Buford Highway-adjacent Tree Story is far more than a bakery or even a restaurant – rather, it’s an emporium of Korean sweets like saccharine red bean donuts and roll cakes slathered with thick cream. Coffee, tea, wi-fi, and sandwiches are a great excuse to stick around for hours, and everything for sale is packaged for grab-and-go ease.

Marietta’s Jerusalem Bakery has been serving up some of Atlanta’s best Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare for upwards of forty years. The entirely halal menu is comprised of decadent goods like savory pocket pies, date and walnut maamoul, and five different flavors of baklava. 

Brazilian Bakery’s crispy rolls cradle a dozen meat-loaded sandwiches as well as a few vegetarian options like banana and mozzarella and hearts of palm with onions, corn, pickles and potato sticks. On the pastry side of things, there’s frango (chicken pie!), empanadas, and combinations of meat, vegetables, cheese and fruit wrapped in fried dough. The dessert cases offer truffles, mousses adorned and filled with tropical fruits, and opportunities for custom cakes. 

This Middle Eastern and Mediterranean market includes a small bakery selling falafel sandwiches, fresh-baked pitas and a variety of baklava, cakes, cookies, and pastries. Some say the baklava here is some of the best in metro Atlanta.

A Buford Highway cafeteria/panaderia (bakery), Xela Pan offers top-notch Guatemalan fare that’s so beloved a second location is about to open in Norcross. Come early for freshly baked specialty breads and pastries, including cubiletes, bizcochos, champurrada cookies, and muelas.

Cheshire Bridge’s go-to Greek bakery comes with a slight challenge: the curmudgeonly owner, who often intimidates customers enough to delay their orders. Of course, the risk is worth the reward, which in this case includes notoriously good baklava, cannolis that show a mastery of cream, and jewel-toned Italian butter cookies.

From dosas, pan puri, and samosas to a wide variety of mithai sweets and ice cream, the cases at Royal Sweets bakery never lack in choices. The hardest part here might be deciding just what to order.

Namesake pastry chef and owner Alon Balshan spent years baking his way around Europe, and that experience is reflected in his food. With such a huge selection, Alon’s makes an ideal spot for a saccharine breakfast of pistachio croissants, fresh (or pre-made) sandwiches for lunch, or a pit stop to grab a baguette and a wheel of brie. There’s also a location in Dunwoody.

Details like a wall of goodie-filled trays and punchy vinyl tablecloths add a touch of comfort to Avondale Estates’ La Calavera bakery. Can’t go wrong with conchas or seasonal danishes. In the mood for something savory? Order an empanada or two with a bottle of Topo Chico. Note: The bakery is relocating to Kirkwood on Memorial Drive.