Big Bear Bakery
The black sesame sourdough is the reason to come, and The List's 2025 Glasgow bread guide rates it among "strong contenders for the city's best," with the instruction to get there early.
Why go
Ian and Dominique started the business in 2007 as a cake operation and only opened a shop to the public in 2018, in Battlefield, adding the West End counter on Dowanhill Street in September 2022 (Big Bear Bakery). That order of events explains the counter: enriched doughs and celebration cakes came first, bread arrived later, and both sit side by side now. The cake side went UK-wide in 2023. Bread, cakes and pastries can be pre-ordered for collection, which is the way to guarantee a loaf.
Order this / avoid
- Order: the black sesame sourdough. Beyond bread, The List names
danishes and cinnamon buns to sausage rolls and filled croissants,
and rates the sandwiches too1. For anything with candles on it, order ahead. - Avoid: a mid-afternoon visit hoping for the loaf. The List's own advice is "Get down early if you want one of those loaves," and the counter thins out well before closing.
What locals & experts say
- The List (Eat & Drink 365, 2025), 10 bread and patisserie shops across Glasgow:
The black sesame sourdough loaves here are strong contenders for the city's best. Big Bear does a lot more besides bread, from danishes and cinnamon buns to sausage rolls and filled croissants (their sandwich game is also good).
1 - The bakery on itself:
Established in 2007, we've been baking awesome cakes for well over a decade now, and since 2018, we've been operating our wildly popular shop in Battlefield for the public every weekend.
2 - Local rec: Jeff's save, his note below.
Good to know
- Timing: open daily from morning through the afternoon, and the good stuff goes before lunch. Check the Maps pin for exact hours.
- Booking: walk up, or pre-order online for collection if you want a specific loaf or a cake.
- Getting there: Jeff's save is the West End shop at 21 Dowanhill Street, near Partickhill and a short walk from Hyndland. The other branch is 54 Sinclair Drive in Battlefield on the Southside.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Good local bakery"
Verdict
could-visit — Big Bear Bakery is a solid neighborhood bakery with one item worth planning around. The List, in its 2025 Glasgow bread and patisserie guide, called the black sesame sourdough loaves 'strong contenders for the city's best' and told readers to get there early, which is the practical shape of the recommendation. The family started in 2007 as a cake business and only opened to the public in 2018, so the counter runs enriched doughs and celebration cakes alongside bread, and does all of it competently. It stays at could-visit because no source documents the baking method, there is no award, and Glasgow's bakery bench is deep right now.