Melbourne-based bakery Zelda has topped the list of the city’s top croissants.

This list was compiled by six Good Food judges, who blind tasted 23 pastries from bakeries like Baker Bleu, Lune and Bread Club. Good Food writer Emma Breheny said the bakeries were chosen to represent a good cross-section of what the city has to offer from the more established and well-known bakeries to those newly opened, to inner-city, outer suburbs.

Joining the team of reviewers was former Tivoli Road Bakery owner Michael James, who now runs Urbanstead with his wife Pippa.

Each croissant was assessed on five signs: the colour, crust and flakiness, shape and structure, aroma, and flavour. Before each croissant was tasted it was first cut in half so the cross-section could be judged.

Topping the list was  Zelda.

The judges determined the pastry had nice buttery notes, pulled apart nicely and was delicate enough that it collapsed when cut and melted on the tongue.

“Buttery and with nice caramelisation, it’s a joy to eat, a testament to the prowess of baker Maaryasha Werdiger, who started her kosher bakery in her garage before moving to a small Ripponlea shop in 2021,” they wrote.

“The texture, the appearance, the flavour, the way it eats, the mouthfeel: it’s everything I’d want in a high-quality pastry,” Michael said.

Surprisingly Lune Croissanterie was also tested on the day but didn’t score high enough to make the Top 10 list.

The full Top 10 list is:

1. Zelda
2. The Flour House
3. Artisanal Bakehouse
4. Bakemono
5. Bread Club
6. Wildlife
7. Small Batch
8. Via Porta
9. Amann
10. Calle