Harvest Bay is BSL's Latest Obsession

Coast Cuisine - September 2026

Whether you're craving breakfast, lunch, freshly baked bread, or just to satisfy your sweet tooth in the most delicious way, set Harvest Bay Artisan Bakery as your destination.

- by Heather Dubuisson

For this month's Coast Cuisine, I putted the golf cart over to one of the Bay's best breakfast and lunch spots, Harvest Bay Artisan Bakery. After relocating to 131 S. Second Street earlier this year, the bakery has morphed into a must-do for a light, delicious bite and is definitely not to be missed.
 

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Today's special was tomato and basil soup served with sourdough toast; naturally, we gave it (and many other things) a try. If you've ever had Pomodoro soup, this very similar. The tomato and basil make up the base but are rounded out with the perfect ratio of garlic, cream and parmesan, making for an exceptional bite. This isn't a one-hit wonder; it's complex and robust, yet still light enough for a hot summer day when you want to feel like you're dining in an Italian countryside.

 
We paired it with the caprese sandwich on the same sourdough, filled to dripping with a bright pesto, Roma tomatoes, and smooth, fresh mozzarella. The soup and sandwich were a perfect flavor combination and could easily be a meal shared.
 

 
Next came the turkey and brie, also on sourdough – made in-house- and perfectly tangy without being sharp. This was a flavor explosion: thick slices of oven-roasted turkey, cranberry chutney and creamy brie, set off by avocado and bacon. This is a SANDWICH in every sense of the word. Ross would fight over it.
 
We finished our lunch tour with the bakery's number-one seller, the chicken salad croissant. I can see why it's a crowd favorite; it's packed with flavor. The chicken is combined with a savory aioli, perfectly complemented by minced capers, all tucked into a buttery, flaky croissant and dressed with lettuce and tomato. This is Southern summer on a plate. They also offer a sweeter chicken salad with walnuts and grapes along with take-home staples including a craveable house-made pimento cheese, marmalades, and even go-containers of that tomato soup.

 
Now for dessert. With so many sweet options, choosing was difficult. Because of the recent popularity of Dubai chocolate, the Dubai chocolate brownie was our first selection. Dense but not dry, it almost had the consistency of a lemon bar, though nothing alike in flavor. It was topped with pistachio cream, little chewy, crispy bits, and a thick, fudgy chocolate ganache. Decadent.
 
Next came the Boston cream cupcake: moist yellow cake, smooth pastry cream filling and chocolate ganache. The cake was light and airy, while the cream offset everything and the chocolate added just enough sweetness.
 

 
Finally, we sampled the peach pie with streusel topping. Y'all, this is NEXT LEVEL goodness. The gooey peach filling was sweet without being cloying, nestled inside a flaky, buttery homemade pie shell. The streusel added texture without changing it from a pie to a crumble. We got ours warmed at the bakery, but I think this would be even better warmed at home and topped with vanilla ice cream. I WILL be back for more!
 
Other standouts to try are the baklava (sold out that day, but the best I've ever had), cream puffs, and Danishes. It was hard to resist a beautiful fig and brie Danish in the case! They also offer more savory breakfast options including avocado toast, yogurt bowls, and breakfast sandwiches.
 

 
Everything can be eaten there or taken to-go, and Harvest Bay is also one of the few places in town serving Flamjeaux Coffee, roasted just around the corner on Washington Street. The coffee is smooth, never bitter, roasted in small batches and available by the cup or by the bag to take home. Even without the sweets, this coffee is fantastic.
 

 
Harvest Bay Artisan Bakery brings a European bakery feel unrivaled in town and is one spot that really needs to be on your radar. They sell out of many items quickly, so in this case, the early bird gets the cinnamon roll!
 

 
Harvest Bay Artisan Bakery
131 S. Second Street, Bay St. Louis, MS, 39520
Open Tues-Sun 7-3

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