Some bakeries have been selling cookies, bread, and cakes since before your great-grandparents were born. Across the country, a handful of family-run shops still bake the same kinds of treats that earlier generations lined up for.
This list stretches from North Carolina to Washington and covers German strudel, Sicilian cannoli, Moravian cookies, Louisiana ginger cakes, and Chinese almond cookies. Each stop has a real history that goes back a century or more, and many are still run by the families who built them.
Some are in busy city neighborhoods, while others sit in small towns where the bakery is a main attraction. Whether you are planning a road trip or just want to know what your hometown shop is up against, these bakeries show how long a good recipe can last.
Grab a napkin and get ready to add a few places to your travel plans.
Winkler Bakery, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Few bakeries make history feel as real as this one inside Old Salem. The building dates to 1799, and Swiss-born Christian Winkler bought it in 1807.
The oven is still heated with wood, which is a rare thing to find in a working bakery today. Visitors can look for Moravian specialties such as thin cookies, sugar cake, and ginger cakes, all tied to the food traditions of early Salem.
The location adds a lot to the visit. The bakery sits within Old Salem Museums & Gardens, so a cookie stop can easily turn into a walk past historic buildings and along old streets.
Old Salem continues to list Winkler Bakery as one of its visitor locations in 2026. That makes it a handy choice for anyone who likes to pair a sweet snack with a little American history.
Families, school groups, and curious travelers can all fit it into a day of exploring the museum grounds.
Trefzger’s Bakery, Peoria Heights, Illinois
Trefzger’s has been baking in the Peoria area since 1861, when German immigrant Simon Trefzger opened his first shop. That is more than 160 years of old-fashioned baking in Central Illinois.
The bakery has moved over the years, and today it operates from a restored historic building in Peoria Heights. The case holds cakes, pastries, cookies, pies, and breads, so it works for a birthday order or a quick box of sweets.
Family history is a big part of the story. The original family ran the business for four generations before Jeff and Martha Huebner took ownership in 1993.
Current 2026 operating hours show the shop is still going strong. If you are passing through the Peoria area and want a classic bakery stop, this one has deep roots and a menu full of familiar favorites.
Naegelin’s Bakery, New Braunfels, Texas
Texas is not the first place many people expect to find a bakery rooted in German tradition, but New Braunfels has one that began in 1868. Edouard Naegelin arrived in town and started baking.
By 1870, the bakery had moved to South Seguin Avenue, and it still sits there today. Strudel is the item most tied to its name, and the shelves also hold pastries, cookies, breads, cakes, and doughnuts.
The Granzin family took over from the Naegelin family in the early 1980s and kept the tradition going. That kind of handoff helps explain why the shop feels like a steady part of local life.
According to its current schedule, Naegelin’s is open seven days a week. That makes planning easy, whether you are in town for a weekend trip or just need something sweet.
LeJeune’s Bakery, Jeanerette, Louisiana
The nickname says it all: Old Reliable Bakery. LeJeune’s has been part of life in Jeanerette since 1884, and it keeps its focus on just a few things.
Those things are old-fashioned French bread and ginger cakes, made with methods linked to generations of the LeJeune family. There is no rush to chase modern trends here.
The bakery built its name by preserving the style of bread that made it famous in the first place. Its website currently sells French bread, ginger cakes, and other products, which is helpful if you cannot make the trip in person.
History fans get a bonus, since the bakery building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For anyone exploring Louisiana’s Cajun country, this is a small-town stop with real staying power and a short, honest menu.
Ferrara Bakery & Cafe, New York City, New York
Little Italy would not feel quite the same without Ferrara. Established in 1892, the family-owned business calls itself America’s first pasticceria and espresso bar.
It still stands at 195 Grand Street, more than 130 years later. The menu includes Italian pastries, cannoli, cakes, cookies, gelato, and espresso, so there are plenty of ways to build a tasting plate.
The bakery credits part of its reputation to making baked goods frequently in small batches, a habit that helped it become known for freshness generations ago.
Ferrara is now run by the family’s fifth generation. It stays open daily in Manhattan, which makes it an easy add to a walking tour of lower Manhattan.
Cannoli fans especially should plan a stop, since it is one of the best-known items from a shop with this much history.
Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffè, New York City, New York
Just a few miles from Little Italy, another New York institution has its own claim to bakery history. Antonio Veniero founded the shop in 1894, and it has stayed in the family for five generations.
The East Village location still shows off historic details, including decorative metal ceilings, etched glass, polished wood, and marble. Looking up is part of the fun.
The pastry cases carry Italian cheesecakes, biscotti, butter cookies, cakes, and classic pastries. Much of the baking continues in the basement bake shop, so the work is still done on site.
Veniero’s stays open daily at its longtime East 11th Street home. It makes a good choice for a dessert stop after dinner in the neighborhood, or for picking up a box of cookies to take home.
Dutch Maid Bakery, Tracy City, Tennessee
Walking into Dutch Maid Bakery can feel like finding a piece of small-town Tennessee that time overlooked. Swiss immigrants John and Louise Baggenstoss founded it in Tracy City in 1902.
Many products are still made from scratch. The bakery says some of its recipes, ovens, mixers, and other equipment have links to its early years.
Salt-rise bread is one of its signature old-fashioned offerings. The display also includes cinnamon rolls, cream horns, turnovers, cakes, and cookies, so there is a lot to choose from.
The bakery currently operates Monday through Saturday at its Main Street location. Anyone driving through the Cumberland Plateau should check the days before heading out, since Sunday is not a baking day here.
Roeser’s Bakery, Chicago, Illinois
Still run by the founding family at the same address after more than a century, Roeser’s is a rarity in Chicago. It opened in the Humboldt Park neighborhood in 1911 on North Avenue.
Early customers included German and Scandinavian immigrants, and the first specialties were rye bread, strudel, and stollen. As the neighborhood changed, the bakery changed with it while keeping its identity as a classic neighborhood cake and pastry shop.
Fourth-generation owner John C. Roeser IV continues the family business today.
The shop sells cakes, cookies, breads, coffee cakes, and pastries.
For anyone who likes seeing how a city’s food story shifts over time, this bakery offers a clear example. It is also a solid choice when you need a cake for a birthday or a family gathering.
Kruta Bakery, Collinsville, Illinois
Here is a bakery with a move in its past. Kruta Bakery began in East St. Louis in 1919, when founder Frank Kruta Sr. brought European baking skills to Illinois.
In 1974, the family relocated the business to Collinsville and brought its old-world recipes along. Generations of the Kruta family have stayed involved, which helps keep the neighborhood-bakery feel that has made the shop a Metro East favorite.
The offerings blend European roots with American bakery traditions. Shoppers can find breads, doughnuts, pastries, coffee cakes, cookies, specialty desserts, and celebration cakes.
More than a century after it began, Kruta continues operating from its Collinsville location. It is a handy stop for anyone near the St. Louis area who wants a bakery with real family history behind the counter.
Termini Brothers Bakery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Two brothers, a hat factory, and a dream of owning a bakery: that is how the story starts. Giuseppe and Gaetano Termini opened their first South Philadelphia bakery in 1921 after immigrating from Sicily and saving money while working at the Stetson Hat Company.
The bakery became known for Sicilian pastries, Italian cream cakes, cookies, and ricotta-filled cannoli. In 1938, the flagship shop moved across the street to its current 8th Street building.
Termini Brothers still emphasizes handmade production rather than heavy automation. Recipes and techniques have been passed down through generations.
The family business celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2021 and remains an active Philadelphia institution. Anyone exploring South Philly’s food scene should consider adding it to the route.
Three Girls Bakery, Seattle, Washington
Pike Place Market is full of famous stops, and Three Girls Bakery is one of its oldest surviving businesses. It has been there since 1912.
According to the bakery, it was also Seattle’s first business licensed to women. That is a good fact to share while you wait in line.
Jacob Levy and his sister Zelda purchased the business in 1979, and the Levy family has run it ever since. Customers can stop at the bakery window for breads, pastries, cookies, savory croissants, and other treats.
There is also a luncheonette that serves sandwiches and soups, which turns the stop into a full meal if you want one. The bakery currently operates every day in Pike Place Market, so it fits easily into any Seattle itinerary.
Phoenix Bakery, Los Angeles, California
Ask longtime Angelenos about birthday cake, and many will name the strawberry-and-whipped-cream cake from this Chinatown shop. Phoenix Bakery opened in 1938, when F.C.
Chan and his wife created a community gathering place for traditional Chinese pastries and cookies.
Almond cookies were among the early specialties. The bakery later became famous for that strawberry cake, which has a devoted following among generations of Los Angeles families.
The Chan family still operates the business. Handmade Chinese pastries, including mooncakes, share display space with cakes and other sweets.
Phoenix Bakery remains open on North Broadway in Chinatown in 2026. It makes a great pairing with a stroll through the neighborhood, and the cookies travel well if you want to bring some home.
Share this story
