New to the area, but not yet found your go-to bakery? Is fresh yeasty bread a must-have? Are you an iced cake fan, cupcake connoisseur, delighted by donuts, or do you crave cream cheese pastries? Need to 

In alphabetical order.

Best Buns Bakery & Burgers, 6119A Backlick Rd, Springfield.

Pastries, breads, breakfast and burgers. 

Celebrating their 50th anniversary this month, in 1974, Randy Norton and Jim Farley opened a 16 table pizza place in Fairfax. Mike Ranney joined them in 1976, and with the opening of Fantastic Fritzbe’s Flying Food Factory (now Silverado), Great American Restaurants group (GAR) was born.

The cinnamon bun here is one of their most popular bakery items, says, Great American Restaurants marketing director, Erica Herrera. “We use a laminated dough which is frosted directly out of the oven with our house-made cream cheese frosting.” The burgers that share this establishment’s name take the top spot for customers’ most ordered menu item. The restaurant sells about 75,000 burgers annually across it’s three locations,

The group’s anniversary and community charitable giving were recognized by Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors earlier this year. Great American Restaurants has donated over $2.5 million to local charities since implementing its dessert program, making donations of 25 cents of every dessert sold and five percent of bakery bread sales. 

Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays; 7 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. Saturday/Sunday.

Fonda Latina Panaderia, 6119 Backlick Rd, Springfield.

Latino foods and pastries. 

Slightly disguised under the name and signage of ‘bakery’ is this small cafe which offers a selection of genuine Latina foods. It helps to know Spanish or be good at pointing, as this staff usually is without English speakers. Unpretentious and dimly lit, its draw is the hearty food at low prices, including empanadas and pupusas. The bakery offers a wall selection of Mexican style breads. 

Open 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., (closing Sunday at 8 p.m.)

J&S Bakery, 7000 Commerce St Springfield.

Bakery and Latin cuisine

Owner Khaled Abourakt says when he opened his cafe and bagel bakery in 1995, his was the only such establishment in the area. Today his cafe and bakery sits amid several like businesses. His 5 a.m. opening time attracts many Latinos working in the area whose traditional breakfast is Central American style bread and good strong South American coffee. He changed from baking bagels in 2000, in favor of baking the Latino style breads, pastries, and cakes. Abourakt imports Colombian coffee, a favorite with his many Salvadoran and Ecuadorian customers. And his cakes are popular for birthdays and weddings. Abourakt says his most popular dessert item is the Tres Leches; although his staff says it’s the chocolate & vanilla flan. You will likely want to try both and pick your own favorite.

Open daily, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Just Baked Bakery 9557 Braddock Rd, Fairfax. 

German-American pastries and breads.

Owner-baker Max Malek trained in Germany, where he lived since the age of five, earning his ‘Master Baker’ Certification, and gained French bakery experience before coming to the United States in 2002. His new bakery in Twinbrooke Shopping Center has become a quick local favorite, where the croissants and cinnamon buns, in particular, fly off the shelves. The baked goods are often still warm from the oven, proving the cafe’s “Just Baked” name. 

It’s a family effort at this bakery, Alireza Edalatianzakeri, Malek’s fellow Afghani-born friend, performed all the store remodeling; Alireza’s brother Abdooreza joined the shop as assistant baker. Malek’s wife and later his daughter have taken turns at the counter. The bakery “family” keeps growing as Malek frequently “adopts” customers, knowing many by name. 

Malek says his cinnamon buns are his most popular item, with his German apple and cherry danishes, chocolate and plain croissants, and German Coffee cake, not far behind. Customers find offerings vary on each visit. He shares that his cinnamon bun technique uses “organic wheat flour dough made from scratch, with high quality European unsalted butter, no oil, and little use of sugar. Malek says, "the sugar icing provides all the sweetness needed." After a visit to Just Baked, Sherry Hart shared, “I had the most delicious cinnamon bun I have ever eaten in my whole life.” 

Open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., closed Mondays.

Out of the Bubble Bakery 6230A Rolling Rd, Springfield.

Allergy friendly bakery with custom cakes and specialty baked goods 

Bakery owner, TaMeisha Norris started her baking journey to accommodate her twins, born with allergies to dairy and soy. Friends from a local women's group asking her to make cakes and cookies for their children with allergies encouraged her to start her home-based bakery in 2012. Out-growing her home space, she set up business in the West Springfield Shopping Center.

This bakery offers custom cakes on order, and grab and go cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and scones; with coffee and tea available. This is a self described “allergy-friendly” bakery, specializing in dairy-free, nut-free baked goods, with vegan options, catering to a variety of food allergies and diets. Norris says her most popular counter items are her oatmeal creme sandwich cookies and her triple dark chocolate cupcakes.

The bakery strives to provide “delectable desserts that all your guests can enjoy for a worry-free celebration”; and ends the need to buy separate desserts to accommodate all guests. 

Open Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays.

Rana Cafe, 7756 Gunston Plaza, Lorton. 

Coffee and pastries, pies, tarts, quiches, croissants

The owner of this small cafe opened her bakery about 18 months ago. Hailing from Egypt, her Egyptian pudding, Om Ali, draws high praise from customers, along with her mango mousse cake and Turkish baklava. The cafe specializes in coffee, tea and desserts.

The business hours here make it a possible coffee stop when others have closed.

Open at 7:30 a.m to 9 p.m., except Sundays,

Swiss Bakery & Market Cafe, 5224 Port Royal Rd, Ravenwood Shopping Ctr, Springfield.

Artisan Breads, French Pastries, Cakes, European-Style Desserts, Fresh Ice Creams and Traditional Swiss dishes.

The Swiss Bakery encourages indulgence with its "Eat an extra Dessert Day,” suggesting, “One dessert is never enough, so why have just one when you can have two or more?” And, of course, its large double case full of baked delights are more encouragement to splurge than any words. The cafe kitchen offers a variety of Swiss and European dishes for breakfast and lunch. Their shelves carry a variety of European cheese, German sausage, beer and wine, and Swiss chocolates, with seasonal small production Alps cheeses.

Manager Daniel Flatt says their most popular dessert items are chocolate mousse, Napoleons, eclairs, and any pastry with fruit. Their cinnamon danish uses homemade croissant dough, with a layer of cinnamon and hazelnut paste, rolled and topped with sugar icing. They also offer a Sticky Bun version, available only on weekends.

The Swiss Bakery was started in 2001 by Reto and Laurie Weber with the idea to share the traditions, customs, recipes and culture of Reto’s native country, Switzerland. With Laurie being a professionally trained Pastry Chef and Reto a classically trained bread baker with experience and knowledge of European Imported goods, they curated a Swiss experience in Springfield. Laurie was awarded the title “Pastry Chef of the Year” in Washington D.C. in 2001; she died last year at the age of 60.

Open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekends; cafe kitchen closes 2 p.m. daily.

Veronica’s Bakery and Cafe, 6354 Springfield Plaza, Springfield

Latino foods and baked goods

With a large dining room and an extensive menu of entrees, this eatery has a wide selection of Latino meals. A large case in the front shows off an impressive choice of dessert pastry and Latino style bread options. The items are baked at the cafe’s Alexandria location for sale in the Springfield cafe.

Open 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.