Fannie Bay Bakery

Fannie Bay Bakery is a neighbourhood bakery in Fannie Bay, Darwin, and the kind of place to pick up fresh baked goods. Locals tell you the pies are the main event, with the plain meat pie, the beef curry pie and the steak and onion all getting a mention. Sausage rolls are on the menu, and there's a mushy pea pie for anyone after something a little different. Sourdough and focaccia sit alongside the pastry cabinet, and the salad rolls are a popular lunch grab.

Sweet things hold their own. We hear the chocolate donuts are a favourite, and cinnamon donuts, almond croissants and hot crossed buns are also available. Custom cake orders are available, and one local rates the mud cake as the birthday choice every time. Another ordered one for a visit to Darwin and was still working through it days later.

The staff come up again and again, described as friendly and genuinely lovely to deal with. Some people stop in a couple of times a week, and a few say they're there almost daily. The shop is also described as clean and welcoming.

A few people have found a pie lacking in flavour or a pastry that didn't taste fresh, and one regular felt the ham and salad rolls had slipped after a change of hands. Popular pies can also sell out by late morning, so if you have your heart set on the chunky steak, go early.

Takeaway is the way most people use it. Payment is easy, with cards and tap-to-pay accepted. There's free parking in the car park and on the street, and the entrance and car park are both wheelchair accessible. The bakery opens early every day and stays open into the late afternoon on weekdays, with shorter hours on weekends, so check the hours before you head in.

If you're in Fannie Bay and want pies, donuts or a loaf of sourdough, this is a good first stop.