A guide to our favorite bakeries in Columbia, SC
Columbia is home to so many great bakeries. Trust us, we have tried them all! And now we have finally compiled our thoughts into a MEGA article on the best places to satisfy a sweet tooth in Columbia.
Whether you are looking for a perfect croissant, a decadent wedding cake, a fancy donut or just a delicious chocolate chip cookie, this list has you covered!
Before we dive in, we thought we’d first provide a map to the various bakeries mentioned so that you can easily find one near you.
Map of the Best Bakeries in Columbia, SC
The Best Bakeries in Columbia, SC
And now let’s dive into the list! The beginning of the list features regular bakeries (breads, cakes, etc.) and is followed by a section on the best cookie shops in Columbia and finally a section on the best donuts.
smallSUGAR (The Vista)
If you are looking for gourmet sweets in Columbia, head to smallSUGAR in the Vista.
smallSUGAR is one of our favorite Columbia establishments– whether it’s for pastries, breakfast, lunch or coffee. Speaking of, smallSUGAR is listed on our favorite coffee shops in Columbia list.
smallSUGAR’s pastry case is filled with delicious croissants, danishes, rolls and more. We especially love their almond croissant. There is nothing else like it in town!
If you want to order for a box of pastries, give them a call at 803-722-7506 to see what’s available. Otherwise, pop in!
Silver Spoon Bake Shop (Devine St)
Onto a second favorite of ours: Silver Spoon!
Ok, so first you need to know that Silver Spoon is currently a pre-order only bakery. As in, you can’t just pop in any day for a treat. But that doesn’t deter us! Their sweets are too delicious for that.
We love Silver Spoon Bake Shop’s cookies, pimento cheese biscuits and THE CINNAMON ROLLS. Their famous party fours. Everything. Oh, and they even dabble in ice cream now!
To snag something from their next drop, follow along on their Instagram or Facebook. You can place orders starting Wednesdays at 8PM with pickup on Friday afternoons from 4-6pm.
Crust Bakehouse (Rosewood)
For the best bread in Columbia…
Crust Bakehouse is such a great hidden gem in Rosewood. Their menu changes weekly and you can follow along on their Instagram or Facebook. In fact, you can even preorder by messaging them there.
Crust features a variety of fresh baked breads each week. You’ll find their house ‘Rosewood’ sourdough, multigrain, ciabatta, ciabatta rolls, baguettes and more. We think Crust makes the best bread in Columbia! You’ll also find scones on their weekly menu. My favorite is their chocolate chip scone, but you can’t go wrong with any!
If you are looking for less bread and more sweets, definitely try their pecan financier if it’s on the menu or any of their brownies or blondies. Their sweets change regularly, but you can always count on something like a cookie, tart or brownie.
Main Street Bakery & Gift Shop (North Main)
Main Street Bakery is the number destination for delicious cake in Columbia!
No, really. They have an amazing cake selection. Choose from their daily cakes like buttercream, coconut pineapple, yellow chocolate, pound cake… or pick from their rotating daily schedule. We especially love their Red Velvet cake available on Wednesdays! You can also occasionally find their sweets at Azalea Coffee on Devine Street.
Main Street Bakery creates cakes for special occasions, whether it’s a birthday, wedding, anniversary… you name it! You can get more details on their custom cakes here. You can also pre-order some of their most-loved baked goods with just a bit of advanced notice.
Main Street Bakery is a family-owned and Black-owned bakery. They do sell out of crowd favorites, so order in advance or go early!
Ally & Eloise (Forest Acres + Downtown Columbia)
Another great bakery in Columbia! And this one has two locations. The first is on Forest Drive in Forest Acres and the second is downtown inside the Arcade Mall on Main Street. Each has delicious treats (cookies, cake pops, baby cakes, bars…) and is a great destination for special order cakes.
Ally & Eloise is known for their gorgeous wedding and birthday cakes. If you are interested in ordering one, fill out their custom cake inquiry form.
Kudzu Bakery & Market (Forest Acres)
Part bakery, part cafe, part marketplace!
Kudzu Bakery is new-ish to the scene, with two other locations in Mount Pleasant, SC and Litchfield, SC. They have a great selection of breads and baked goods like cakes, pies and cookies in their bakery section. We expecially love their cheesecakes!
Apart from baked goods, you’ll also find sandwiches on the menu as well as a marketplace with canned sauces, preserves, wines, casseroles, pre-made appetizers, spreads and cheeses.
Tiffany’s Sweets, Eats & Meeting Place (Northeast Columbia)
Alright, if you haven’t been to Tiffany’s yet… it’s an experience!
There is a lot going on at Tiffany’s Sweets, Eats & Meeting Place. We’ll start with the ‘sweets’ part of the name…
Here you’ll find a bakery case filled with delicious goodies. They are the go-to place for petit fours (although Silver Spoon also has their version of Party Fours which are delicious.) Tiffany’s has cakes, cupcakes, brownies, bars, cookies, donuts, muffins, cinnamon rolls… you name it, they have it!
Tiffany’s also has a cafe in the same building as well as a bar. See, I told you it was an experience! They have a full lunch and dinner menu with sandwiches, burgers, wraps, quiche and even chicken tenders. They also have breakfast and brunch. You can view the full menu here.
Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli
The best destination for a cinnamon roll in Columbia!
While it’s not a classic bakery, we couldn’t leave Devine Cinnamon Roll Deli off this list. Their cinnamon rolls are from heaven.
We love the classic cinnamon roll (especially when paired with a breakfast sandwich.) But they also have a ton of fun specialty flavors. And, of course, we have to mention the Cinnamonster roll that feeds a group!
Nothing Bundt Cakes (Forest Acres)
The best frosting around…
We cannot get enough of Nothing Bundt Cakes’ perfect bundt cakes and amazing frosting. All of their flavors are amazing, but we especially the white chocolate raspberry and red velvet.
Their Bundlet cakes are precious and make for a really easy gift. You can buy them individually, as a tower or in a box of 12. Even smaller than that are their famous Bundtini cakes available by the dozen! These are great when feeding a large group.
Where to Find Cookies in Columbia, SC
Blue Flour Bakery (Irmo)
If you need cookies in Columbia, head a bit out of town to Blue Flour Bakery in Irmo.
They have darling mini cookies and big cookies that are 5 inches tall! They also have decorated sugar cookies, muffins, bars and more.
Apart from their amazing cookies and other sweets, you can also have breakfast or lunch at Blue Flour. Their menu is limited but includes mini quiche and breakfast sandwiches. My favorite menu item ever is the bacon blue cheese biscuit! You can also buy a bag of granola at the shop. And of course, you can get a coffee or espresso drink.
Blue Flour used to have a location in downtown Columbia on Main Street. Their Irmo location is the only one open today.
Crumbl Cookies (Forest Acres)
New to the scene but oh my heavens their cookies are devine!
You may already be familiar with Crumbl Cookies from other cities. They have brought the same delicious recipes to Cardinal Crossing in the heart of Forest Acres.
Their cookie menu changes weekly but you can always count on delicious flavors. Check their site for their current offerings.
Insomnia Cookie (Five Points)
Another cookie chain but this one is in Five Points. Insomnia specializes in late night cookie deliveries. They are practically located on the UofSC campus so it is heavily frequented by students.. Hey all of you parents of Carolina students— send your kid some cookies!
We love all of their cookies, but especially the classic warm chocolate chip cookie and their besprinkled birthday cake cookie.
Baked Bear (Five Points)
And onto another cookie shop in Five Points but this one specializes in ice cream cookie sandwiches!
That’s right– choose your cookies, choose your ice cream flavor and enjoy. You can choose any kind of cookie or brownie and you can mix or match the top and bottom. It’s another one loved by Carolina students if you can imagine.
Where to Find Donuts in Columbia, SC
Donut Guy (The Vista)
The Donut Guy started out at the Soda City Market and grew such a following that a shop was in order. Today you’ll find Donut Guy in The Vista, though they also still have a presence at the weekly Soda City Market.
Choose from mini donuts, regular donuts, donut platters and more. You can also get fried oreos and elephant ears at Donut Guy! And a box of coffee. It’s a favorite spot of ours if you can’t tell. Expecially their morning special— two donuts and a cup of coffee for $5.
Duck Donuts (Cross Hill Market)
Another donut shop that our kids love to visit is Duck Donuts in Cross Hill Market across from Whole Foods. It’s a build-your-own donut shop, and they love watching the donuts get made from scratch.
You can choose from a menu with a ton of ideas or truly build your own. You select a coating (ex. glazed, powder sugar, chocolate icing, peanut butter icing…), up to 2 toppings for each donut and a drizzle.
For toppings they have everything from graham crackers to bacon! I typically opt for something kind of basic like cinnamon sugar, but our kids love to mix it up each time. I will say that no matter the combination, the donuts always turn out beautiful!
And that wraps up our list of the best bakeries in Columbia. It was certainly a fun one to pull together and we hope it inspires your next sweet adventure in this great city.
