Some people work a regular nine-to-five, others begin their shift around midnight. This is the time the lights turn on at the Better Baker and owner Vinny Veksler throws his yellow apron on and gets to work. The small bakery is tucked in an alley, down some stairs behind Whyte Avenue, and the pursuit of better is the philosophy behind the Better Baker.
“Better. Every single thing I do, I wanted it to be better,” Veksler explains.
Veksler felt that Edmonton was missing consistently excellent croissants — specifically the kind of croissant he wanted to eat himself.
Despite the volume, he says every single one is handmade.
While the pastry may be easy to identify across cultures its French pronunciation remains a source of debate. Saying it correctly can feel a little pretentious in English — it’s OK. You don’t have to change your accent mid-sentence to submit your croissant (krwa-sahn) order.
“The ideal croissant is 13 inches long, four inches wide and five centimetres (about two inches) high,” Veksler says. It should be large and substantial but light for its size, with clearly defined layers of lamination and a large smattering of flakes left behind after taking a bite.
For Veksler, the mess is part of the experience. “If the flakes aren’t falling onto the floor, it isn’t crispy enough,” he adds.
He set a goal: “I could try to make the best croissant in Edmonton,” Veksler recalls.
It was an ambitious goal for a pastry that belongs to the world of viennoiserie — these laminated pastries require a different level of technical skill. At the Better Baker, a croissant begins two days before it reaches the pastry shelves, with layers of dough and butter carefully built, folded and rolled.
That meticulousness is a far cry from how Veksler began baking. After spending years working in restaurants, he left the industry during the pandemic.
The bakery business initially started as a home-based bread operation, with sales coming through Instagram after he posted a photo of the bread he grew up eating.
When he opened the Better Baker in 2024, he built much of the space himself. “I ended up building it from a cement hole in 81 days,” he explains.
The bakery is decorated with birdhouses, moss-covered walls, handcrafted wood tables, bear-shaped stools and other unexpected details. If you don’t see the outside, Veksler says, you could forget you’re in Edmonton.
“As soon as I walked down, the first thought I had was, ‘This gives me Alice in Wonderland vibes.’ You fell down a little hole and you ended up in a completely different place. Here.”
He wanted the bakery to feel like home — a place where the kitchen isn’t hidden behind walls. “What you see is what you get,” he adds.
That same attention to detail carries over onto the pastry shelves, where croissants come in flavours like pistachio, almond, chocolate, passion fruit or dragon fruit, alongside cruffins, cinnamon buns and savoury pastries. His croissant fillings are made with natural ingredients, from freeze-dried passion fruit to real vanilla pods.
The cinnamon bun, despite being “the least fancy thing we have,” is the bakery’s number one seller, Veksler says. The smoked salmon bagel sandwich is right up there with it. “We go through 30 pounds of smoked salmon in four days.” His vision is simple: “Fresh bagel, fresh salmon, cream cheese, capers and onion.”
For customer Howard Kowalchuk, who regularly makes the trip from Edmonton’s north side, it’s worth the drive.
“I come here every Saturday to pick up a cinnamon bun. That’s my go-to. They’re one of the best cinnamon buns in Edmonton.”
Better Baker is open to the public Thursday through Sunday.
Better Baker
Strathcona | 10324 82 Ave NW, #003, lower level | betterbaker.net
