Gooey butter cake, century-old cookies, Italian cannoli, Black-owned bakeries, and world-class pastry across St. Louis.
6Stops
24–28 milesTotal distance
55–65 minTravel time
Approximately 4 hrExperience
Established and Evolving
St. Louis Keeps Its Sweetest History in the Bakery Case
St. Louis is more than gooey butter cake. This route follows six bakeries that show how neighborhood tradition, Black entrepreneurship, immigrant pastry culture, and modern technical craft continue to shape the city’s dessert identity.
Itinerary for Your Self-Guided Tour
Follow the Dough through St Louis
Taste St. Louis through six bakery stories: nationally acclaimed modern pastry, Black-owned plant-based baking, French technique, The Hill’s Italian-American tradition, a nearly century-old cookie institution, and the city’s signature gooey butter cake.
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Plan It. Check In. Share It.
Turn Your Tour Into a Memory
Choose a date for your self-guided tour, add it to your calendar, and check in as you visit. Check in at any 3 tour stops to unlock your St Louis Follow the Dough badge.
Plan your visit
Choose when you want to go, then save the tour to the calendar you already use. Your event will include the tour link, starting stop, estimated duration, and a reminder to verify current hours.
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Visit any 3 tour stopsUse the Check In button on the corresponding bakery card when you arrive. You can keep exploring after your badge is earned.
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Confirm your visitUse one-time GPS verification or choose the manual fallback when location services are unavailable.
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Unlock your city badgeCheck in at any 3 tour stops, then save or share your badge with your favorite tour photos. Visit all 5 stops if you want to complete the full tour.
Tour Check-In Status0 of 3 toward badge
Doughful requests your location only when you choose GPS verification. Your location is not continuously tracked.
Your St Louis Badge Awaits
Check in at any 3 tour stops to earn your city badge. Share it with your favorite photos, tag @doughful, and use #FollowtheDough.
Check in at 3 tour stops to unlock your badge and sharing.
Plan Your Tour
Make the tour work for your day
Choose where to begin, remove stops you do not plan to visit, or change the order using the arrow controls. The numbered map updates instantly.
Know Before You Go
Tour Tips
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Best time to begin
8:00 AM Wednesday-Friday
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Cost guidance
Plan roughly $8–$15 per stop if sharing one signature item; composed pastries or take-home boxes can increase the total.
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Parking
Most stops have street or lot parking, but conditions vary by neighborhood. The Hill and central-city stops may require street parking; allow a few extra minutes at each stop.
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Accessibility
Accessibility varies by storefront. Contact individual bakeries for current entrance, restroom, and seating accommodations if needed.
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More tour tips
Share signature items, bring an insulated tote if purchasing take-home cakes, verify same-day hours before leaving, and save Gooey Louie for after 11 AM when the South City shop opens.
Plan Your Sweet Adventure
Frequently Asked Questions About the St Louis Dessert Tour
Planning your day? These answers cover common questions about taking a self-guided dessert and bakery tour through St Louis.
Is there a self-guided dessert tour in St Louis?
Yes. Follow the Dough is Doughful's self-guided St Louis dessert tour, designed so you can explore at your own pace using a curated route, maps, recommended timing, bakery stories, and signature sweets. If you're looking for a St Louis bakery tour or dessert crawl, this experience gives you a ready-made route while still letting you customize your day.
How long does the St Louis dessert tour take?
The recommended St Louis dessert tour takes Approximately 4 hr. Your actual time may vary based on traffic, walking or transit time, parking, lines, how long you spend at each bakery, and any changes you make to the suggested route.
How many bakeries are on the St Louis dessert tour?
The current Follow the Dough St Louis tour includes 6 curated bakery and dessert stops. You can follow the recommended order or use the tour planner to remove stops, change the order, or choose a different starting point.
What desserts is St Louis known for?
The St Louis tour highlights signature sweets includingGuyana, Sweet Potato Cake, The Darkness, Ricotta Cannoli, Original Scotch Oatmeal Cookie, Original Gooey Butter Cake. Together, the tour stops show how local traditions, neighborhood bakeries, and newer pastry ideas shape the city's dessert story.
Can I use Follow the Dough as a St Louis food itinerary?
Yes. Follow the Dough can be used as a dessert-focused St Louis food itinerary. The page gives you an ordered route, estimated timing, signature-item recommendations, maps, and planning tools, making it easy to build the dessert portion of a larger day of eating and exploring the city.
What are some unique things to do in St Louis for foodies?
One of the most distinctive things to do in St Louis for foodies is explore the city's baking culture neighborhood by neighborhood. Follow the Dough turns that idea into a self-guided foodie experience by connecting locally significant bakeries, signature desserts, cultural stories, and a route you can experience on your own schedule.
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Confirm that you are visiting this stop.
Doughful requests your current location only after you tap Check In. Your location is used once to estimate your distance from the stop and is not continuously tracked.
Keep Exploring St Louis
Browse every bakery and baked dessert destination in St Louis, including places beyond this self-guided tour.
