Banana Boogie Bakery

Anyone hunting for a bakery in Belair, South Australia, tends to hear about Banana Boogie Bakery sooner or later, and the vanilla slice is usually the reason. People describe crisp pastry top and bottom with a smooth custard filling, and plenty of visitors seem to make a point of coming for it.

The sausage rolls get just as much talk. Locals describe them as big, flaky and well filled, and the bakery's own line is that it makes the greatest sausage roll in Australia. Pies are another draw, with a beef pie and a tuna mornay pie both singled out as standouts. One local called the crust among the best they'd had in Adelaide. Sourdough is part of the range too, and a fingerbun, a honey stick and a strawberry vanilla slice have all won fans.

It's small-batch baking, and the bakery says it has collected plenty of awards for its slices, pies and sausage rolls. That's partly why people travel to get here. Visitors from interstate have planned a trip around it, and others describe the drive up as worth it.

Not everyone agrees on every item. One person thought chicken pies elsewhere tasted better, and another found a pepper steak pie's pastry a little plain and the long black bitter. That's about the only grumbling we've heard, and the overall picture is of a bakery people happily return to. Staff are often described as friendly, and the prices are called cheap for the quality.

There's more than baked goods on offer. You can get coffee and breakfast, grab takeaway or pick up in store, and there's a spot to sit with a coffee and pastry at a few tables under cover outside. Custom cake orders and delivery are available, and the bakery takes online orders for pickup. It also supplies cafés and restaurants. Free street parking and a free car park are close by, along with a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, and they take cards and mobile payments.

It's closed one day a week, so check the hours before you head in.