The Bread Social - Tweed Heads

If there's a queue out the door at The Bread Social in Tweed Heads, locals will tell you it moves quickly and it's worth the wait. This is a small, good-looking bakery with an industrial-inspired fit-out of exposed brick and tiled details, and it stays busy in any weather. Inside tables can be hard to come by, so plenty of people simply take their order away, though a few tables set out on the footpath on sunny days are a nice spot if you land one.

The bread is the heart of it. They hand-craft sourdough and pastries using Australian and locally sourced ingredients where they can, and the sourdough is what sent more than one person through the door in the first place. Pies and sausage rolls are the other big drawcard. We've heard the chicken curry pie called the best someone has had, and one visitor described a traditional pork sausage roll with flaky puff pastry as the best in decades. There's also a pork, sage and apple version and a lamb one, both praised for their flaky pastry and fillings that aren't dry or dense.

On the sweeter side, the custard tart gets mentioned again and again, one local calling it the biggest they'd ever seen, and the almond croissant has plenty of fans too. Donuts, carrot cake, cookies and seasonal quiche all turn up in people's orders. Breakfast is well covered, with egg rolls, a haloumi, egg and chutney bread, and sourdough sandwiches alongside good coffee. They also offer vegan options and catering, plus dine-in and takeaway.

Service is the other thing people bring up. The staff come across as friendly and down to earth, and orders are turned around promptly even when it's busy. Prices are considered fair for what you get.

Practically, there's free street parking and a free car park nearby, and the entrance and car park are wheelchair accessible. They take cards and tap-to-pay. The bakery is open daily from early, but it's worth confirming the opening times.