA

Find: Contact details and map for Bakeology Bakery Cafe

12. Huckleberry Food & Fare at Plaza Damansara

Master baker Christophe Gros of TTDI’s Pastry Institute Of St Honore oversees Huckleberry’s 120-square-foot oven, creating everything from almond croissants to kouign-amman to Valrhona pain au chocolat.

Read review: Huckleberry Food & Fare at Plaza Damansara

Find: Contact details and map for Huckleberry Food & Fare

13. Touche at Petaling Jaya

Scones, croissants, danishes and other archetypal bakery fare are available to satisfy the stomach.

Find: Contact details and map for Touche Pastries & More

14. Le Pont Boulangerie at Old Klang Road

Shelves here brim with bread and pastries, popular for taking away among residents of Old Klang Road’s neighbourhoods.

Read review: Le Pont Boulangerie at Bedford Business Park

Find: Contact details and map for Le Pont Boulangerie & Cafe

15. Tedboy Bakery at Bangsar

When parental pride and a passion for pastries collide, the offspring is Tedboy Bakery, owned by a bread-loving couple who named this Telawi cafe after their son.

Read review: At Tedboy, breads are baked with love

Find: Contact details and map for Tedboy Bakery

16. Watercolour at Mont Kiara

If we had to paint a mental picture of Watercolour, it’s one of those cafes that flies under the radar, quietly churning out good sandwiches and pastries for its fans.

Read review: Watercolour at Mont Kiara

Find: Contact details and map for Watercolour Gourmet Bakery & Cafe