Sweet spots: Here are America's 40 favorite bakeries

From croissants to artisan breads to cannoli, baking is a confluence of art and science. And sometimes it's best to leave it up to the professionals. 

To sift out the best in the nation, Hoodline crunched the numbers to find the top 40 bakeries around the country, using Yelp data and our own special sauce* to produce a data-driven breakdown of where baked goodies reign supreme across the U.S.

Topping the list is New York Ci's Levain Bakery, located at 167 W. 74th St. on the Upper West Side. With 4.5 stars out of an impressive 6,973 reviews on Yelp, the neighborhood bakery has made an impression with its “world-famous” six-ounce chocolate chip walnut cookie and selection of rustic breads, like a whole-wheat walnut raisin loaf, country boule and baguettes. 

If you’re jonesing for something on the sweet side, look for the bomboloncini (Italian-style doughnut holes), oatmeal raisin scones and Valrhona chocolate rolls. 

Since its founding in 1994 by two friends, the bakery has expanded its operations to include a second location on the Upper West Side, one in Harlem and an outpost in Wainscott, New York. 

In second place is Seattle’s Piroshky Piroshky with 4.5 stars out of an imposing 5,466 reviews. Located at 1908 Pike Place at the Pike Place Public Market, this Russian-inspired bakery features an assortment of sweet piroshky, like a marzipan-filled roll, a fresh rhubarb piroshky, Moscow roll and more. 

If you’re in the mood for lunch, there’s a selection of savory versions as well, such as chicken curry and rice; bacon, hash browns, egg and cheese; and smoked salmon pate. 

The third-place spot goes to Neil’s Donuts and Bake Shop in Wallingford, Connecticut, which boasts five stars out of 349 reviews. Located at 83 N. Turnpike Road, this spot features more than five dozen different types of pastries, cookies, pies, breads, danishes, muffins and more. And as the name suggests, there’s a wide array of doughnut options on hand, too. 

When it comes to the popularity of baked goods across the country, Yelp data show that businesses tagged with the "bakery" category are clustered around the most populated areas, with the West Coast, Midwest, the South and the Eastern Seaboard seeing notable numbers of bakery-focused outposts. 

As for relative popularity across the nation, measured by average ratings for a given category, Yelp data indicate that Minnesota, Montana, Nevada and North Dakota may eschew bakeries, comparatively speaking.

When it comes to how prevalent bakeries are, state by state, Vermont shows the strongest ratio of baked goods outlets compared to all other categories, with Maine, Hawaii, Rhode Island and New York the runners-up. So, Vermont should be your top stop if you want a diversity of baked good options to choose from.

Want to know where to score the most satisfying baked goodies the country has to offer? Here's the rundown of the 40 American bakeries to knock off your bucket list:

1. Levain Bakery (New York City, New York)
2. Piroshky Piroshky (Seattle, Washington)
3. Neil’s Donuts and Bake Shop (Wallingford, Connecticut) 
4. Beiler’s Bakery (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 
5. Pistacia Vera (Columbus, Ohio)
6. Mike’s Pastry (Boston, Massachusetts) 
   
7. Bibble & Sip (New York City, New York)
   
8. La Farm Bakery (Cary, North Carolina)
   
9. Sweet Delights Key Lime Pies (Florida City, Florida)
   
10. Bottega Louie (Los Angeles, California)
11. La Mie (Des Moines, Iowa)
    
12. Fox in the Snow Cafe (Columbus, Ohio)
    
13. Persephone Bakery (Jackson, Wyoming) 
14. Porto’s Bakery & Cafe (Burbank, California)
    
15. Porto’s Bakery & Cafe (Glendale, California)
    
16. The Sweet Life Bakeshop (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) 
    
17. Royalicious Bagel Bakery (Charles Town, West Virginia) 
    
18. Frank & Louie’s Italian Specialties (Rehoboth Beach, Delaware) 
    
19. Copenhagen Pastry (Culver City, California)
    
20. Two Little Red Hens (New York City, New York)
    
21. Sweet Mandy B’s (Chicago, Illinois) 
    
22. Nathaniel Reid Bakery (St. Louis, Missouri) 
    
23. Porto’s Bakery & Cafe (Downey, California) 
    
24. Le Reve Patisserie & Café (Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) 
    
25. Isles Bun & Coffee (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 
    
26. Emporium Pies (Dallas, Texas) 
    
27. Patisserie 46 (Minneapolis, Minnesota) 
    
28. Le Panier French Bakery (Seattle, Washington) 
    
29. Long’s Bakery (Indianapolis, Indiana) 
    
30. Diddy Riese Cookies (Los Angeles, California) 
    
31. The Crumpet Shop (Seattle, Washington)
    
32. Molly’s Cupcakes (New York City, New York) 
    
33. Clinton Street Baking Company (New York City, New York) 
    
34. Czech Stop and Little Czech Bakery (West, Texas)
    
35. Nichole’s Fine Pastry (Fargo, North Dakota) 
    
36. Jean-Marc Chatellier’s French Bakery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) 
    
37. Jaarsma Bakery (Pella, Iowa) 
    
38. Pie Junkie (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) 
    
39. Eileen’s Special Cheesecake (New York City, New York)
    
40. Nord’s Bakery (Louisville, Kentucky) 

* To determine "best" businesses, Hoodline took into account the business's Yelp rating and the significance of that rating proportional to the number of reviews, as well as regional variations, to ensure that states with a stronger pattern of reviews don't have an unfair advantage over states that tend to review businesses less frequently.