Photo by J.B. Forbes (Post-Dispatch)
Nathaniel Reid Bakery
Nathaniel Reid studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, worked at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis and won “Pastry Chef of the Year” at the 2010 U.S. Pastry Competition, so a modest shopping strip in Kirkwood might seem like an unusual spot to open his namesake bakery. But Nathaniel Reid Bakery is a democratic pastry shop, with as much care taken with the croissants and brownies as with the gorgeous, sophisticated desserts on display. And even those upscale desserts, like the caramel-on-caramel marvel called the Amber or the chocolate-hazelnut-vanilla Sambava, are priced for everyday indulgence.
Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Last year's ranking: new
Opened: 2016
Must order: The Amber ($5.95)