CLEVELAND, Ohio – Every holiday season, family and friends gather around the table in the spirit of community. Parties, dinners and open houses abound and if guests are not gathered in the kitchen (that good ol’ Midwestern pastime!) you’ll find most crowded around the dessert table… looking for cookies.
This was the impetus for the “Best of Cleveland” team to call out to Cleveland.com readers, looking for the best places to procure any and all varieties of festive sweetness.
Out of a field of many exquisite bakeries, readers nominated from across the Greater Cleveland a field of 20, then baked the list down to 10, before delivering the hot “Top 3″ to cool on your tables and countertops.
From delicate sugar cookies and cutouts, to thumbprints, kolache and so much more, Kiedrowski’s, Fragapane’s and Wojtila’s bakeries make the season brighter for you, our readers, one cookie at a time.
They’re more than just places to buy treats; they’re family owned-and-operated keepers of tradition passing down handmade, homemade, from-scratch recipes across generations. To put it another way altogether, these bakeries are tough cookies who never crumble.
Known for their exquisite holiday cookies and baked goods, they blend time-honored traditions and family recipes with a modern twist, creating flavors that evoke cherished memories. Whether you’re looking for traditional cookies, classic cut outs, or anything sweet all three places have you covered.
We’re here to share their passion and backstory just for you. We hope our profiles help make your holidays merry and bright!
No. 3
Kiedrowski’s bakery
Owner, Tim Kiedrowski
Kiedrowski’s Bakery is located at 2267 Cooper Foster Pk Rd. in Amherst
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.comYadi Rodriguez
Tim and Terri Kiedrowski opened Kiedrowski’s Simply Delicious Bakery in 1984 in Amherst. The Polish-American bakery providing cakes, donuts, pastries, breads, Pączki and their trademarked Snoogle. They’ve served the audiences big and small, snaring kudos from around the world.
Tim cut his teeth as a baker working with his mom and grandpa at a little meat market and bakery in South Lorain. She was also doing the lion’s share of banking for St. Stanislaus Church. Tim helped “a little bit here, a little bit there,” learning as he went…
Read more about Kiedrowski’s Bakery in Amherst here
No. 2
Fragapane’s Bakeries
Brothers and owners Mike (on the left) and Nick Fragapane, grew up in the bakery. Also pictured, Natasha Kaseman (daughter of Mike and store manager)
Fragapane Bakery is located at 28625 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.comYadi Rodriguez
For over 50 years, Fragapane Bakeries has served Cleveland’s West Side with utter deliciousness. In 1971, brothers Nick and John Fragapane took over a little bakery in Bay Village. By 1978, the family-run business was so successful and so enmeshed in the community that they built their own building for a second location in North Olmsted.
That opened the following year. They’ve never looked back. By then, the Fragapane family already had a reputation for having the most delicious Italian and Sicilian gastronomic delights on the West Side…
Read more about Fragapane Bakeries in North Olmsted here
No. 1
Wojtila’s Bakery
Don (left) and Donny Wojtila (right) work hand in hand at the bakery.
Wojtila’s Bakery is located at 897 E. 222nd St., Euclid
– Photo by Yadi Rodriguez, cleveland.comYadi Rodriguez
Most “foodies” have a favorite place that captured their heart, stomach and imagination. Often, these places are a “blink and you’ll miss it” spot – cozy, diminutive, word-of-mouth popular – where Old World traditions and family recipes reign.
Wojtila’s Bakery in Euclid is such a place. It’s a family affair, a cultural heritage beacon for the East Side – just the way founders Don and Barb Wojtila had hoped when they opened back in 1993. Today, son Donny (with help from sisters Mary and Chrissy) carries the torch.
Baked goods fans, take note: your sweet tooth is about to get a workout…
Read more about Wojtila’s Bakery in Euclid here
Once again, we’d love to give a shoutout to all the amazing bakeries in Greater Cleveland who landed in the Top 20, as chosen by you the readers! If you are looking for a new bakery to order your holiday treats from, why not try out one or more of these bakeries? You may just find a new favorite.
Thanks for reading, nominating, voting and sharing your favorite spots.
Here are the Top 20 in Alphabetical order:
- Annie’s Signature Sweets 1433 West Bagley Rd., Ste. 250, Berea
- Breads and Beyond Bakery 5578 State Rd., Parma
- Casa Dolce Fine Italian Bakery and Cafe 5732 Mayfield Rd., Mayfield Hts.
- Colozza’s Bakery 5880 Ridge Rd., Parma
- Corbo’s Bakery 12210 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
- Elmwood Home Bakery 15204 Madison Ave., Lakewood
- Fragapane Bakery 28625 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted
- Gartman Model Bakery 30 North State St., Painesville
- Jim Alesci’s Place 32910 Solon Rd., Solon
- KB Confections 13519 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
- Kiedrowski’s Bakery 2267 Cooper Foster Pk. Rd., Amherst
- Luna Bakery & Café 2482 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Hts.
- Michael Angelo’s Bakery – 8035 Broadview Rd., Broadview Hts.
- Michael’s Bakery 4478 Broadview Rd., Cleveland
- Presti’s Bakery 12101 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
- Reilly’s Irish Bakery 22570 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park
- Stan’s Northfield Bakery 9395 Olde 8 Rd., Northfield
- Sweet Siren Bakery 2180 South Taylor Rd., Cleveland Hts.
- Top Tier Pastry 4668 East Prospect, Mantua
- Wojtila’s Bakery 897 E. 222nd St., Euclid