Suba Bakery

West African flavours through French lamination

West African references arrive inside European laminated dough at Suba, and the results are nothing like a standard East London pastry counter. Mango, baobab, caraway and cardamom carry through the case, and the bakes are African- and Asian-inflected without abandoning the technique that makes a croissant work. The founder came to baking from the Gambia by way of Hackney, which explains the menu better than any category label would. The Walthamstow shop belongs to a small group that also bakes in Clapton and Spitalfields, but it reads as a neighbourhood bakery rather than a chain, and it sits on the short list of London bakeries worth a journey for croissants.

A tiny room with benches and warm tones

Scale is part of the appeal. The Walthamstow branch is tiny, fitted with leather-backed benches and painted in what has been described as soothing shades of carb-brown, so it reads as a compact bakery-cafe rather than a restaurant. Croissants come out in batches through the morning, which gives the place a pulse instead of a static display case, and it also means the timing of a visit matters. Come early if you want the full range, because the popular items move quickly. The rest is straightforward: order at the counter, take a bench if one is free, and let the smell of laminated pastry make the second decision for you. There is not much room to spread out, so most of what comes off the counter leaves with the person who bought it.

Start with the plain croissant, then the danish

Order the plain croissant first, because it is where the technique shows. It is made with Estate Dairy butter and grain milled to order in Scotland, baked in morning batches, and finished with a mango syrup glaze that quietly announces the bakery's register. The cashew croissant is the other one to get, keeping the appeal of an almond croissant without the sweetness running away with it. Pain au chocolat gives a benchmark for the lamination itself, which is the strongest thing about the case. Then move into the more distinctive end. Bantu buns are fragrant with caraway, tapalapa bread is pillowy, and the mango baobab danish comes with cardamom cream. On the savoury side, the Japanese egg mayo sandwich is worth an order of its own.