Best Bakeries in Saskatoon: Broadway Avenue and More

The best bakeries in Saskatoon cluster along Broadway Avenue, the street in the Nutana neighbourhood that locals treat as the city's food spine. Within a few blocks you can walk from a full-service bakery to a cafe, taste a small item at each stop and add a saskatoon berry pie to the list.

Bakery days work best on a day when the shops are open, starting with brunch. A flaky croissant suits a cortado, a fruit tart suits a drip coffee and a cookie suits a latte, so take your cup and walk the street.

Where are the best bakeries in Saskatoon?

Broadway Avenue is the answer most people give. The avenue has a full-service licensed restaurant and bakery that does a popular Sunday brunch, sibling-run bakeries where you can grab a coffee and a pastry or a baguette for dinner, and a cookie and cupcake shop. Some are right for a quick bite and others for a leisurely brunch. A reasonable plan is to start with a pastry and a coffee at the first stop, move to a lunch plate midway and finish with a loaf or a cookie to carry home. Listings can be out of date, so check that each is open before you walk.

What is a Broadway Avenue Saskatoon bakery crawl?

A bakery crawl is a walk from one bakery to the next, tasting a small item at each. Start at one end of the street, buy a pastry, take a few bites and move on. A walking tour suggests starting around ten in the morning and wrapping up by four on weekends so that everything is open.

Share items with a friend so you can try more. Carry water, and keep a bag for anything you want to take home. Bread, cookies and tarts travel well. A good rule is to buy one thing at each stop that you cannot buy anywhere else, and to ask the person at the counter what they would choose. Bakers are usually happy to point out what came out of the oven that morning.

What is saskatoon berry pie?

The saskatoon berry is a small purple berry that grows across the prairies and tastes of almond and blueberry. It is the city's namesake, and it appears in pies, jams, scones and syrups. A good saskatoon pie is tart and sweet, with a soft, jammy filling and a flaky crust.

Ask at each bakery whether a saskatoon pie or tart is in the case. Fresh berries are seasonal, but many bakeries use frozen berries for the rest of the year. The prairie regional foods guide explains the berry's history.

Where can you find Saskatoon brunch?

Brunch is a weekend event on Broadway. A bakery with a restaurant serves a Sunday brunch that draws a crowd, and smaller bakeries sell breakfast pastries and sandwiches to take out. Booking helps at the busier spots, and arriving early helps everywhere.

A Saskatoon brunch is relaxed, and many cafes are happy for you to linger. Order eggs, pastries and a coffee, and share a sweet dish.

How do you pair Saskatoon coffee and pastry?

A flaky croissant suits a cortado, a fruit tart suits a drip coffee and a cookie suits a latte. The pairing is a matter of taste, but a simple rule is that the stronger the pastry, the stronger the coffee. Many bakeries serve their own roasted coffee or beans from a local roaster.

Take your cup and walk. The street has benches and shade, and in warm weather the patios fill up. If you are staying a few days, try a different bakery each morning and note which pastry you would go back for. Croissants, cinnamon buns and fruit danishes are good tests, because a baker cannot hide a heavy hand with butter or sugar.

What else do the bakeries sell?

Beyond pastry, Saskatoon bakeries sell sourdough, rye and seed breads, as well as prairie classics such as bannock, perogy loaves and cinnamon buns. Some also stock soups, salads and sandwiches for lunch, and many carry gift boxes.

If you are buying for later, ask what keeps best. Cookies and loaves last, while cream pastries should be eaten the same day.

How to plan a bakery day in Saskatoon

Pick a day when the bakeries are open, and start with brunch. Walk Broadway between stops, visit a gallery or a shop and finish with coffee by the river. The South Saskatchewan River is a short walk away, and the riverbank trail is a pleasant way to digest.

Check hours, because small bakeries sometimes close early or on certain days. Bring a tote bag and some cash for small items. If you are visiting in summer, walk early, when the street is cool and the bread is fresh, and finish before the afternoon heat sets in.

What to read next

For another prairie city, the best pizza in Regina guide covers a local style, and the regional foods guide explains berries, bannock and pickerel. The Canada guides page lists more.

Bakery days make good lists. With the Mosey app you can rate each pastry, note the shop and the street and build a Saskatoon bakery list for visitors.