Half Dozen Other

You'll find yourself on Oxford Road squinting at the window display, watching them pull loaves from the oven. Half Dozen Other does the basics brilliantly—the kind of bakery that makes you realise how mediocre supermarket bread actually is. Their sourdough has proper tang, croissants shatter the way they should, and the pastries aren't drowning in sugar. It's the sort of place where regulars have favourite loaves and know the bakers by name. The vibe is genuinely unpretentious despite making genuinely excellent bread—no Instagram theatrics, just really good carbs.