LoDough Bakery

Jan Kratzer, an Austrian-trained cook who spent years in fine-dining kitchens before going back to bread, founded LoDough as a wholesale bakery in November 2021 and opened this small storefront in the Dairy Block alley between Milk Market and Free Market in late 2024. Croissants, ham-and-cheese, burekas, seasonal pastries and loaves of sourdough, sold until they run out. Hours are 9 to 4, Tuesday through Sunday. It is the best morning stop on the block that is not a chain coffee counter, and a good thing to carry onto the train.

Why go. A proper croissant a hundred yards from Union Station, from a baker who wholesales to half the neighborhood.

Pre-order on the site for weekends; the popular pastries are usually gone by early afternoon.