Top 3 bakeries in Leiden
While I was being a tourist for a day in Leiden, I also searched for good bakeries. I wasn't familiar with Leiden city center and there might be more hidden gems out there, but for now, these are the top 3 bakeries that I found in Leiden.
Bakker van Maanen
The exterior and the lively terrace drew me in the Bakker van Maanen shop and inside, there was a large selection of fresh bread and cakes. I picked out a lemon cake, which was only €4.95. It has a crunchy confectionery sugar crust on top and the cake itself was moist and airy. I really liked the rich lemon flavor.
Bakker van Maanen
Nieuwe Rijn 39
2312 JG Leiden
Bakkerij Jacobs
In the same street as Bakker van Maanen, I found the Bakkerij Jacobs. Outside of the bakery, there was a sign, which promoted a traditional Dutch nut cake and I was curious to see if they had more traditional treats. Besides the caramella taartje (nut cake as advertised on the sign), there were the appelmeisje (thin puff pasty with apple slices on top) and the victoria (a tart filled with victoria cream and topped with cherries) that I had never seen before. Although they all looked good, I decided to get a carrot cake (€7.25) instead. The carrot cake was very high and I liked that it wasn't too sweet. The layer of frosting was just enough to make it not too sweet, but I prefer a layer of cream cheese, as the cake itself is a little bit dry. However, the cake had a nice herb flavor and it just melted in the mouth.Banketbakkerij Jacobs
Nieuwe Rijn 43
2312 JG Leiden
Mamie Gourmande boulangerie
I found this French bakery on Google and it was the first bakery that I went in. Because we were so hungry, I forgot to take pictures of the store and the pastry that we bought. You can take a look at their website for the pictures and I will try to describe the delicious pastry that I bought with words: La tartelette citron (A buttery tart filled with soft lemon curt and topped with a slightly browned whipped cream), Tartelette chocola (A tart filled with rich chocolate mousse), and Eclair au café (An eclair with caramel frosting and a rich, dense coffee filling). I think I paid about €2-3 per piece of pastry and they were really worth it.
Gangetje 142311ER Leiden
