— Best Bakery
- And the winner is...
- Blue Dog Bakery and Cafe
The Basics
Opened: 1998
Neighborhood: Crescent Hill
Self-description: “Every loaf and pastry is crafted by hand using traditional European methods.”
Website: bluedogbakeryandcafe.comBest of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 12
Total wins: 4
First nomination: 1999, Best Bakery
First win: 2002, Best Chocolate Chip Cookie
Also won: 2008, Best Fresh-Baked Bread, Best Healthy Snack (for their granola)The Voting Academy Says
“I crave their baguette.”
- And the other nominees are...
- Bae’s Baekery
The Basics
Opened: 2023
Neighborhood: Clifton
Self-description: “Woman-owned pastry shop, all beginning in January 2019 after owner Abigail Mattingly was gifted a KitchenAid mixer for the holidays.”
Website: baesbaekerylou.comBest of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 1
A Nice Internet Review!
“The cookie, this baby is so thick, and the icing is the perfect level of sweet so that I don’t want to scrape any off.”
- Nord’s Bakery
The Basics
Opened: 2002 (Klein’s Bakery for 70 years before that)
Neighborhood: Schnitzelburg-St. Joseph
Self-description: “Come in and break that diet! You know you want to….”
Website: nordsbakery.bizBest of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 8
Total wins: 2
Won: 2003, Best Chocolate-Covered Long JohnThe Voting Academy Says
“Seems like everybody knows about this, but still worth mentioning: Get the maple bacon long john.”
- Plehn’s Bakery
The Basics
Opened: 1924 (1922 at location on Shelby Street)
Neighborhood: St. Matthews
Self-description: “During the 1937 Flood, the bakery was one of the few in town that could make bread. They ran their mixers with a belt from a truck outside. People came from all over town to get bread. Plehn’s — pronounced like planes that you fly in.”
Website: plehns.comBest of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 19
Total wins: 12
First win: 1987, Best Bakery (a category they have won 10 times, more than any other bakery)
Also won: 2008, Best Birthday Cakes
First nomination: 1986, the inaugural Best of Louisville, for Best BakeryThe Voting Academy Says
“A St. Matthews treasure, a Louisville institution for literal generations. We order for all kinds of family celebrations. LOVE the cinnamon streusel.”
- Smør Nordic Bakeri
The Basics
Opened: 2017 (originally out of the kitchen at Oskar’s Slider Bar)
Neighborhood: Poplar Level near the zoo
Self-description: “Louisville’s Scandinavian bakery. Smør is the Norwegian word for butter.”
Website: smornordicbakeri.comBest of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 1
The Voting Academy Says
“The team behind Grind Burger Kitchen and Oskar’s Slider Bar pulled off the trifecta with the only Scandinavian bakery in the area. The baked goods are delicious, authentic and remind me of the Swedish recipes my Nana and Grandma passed down to my mother. As a bonus, a boutique inside the bakery sells all kinds of cute, Scandi-style gifts.”
- Wiltshire Pantry Bakery and Cafe
The Basics
Opened: 2013 (Barrett Avenue location), 1989 as a caterer
Neighborhood: Multiple locations, including Barrett Avenue on Highlands-Germantown-Paristown border
Self-description: “Specializing in French breakfast pastries, artisan breads, breakfast and lunch.”
Website: wiltshirepantry.comBest of Louisville Stats
Total nominations: 4
Total wins: 2
Won: 2014, Best BreakfastThe Voting Academy Says
“It is the closest thing we have in Louisville to a European cafe.”