The 12 best cake shops and cake bakeries in St. Albans

This place was recommended by a friend who lives in St Albans and we are definitely going back to try more items on the menu. The cocktails were so delicious we ended having 2 each. The owner was so friendly and the restaurant was very clean. The food was so tasty. There were several items we plan to order next time so I'll do another review on this trip.

Last night, me and my husband had our anniversary dinner here. The atmosphere was clean, calm and relaxing. Our waiter, Yash, was very accommodating, very friendly and professional, where we received great service from him. The food was exceptional, I had their Lamb Khadai and upon ordering, asked for it to be extra spicy and they delivered. The spice level was perfect, flavours were excellent, and the food came hot and tasted fresh. My husband ordered their Chicken Jalfezi which tasted fresh and delicious as well, which he thoroughly enjoyed. They had a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks and I absolutely loved the mocktail I had. Very value for money, perfect food portion sizes and drinks that weren’t drowning in Ice. Overall, we had an amazing evening here, only thing I will say is we did mention it was our anniversary on our booking and while we were hoping for a small acknowledgment, nothing was mentioned. A little gesture would have made the experience feel even more special. We had an amazing experience here, thank you Yash for your excellent service and the chefs for the amazing food.

Lovely welcome from the owner, who took the time to give recommendations for food and wine. I had poppadoms, a curry bowl and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. All delicious. Restaurant was nearly empty - relaxing for me but this place needs more customers!

Food was delicious and service was great. The only thing I didn't like was the rowdy customers. Probably not the best place for a romantic meal as you can't hear each talking. We had the bread basket. It was enough for 2 people and then some. The momos were my favorite. The butter chicken was also delicious.

Recently, I treated myself to a lunch at Infuse with a friend, and instead of a main meal, we opted for a variety of tapas—each one sounding more tempting than the last. We started with the Choori Chart, an interesting mix of textures and flavors, though it wasn’t my favorite and I likely wouldn’t order it again. The Onion Bhaji was exactly as expected—crispy, flavorful, and comforting. The Lasooni Paneer, grilled to perfection with onions and peppers, had an incredible barbecue flavor, and the paneer itself was outstanding. The Tandoori Soya Chops were a revelation—unlike anything I’ve had before, they were rich, delicious, and perfectly cooked. But the absolute showstopper? The Tandoori King Prawn. Now that is what a true king prawn should be! Massive in size and bursting with sensational flavor, I’d return just for those alone. The service was excellent, and while the restaurant was surprisingly empty when we arrived, it soon began to fill up. Infuse is on a whole other level when it comes to Indian tapas—they redefine “fusion” in the best way. The chef is clearly inspired, and I’d say he’s a keeper! Would definitely recommend!

Having explored a variety of Indian restaurants, I found the flavours here to be fairly standard—nothing particularly surprising or standout. It’s decent, but not exceptional."

Visited on a Tuesday evening for first time. Staff, warm & welcoming. Differently not your usual "Indian" restaurant, which we knew before we arrived. Regional dishes of India, done slightly differently. Kerala Prawn curry excellent as was the Dilli ki Aloo Papdi Chaat & Chana Chick Pea Curry. Good selection of wines and alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. Faultless.

I have ordered a cake for my friend's birthday and was very pleased with the taste. Also recently I tried another cake and again it was delicious. Highly recommended. Yumm

I’m a regular customer at this Greek café and, honestly, it’s one of the best around. The owners are very friendly, the coffee is excellent, and the service has always been great. That’s why I feel comfortable sharing some constructive feedback. Unfortunately, I’ve had a couple of negative experiences with a new employee that I think you should be aware of. Last week, I arrived around 8:25 PM, which is still within the opening hours for takeaway orders, but she told me the place was already closed. I didn’t complain at the time, but I found it unprofessional. Today, I ordered a coffee to drink on the terrace and clearly asked for it in a ceramic cup, not a takeaway cup. I waited for several minutes while the employee was busy chatting with another coworker. In the end, I had to go inside and get the coffee myself. When I asked about it, she said she “didn’t know I was outside,” even though I had told her. She didn’t even have the decency to admit she hadn’t heard me—probably because she was too busy talking. I understand we all have off days, but in a café known for its high service standards, these things really stand out. I hope you’ll take this as it’s meant: constructive criticism from someone who appreciates the place and wants to see it maintain the excellent quality it’s known for.

I love to visit this Cafe whenever I am in St Albans.The coffee is excellent and the staff are super friendly and helpful. My son loves the orange pie but I prefer the cream cakes (I've tried several varieties and they are all delicious). I also love the air conditioned Cafe on a hot day. Keep up the good work!

First day today and was crazy busy but the staff were all very patient and still smiling. I loved the Trigona Thessalonikis they were super tasty. So excited to have a Greek bakery in the area with coffee, sandwiches and cakes. Looking forward to trying more products from here. Καλή Αρχή!

Honestly one the best Greek places I have found. Great products, great quality, great value and lovely lovely and helpful people. I will definitely visit again. Thank you so much I had great experience today. I wish you could open a shop in London too ❤️

Delicious savoury pastries, sweet treats and great coffee! A wide range to choose from and everything tastes truly delicious. Comfi and cozy terrace seating outside.

This has got to be my favourite bakery in St Albans, we’ve been several times and have been incredibly satisfied each time. I’d give more stars if I could

I love my little Waitrose. The experience is always top notch and I really just wanted to focus on staff as we all know the products are excellent. Compared to ANY other supermarket their staff shine far above the rest. They're always ready to help, you always find a member of staff unlike other supermarkets, they have excellent product knowledge, always helpful, always personable. Please never let this slip as it's what holds Waitrose leaps above the rest, yes including the other large prestigious chain! Way better. I look forward to seeing the staff at their re launch end of July where they've made even more improvements.

A lovely store with friendly staff and a well stocked store. Love coming here and return at least rice a week. Will take some pics next time I go.

The refit makes shopping an ever changing adventure, but its for a good cause, and the staff are wonderful at helping you find meandering items, and should be congratulated for being cheery in the face of adversity. I too am not a fan of self check out, but protesting against this, is like mourning the pen in a keyboard age. So roll on opening day..

Perfectly adequate supermarket. Lovely staff. Never had a problem with it. Being relatively small it can get busy sometimes even with several tills and self checkouts.

One lovely and important feature of Waitrose is the free hot drink with each visit (t & c apply). In this store both machines are often under cleaning or broken down, so this promise is not kept.

Short tempered and rude staff member. The welcome desk for click and collect has no one to welcome you. Once you wait there for long enough you are greeted by short and snappy staff member regarding your order. Would not recommend visiting this store

Currently spending lots of money on a refit, which will make the customer experience worse. Was really hoping Waitrose would be different, and resist the temptation to go down the route of self check outs. I will not use them, so guess I'll have to queue up for longer, or shop somewhere else.

Lucy makes cakes from the heart and it shows. Her cakes always taste amazing and the imagination and creativity in her decoration is simply the best. I have been fortunate to have been with her on the journey as her business has grown and she has consistently created bespoke cakes and cupcakes that has surprised and delighted many of my friends and family. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

We used them for our wedding cake and we were not disappointed. From the very first contact Lucy understood our needs and vision. She guided us through the process and made it so easy. Lucy provided me with examples of their work and helped with flavours for the main cake but also the separate cupcakes we needed for guests with allergies/vegan/GF. The service is truly outstanding and I'd get a reply to messages so quickly. Lucy helped with questions and helped me get a custom made cake board as she provided me with sizes etc. The cake was delivered and set up at the venue without issues and they put our topper on as well as our custom made dog! The cakes themselves are delicious and the best we've had. The sponges are moist and light and I personally loved the buttrcream as it wasn't sickly sweet - our favourite being the red velvet. Our wedding guests loved the cakes and gave us glowing feedback. I'd choose Heaven is a Cupcake for all cakes and will he coming back for future orders - especially a christening cake! Thank you so much for giving us the perfect wedding cake, outstanding service and exceeding all expectations. Andy and Adele King

Lucy & team made us the most incredible wedding cake- I couldn’t believe how big & generous it was! The flavours were delicious and the service and communication was amazing throughout. We arrived at our reception venue and the cake was in place, so we didn’t have to worry about set up which was brilliant. Would highly recommend Heaven is a Cupcake for any celebratory cake!

This is the 3rd order I've placed with Lucy and her team and I was once again so pleased with the bespoke cake that was made. We ordered a gender reveal pinata cake and I was really impressed with how the team brought this design to life. It was exactly as I imagined it and tasted amazing! My family were super impressed. Would definitely recommend Heaven is a Cupcake to anyone!

Lucy from Heaven is a cupcake did a beautiful job making the wedding cake of our dreams come to life! Not only was it stunning to look at but it also tasted delicious. We had three different layers (raspberry, chocolate and lemon) of which all layers were scrumptious! We had lots of lovely comments from our guests about the cake. The colours matched perfectly with our colour scheme and our flowers. I can’t thank Lucy enough for her wonderful job and would definitely recommend her!

Lucy kindly accepted my (very) last minute request for 100+ corporate cupcakes for a charity event in the office, and they went down an absolute treat! Delicious cakes, excellent service and the design on top was exactly as requested. Thank you so much Lucy!

The team at Heaven is a cupcake made the most beautiful cake for my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary. Not only did it look amazing it tasted great too. Thank you !

I was one of two customers this morning. Isaac was taking his time moving at a snail's pace while the other staff ignored me (especially the blonde girl behind the counter this morning). Exceptionally bad service. All of your staff need to be more professional. I have always supported your shop but think I'll support others close by

Excellent bakery with a nice and varied selection of breads and cakes/pastries. Staff are always friendly and chatty, it can get quite busy in mornings and lunchtime, so need to be a little patient at times but the wait is worth it. Breakfast and coffee particularly good, as are the Belgian buns, if there is one complaint it is they never seem to have the mini jam tarts available, order more as they are clearly popular.

Good food, good service, but nothing extraordinary. Espresso was a bit sour however the sausage roll was nice and flaky, and the girl who served me was nice too. It only lost a star because it was by no means cheap.

A nice cafe on the French Row, there's a good selection of pastries, cakes and bread on offer. It's a shame the seating is so limited, but it's OK when the weather is good.

I just collected my too good to go, I paid 4 pounds for a hard uncut loaf, a baguette, bagels and a small piece of Victoria cake? What a scam. Wasted our money and time!

Nice bakery if a little small . Lovely chocolate fudge cake , jam doughnuts goid but not great . Prices pretty good . Worth a visit

Lovely people and I the love cake so much. It's not fancy or luxury but it is comforting me.

This place being run absolutely illegally, bread is being loaded in a dirty carpark. Whilst waiting you can learn different language,as loading ratio is about 10 mins for the pallet, so be prepared to stand in a frozen trailer.

Busy place. Not a factory busy but busy with other car owners. Hard to reverse with a truck.

We have to swap trailers here, put an empty where the loaded one is. Absolute nightmare, sometimes impossible during working hours,, ie cars parked everywhere, no space to drop atrailer 4 even 15mins

I don't know why companys like that ordering 44tonne trucks to deliver for them? Members of staff not helpfull and place not good for 44tonner ,no yeard ,no space where to unload properly only plus its easy enough to find

This is a difficult yard to access with an articulated lorry. To get to the yard one must reverse arround a corner on the driver's "blind" side and there are lots of parked cars.

Being a diabetic I need this bread but it's hard to find some sainsbury do it but it's often not on the shelf. I had to order it from sainsbury at £1.75 a loaf once cuz they never had it. Now I live in Devizes the sainsbury here don't sell it. It is very small less than half the size of a normal loaf so it's not really surprising that you get 50% lower carbs in it. And what makes it worse is recently it's been shrunken again in size. So I can't really give a good review on this although I need it in my diet.

Love your low carb bread (Hi-Lo) I’m on a low carb diet and this is my go to bread. Full of seeds and very tasty, thank you! If you can make a lower carb bread than this one 😮😮

Myself and my daughter visit this cafe often when we go to St Albans. The pasties are really nice and such a variety. Reminds me of when my family spent every holiday for 17 years in Cornwall, brilliant times.

Myself and daughter have taken food away quite a few times. The food is great if you want something quick to take away with you. They have a great variety to pick from. Some of the staff are happy and make you feel wecome, others not so happy which is a shame because I always remember them and makes me not want to buy from them when I go in. Other than that a great place to go to.

Had the Beast but could not finish it! Will stick to steak and ale. Friend felt cheese & onion could do with a little more cheese. Decent coffee better than that sometimes served by chain where inconsistency is the name of the game.

If you fancy nice Cornish pasties of different flavours in St Albans then you need to give this one a try. I wouldn't call them cheap as chips however.

Love these hot pasties especially on a cold day. Various combinations apart from tradition Cornish Pasty always served fresh from the oven and hot.

Very warm friendly atmosphere . The staff are very funny and polite. Been coming here since Last year and got to know the staff really will. Love them to bits xxxxxx

Really enjoyed my first visit to this small cosy friendly shop, the pasties were delicious if not a little expensive.

I recently ordered a cake for my daughter’s 5th birthday, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the entire experience! From start to finish, everything was seamless, professional, and thoughtfully executed. The cake design was incredible, and my daughter absolutely loved the Bluey theme. Thank you for making her special day even more memorable! I highly recommend Limitless Desserts to anyone looking for a cake that’s as stunning as it is delicious.

I ordered a cake for my baby gender reveal, Leva was so kind and helpful, she made the cake within 24 hours of us having the gender scan so we did not need to wait a long time to find out. The cake its self was beautifully made and tasted incredible. I would highly recommend Limitless Desserts and cannot wait for our next celebration to order the next cake :) Thank you!

Amazing service. I booked so last minute for my husbands birthday and Ieva just managed to sort everything out for me. Her responses were so quick and prices were so workable. The cake was absolutely stunning and was delicious. She delivered the cake also and was on time. I’m not a sweet tooth and I loved it. Looked better than I had hoped for. She followed the criteria I gave her perfectly . Will definately have more bookings from me and recommended to friends and family ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Came across this cake buisness on Google and ordered a birthday cake for my daughter’s 3rd birthday. Despite having limited availability and being on holiday, the response time was amazing and they were most accommodating to my dates and needs. She was extremely friendly and ensured that she was thorough with ensuring that the finished product would be just as I imagined. The collection process was also very simple and efficient! I was overall exceptionally impressed with the cake, most importantly my daughter LOVED IT. It was wasn’t dry and even came with cake care instructions to help with cutting the cake and maximising portion sizes. Would definitely recommend this buisness. Amazing cakes for a reasonable price 10/10⭐️ Thank you for making my daughters birthday so special🩷🎂

Ieva created two fantastic cakes for my daughters. She was able to reproduce and improve upon the very bespoke designs we asked for much to the delight of both our girls. Both cakes were excellent in terms of texture and taste including one which was vegan. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend! Competitive prices too.

A beautifully decorated and delicious cake! Leva was great at collaborating with us on the design and wonderfully incorporated our 'olive' theme into the cake's design. Her communication and service was excellent. We opted for the pistachio, white chocolate and raspberry flavour which went down a treat with everyone in the office!

Thank you for the most delicious and amazing looking cake. I will definitely be ordering from you again!! You were so helpful and went above and beyond to make this cake exactly what I asked for. Viv Tibber x

Having seen Gail's in the UK I hadn't ventured until today. The minimalist artisanal shop interior design is bright and trendy with exposed ceiling AC ducting. The baked goods and bread are lined beautifully and one would assume it's baked locally? That wasn't the case as it factory baked which was a shock but also kinda of expected with a chain. The Brand design and use of sans serif typeface similar to Century Gothic simple design branding analogous to elements of Swiss Design & Nordic Design styling. The coffee was prepared well and the latte art on my Cappuccino was done well, which is a good indication of good quality beans with enough oil to add florid decorations to your beverage unlike the N's, S's and C's ubiquity that offers no nonsense slap bang coffee. The taste was average, unremarkable that gave a slight bitterness aftertaste that had no distinct bean profile. The baked goods Pain au Chocolat was pleasantly made, proofed well and size impressive. After the initial crunch of the outer layer Mon voucher was met with a half baked kind of card board soggy texture that is atypical of many baked goods that are pre-preped and in great numbers. What was curious was the small amount of chocolate of the interior. My mouth was certainly confused with the ingredients of the Pain au Chocolat. Did it contain both butter and margarine rather than just Butter? My continuos curiosity with food cooking and baking is a blessing but also a curse. Suffice to say my experience was pleasant in a trendy place but do I think 🤔 Gail's is worth the effort and money? I would have to place my reservations on the unspectacular level of gastronomy in the UK today. The baked goods are neither as scrumptious as the Old Bakery Guard from our Parisian friends across the Channel neither are they as perfected, curated as the Taiwanese & Japanese artisans. I would wager as Food Culture doesn't appear to form a large part of the local culture in the United Kingdom has resulted in the current low level of quality and innovation in gastronomy. The apparent rise of celebrity chefs with a slap bang approach with moderate copies of worldwide cuisines seem to dominate the media showing a lack of Excellence, Consistency, Commitment & Talent with food. In this case, baked goods, is average even with Gail's hailed as great. Would I visit? I would from time to time but I certainly haven't come across a place I would class as excellent that I would become a frequent visitor to.

I stopped by once as I was quite hungry. The sandwich unfortunately was not good at all and the whole atmosphere was quite hectic as I think they are very busy but the coffee and buns were delicious ☺️ nice place to sit and people watch 😁

I have ordered onlilne for collection 4 slices of babka from you as you can't order a full loaf. At every other Gail's( Ealing's, Berkheamstead, Shepherds Bush) , 4 slices is a full loaf. I have recently started ordering from St Albans as Berkheamstead no longer sells them. First time I have received a full loaf when ordering 4 slices, as expected. 2nd time I have also received a full loaf as expected. This morning, I have received four slices, which cost £4 each and they are about half as big as normal. How is it that a full babka when ordered is the price of 4 slices everywhere and in St Albans it changes randomly?

Hands down, my favourite coffee shop. Yes, it's expensive, but the coffee is consistently good and the Carrott cake is worthy of a special mention :) However, that being said, for me, it's the staff that make this particular coffee shop so good!! Attentive, warm and friendly (even when it's ridiculously busy). They're the reason I keep coming back! Thank you ALL for your kindness and consideration 🙏 And a BIG thank you to Raffaella for making the most amazing Mocha's - See picture below... Tastes as good as it looks :-D

I just don’t get the hype. How does a company get so big with such terrible coffee? As a barista myself, a SCA professional, this is a sad excuse for a long black. Customer service was none existent and even as I write this the manager is still talking to a friend (not on shift) very loudly in the kitchen not paying attention to who’s walking in. No welcome, no hello, took my name for coffee and didn’t call it out. I’m consistently disappointed by this chain.

Had an outstanding experience at Gail’s yesterday. My server Jaine was really helpful, kind and friendly. The almond croissant was to die for. I will definitely be returning! :)

Everyone at this coffee shop is always very warm, kind and attentive, I love coming in, even if it’s semi-regularly! I always get great recommendations and the variety of drinks amazing :)

really well done coffee, super cosy, comfy and nice

Amazing coffee stop and the best sausage rolls. Nice outside seating and smashing service. Our new cycle stop…..8 months on has become my regular, sitting at the bar just inside during these cooler times…..even get asked ‘your usual?’. Smashing place!

Lovely place and fast service! We got a Pastel de nata which was lovely and a brownie which was good. The coffee was great too! Would definitely come again!

Lovely coffee and tasty croissant. The alfresco courtyard at the back gives you that free feel experiences. I think playing a different radio station like Smooth Chill will really enhance the ambiance, but that’s just my opinion.

I walked past it many times and read good reviews, so as one can imagine how much I looked forward to it when I entered it. The service staff was very cold and not welcomning even when I passionately said how much I was looking forward to trying their product. His attitude made me not want to stay. I took away 3 different types pastries, they were way over priced. My husband and I are both food lovers and we like trying new food around the world. Safe to say, their pastries taste very ordinary.

Food is amazing , coffee as well. It is a relief to find a coffee shop that is actually not a big chain but owned by real people dedicated to make pastries and cakes. Totally recommended.

Get there early if you want to buy one of their freshly baked loaves of bread - they sell out quickly. Good fresh coffee too.

Great food and service! Loved the veggie brioche. Full English and coffee is pretty average but I’d go back just for the brioche. Decor is lovely and cute and the place is clean!

Came here for a late breakfast and wasn’t disappointed! I ordered the Full English toastie and it was so good. Perfect way to start the day. Also had their Lemon and Blueberry cake with custard which was delicious. If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll definitely come back.

Lovely cafe off the high street. Full English was well presented. Coffee slightly bitter but that’s just my personal preference. Whilst waiting to be seated the server thoroughly sanitised the table and chairs which was a procedure followed before other customers were seated, reassuring during these uncertain times. Staff were friendly and smiling and not over attentive. Following on from this there was adequate spacing between tables to make us feel safe.

What can I say. A perfect little place just off the high street to grab a breakfast/brunch and a hot drink. Food was delicious. I had the full vegetarian cooked breakfast which was delicious!! (I’m not vegetarian but I liked what I saw on the menu. Meat and vegan options are available) had a cappuccino on the side which was brewed perfectly. My fiancée had a bacon and egg bun with a white hot chocolate. Loads of different food and drink options. Staff were friendly and gave a great waited service with a smile. Would highly recommend this place to everyone and if you’re interested I would probably call or book online a table ahead of time. This place was busy which usually says a lot about the business! Managed to get a table without booking but we had to wait 20mins. But it was worth the wait! Highly recommended. Enjoy.

5 stars coffee, 5 stars soft food and brunch, 5 stars atmosphere and 5 stars stuff. I am regretful that I didn’t come here for brunch. I couldn’t understand the quality from the pictures on Google. They have a kids menu with various food. And the price of kids menu is fair. We found place walk in but BOOKING is recommended.

Good independent cafe Professional and friendly staff , the food quality is good, coffee well made and excellent flavour

Top quality coffee and delicious, made-to-order food. One of the best breakfasts in St Albans!

I have supported this business for many years and they have always offered lovely produce and good service. Recently, I tried to purchase some croissants and white rolls and was informed that they had no croissants and they refused to sell me any rolls even though they had a counter full of them. When I mentioned this to another trader in the village they advised me that they had had a similar experience; another customer at that shop at the time said that he too had been treated in a similar manner. How can the only bakery in the village refuse to sell bread to its customers?

Lovely bakery with a great atmosphere, but I was disappointed to find my sandwich filled with grated cheese. Cold sandwiches with grated cheese just don’t work — it falls out, lacks texture, and feels like a corner-cut. For a place with such good bread and coffee, sliced or chunked cheese would match the quality they’re clearly capable of. Like so many businesses these days, it feels like they see the customer as a bit of an inconvenience. The place gives off the impression that it’s better than it actually is — the presentation and branding suggest top-tier quality, but the small details (like the grated cheese) and service reveal the execution doesn’t match the image they project. Where else are they cutting corners…

Top quality bakers who also offer assorted hot food for rolls, baps and sandwiches. The pastries available are delicious, my favourite is the blackberry crumble! Highly recommended.

Bought made to order baguettes and had lunch at their riverside decking area, watching the mallards. Excellent staff and atmosphere.

Sit outside after a walk or cycle, red heatlamps lovely in the cold. Hot chock and almond bread and butter puddin mmmmm

Always busy with lots of people seated outside with their pups. I had a really nice blondie here. Oh and a really nice bacon bap.

Amazing choice for a delivery! BEST Sausage, Egg and Bacon Baguette ever - a must try. No other bakery compares to this breakfast as not too salty and good quality bacon. A cappuccino each to finish it off. . . . but the treat didn't stop there. Their Bakewell tart with almonds was a different level to anything else I have tried. However the coconut cheesecake wasn't quite a cheesecake we expected, it was more a puff pastry turnover, still exceedingly nice. The extra star would be given had the sausage been a better quality. Delivered within an hour and still hot - brilliant service and we will definitely order again. #supportlocalbusiness