Best bakeries in KZN

Miche Bakehouse began during lockdown, when founders Dave and Lyndsay Goncalves started experimenting with sourdough in Lyndsay's mother's kitchen in Joburg. What began as home baking eventually became a bakery, with the couple moving to the KZN Midlands and opening Miche on 1 October 2021.

The name Miche comes from the French word for a large sourdough loaf, reflecting the bakery's commitment to being a 100% sourdough bakery. Its breads – and even its doughnuts – are made using its sourdough starter, with no added raising agents or instant yeast.

Known for: Bomboloni (Italian doughnuts) and brownies.

What you need to know

• Location: 1 Sapore Road, Nottingham Road, KZN Midlands
• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: www.miche.co.za 
• Opening hours: Tuesday–Friday, 8 am–3 pm | Saturday–Sunday, 8 am–1 pm

Dough Girl is the flour-dusted dream of Courtney Stuart, who officially launched the bakery in 2019 after graduating from Jackie Cameron's School of Food & Wine.

Her baking journey began much earlier in her mother's kitchen, before she started taking over home-baking orders for cafés, teachers and friends. Dough Girl has grown from a solo kitchen operation into a bakery with two kitchens, a team and a café in Hillcrest.

The focus is on making every visit or delivery feel like a little sweet escape, whether that's through a flaky pastry, a brownie or one of the bakery's much-talked-about cookies.

Known for: Signature gourmet cookies, including classic favourites and limited-edition flavours. 

What you need to know

• Location: Suite C1, Strangeways Office Park, corner of Warrior and Old Main Road, Hillcrest
• Phone: 068 784 0175
• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: www.doughgirl.co.za 

Acclaimed British chef Adam Robinson is behind The Glenwood Bakery, which has become a Durban institution since he settled in the city years ago.

The bakery focuses on small-scale, localised production, with breads that are hand-formed, slow-fermented and baked in a stone-base electric hearth oven. Its deli products are handmade and produced for local eating rather than long-distance distribution.

The bakery's sourdoughs are at the heart of the operation, while the cafés also serve coffee, sandwiches, handmade pastas, flatbreads, bagels, tarts, salads and more.

There are two locations: the original Glenwood bakery and café, where the bread, viennoiserie and deli products are produced, and the Morningside bakery and café, which has a dedicated sandwich and bagel bar.

Known for: The Egg with coppa ham and roast tomatoes, chocolate buns and the potato and rosemary loaf. And, of course, its range of sourdough breads.

What you need to know

Glenwood:

• Location: 396/398 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, Durban
• Opening hours: Monday–Friday, 6 am–3 pm | Saturday, Sunday and public holidays, 6 am–2 pm

Morningside:

• Location: 50 Florida Road, Morningside, Durban
• Opening hours: Monday–Friday and public holidays, 6 am–9 pm | Saturday and Sunday, 6 am–2 pm

Contact:

• Café: 082 617 9768
• Shop & Deli: 076 633 3380
• Bread orders: 072 614 6081 via WhatsApp only
• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: www.glenwoodbakery.co.za 

The Bread Mill has been part of Durban's bakery scene since 1987, becoming something of a local landmark thanks to its selection of homemade pies, designer cakes, freshly baked breads and decadent doughnuts.

The family-owned bakery has expanded its opening hours over the decades and now operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – handy for those late-night or early-morning bakery cravings.

Known for: Artisanal breads and custom-made cakes.

What you need to know

• Location: 18–22 Problem Mkhize Road, Morningside, Durban
• Phone: 031 818 7700
• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: www.thebreadmill.co.za 
• Opening hours: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

At Upper Millstone, it's all about ‘real coffee, real bread and some serious soul’. This Hilton coffee shop has built a loyal following among runners, remote workers, parents and regulars who know their orders by heart.

The coffee is speciality-focused, with trained baristas and good beans, while the artisan sourdough is baked on-site every morning. The bakery's breads can sell out by mid-morning, so early birds have an advantage.

The setting is part of the appeal too, with face brick walls, solid wood beams and a wall covered in guitars, creating a welcoming space that feels distinctly local.

Known for: Artisan sourdough bread, croissants and pastries.

What you need to know

• Location: 36 Hilton Avenue, Leonard, Hilton
• Phone: 033 343 1344
• Website: www.theuppermillstone.co.za 

N-Squared Bakery was started during COVID, when Lidgetton didn't have another bakery in the area. The bakery focuses on quality food at affordable prices, using ingredients sourced from local farmers and producers.

The Midlands Market provided an early platform to showcase the products alongside other local vendors. Today, the bakery offers everything from artisanal bread and sourdough pizza bases to decadent pastries, handmade doughnuts and bagels.

Known for: Bar One cruffins, Cinnabons, its ‘infamous’ doughnuts and bagels.

What you need to know

• Location: 2 Petrus Stroom, Lidgetton
• Website: www.n2dbakery.co.za 
• Email: [email protected]

Just across from the Ballito beach promenade, Concha Bakery and Café brings Portuguese-inspired flavours to the KZN North Coast.

Run by family members Xandra, Diogo and Fabien, the bakery and café combine freshly baked breads and pastries with a menu of breakfasts, wraps, light meals and salads. Its seaside setting makes it particularly suited to a post-beach-walk coffee and pastry stop, and even four-legged visitors are welcome, with a menu for dogs.

The name Concha comes from the Portuguese word for shell, reflecting the café's connection to its seaside community.

Known for: Pastéis de nata, the traditional Portuguese baked egg custard tartlets. Other stand-outs include the prego roll, bino breakfast and Porto wrap.

What you need to know

• Location: 18 Compensation Beach Road, Ballito, eThekwini, 4420
• Phone: 032 815 2992
• Email: [email protected] 
• Website: www.concha.co.za 
• Opening hours: Monday–Sunday, 6 am–5 pm