The best croissants in Islington

The best croissants in Islington

The best croissants in Islington

There is a particular pleasure in walking through Islington before the shops have properly woken up: Upper Street is still a little sleepy, the coffee machines are beginning to hiss, and the smell of warm butter is doing an excellent job of persuading you that breakfast should be pastry-shaped. From inventive laminated creations to classic French croissants and slow-fermented bakes, Islington is having a particularly delicious moment.

Whether you are hunting for the perfect weekend treat or searching for artisan sourdough London residents actually rave about, these are the bakeries worth making room for in your morning plans.

The best croissants in Islington

1. Euphorium Bakery

Location: 202 Upper Street, Islington, London, N1 1RQ
Rating: 4.4/5 on Google
Hours: Mon–Fri 7:30am–4:30pm; Sat 8:00am–5:00pm; Sun 9:00am–4:00pm

An Upper Street institution since 1999, Euphorium Bakery has had more than two decades to perfect the art of making neighbourhood baking feel like a daily ritual. Its croissants sit alongside sourdough loaves, baguettes, artisan pastries and celebration cakes, making this a dependable stop when everyone in your group wants something different. It is the sort of spacious, welcoming bakery where a quick pastry run has a habit of becoming a full breakfast.

Visit Euphorium Bakery

2. Pophams Bakery

Location: 19 Prebend Street, Islington, London, N1 8PF
Rating: 4.7/5 on Google
Hours: Mon–Fri 7:30am–4:00pm; Sat 8:00am–4:00pm; Sun 8:30am–4:00pm

Pophams is where Islington’s pastry ambitions become gloriously extravagant. Its laminated viennoiserie has attracted a devoted following, particularly the bacon and maple syrup croissant, while marmite and cheddar twists and sauerkraut and gruyère creations offer equally compelling reasons to ignore a sensible lunch. The original intimate shopfront also becomes a simple Italian restaurant four evenings a week, so this is a bakery with an evening alter ego.

Visit Pophams Bakery

3. Sourdough Sophia Islington

Location: 117–119 Essex Road, Islington, London, N1 2SN
Rating: 4.7/5 on Google
Hours: Mon–Sat 8:00am–4:30pm; Sun 9:00am–4:30pm

Sourdough Sophia brings a thoughtful, handmade feel to Essex Road, with hand-laminated croissants sharing the counter with slow-fermented loaves and beautifully assembled sandwiches. The range also includes matcha chocolate slices and spinach and feta swirls, so it is a strong choice for anyone who likes their breakfast bakery to venture beyond the obvious. Founded by Sophia Sutton Jones after beginning as a lockdown micro-bakery, it has grown into a warm North London favourite.

Visit Sourdough Sophia Islington

4. Pophams Bakery Islington

Location: 19 Prebend Street, Islington, London, N1 8PF
Rating: 4.1/5 on Tripadvisor
Hours: Mon–Fri 7:30am–4:00pm; Sat–Sun 8:00am–4:00pm

The original Pophams listing deserves its own mention for anyone approaching the bakery with a serious laminated-pastry agenda. Opened in 2017 in a former chemist shop, this tiny site became known for exceptional croissants, maple bacon danishes and freshly baked focaccia. Weekend queues can begin before opening, and the sell-out pace is a useful reminder that the best pastries are not always prepared to wait politely for you.

Visit Pophams Bakery Islington

5. Quince Bakery

Location: 267 New North Road, Islington, London, N1 7AA
Rating: 4.8/5 on Google
Hours: Wed–Fri 8:00am–2:30pm; Sat 9:00am–2:30pm

Quince is a small-batch bakery with unusually serious pastry credentials, founded by Anna Higham, formerly of The Ledbury and Flor. Its baking is centred on UK-grown, stoneground flour, with sourdough country loaves, baguettes, seasonal hand-pies, palmiers, soda breads and butteries appearing across the short weekly opening hours. Croissants are not the only reason to visit, but the combination of precision, seasonality and a wood-fronted shop stocked with cheeses, wines and pantry goods makes Quince a particularly rewarding detour.

Visit Quince Bakery

6. Bánh

Location: 55 Long Lane, Barbican, London, EC1A 9EJ
Rating: 4.5/5 on Google
Hours: Mon–Sat 7:00am–4:00pm

Bánh takes the French influence behind the croissant and sends it somewhere wonderfully unexpected. This Vietnamese-inspired bakery and café combines bánh mì with pastries and breads shaped by Vietnamese, French and British traditions. It is a distinctive choice for a breakfast that might move from flaky pastry to a deeply satisfying sandwich without changing address.

Visit Bánh

7. La Fromagerie Highbury

Location: 30 Highbury Park, Highbury, London, N5 2AA
Rating: 4.5/5 on Google
Hours: Mon–Wed 9:00am–6:00pm; Thu–Fri 9:00am–7:00pm; Sat 9:00am–6:00pm; Sun 9:30am–4:00pm

La Fromagerie Highbury is the place to turn a pastry stop into an all-round food expedition. Alongside its celebrated cheese counter and charcuterie selection, the shop produces sourdough loaves, focaccia, seasonal tarts and artisan pastries. The setting is beautifully curated but never feels fussy: pick up something flaky, add excellent cheese, and let breakfast become a small picnic of champions.

Visit La Fromagerie Highbury

8. The French Market

Location: 16 Blackstock Road, Finsbury Park, London, N4 2DW
Rating: 4.5/5 on Google
Hours: Mon–Thu 8:00am–1:30pm; Fri–Sat 8:00am–4:00pm; Sun 9:00am–4:00pm

Opened in 2023 by three French friends, The French Market brings the classic boulangerie experience to Blackstock Road, complete with a hidden courtyard garden. Head baker Ludovic Fritz makes buttery croissants, Kouign Amann, flan pâtissier and sourdough breads, with a baguette that took third prize in a London-wide competition. Its croissant also reached the finals of the Isigny Ste Mère UK contest, which is a persuasive reason to arrive early and order with confidence.

Visit The French Market

What if getting there isn't an option?

Sometimes the ideal croissant is not the one you queue for on a bright Saturday morning. It is the one arriving while you are still in slippers, coffee brewing and the rest of the household negotiating who gets the crispest corner. That is why demand for quality breakfast delivery London is growing: people want proper bakery food at home, not a sad substitute wrapped in plastic.

The best services are also thinking beyond convenience. A sustainable food delivery London model can mean bike delivery, recyclable packaging and carefully planned quantities, while a zero waste bakery London approach keeps baking to order rather than sending excess food into the bin. For regular pastry people, a bread subscription London or pastry subscription UK service offers the joy of a bakery visit without requiring a weekly expedition. Add bike delivery food London and weekend breakfast delivery London to the equation, and excellent mornings suddenly look much easier.

Butter & Crust: bakery mornings, delivered

For those moments when Islington’s queues, weather or your own alarm clock get in the way, Butter & Crust is a lovely alternative. It works with some of London’s best local artisan producers to bring sourdough, pastries and breakfast favourites to your door by 9am every weekend.

Deliveries travel by bicycle across inner London in recyclable packaging, and everything is baked to order, helping keep food waste at zero. Subscriptions are flexible too: pause, skip or cancel whenever life changes. Coverage currently includes most of London zones 1–3, with more areas on the way.

It is not quite the same as eating a croissant warm from a bakery counter, of course. But for a slow Sunday morning, a reliable supply of excellent pastry and genuinely good artisan sourdough London households can enjoy without leaving home, it comes remarkably close.

Sources
Build Your Bundle Today