Why go
Lievito madre and a case of mignon
The counter is organised around natural leavening and French technique: panettoni, colombe and brioche raised on lievito madre, French-style viennoiserie alongside them, and a run of modern mignon and contemporary cakes that turns over with the season. The colomba artigianale comes in a traditional version and a chocolate one. This is precise contemporary pastry rather than a general café case.
La Serra is an independent laboratory in Almè, north of Bergamo, and its name is a nod to the founder's grandfather, who kept orchids; the greenhouse idea runs through the shop's language of flowers, plants and raw ingredients. The founder was born in Gavarno di Scanzorosciate and studied biomedical engineering before turning to pastry, then worked through Bergamo-area kitchens including Osteria della Brughiera in Villa d'Almè.
El Dorado, and the coffee beside it
El Dorado is the signature: a cake built on coffee from Bugan Coffee Lab and chocolate from Cocoah!, and the same idea reappears as a filled croissant with chocolate mousse and mango. That pairing is the clearest statement of what the lab is doing, which is treating coffee and cocoa as working ingredients rather than flavours added at the end.
Coffee is now served properly as well, with espresso, filter, flat white, cappuccino and cold brew set up to sit beside the pastry instead of competing with it. The room carries the same idea: bright, plant-filled and built from natural materials, with the display arranged like a small theatre of shapes and colours and the packaging finished to match.
How to order
Take El Dorado first if it is in the case, because everything else here reads more clearly once you have. Follow it with the leavened work: colomba artigianale in season, panettone at Christmas, brioche any morning. Those are the products tied most directly to the lievito madre method and the slowest to make.
Mignon are the right choice for a group, since they let a table cover the contemporary cake range in single bites, and the seasonal rotation means the selection rarely repeats itself exactly. Gambero Rosso gave the pastry chef here its Pasticcere Emergente award in the 2026 Pasticceri e Pasticcerie guide, which is a fair marker of where this sits: a young laboratory working at a level the Bergamo area already takes seriously.
Tags
Frequently asked questions
What should I order at La Serra Pastry Lab?
El Dorado, the cake made with Bugan Coffee Lab coffee and Cocoah! chocolate, is the signature and the best introduction. After that, go to the naturally leavened work: colomba artigianale in season, panettone at Christmas, brioche in the morning. Mignon suit a group, letting you taste across the contemporary cake range.
What does lievito madre mean for the baking here?
It means the large leavened products are raised on a natural mother yeast rather than commercial yeast, which is slower and gives panettone, colomba and brioche their keeping quality and depth of flavour. That method sits at the centre of the programme, with French-style viennoiserie, mignon and contemporary cakes built around it.
Compare nearby places
| Venue | Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Caffè Cavour 1880 | Bakery | Bergamo Alta |
| Bugan Coffee Lab | Café | Città Alta |
| Cortinovis | Bakery | Ranica |
| Tilde Forno Artigiano | Bakery | Castel Cerreto |
| Cerere – L’Atelier del Pane | Bakery | Canonica Lambro |
