Zest Pastries

Stephen Lambert trained in Switzerland as a pastry chef, and that grounding shows in the pastry at Zest Pastries, a bakery in Stanthorpe, Queensland. Everything is handmade and baked in-house each day using Swiss-inspired methods and locally sourced ingredients, with the team leaning into the "handmade delights" idea.

The pastry cabinet is where people tend to linger. Danishes get a lot of talk, especially the bacon and egg one and a savoury version with caramelised onion, alongside pear and chocolate varieties. There's a Boston cream pastry, a Portuguese-style tart with a crunchy top, almond croissants, and a vanilla slice with a custard people rave about. One visitor put it plainly: Zest is "better than most the rest" with pastry.

The pies get just as much love. The lamb pie, a chicken, mushroom and leek pie with flaky, crisp pastry, and an unusual goat curry pie all have their fans, and one local said they'd happily make a three-hour drive back for them. The apple pie, served warm with cream, is another favourite. Sourdough is a speciality, and sausage rolls and ready-made sandwiches round out the savoury side. Custom cake orders are available too.

It's a place people tend to come back to. We've heard of visitors who stopped in for a treat and returned the next morning, and of travellers who ended up having breakfast here three days running. Staff are described as friendly and welcoming, happy to suggest something good, and the prices are seen as fair for the quality. The coffee gets praise, though one person found it a touch light in body. The odd person found the almond croissant on the soggy side, so that one may come down to taste.

You can dine in or take away, and there's a relaxed atmosphere, with messages from visitors covering one wall. Payment by card or phone is easy, there's free street parking nearby, and the car park and entrance are wheelchair accessible. The bakery also runs baking classes through the year. Hours vary through the week and the doors are shut on a couple of days, so check before you head in.