PACKED! and... OUTSTANDING! This bakery was on a side-street right next to out hotel in London, and we came several mornings for coffee and pastries. One morning, I showed up right before they opened at 7:30 and there were already people lined up. The pastries here (savory and sweet) were all incredible. Some of the best we had in all of Europe. They have coffee, matcha, tea, etc. There is no seating inside, just some benches outside. I really loved the pan suisse and a cinnamon/cardamom flaky roll situation that's formal name is escaping me (I am not Julia Child). read more

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Stood in a light drizzle, queued it out--and wow, totally worth it. These bakes? Melt-in-your-mouth, insanely fresh, and just pure perfection. Some waits are just meant to be. #FortitudeBakehouse #LondonEats #WorthTheWait read more

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food: the pastries were super unique and tasted good, the rhubarb was very unique but unfortunately not my favorite, i like the chicken pot pie but it was hard to eat nicely haha. both coffees were good and were unique service: nice staff ambiance: have some benches outside to eat at read more

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The raspberry custard morning bun was one of my best bites on my whole trip to London! It was flavorful and not too sweet. I also had a good flat white, my husband liked the chocolate custard hazelnut pain suisse, and we got the sticky cinnamon bun for the afternoon which was phenomenal even 6 hours later! I can't wait to visit again. read more

Flat white here is amazing! Line moves quickly and the cinnamon bun is amazing. The rotating menu makes it fun. Would love to try everything once! Minimal seating inside and outside (think small benches) read more

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This spot was recommended by a friend who did her graduate studies in London who comes back to visit each year. So she seems to have the local spots down. The special beignet was huge! And that fresh cream. O.M.G. The hubs said it was the best cream he has ever tasted. But really. It was delicious! Honestly I was in a foul mood, but after taking a bite of this, my attitude changed (slightly -- haha). It was that scrumptious! Yes it was messy to consume. Like all over your fingers and mouth messy. The brown sugar sprinkled around the cream was the culprit, but it added an interesting layer literally and figuratively in flavor. But it's dessert. Nothing tasty is ever worth having using a spoon or fork. There was a small crowd hanging around enjoying their food, but the ordering process was quick and painless. Here's a hot tip: Don't go for the beignet thinking it'll be available for breakfast. It's actually available more like a lunch time item. You're welcome! read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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There's a reason there's always a line here (don't worry, it moves fast). It's because it's so darn good! Just around the corner from the Russell Square tube station, this bakery makes great pastries! The line concerned me but only too about five minutes. The staff is so efficient--and nice--that it makes it a pleasant experience. I got a peanut butter and chocolate croissant which was excellent--rich, flaky, full of chocolate--and HUGE. I also got the pizza Danish, an interesting invention of a flaky Danish pastry filled with tomato sauce and cheese. It was OK but maybe it's ahead of its time :) I'll go back again! read more

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I loved the cinnamon bun! There is sometimes a small queue in the morning but it goes by fast. They have a variety of pastries and coffee. I ordered a hot mocha, cinnamon bun, and raspberry custard pastry. The raspberry custard was too sweet for me but the cinnamon bun was perfect. The hot mocha was alright as there were small chunks of powder chocolate in some sips. There is no inside seating but there are benches outside. It's a great casual coffee place with different pastries! read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

Founded by Jorge Fernandez and Dee Rettali in 2018 Fortitude Bakehouse has been considered by some to be London's best Bakery, the queue on Friday at 08h00 attesting to a strong following including at three dozen bicyclists occupying the benches outside. Just a block from the Russell Square Tube in Bloomsbury, a tiny space entirely dedicated to Baking and pleasant customer service, guests will find ideas both traditional and modern including Sausage Rolls or Pain au Chocolate seated adjacent a decadent Peanut Butter Frangipane & Chocolate Croissant. Experts in Viennoiserie, the cobblestone streets behind Kimpton Fitzroy a hotspot for Pigeons hoping to snag flakes and crumbs, it is just outside tall blue doors that the Cardamom Croissant Swirl shines brightly with Butter and aromatics while a seemingly-simple "Morning Bun" is actually somewhere between a Brioche and Mochi Donut filled with Custard and pureed Raspberries. read more

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Delicious baked goods. Looooooong line. Once inside, options are well labeled for allergens like gluten and lactose. Ask for vegan options if you want them, as some might not be visible. Some are available but off to the side, like the yummy vegan raspberry muffin I had, picture attached. On the day I went, no options were both vegan+gluten free. I enjoyed my muffin and my partner really liked their savoury lamb merguez roll - packed with flavour. Their cherry almond bostock was good too but we both it looked a bit better than it tasted. Hot drinks are available. No indoor seating, but plenty of nearby park seating if the weather is good. read more

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Really kind service and great selection! Not overly expensive. The line can get long but moves quickly. Beignets come out at 11 am -- when I was there the flavor was Black Forest! Totally delicious. I also got a blackberry breakfast bun, which was good but felt very egg-y. It definitely had egg in the pastry, very egg-forward. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Black Forest beignet - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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Cute little walk up window, serving good pastries including croissants, morning buns, danishes, etc. I came on a weekend and was hopping to try a special item but they didn't have it. Also they are known for their beignets - which are a fried donut sliced open and jam packed with cream. These come out at 11 am. I wasn't super interested in the flavor they had the day I went so I skipped it. I got three pastries - a peanut butter chocolate croissant, a chocolate hazelnut pain suisse, and an apple crumble tart. All were tasty, our favorite being the apple. The laminated pastry is really crispy due to it likely being baked twice. read more

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Saw this bakery on Instagram and knew we had to visit! The line moves quickly and only took about 10 minutes. We got a beignet (it was Black Forest the day we were there) and a cinnamon roll. Both were great but the beignet is what you come for! Not overly sweet, the cream was perfection with a few cherries mixed in, and then just lightly dipped in chocolate. incredible!! We only got one because they're so big (we split it), but get more! Save some for later. Kicked myself after we inhaled it! Would definitely return on any visit to London! read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

Little bakery tucked in a corner. Got an oat milk latte with vanilla syrup and their blueberry banana sourdough. Their coffee was alright- didn't really taste the vanilla syrup that I paid for. Loved the sourdough though, it was moist, not too sweet and the blueberry was soo nice with it. Props because it was vegan! read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Blueberry banana sourdough - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

Fortitude Bakehouse serves phenomenal freshly baked pastries! My wife and I happened to visit a few minutes before 11am when they start serving their famous Black Forest Beignets. Of course we had to try one. This soft airy pastry was more like a donut than a beignet and was filled with a super airy and creamy filling and a flavorful jam. The beignet was also topped with rich flavorful chocolate. The pastry was super addictive and lived up to the hype. We also tried a Spinach and Feta pastry which was super flakey and filled with soft spinach and creamy feta. Another phenomenal pastry. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Spinach and Feta, Black Forest Beignet - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

I wanted to love Fortitude but was quite let down, though it was a mix of good and bad. Its a sort of larger window type shop with some benches outside but no indoor dining or sitting space. Staff are all super friendly and they had quite a bit of options on a Sunday morning. I'll start with the good, the almond croissant, favorite in London so far. Perfect mix of crisp exterior, soft interior with a wonderful almond marzipan filling that actually tastes of almonds and was spread throughout the croissant, to me, a perfect almond croissant. The lemon thyme polenta cake was also really great, super moist, subtle thyme scent/flavor that went well with the lemon (i like herbal flavors so i personally wanted more thyme but it was still wonderful). The orange blossom honey latte was also great and had a strong floral orange blossom throughout. The rest of the pastries I had were alright or essentially inedible. The morning bun with blackberry and custard didn't taste of much, just had a lot of custard with visible blackberries but just sort of bland. The almond coconut little cake was a bit too sweet for me but very moist interior with a rather crunchy exterior. The sausage roll was a major letdown, my cousin and I both got one, expecting to finish them for breakfast and we both couldnt get past a couple bites. It was extremely salty (another cousin who loves salt conferred after we brought it home, cause I hate wasting food), it also oozed oil/butter so just sat heavy even with just a bite, and it also seemed as if the sausage may not have been fully cooked through? Either way, I wish I had said something cause they were just awful and we were both so sad about it. Overall, Fortitude had some highs and some lows. I'd highly recommend their almond croissant and they definitely seem to do sweet better than savory. For the cost and hype, I just expected things would all be knockouts. read more

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Tried for the first time , was sausage pastry and cinnamon swirl ... the sausage one wasn't at all good unfortunately , so only had one bite and the cinnamon one was mediocre . I thought I'll give another try so next day got the beignet and a chicken sandwich....the beignet was ok, nothing special , the chicken was good .... A little overhyped in my opinion read more

A bustling little bakery that's a quick walk from King's Cross -- it's popular with cyclists and the morning crowd. Cinnamon Bun was delish, also enjoyed the savory pastry. They have benches outside, but would probably just walk to a nearby park next time. read more

I had a cranberry orange muffin from here, but it wasn't as good as I expected it to be. I'd like to come back and try other pastries as there's a long line for this place for a reason. read more

Had the cinnamon sticky rolls, ham and pickle sandwich, sausage rolls, and spinach and feta rolls. They were good and had a crusty crunch top. Service was quick and popular with locals and tourists alike. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Baked goods - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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Don't let the line intimidate you! It moves fast and it's well worth the wait. Everything I tried here was excellent. My favorites were the banana, chocolate, and raspberry sourdough loaf and the kouign-aman. The bostock was fun to try, but not a fav. The staff was also so smiley and friendly. Loved this spot. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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An amazing little bakery, hiding in plain sight, behind my hotel in London! The line can be a little long but it moves fast. They are famous for beignets and I didn't discover them in time to try. I have to go back to London just for them. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse is a great bakery in the Bloomsbury area of London. Amidst a small street of gray and brown bricks, their royal blue building stands out. We arrived from the T with only a short line. The staff was reasonably nice, but clearly wanted the line to move quickly. Because of this attitude, no one seems to wait long! We got a cinnamon bun and an almond croissant. The cinnamon bun was delicious. It was incredibly soft, with stimulating sugar crystals providing a nice texture. The bun was slightly sweet and a memorable dish. The almond croissant was also delicious with a laminated, crunchy crust and soft, pillowy dough. The almond flavor was appropriately sweet. Unfortunately, their famous beignets were only available after 11, so if that interests you, I would highly recommend going around then. Overall, I enjoyed Fortitude as it was a nice bakery. The bakery has a stellar reputation of quality and that I can certainly verify. read more

We don't typically wait in lines for bakeries but we had to see what the hype was about! Their selection rotates which was fun and the staff was efficient. One complaint is that the way things are set up the line can get confusing when ordering/paying so that caused some issues for some customers. We ordered three things, the ham and cheese pastry was very good! The other two were not worth the wait in line. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Ham and Cheese Pastry - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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I came here twice, both times at 9:30am. Both times had a line of 15-20 people outside the door. I've ordered the chocolate sticky bun, which was disappointing, and the cherry drop scone, which was good and not too sweet. My friend loved the cinnamon sticky bun and spinach feta twist. Is it good? Yes. Does it justify the insane line? Doubtful. read more

The baked goods we decent. The lady who served me was rude and impatient. Left a distaste in my mouth. They need customer service training pronto! read more

Hello mate, thanks for following my uk journey. Woke up being fancy with a rvsp for a michelin lunch with mama..but first let's grab and coffee and pastry before heading to lunch. . Took the bus here and then found in a quiet alley during morning time. There was a line already. Luckily it went by fast, like a 15 minute wait. There are no seating but 3 rows of benches outside. So you just sit on the bench with other friendly tourists and locals. . I got the ice americano and it was good. I don't know which blend or coffee beans but Iam a coffee drinker so it was approved. . Got 2 flakey pastry like croissants but it wasn't and called something else. The pastry was super flakey and fluffy and airy. It was buttery too. It was worth trying. I really wanted to come here and try the cream or ice cream inside the flakey pastry but they don't serve that till 11am so just FYI if that's what you're coming here for like me. . Overall we really enjoy the grab and go experience. As well sharing a bench with others in our personal space. If I'm in the area definitely would go again. Thanks for reading and hope this review was useful. Follow me.foe more good travel eats. Have a yelptastic day mate. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Almond croissant - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

I am from overseas but when I visit London I will definitely be coming here and trying!! Best customer service I've seen on social media!

Great food and fast friendly serivce. You have to try it next time you're in Russell Sq. read more

very cute bakery with fun and unique pastry options! for all the hype i was expecting something a bit grander but the pastry i had was yummy read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - blueberry morning bun (coffee from elsewhere) - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

The strawberry elderflower cream danish is freaking beautiful. Top 10 lifetime pastries for me. Staff are efficient and pleasant. Definitely worth it. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Blackberry morning bun and cappuccino - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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I wanted to love this place after seeing it mentioned repeatedly on social media. There was a decently long line both times we visited, but it moved at a reasonable clip. It would help if they posted what was available for people to make their selections while standing in line, instead of being put on the spot when getting up to the display case. Unfortunately the reality was inconsistent. Fortitude does the hard stuff really well including amazing lamination and unusual flavor combinations. I had a pear-maple danish-type thing that was very impressive, but falls short on some of the basics. Despite some highs, they disappointed me on two fronts. Although I was excited to try the famous "beignets" and trekked out to this bakery on two separate days during my trip, I was unable to do so as on both visits they only had pistachio filling available, and I don't enjoy that flavor. During one of the visits a slice of lemon loaf was part of the consolation package along with a cream and jam scone. While the scone was nice and tender, if a bit hard to eat, the lemon loaf was dry and flavorless in the center, with an intense lemon punch isolated to the icing. read more

The best bakery in entire London. Great service and amazing staff. Just need little more seating space. read more

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I came by around 11am and there was a line out the door. I had seen the raving reviews and was looking forward to trying their pastries. I picked up a sticky bun, but the beignet was calling my name. I had the bun a few hours later and found it a little dry on the outside but the inside was soft, sweet, and sticky. I'll definitely be back to try some of their sandwiches and the beignet, but the sticky bun wasn't as good as I had hoped it would. read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL

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A little overhyped for our experience. We got the sausage roll, and it was really greasy and cold. The chocolate croissant was dusted with bitter cocoa powder on top and not enough chocolate on the inside. There really isn't great seating and no napkins read more

Decided to give this bakery a second try since it's really so highly rated and suspected my class and I were just unlucky the first time...but truly the rating stays the same. This time, I opted for all savories (was disappointed by the sweets last time): soda bread and gazpacho soup, and their baked egg fermented brioche. I was captivated by the appearance of the baked egg brioche that I've seen on their Instagram page, and the soda bread looked like it came fresh out of the oven and was still warm when I got it! The soda bread was the best part, warm and soft and reminded me of the bread I had in Ireland. However, they gave too little bread to go with the gigantic bowl of soup. The soup had way more tomatos and vegetables than actual liquid, so was just eating the vegetables soon. The baked egg brioche was the most disappointing. It lacked much flavor other than the runny egg yolk in the middle, and otherwise just felt like a blander brioche. read more

The garlic butter croissant was so goddamn delicious. So flakey and perfect. My friend and I got there just after it opened and there was a small line but it moved relatively fast. New items were being put out after we got out pastries, so a little sad about that. But quick and easy service. Would travel back to London just for that croissant read more

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Loved this place and the hype associated with it is evident based on the lines that form here every morning. On my visit I had the iced latte that was prepared in record time. The staff keeps the line moving very efficiently. I also had the blueberry muffin and cinnamon sticky bun on my visit. The muffin had bits of chocolate and hearty blueberries making every bite an unexpected surprise. The sticky bun was flavored very well and a decent size for sharing. Envious that I won't be having items from this place frequently given I'm back home now, but it will always be on the list anytime I'm in London. read more

I had so many people tell me to visit Fortitude while in London! The line was huge when we walked up! We came about an hour or so after opening. The line moves quickly but I will say that you feel a bit rushed while in there because it's really small and they have so many options! It was hard to see everything they had and they don't have a menu with everything listed. The girl helping us had to keep asking what we wanted and I think she was getting a little frazzled with the morning rush. I ordered a scone and my fiance ordered a sausage roll. Both were really good, but I wish I hadn't felt rushed to order because I think I would have ordered differently. But it's clearly a popular place because the line just kept growing and growing while we were there. read more

We only got lost four times on the way to Fortitude - pretty reasonable, in my mind. It was absolutely pouring rain, so the lines were manageable. Because of the way the bakery is set up, it is pretty tricky to see the entirety of their offerings. Indeed, I was unaware that there were savory options until after I'd paid - and I knew from the line backing up behind me that making another order would be frowned upon. I got the almond cherry bostock - something I'm familiar with, but have never gotten from a bakery before. It was delicious. While I have no idea what the bread/cake part was - it felt bready around the edges, but was more like cake in the center - the entire pastry was sheer perfection. It was not overly sweet, and the cherries (which had perhaps been soaked in something like kirsch or some sort of juice) added a nice pop of sweet and sour freshness. I look forward to the (unfortunately distant) chance to return to Fortitude so I can peruse their savory options! read more

Fortitude Bakehouse - Cherry Almond Bostock - Cafes Near Me - London, XGL