The Pastry Lab

If you're hunting for a bakery in Caloundra that takes pastry seriously, The Pastry Lab is the name locals keep coming back to. It's a patisserie at heart, baking pastries, cakes and sourdough fresh each day, and the line out the door on a busy morning is part of the experience. Plan for a short wait, especially early.

The croissants are what people talk about first: flaky, buttery and soft, enough to impress even the self-confessed croissant snobs. Beyond those, there's a spread of savoury pastries, danishes, almond croissants and the cruffin, plus a spinach and fetta scroll and a cinnamon scroll that one local called an instant crowd favourite. The sweet side gets plenty of love too. A dark chocolate salted caramel tart has one regular ordering it on every visit, and the creme brulee tart is described as perfectly balanced, not too rich and not too sweet. The sourdough is well liked, and so is a toasted pastrami, cheese, mustard and pickle sandwich on seeded bread.

Chris, the pastry chef, has 18 years in the trade, and it shows in the detail. You can eat in, take away, or have things delivered, and there's coffee and breakfast if you want to sit down. They also do custom cake orders and catering, and the online pre-order system is easy to use for birthdays and small gatherings. One local booked the high tea and called it one of the best they'd had, with plenty of food and everything delicious.

Staff are friendly and efficient, and people tend to feel the quality justifies the price. Prices sit a little higher than your average suburban bakery, though it's generally considered good value for what you get. Pre-order customers might want to ask about skipping the main queue. There's free street parking nearby, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, and the shop welcomes everyone. The bus route out front can get noisy. Check the hours before you head in, as they close a couple of days a week and sell out of favourites.