Some of the best mornings in Ohio start in a plain strip-mall bakery with a line already curling out the door. You walk in expecting a donut and walk out holding a warm, jelly-stuffed paczki that changes your whole idea of breakfast.
Around Cleveland, these old-school shops bake treats so good that the trays are often empty before lunch. If you like a sweet adventure close to home, set your alarm early and start here.
1. Rudy’s Strudel & Bakery
Strudel is right there in the name, and Rudy’s treats it like a family heirloom. Flaky cherry and poppy seed versions sit beside cakes, cookies, and pastry trays on Ridge Road in Parma, Ohio.
Come Mardi Gras, though, the paczki steal the show. Folks will drive more than an hour for them and still find the case empty, which tells you everything about how fast they go…