Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market Photos
Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market Popular Desserts
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This was a secret food item on a foodie tour! We were surprised with this towards the end. I was given a Crème Brûlée donut. The donut itself was soft and fresh. The caramelized top added some nice texture, but it also came across a little too sweet. The filling was just okay. The donut itself was also messy and sticky. While I wasn't a fan of this donut, I would try a different one next time.
My daughter, who is a foodie told me that if I was in London, I " needed" to stop by here! So I did. It happen to be a rainy day, but oh so worth the trip. Fresh bread and pastry smell coming from this place made the ambience instantly warm and inviting. They have an incredible selection of donuts and baked goods. You will want to try them all. I definitely recommend the crème brûlée doughnut. Worth every single last calorie!
I used to love Bread Ahead, but we had a very disappointing experience here during our last visit to London. I had always said their homemade donuts were among the best in the world, but our VERY expensive box of sweet treats ended up in the garbage bin at our hotel later that evening. Overhyped, the line to get a box of donuts was very long. We stood outside in the shivering cold rain until it was our turn. We opted for 3 donuts, all stuffed with custard or pudding. The flavors were appealing and the items looked tasty. We paid 4.50 pound per donut, which is almost $6 per donut in U.S. dollars. This is an outrageous price regardless, but we were willing to shell out the dough (hee hee) for handmade goodies. We took the cute little blue box on the Tube and back to our hotel to enjoy with a cup of hot tea. All I can say is, what a waste of calories. Every donut was overcooked, one was so browned that it tasted burned. You can see in my photos how gross the treats looked. All of the treats tasted of very old cooking oil, which is a big no-no in the bakery business. They were disgusting, and I don't say that lightly. The custard inside was tasty, but that was all I enjoyed about my overpriced donuts. I am heartbroken to say that I can no longer recommend this bakery, especially for their donuts. I also apologize to anyone who went here based on my (former) glowing recommendation.
I have been wanting to come here since I learned about the Borough Market on Instagram over a year ago and it did not disappoint. Just take note that the whole market is closed on Mondays (learned that the hard way) but it was worth swinging back by the next day. The crème brûlée donuts is definitely the star but they have multiple other options. The crème brûlée is a little smaller than I expected but it did not disappoint! The dough had a great chew to it and is covered in sugar. The crème filling is rich and tasty and a nice contrast to the crunch of the sugared dough. Speaking of crunch, the brûlée top is everything you would expect and the bitter notes from the burnt sugar tie it all together. Make sure you order two and ask for napkins... you're going to need them!
Got introduced to them years ago via Instagram during the pandemic. Matthew and his team would sometimes do a bake-along where they give the recipes ahead of time and do a live IG show. I believe you can do something similar online now for a fee. The doughnuts are all lovely. It's located street side between the 2 halves of the market. There's always a line but it moves pretty quickly. Lots of flavors/varieties to choose from. I like that they're not the fluffy kind of doughnuts... they're more bready so there's much substance to each bite. There's no discount if you buy 6 or a dozen. They're also not overly sweet which is perfect. The price is the price. As of April 2024, the price was £4.50/donut or £2/plain. You can pay use all methods including using your mobile pay phone app. A nice experience.
Ordered: Creme Brûlée Donut (~£4) Aya's take: Bread Ahead needs no introduction as it's one of the most popular stands at Borough Market. The line moves super quick so be prepared to order and know what you want when asked. The Creme Brûlée Donut was decadent, soft on the outside, crisp on top, and creamy on the inside with the vanilla custard. I loved the rich vanilla custard flavor but it definitely needed more filling. There was more dough than cream. The brûléed topping is caramelized nicely but was a bit too smoky to taste. It's a decent try but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.
Got here early to try the Crème Brûlée donut and was not disappointed. The service was quick and pleasant. The donuts were soft and light. The sugar on the outside was almost like a dust which was delightful! The cream filling was packed with flavor and truly just so tasty! It felt light but I couldn't eat more than a bite.
Bread Ahead Bakery was the one place at Borough Market in London that I really wanted to visit. When we arrived at Borough Market, I spotted them and zoomed on over to their stand. I was sad because they did not have much baked goods left. Ended up purchasing there items to share with my lovely bride. The Carrot cake was very good! Cinnamon Bun was alright. Pistachio Chocolate Croissant was delicious!! Couldn't wait to eat those goodies at the hotel. Found a spot away from the crowds to enjoy our treats. As we explored more of Borough Market, my wife saw that there was a larger location of Bread Ahead Bakery!! YES!!!!! I was hoping that there would be! This is where the magic happens Baby!! They had all kinds of doughnut flavors for sale!! The line to purchase them was long, but it went by quickly. Purchased 4 flavors to eat later that evening. Shame on me for not remembering what they were. All I can say is that they all tasted yummy! Well I do recall that one of them was the Creme Brûlée doughnut, and it was great! All the doughunts were fluffy, moist, and filled with yummy fillings of goodness!! Highly recommend searching for Bread Ahead Bakery at Borough Market! They are worth the calories and the price tag!!
Mmmmm......Donuts! (Said in the voice of Homer Simpson.) They do donuts so righteous here. As we were walking around Borough Market we saw the line for Bread Ahead and realized it was for the donut stand they had outside along the street. We had to jump on line and drool over the display of sugary goodness. We each tried a different donut and was not disappointed! So many varieties to choose from - coconut, lemon curd, blackcurrant cheesecake, seasalt caramel and honeycomb, and others. They don't skimp on the fillings as each bite was flavorful. Yum! read more
The borough market bakery. They have a stall inside the market an a bakery right outside the market hall. I'd reccomend checking out the bakery as this is where the fresh goodies are made and you're more likely to get the fresh batch here. Price wise, it's a bit steep. At 5£ per donut and 6.50£ for a piece of focaccia. But you're in a tourist area so high prices should be expected. We opted for the cheese focaccia that came right out from the oven. For 6£, it's not bad. It's pretty sizable and a good shareable snack! It's a good crusty bread and had a subtle garlic flavor with a blend of stringy cheese. If you like cheesy garlic bread, this is for you! Out of all the snacks you could get in the borough market, this is a solid option! But I wouldn't go out of my way to come here. read more
This bakery has the tastiest baked goods. I was overwhelmed and wanted to get one of everything! I settled for the crème brûlée and the pistachio donuts. Thankfully I don't live near them because oh my goodness, this was amazing!! You pick your donuts, you can also watch them caramelize the brûlée. I'll definitely be back! read more
This was our first stop and it was so good! The crème brûlée donut was the best. Perfectly crisp and sweet. The strawberry crème was equally tasty. Often I'm a fan of pistachio, but this one didn't do it for me. The flavor was bland. read more
This was a secret food item on a foodie tour! We were surprised with this towards the end. I was given a Crème Brûlée donut. The donut itself was soft and fresh. The caramelized top added some nice texture, but it also came across a little too sweet. The filling was just okay. The donut itself was also messy and sticky. While I wasn't a fan of this donut, I would try a different one next time. read more
My daughter, who is a foodie told me that if I was in London, I " needed" to stop by here! So I did. It happen to be a rainy day, but oh so worth the trip. Fresh bread and pastry smell coming from this place made the ambience instantly warm and inviting. They have an incredible selection of donuts and baked goods. You will want to try them all. I definitely recommend the crème brûlée doughnut. Worth every single last calorie! read more
I used to love Bread Ahead, but we had a very disappointing experience here during our last visit to London. I had always said their homemade donuts were among the best in the world, but our VERY expensive box of sweet treats ended up in the garbage bin at our hotel later that evening. Overhyped, the line to get a box of donuts was very long. We stood outside in the shivering cold rain until it was our turn. We opted for 3 donuts, all stuffed with custard or pudding. The flavors were appealing and the items looked tasty. We paid 4.50 pound per donut, which is almost $6 per donut in U.S. dollars. This is an outrageous price regardless, but we were willing to shell out the dough (hee hee) for handmade goodies. We took the cute little blue box on the Tube and back to our hotel to enjoy with a cup of hot tea. All I can say is, what a waste of calories. Every donut was overcooked, one was so browned that it tasted burned. You can see in my photos how gross the treats looked. All of the treats tasted of very old cooking oil, which is a big no-no in the bakery business. They were disgusting, and I don't say that lightly. The custard inside was tasty, but that was all I enjoyed about my overpriced donuts. I am heartbroken to say that I can no longer recommend this bakery, especially for their donuts. I also apologize to anyone who went here based on my (former) glowing recommendation. read more
I have been wanting to come here since I learned about the Borough Market on Instagram over a year ago and it did not disappoint. Just take note that the whole market is closed on Mondays (learned that the hard way) but it was worth swinging back by the next day. The crème brûlée donuts is definitely the star but they have multiple other options. The crème brûlée is a little smaller than I expected but it did not disappoint! The dough had a great chew to it and is covered in sugar. The crème filling is rich and tasty and a nice contrast to the crunch of the sugared dough. Speaking of crunch, the brûlée top is everything you would expect and the bitter notes from the burnt sugar tie it all together. Make sure you order two and ask for napkins... you're going to need them! read more
Got introduced to them years ago via Instagram during the pandemic. Matthew and his team would sometimes do a bake-along where they give the recipes ahead of time and do a live IG show. I believe you can do something similar online now for a fee. The doughnuts are all lovely. It's located street side between the 2 halves of the market. There's always a line but it moves pretty quickly. Lots of flavors/varieties to choose from. I like that they're not the fluffy kind of doughnuts... they're more bready so there's much substance to each bite. There's no discount if you buy 6 or a dozen. They're also not overly sweet which is perfect. The price is the price. As of April 2024, the price was £4.50/donut or £2/plain. You can pay use all methods including using your mobile pay phone app. A nice experience. read more
Ordered: Creme Brûlée Donut (~£4) Aya's take: Bread Ahead needs no introduction as it's one of the most popular stands at Borough Market. The line moves super quick so be prepared to order and know what you want when asked. The Creme Brûlée Donut was decadent, soft on the outside, crisp on top, and creamy on the inside with the vanilla custard. I loved the rich vanilla custard flavor but it definitely needed more filling. There was more dough than cream. The brûléed topping is caramelized nicely but was a bit too smoky to taste. It's a decent try but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. read more
2 months ago
Got here early to try the Crème Brûlée donut and was not disappointed. The service was quick and pleasant. The donuts were soft and light. The sugar on the outside was almost like a dust which was delightful! The cream filling was packed with flavor and truly just so tasty! It felt light but I couldn't eat more than a bite. read more
1 year ago
Bread Ahead Bakery was the one place at Borough Market in London that I really wanted to visit. When we arrived at Borough Market, I spotted them and zoomed on over to their stand. I was sad because they did not have much baked goods left. Ended up purchasing there items to share with my lovely bride. The Carrot cake was very good! Cinnamon Bun was alright. Pistachio Chocolate Croissant was delicious!! Couldn't wait to eat those goodies at the hotel. Found a spot away from the crowds to enjoy our treats. As we explored more of Borough Market, my wife saw that there was a larger location of Bread Ahead Bakery!! YES!!!!! I was hoping that there would be! This is where the magic happens Baby!! They had all kinds of doughnut flavors for sale!! The line to purchase them was long, but it went by quickly. Purchased 4 flavors to eat later that evening. Shame on me for not remembering what they were. All I can say is that they all tasted yummy! Well I do recall that one of them was the Creme Brûlée doughnut, and it was great! All the doughunts were fluffy, moist, and filled with yummy fillings of goodness!! Highly recommend searching for Bread Ahead Bakery at Borough Market! They are worth the calories and the price tag!! read more
10 months ago
Long line but it moved quickly! Honestly, the creme brulee donut was worth the hype, one of the best donuts I have ever had! read more
We tried a LOT of pastries in London and we are easily still talking about this one. The creme brûlée pastry is unreal. The cream is delicious, the pastry itself perfectly covered in granulated sugar, and the caramelized portion at the top is a dream. If we hadn't already had so much food in Borough market we would've easily been convinced to grab at least two more of these. An absolute must try in the market. We didn't try anything else so I can't speak to the other reviews but the crème brûlée pastries are the way to go. read more
Gosh. These donuts are indeed heavenly. I'm not usually one who enjoys a sugar coated donut, but this one takes the cake. Being of the yeast donut variety these are super fresh and pillowy, like biting into a piece of sweet fluffy cloud. The custards or jams inside are decadent and delicious. A good amount of filling to dough ratio too. The one ding is the price is on the high side £4.50 per donut which coming from the US I'm used to paying $2-4.50ish for a good donut so I do wish these were slightly more affordable but quality ingredients do make a difference so you get what you pay for! They take cash and cards with chips. read more
Bread Ahead Bakery at the Borough Market is a great place to stop by to get your carb fix. They offer breads, pastries and donuts. I heard so much about their donuts, so had to check them out. Pistachio (£4.50 = $5.63 USD) - This was a light and airy donut with delicious pistachio cream in the inside. The donuts had a different texture then a typical yeast donut. It was more like a bready exterior, probably has to do with the flour utilized. I definitely enjoyed it, just found it to be on the pricier side. Overall, the donuts are good here taste wise. They are pricey though, considering what you get. There was a line when I stopped by, so expect there to be some sort of crowd. read more
3 years ago
Carb queens and kings look no further then Bread Ahead at the Borough Market! Fresh bread, pastries, and donuts. This booth is definitely heavenly. Bread Ahead has a large cult following here at the market. I learned that they provide their bread to many other stalls to help makeup their dishes, love that. Tried a breakfast sandwich nearby and learned the bread was from bread ahead so made total sense because it was so fabulous. This booth can get a long line based off the social media following and locals loving this spot, but trust me the wait is so worth it! One of my favorite bites at the market is their Donuts! I don't have a sweet tooth often but this was one of the best donuts I've ever had, hands down. Went with a traditional vanilla donut and it was a 5/5! The donut was light and fluffy with a delicious sugary coating. The vanilla bean cream filling was delicious and a generous amount, total perfection. Wish I would have tried other flavors but I'll just have to come back :) read more
1 year ago
This is a tiktok and YouTube sensation place. I love good foods but to me it was too bready to my liking. I was a little line during my weekday visit, about 8 ppl ahead of me. It was an okay experience but not to get crazy about. read more
Came here because everyone raves about these donuts. While they were okay i definitely would not go back for them. We got the creme brulee which had a nice custard but a little bland. I wish it was more vanilla flavor. The doughnut was nice and soft. Hubby got the raspberry cheesecake and he was underwhelmed by it. He said it did not taste like cheesecake at all. There was a line but it moved pretty fast. read more
9 months ago
This is a must visit while at Borough Market! The doughnuts are very popular here so be sure to try at least one. We shared the vanilla and pistachio cream doughnuts, which were both very delicious. The croissant and honey bun were nice too. The stall is in front of the bakery & baking school. Classes are available to the public and look like a lot of fun to try if you have the time. read more
The service was friendly but kinda weird they have times separate tables for pastries like croissants and cookies and a separate table across the way for the donuts. The pastries table was open but it took a while for the donut side to open up. If you've screen any tiktok videos you know everyone is telling by you to go to bread ahead for their caramelized creme brulee donuts. I got two, a vanilla custard donut, and the lemon curd. The lemon curd was great with a well balance tart flavor u was shooting for. The custard was kinda thick and not as creamy as I would have liked. The creme brulee had too many burnt flavor bits that made it unappealing and it was the same vanilla custard in the middle so just a meh for me. I would definitely go back to try other flavors and pick up another lemon curd. The croissants were yummy (sorry no pic) read more
10 months ago
2 years ago
I saw many reviews of Bread Ahead on Instagram and YouTube prior to our trip to London and it was on our "Must Try" list. Sadly it was a disappointment and I was "influenced". Every review said that these donuts were to die for. Perhaps the bakery had a bad day? Perhaps my definition of a good donut differs from others. There was a line at the bakery but it went quick. If you only want donuts, be sure to go to the left side. The right was for other breads. There was a huge selection of donuts. From what I could tell, they were all £4.50 each. We felt rushed to order before we could get a good view of all of the flavor varieties available that day. We got two - pistachio and raspberry jam they came in a lovely Tiffany blue box and after tapping to pay, we could get our own bag at the end of the table. We decided these donuts would be our dessert later when we got back to our hotel. We ate them within an hour of purchasing. First of all, the dough was chewy. It was not soft and fluffy. It was tough and had an odd taste. Perhaps they needed to change to fresh oil? Perhaps they fry in a different kind of oil than the donut shops in America uses? They just didn't taste quite right. I'm so glad we only got two donuts. There were so many other flavors I wanted to try but the dough was such a disappointment that it would have been a waste of money. The filling is why I'm giving them 2 stars. The raspberry jam was very good - plentiful and sweet. The pistachio filling was unique. I'd never had anything like it. It was light and creamy with pistachio flavor and bits. Overall I believe they are overrated and over social media influenced. Would I try them again? Perhaps. I heard they may open a location in NYC so maybe I'll try them again sooner than later. At £9.00 for two donuts, which was $12.52 USD, we felt these were overpriced. read more
2 years ago
Came here around closing and thankfully just a few people in line. So many options to choose from but settled on one of their best seller the Crème Brûlée. It was amazing and I can see why this place always have a line during the day! Can't wait to go back and try some of their other offerings. read more
Came by the other day for lunch and tried out the vanilla custard doughnut and it was a tasty treat. Staff wore a super thin blue glove on one hand and seemed to be mostly Gen Zs, at least during my weekend visit. The vanilla custard donut was excellent as it was lightly fried, with a sugar coating and most importantly the vanilla custard wasn't too sweet or overbearing! Bread Ahead is located inside the Borough Market and is located right next to the London Bridge Underground station. read more
Donuts. That's what they are known for. While in the Market we decided to drop-by here. At the time we arrived there was a limited variety. Most were filled donuts, which aren't my favorite in general. But I got one with chocolate filling, and it was good. read more
What an awesome little spot at Borough Market! They have a storefront but bring out a stand for the market. They have a bunch of really good looking flavors but I had to go with the sea salt caramel and honeycomb. These donuts are great and that's coming from an American. Not overly sweet in the way some donuts are but the dough and the filling balance pretty well. They're about £4-5 each which is a little pricy for a donut but the presentation and the flavor make up for it. Definitely give it a try if you go. read more
I'm giving a 4 due to their variety of flavors, but at the end of the day...they are just donuts. We didn't think they were anything to be blown away by, and were quite heavy. The blackcurrant cream cheese was disappointing (next to no blackcurrant at all). Pistachio cream had a good flavor. Honeycomb and crème brûlée had an interesting texture if eaten right away, but they do not hold up well for next day eating. Guy working the card reader is a tad rude but that's probably expected in a busy market. Worth stopping to try, but not again. Their other stand (not donuts) is in the market too. Their sourdough is very good, but the feta spinach pastry was awful! The filling had a horrible texture, you can't bite through it. Their other glazed buns are good though. read more
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Bread Ahead Bakery | Borough Market - bakeries - Updated July 2026
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