Where to buy cake in London (and get it back to the flat)

Start at Cédric Grolet's counter at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge, where the pastries are piped and finished in front of you; nothing else in London quite matches it. Beyond that, these are the cake shops worth a detour for a birthday cake, a box to take back to the apartment or a slice with tea, and all were still trading when we checked this September.

Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Marylebone

Grolet, the French pastry chef best known for his sculpted fruit, is The Berkeley's pâtissier-in-residence, and the London counter is built around watching the work happen. A weekday morning is calmer. It's five minutes' walk from Knightsbridge station, so an easy stop between Harrods and Hyde Park.

Peggy Porschen's pink shopfront at 116 Ebury Street gets photographed more than anything else in Belgravia, as the queue on a sunny weekend shows. The slice-and-tea is fine, but the real draw is the celebration cakes, ordered online. The parlour opens from 8.30am daily and stays open until 6pm Friday to Sunday. Porschen also designs the festive afternoon tea at Céleste in The Lanesborough, a short cab ride away at Hyde Park Corner.

Ladurée's London shop is in the Wedding Gallery at One Marylebone, opposite Great Portland Street station. Macarons are the obvious buy, and because they keep a few days in the fridge they're the easiest thing here to take home.

Soho and Primrose Hill

Kova builds its Japanese-French cakes out of thin layers of crêpe and cream, and they're lighter than they look. The central branches are in St Anne's Court in Soho, Newport Court in Chinatown and on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington. When we checked, a whole matcha mille crêpe was £68 and a burnt cheesecake one £88, and both survive a taxi ride fine. There's bubble tea too, which teenagers tend to insist on.

The Cutter & Squidge bakery on Brewer Street, open daily from 11am to 7pm, is home of the Biskie, a cake-and-cookie sandwich filled with flavoured cream, and also sells layer cakes, brownies and biscuits. You can book afternoon tea in the shop. For a present to someone outside London it delivers nationwide: order by 4pm for next-day delivery, free over £50.

Primrose Bakery has been icing cupcakes on Gloucester Avenue since 2004, and still does them better than most. It's open 9am to 5pm every day and delivers in London. Pair it with a walk up Primrose Hill for the view south over the city; from Marylebone it's a pleasant half-hour on foot through Regent's Park.

Same-day cake, and getting it home

When a birthday creeps up on you, Konditor does same-day delivery across London from its shops in Waterloo, Holborn, the City and under The Shard at London Bridge. Order one of the personalised cakes, or for a mixed group the carrot and pistachio is a safe bet.

If cake's a priority, stay central. A typical West End address has well over a hundred food businesses within a few minutes' walk, so Soho's bakeries, Kova and Cutter & Squidge included, are right on the doorstep. A few things save a last-minute panic:

• Ask the lead time when you order; personalised designs usually need notice, even where same-day delivery exists.
• Make sure someone can take the delivery. Not every serviced apartment has staffed reception, so if yours doesn't, pick a slot when you're in.
• Check the fridge space, and ask the bakery to add candles and a cake knife if the kitchen hasn't got them.
• Mention allergies when you order. Small bakeries share equipment.

Food hygiene ratings for the places in this guide

Official fact Food Standards Agency Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, checked 23 September 2026. 5 is the top rating.

Name	Registered address	Rating	Inspected
Peggy Porschen	116 Ebury Street, SW1W 9QQ	4	Mar 2025
Kova Patisserie	9-12 St Anne's Court, W1F 0BB	5	May 2025
Cutter & Squidge	20 Brewer Street, W1F 0SJ	4	Jan 2024
Primrose Bakery	69 Gloucester Avenue, NW1 8LD	2	Jun 2026
Céleste at The Lanesborough	The Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA	5	Dec 2025

Ratings cover hygiene only, not food quality. Matched by name and address; a venue not shown was not found or could not be matched with confidence.