I've been coming to Independent Baking Co. for years, and the quality has always been exceptional. My go-to choices are the sourdough bread and the rustic loaf--they're consistently fresh, flavorful, and some of the best bread you'll find. The pastries always look incredible, and the ones I've tried have been just as delicious. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and provides excellent customer service every visit. Independent Baking Co. is truly one of Athens' gems, and I highly recommend stopping by. read more

First time visiting here. The shop is adorable, bright blue doors and beautifully decorated inside with everything they sell visible. When we went the line was out the door as the customer area is tiny inside but it adds to the ambiance. We tried two pastries, can't recall the exact names - a peach and almond danish and a cinnamon bun. The peach danish but flaky and buttery. The peach flavor could have been a bit stronger but the danish was well made. The cinnamon bun was just live a cinnamon roll center without the icing but the custard in the middle was delicious. Excited to go back and get a load of bread. Prices were as expected. read more

Independent Baking - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

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Darling neighborhood bakery with plenty of options for those with a sweet tooth or those looking for bread options for the week. My visit was during the morning rush so there was a line to order but aside from it allowing me more time to choose my breakfast treats, I was also able to watch the baker pulling out fresh bread from the oven. It's truly a working bakery. The blue and white exterior is very eye catching as you arrive in the area and the warm natural color tones inside the bakery are soothing and elegant. The staff who took my order, as well as the one who made my coffee order, were very friendly and calm, despite having a decent line of eager customers hoping what they wanted wasn't taken by the customers before them. Tight quarters inside so not really a place to sit and savor your selections but they do have seating outside, in a patio area next door. If you purchase loaves of bread, you are able to have it sliced! I'm looking forward to trying the bread next time I'm in town. Definitely add this place to your next visit to Athens! read more

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This place was so good! I went on a Saturday, and it was very busy with a line out the door, so go prepared to wait for a little bit. It is a smaller space with a few bar stools to sit at. The pastry was delicious! read more

Independent Baking - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

No pictures posted because I ate the croissant and danish before I even thought about picking up my phone. The bakery smelled wonderful and everything looked as fresh as you could get. read more

Cute coffe shop and bakery with excellent service and great prices. We visited while we were on a college tour to Athens. Highly recommend! read more

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This place is a gem ! The breads the breads the breads they bake are wonderful great assortment and crust ! On Friday's they have challahs available as well. The French pastries and cookies are terrific as well. The Chocolate chip cookies are very buttery and sweet. We chose a selection of pastries this weekend. We had the pain suisse, the hazelenut, a raisin danish with yum all over it and a chocolate cake with fresh crème on it. The chocolate cakes looked very dense but it was actually very light and not too rich. Stop in when you can. They bake Monday through Saturday and sell the rest on Sunday. read more

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Great European style bakery. Feels like France in there. Smells amazing. The staff is nice and efficient and will help you decide if you are overwhelmed by their many choices. Baguettes rarely make it home intact so get 2. Loaves of bread are great to get sliced and keep in freezer. This place even mills their own locally grown wheat! They also have awesome pastries including danishes, morning rolls and chocolate croissants to go with their espresso. It's on the smaller side so it's more of a grab and go place but there are standing counters if you need to have a quick shot of espresso to wash down your morning roll. read more

Best bakery in town and maybe the universe. Morning rolls, Caramelized croissant, and almond croissant are my breakfast favorites.

Amazing pastries and bread! Their sandwiches are divine, and I ask Jim to stop there for their delicious treats every time he goes to the 5 Points area. If you happen to frequent Dunkin' Donuts or Krispy Kreme (which I love at times), do yourself a favor and try the real-deal pastries they bake; you will feel as if you are enjoying Europe right here in Athens, GA. I cannot recommend them more than always as a stop on your daily excursions. read more

Amazing fresh baked bread. Best sour dough hands down and the olive loaf was equally delicious!

Excellent. Very nice and friendly staff Coffee is exceptional and pastries are delicious read more

Delicious food. Friendly and helpful staff. We go here often. Parking can be frustrating later in the morning/day.

This bakery is truly charming and makes delicious baked goods. We came 30 minutes before they close so they had sold out of most of the items. We called ahead and they were kind enough to set aside a peach dish for us. We also purchased a shortbread cookie. Both items were delicious and made with high-quality ingredients. If I lived in the area, I would be a frequent patron. You can park right next to the bakery. We ate our pastries across the street in a little grassy area and bought drinks at the liquor store just around the corner from the bakery. read more

Such a staple small businesses in Athens! Every Saturday they do slices of pizza bianca and my favorite are the slices with Romano and basil. The bread is super fresh and I actually was actually not too heavy and doughy. I only wish the ends weren't as crisp. read more

Independent Baking - Pizza Bianca with Basil and Romano - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Independent Baking Co. was elegant and delicious! The staff was so friendly and patient as I probably mispronounced a lot of their French pastry names :) There wasn't much seating but the inside is so darling and cozy. Great little bakery find for on the go - I will definitely be stopping by again to try out more items! read more

Independent Baking - Blueberry Cheese Danish & Pain du Chocolate ! - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

So good! Someone suggested this bakery to us so we stopped on our last day in town. Everything was great from the croissants, to the cookies, to the espresso. We will definitely be back to try more of their baked goods the next time we're in town. read more

The best bakery, hands down. Get here early if you want your pick of so many homemade breads and some pastries. Check out their website for specialty breads on certain days. Everything here is delicious. You cannot go wrong no matter what you pick! read more

Truly the best bakery I've ever been to, and I have been to some wonderful patisseries in Paris. But WOW! Their caramelized croissant almost made me keel over and die. It was so good. When you arrive early in the morning, the life-changing smell of fresh bread fills the entire block of Lumpkin. The staff is so friendly, which is impressive considering that I had stopped by around 7am one morning! Definitely add this to the TOP of your Athens bucket list. read more

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They have the best pastries in Athens by far. We love their croissants as well as their earl grey twirl thing..it has raisins it's my favorite!!! read more

It a cute little space yes. When I entered I feel the humidity within, I'm like wow hydrated skin y'all must have working here and see their beautiful glow. Not really much places to sit so more a hit and run type place. Them pastries be like pastries idk queens but it be fab and nice to experience once in the life before I die read more

Phenomenal coffee and baked goods! Location and staff were incredible. Look forward to going back next time I'm in Athens!

We had chocolate croissant, morning glory and Meyer lemon danish and they were delicious. Each item is about $5! Parking is a hassle, so is getting in and out. No indoor seating. read more

Good texture breads , but unfortunately nothing has taste , and when you slice the breads it it's all the same baguette and shabbat or any other breads they are all the same and no flavor . The croissant I highly doubt that they made with real butter , or even at the bakery because it also has zero flavor . It's unfortunate because I would've loved it if this was a real real bakery . read more

delicious bakery with a wide selection. go early! there was already a short line when I got there 5 minutes before they opened. it's impossible to find parking later. read more

Cute little local bakery in Five Points! Absolutely love this place. The staff are super nice always and work so hard behind the scenes. I've never tried their bread but I've heard it's amazing, especially the kalamata olive. I got the morning roll and chocolate croissant. I will say the croissant did not have enough chocolate, but it was still super flaky. The morning roll was delicious and buttery. I also got an iced americano with almond milk which was good! Definitely go on a weekday because on the weekends they will sell out before noon. read more

Independent Baking - bottom left: Morning Roll top right: chocolate croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Hands-down, the best lemon poppyseed danish I've ever had! Actually it's the only one I've ever had (lol), so I guess more accurately speaking, the best danish I've ever had and the first time in my favorite flavor, lemon poppyseed! The service was super friendly and I felt welcome as soon as I stepped into the building! Also got a cookie. Took the goodies over to 1000 faces coffee and really enjoyed the combination! read more

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My friend raved about the chocolate croissant here and so we had to stop by during our visit to Athens. We came by Saturday morning and it was quite busy. I got a few chocolate croissant and a cranberry walnut roll. I was soooooooo disappointed by the chocolate croissant. It wasn't really flaky and there was BARELY any chocolate inside. For the price, it did not live up to my expectation. It's probably one of my least favorite croissant I've ever had. The roll was too hard on the outside and again made me regret my decision on visiting this bakery. I would save my money and skip here next time I'm in town. read more

I had the ham and cheese croissant and strawberry danish and they are both absolutely delicious!! I have worked diagonal from them for 6 months and never had time to go in. Made it a point to leave home early today and try. Absolutely worth leaving home early to get. read more

Independent Baking - Strawberry Danish - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Independent is superb. From the sourdough rolls to the rye bread, everything is super fresh and flavorful. In addition to brewd and pastries, you can get pizza in the afternoons. They make challah on Fridays. It's mostly a grab-and-go place, but there are a few stools at the counter. read more

Day trip to Athens from Atlanta. Their levain take on sourdough with the kalamata olive bread is absolutely the best anywhere. The unique sourdough process is less sour than traditional sourdough. Fabulous flavor. Update: Went back last month to get more of that coveted olive bread and it is as good as ever. Staff is great. Parking is easy. Love the fact that they are never out of anything no matter when I show up. read more

Such a great spot to walk to in 5 Points!! I almost always get the Morning Roll and a cafe au lait which both hit the spot! A must-visit destination in Athens!! read more

Independent Baking - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

Chocolate chip cookie was decent. Scone was very dry. I went @1:30 and they basically didn't have anything :(

This bakery rules for fresh bread and great service. You better get there really early as they sell out especially on the weekends!

Amazing bread choices and you may sample as much as you like, I had to buy some for the trip home. Best bread I had in quite some time ! read more

Independent Baking - Quality bread similar to focaccia bread - Bakeries Near Me - Athens, Georgia

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING. Run and not walk. It is such a phenomenal treat to get their scones, every single one is delicious. Their breads are unmatched. We have friends who visit Athens and we are now wondering are they coming to see us or run up to the "bakery"! Seriously, this takes me to Paris every time. I would put Independent on par with the best bakeries I had in France, Italy, Spain, etc...no kidding and to find them right here in 5 Points, amazing. You are paying a touch extra for the incredible quality. Treat yourself, you will not regret it! read more

Currently at home eating a reheated seasonal scone for breakfast and wishing I bought more. The baked goods are amazing! The ham and cheese croissant was perfection, I thought it was prosciutto but it is thin sliced country ham. Also the chocolate chip cookies are melt in your mouth buttery chocolate heaven. read more

A new, and hopefully permanent, staple in the Athens baking scene. This place makes chocolate croissants as good as I've had them in France. Light, fluffy, buttery, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The multi-grain and sourdough breads, the baguettes and pastries, all baked that morning and practically in front of you. Great great coffee...even the decaf is delightful. Get here early before they sell out. Tell Rob I said "Hi." read more

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We absolutely love your bread, I'll start with that. However, almost anytime we can get there, you guys are out of almost everything you sell in the way of bread. Since we work normal 8 to 5 hours during the week, we cannot just be there to get bread when the doors open on Tuesday through Friday. Usually by Saturday morning, everything is gone other than to go pastries. Those are excellent, but they are not bread. Since we don't live in 5 points, it's not that easy to get there, and it is disappointing to see empty shelves when we can. I will always love your product. Perhaps, if you are still there when I retire and can wait at the door for you to open during the week, I'll be back. Alternatively, we found that Costco also bakes fresh bread every day. That will have to do for now...unless you can extend your evening hours by perhaps even one, and stock your shelves a little better. read more

So very disappointing. Even after the change of ownership a few years ago, quality and consistency remained first rate. But the last few months or so, the bakery is clearly cutting corners and quality has declined to the level of mediocre breads such as Luna or the store breads at Fresh Market and Earth Fare. They have reduced their baking times or temperatures, bread is no longer crusty. They have clearly changed flour supplier. Most white bread varieties are pretty much identical in texture and taste. So very disappointed, knowing how special this place was at one point. Another victim of cost cutting due to pandemic/inflation. Sad. read more