Whether it’s for your weekly sandwich bread, breakfast pastries that are ready to grab-and-go, or a sweet creation worthy of a special occasion, the bakery department at your supermarket is a central part of the grocery shopping experience. And if we’re being honest, it can often influence which store we choose.

Some stores are known for specific items — like an iconic cake that’s inspired a bevy of other treats or flaky croissants that fans swear by — while others are dependable destinations for just about everything. Depending on your priorities, you might find that one grocery chain can save the day when you need something specific, or a supermarket that stocks dependable staples is worth keeping on your radar.

To make sure you’re getting the best cakespies, muffins, cookies, and more, we’ve taken a deep dive into the grocery landscape to identify which chains consistently deliver top results and earn rave reviews from customers.

Costco

Costco’s bakery department is popular among shoppers for its seasonal, ever-rotating array of baked goods, including items like the newer crispy marshmallow cookies and returning fall favorites such as pumpkin muffins. As with everything else at Costco, it’s known for affordable prices and very large portions. If you’re looking to supply a dessert for a large dinner party, Costco might be your best bet.

Like most grocery store bakeries, some baked goods are shipped to Costco as frozen dough or batter and baked on-site, while other items are prepared from scratch at each store. This production strategy helps major retailers keep their prices low. (For example, if each Costco store laminated croissant dough on-premises, a notoriously time-consuming and technical task, these pastries would likely be more expensive.)

Looking for something that’s definitely made from scratch at each location? One Redditor and former Costco bakery employee shares that “Costco bakes all of (its) pumpkin pies from scratch.” Other employees have noted online that the cakesmuffins, and dinner rolls are also reportedly baked from scratch at each store.

Even if you pick up items like croissants or danishes that are baked from frozen, they are still proofed and baked at each store, so you get a fresh item.

Acme Markets

Customers love the bakery department at ACME Markets, part of the Albertsons family of grocery stores, and praise its beautifully decorated cakes that resemble those from a “high-end bakery.” You can easily customize birthday cakes at this chain for as little as $16, and the bakery departments at Acme Market stores can create custom, multi-tiered wedding cakes to order.

Jewel Hunt, group vice president of corporate merchandising at Albertsons Companies, tells Food & Wine, “We take pride in baking a wide variety of fresh items every day in our stores — our Italian bread is baked fresh daily; croissants, rolls, and bagels are also baked fresh each morning.” Wondering what to try first? According to Hunt, one of the store’s top-selling items is the Signature Select Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Sam’s Club

Sam’s Club’s bakery team tells Food & Wine that all its baked goods are prepared, decorated, or baked in-house, with breads and rolls made fresh daily. The retailer partners with suppliers “who produce high-quality ingredients and exclusive items for our members,” like Carlo’s Bakery of Cake Boss fame, which provides Swiss pistachio buttercream and pistachio kataififilling for the Sam’s Club Dubai Chocolate Cupcakes.

To ensure consistency and quality in the bakery departments across Sam’s Club locations, store associates participate in “hands-on training to properly handle, prepare, decorate, and bake all products,” the chain confirms. Some notably popular baked goods at Sam’s Club include its sourdough, croissants, Tuxedo Bar Cake (featuring rich chocolate mousse and cream cheese icing), Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Key Lime Pieand seasonal Pumpkin Pie.

Whole Foods

When you walk into a Whole Foods, its bakery section nearly resembles a more artisanal establishment, with aesthetically pleasing cakes, an array of desserts, and an extensive selection of breads on display.

You may already be familiar with the Berry Chantilly Cake and Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies as standout customer favorites, but the store’s bakery team has also developed seasonal variations of these classics. “This fall, our stores are offering the Figgy Foggy Chantilly Cake and the Brown Butter Apple Cookies, both available through November,” confirms a brand spokesperson.

Most grocery stores offer croissants in their bakeries, but Whole Foods’ renditions of the flaky pastries rank among the best — shoppers either opt for the already-baked, fresh Butter Croissants from the bakery section or snag the frozen Take & Bake Butter Croissants.

According to its website, the grocer’s baked goods are made with “unbleached, unbromated flour and cage-free or better eggs,” and the use of hydrogenated fats and high-fructose corn syrup is prohibited, which means you’re getting authentic butter croissants instead of ones made with margarine.

Wegmans

The Wegmans bakery is filled with tempting treats like Mini Pumpkin Pies, In-Store Baked Donuts, Cheese Danishesand beyond, but shoppers especially love the grocery store’s vast dessert selection. Cheesecakes, delicate fruit tarts, chocolate mousse, and pies are just a few of the many options, along with cakes that never disappoint.

You’ll find a wide variety of layer cakes at Wegmans — ranging from chocolate raspberry to red velvet, Boston cream, and even a seasonal caramel apple cake for fall — all of which are noteworthy for their moist interior and tender crumb.

You can request personalized messages on birthday cakes at each store or buy a single slice to take home and enjoy for yourself. All of these baked goods are so good that you won’t want to wait for a special occasion to treat yourself.