Sebastien Sans Gluten

If you're coeliac or avoiding gluten and you're in Sydney's inner west, Sebastien Sans Gluten is the bakery in Leichhardt people point you towards. Everything here is gluten free and made in the French tradition, so there's no checking, no asking, no compromise. Locals who live with coeliac disease will tell you what that means: walking in and knowing every single thing on the shelf is safe to eat.

The man behind it is Sébastien, a pastry chef who trained in Paris in the late 90s, and you can taste the background in the viennoiserie. Croissants, pain au chocolat (including an almond version), tarts and choux pastries sit alongside savouries and bread. The ham and cheese croissant has fans who say it stopped them in their tracks, and the lemon meringue tart gets talked about by people who aren't gluten free at all. The eclairs are a regular order, with light cream and icing that isn't sickly sweet, and the Paris-Brest has its own devoted following. They're known for their pies too, and we've heard the beef pie holds up well after a trip home in the freezer. Fresh from the oven is the idea, and the flaky texture people usually miss in gluten-free baking is exactly what folks rave about.

Weekends are the big draw. Sébastien announces a special for the weekend, and regulars plan their visits around it, with some driving across Sydney or making the trip from interstate. It does get busy, sometimes with a line out the door, but the staff stay friendly and efficient, and the owner is often around to say hello. Vegan options and custom cake orders are on offer, and you can take away or sit in with a coffee or breakfast. There's free street parking nearby, and the bakery is LGBTQ+ friendly.

One local found the brownie a touch too sweet and thought the pain au chocolate was best fresh, but that's about the extent of the grumbles. Opening hours are short and the shop is closed early in the week, so check before you head in, and arrive early on a weekend if you want first pick of the specials.