Jolene Bakery & Restaurant

You'll find yourself on Newington Green watching locals queue out the door of Jolene, and you'll immediately understand why. This is a proper neighbourhood bakery that's somehow managed to be both the place you grab a coffee and croissant on your way to work and somewhere you'd actually book a table for brunch with friends. The sourdough here is genuinely good—the kind that makes you wonder why you've been settling for supermarket bread your whole life. There's a real sense that they care about what they're doing, from the early morning bakes to the restaurant side where they've built something that feels relaxed rather than precious.