Port Lincoln Bakery

If you're after a bakery in Port Lincoln, South Australia, this is the one locals point visitors towards, and the pies are usually the reason. Beef, cheese and bacon is a common order, and one holidaymaker spent a fortnight working through them and carted a family-sized one home on the plane to prove the point. Another pie fan, who says they've sought out good pies and sausage rolls for decades, raved about the crumbly short crust base that held together to the last bite, topped with crisp, flaky half puff pastry and served at just the right temperature. We'll be fair: one person found their chunky meat pie light on meat and heavy on gravy, so tastes and timing can vary.

Beyond pies, the cabinet is wide. Pasties, sausage rolls, cheese kransky pastries and banh mi rolls all get a mention, and the sweet side runs to vanilla slice, caramel slice, jelly cakes and Kitchener buns. One local was pleased to find a vanilla slice without pink icing. Custom cake orders are available, and there are gluten-free options too. A gluten-intolerant customer was delighted with a carrot slice and hopes to see more like it, which says plenty in a town where fresh gluten-free choices are hard to find.

It works as a sit-down stop as well as a grab-and-go. You can dine in, take away, pick up in store or have orders delivered, and the coffee gets its own praise, with people calling it quality at a fair price. Breakfast is on offer, and it's a popular quick smoko or lunch spot, with plenty of variety and prices people call good value.

The staff are a big part of the appeal. People describe them as friendly, helpful and quick even when it's busy, with one visitor noting they remembered their order on the second visit. Rachel gets a name-check for service at the counter.

Practical bits: there's free parking nearby, a wheelchair-accessible entrance and car park, and card and tap payments are accepted. Hours vary across the week and the bakery isn't open every day, so check before you head in.