Zoss

The chocolate dipped macaroons are heavenly with moist, chewy coconut and rich dark chocolate. The flourless chocolate cake with raspberry is ultra rich and delicious.

I skip the comment ‘Europeans make better bread’ and why that is, but in brief: one trick is the raising agent (and time connected to that). Really good tasting bread is made with a slowly acting raising agent and anything that is slow is against the American dream, (or something like that it seems, maybe I misunderstood, it is possible).
However, Zoss is the real deal. The real deal working his miracle in here is from Zurich, Switzerland, and his super sweet wife is from here, and I am very grateful that she dragged the good man over to do his thing for us. Right here, in Cleveland.
Special recommendations are… everything, acytually. But perhaps for starters try one of the various tiny rolls and then test a REAL Brezen «Pretzel» (same thing, and you traditionally do NOT pour caramel dip over and stick with gummi bears on it, no, you eat it plain as is or with a sausage, that would be a «Wiener» for example, but you’d need to buy it somewhere else, and so on, so maybe just try it as is, you’ll see.)
If you are a very generous person and able to share real good things with others you can also order a cake (I actually do recommend one: apricot!, but they are all great).
They start early and close mid afternoon, so be on time.
They are tiny and tucked away, no lattes with soymilk, or no any sitting down, it is really just the bakery. But they do have a mighty parking space upfront, in relation to the tiny shop.
Go in, choose and take it home (if you make it that far without eating it on the way. There would be a nice bit of green grass nearby, you can eat your pretzel there and read a book. I mean, you could.
With all the top-chef’s-from-Cleveland-hype some should get the idea to buy their bread from ZOSS, instead of yet another sponge on the side plate. Time will tell.

As soon as you walk into Zoss you are overwhelmed by all the delicious smells. The storefront itself is quite small, but that why they have a bigger kitchen which allows them to crank out all their tasty treats. Staff is friendly and lets you peruse the offerings without feeling pressured or rushed.
The palmiers are absolutely incredible– by far the best I’ve ever had. The chocolate dipped coconut macaroons are great too, buy a container of the mini version and be a hit of whatever party/​meeting you’re going to! I also bought a baguette and had to stop myself from eating the entire loaf in one sitting. The bread is flakey, chewy, soft and so fresh! Spread a little butter on their bread and you are in absolute heaven .
Overall, a really great and reasonably priced bakery that is baking high quality and delicious breads & pastries!

I absolutely love this bakery! Everything is always so fresh, so delicious, and oh so not good for you– which, of course, makes it even more appetizing! It’s a little shop nestled a little further back than most shops on the top of cedar. This also means it has it’s own little parking lot! I know I claim to be a city girl but I do love places I can park easily! During the summer months at Cleveland clinic, zoss always has their stand up during the weekly Wednesday farmer’s markets, which is all to convenient to grab a little sweet or savory treat for the day!
My favorites are the huge Bavarian pretzel, a warm Asiago pretzel, their Flaky palmiers!
The only thing I’ve tried that I personally haven’t enjoyed is the brownie, but that’s really my personal taste– not as sweet and chewy as I like them!
Love this bakery! If you haven’t tried it, I highly suggest you do! :-)

This is a wonderful little gem of a bakery tucked away atop Cedar Hill. Everything is baked fresh in the morning, and I haven’t tried anything that I didn’t like. Today I had a walnut palmer. It was so buttery, flaky, and flavorful. Highly recommended.

Considering I have been abroad to other countries, I can’t say its the best bakery ever. However, it is amazing how Ohio has so many good places to eat food! Zoss definetely has some great items. My favorites are the Chocolate Pampillion and the Macaroons!

Zoss is the boss!
I’ve driven by Zoss almost everyday for the last two years and have never tried it until now. And I must say, I’m disappointed in myself for waiting SO LONG!
Zoss is a small bakery located in a brick building right across from Chase bank. This bakery doesn’t have any indoor or outdoor seating area, so be prepared to eat them pastries on-​the-​go or in the comfort of your home/​office! Every item is fairly priced at around $ 2, much cheaper than other bakeries in the area. I picked the chocolate papillion and the nutty palmier. Both are a must-​try! The papillion was extremely soft and the bits of chocolate chip just sealed the deal. The palmier was crispy, flaky and rich!
The service was superb! The woman manning the front was extremely patient, friendly, and helpful. The service along with the delicious pastries make me want to stop by
:)

Dear Cleveland,
Please stop making me fat.
The best bakery in Cleveland and one of the best bakeries in America. Each time I’m in town, I go to get gifts for people. By the time I’ve gotten home, I’ve eaten them all.
Seriously, the baked goods are so good, it’s a public health threat.
If the bread gets stale, just use for croutons.
Tips: The hazelnut meringues. The multi grain boule. The sour dough. The apple turnovers. The everything they make.

My Wife loves this little bakery in the middle of Cleveland Heights. Anytime we are in the area, we will try to stop by. Pretty much choose anything and you’re probably going to like it. Come early and nab the freshly baked stuff. Wish they would expand to the west side.

Zoss is a fantastic, high quality European bakery!
It is located in an unassuming brick building, and even though it faces out to Cedar Road, it is in an easy to miss location set back on Cedar Hill. I have to admit, I drove by it for years before I tried it recently after reading some stellar Unilocal reviews. I am so happy I finally did!
The staff here is patient, friendly, and very helpful, and everything I’ve tasted here, from the papillion to the chocolate dipped cookies, has been fresh and taste of real ingredients, like butter, chocolate, etc. Nothing artificial here! But for me, there are two stand-​out baked goods: the Bavarian pretzels and the palmiers. I have been craving an authentic Bavarian pretzel since I came home from a trip to Munich, and this is the only one I found in Cleveland that even comes close to that taste! Smooth on the outside, and soft and pillowy on the inside! On Fridays and Saturdays for the month of October, they are selling beautiful, oversized pretzels! Absolutely delicious!
The palmier are so butter, flaky, crispy, and a little bit chewy. It’s like a little bite of France! So deliciously fresh… I’m getting hungry just writing about them!
Zoss might be small, but it is mighty when it comes to its delightful Swiss baked goods!

AMAZING!!! I love Zoss. All of their pastries and breads are great here. Some of my favorites include the chocolate dipped macaroons, chocolate papillion, any of their pretzels, and rosemary rolls. Zoss is located right next to Nighttown and is set back from the street so it may be overlooked, but you must stop here! All of the staff are very nice too! They take credit cards, but you have to spend over $ 10 or pay a small fee. Also, they are closed on Sundays and Mondays (except around some holidays). I’m starting to crave Zoss just writing this review :-)

I love this place! When I used to live in Cleveland Heights I always seemed to pass Voss on my way to work or on my way home… or both! Their croissants are sublime, and about the best that I have had…(okay a chilly morning in Paris at just about any boulangerie does come to mind) but Voss has the butter and the flakiness mix just right.
Their olive bread is excellent, but I’m a sucker for Palmiers. Not the walnut/​almond encrusted ones, just the honest to goodness «plain» Palmiers. Theirs are so yummy & flaky that they just seem to fall apart in my fingers and I am forced to eat little sections on my way to wherever. Now that I live fairly well South of Cleveburg, I have to get more than one if I have any hope of treating myself once I get home.

Believe the hype… Zoss bakes and sells THE best chocolate dipped coconut macaroon I have ever tasted. I thought Bön Bön made the best ones until I tried the one from Zoss. The toasted coconut on top makes it. Very small place. You practically close the door behind you and you are standing in front of the bakery case. A grab n go bakery.

Zoss swiss bakery is my go to destination for artisan breads in the Cedar Fairmount area. This is a very small place located at the end of the parking lot of the Nighttown Bar. They always have fresh and yummy breads. They also sell some pastry and varieties of bread. I like their wheat bread and their dinner rolls. This is one of those businesses that I wish will continue to grow so more and more people will open independent bakeries. I am a fan of this place and they will always have my business.

I was always surprised that so few people knew about Zoss! It is the BEST bakery in Cleveland, and easily the best bakery I’ve ever tried. My family frequented Zoss for years when we were still in Cleveland and I can honestly say I never tried something that wasn’t delicious. The fruit filled croissants and appel strudel are spot on amazing!

The best bakery in Cleveland. There’s not a single pastry you can go wrong with in the store. The palmiers are so buttery, flaky and have just the right amount of caramel crust on the bottom. The macaroons are light fluffy balls of coconut that are lightly toasted and then dipped in dark bittersweet chocolate… I’m literally envisioning every pastry I ate there over the past 10 years and now I’m starving.

I have been going to this bakery for a while and it is my favorite bakery in Cleveland,
The quality of pastries is very close to the European quality. Even though it is labeled as a Swiss bakery but it does provide a mix of European pastries (including quiches). My favorite 2 pastries there are the Walnut Palmier and Chocolate Papillion. They have plain palmier and walnut palmier, the sweetness of the walnut palmier is more balanced than the plain palmier cos of the walnut (both are awesome). I think what makes the chocolate paillion great is the quantity and quality of chocolate used. Other pastries you have to try is their Linzer tart (its pretty close to the linzer torte you would get in Austria), carrot muffin, raisins pretzel and apricot tart. I am not a fan of their berry bar nor their cherry tart. Something about the berry mix in the bar that made it very soggy and the cherry tart was too sour for my taste. You can not go wrong with any of their pastries.
On the salty side, my favorite quiche is the sun dried tomato quiche. They make great salt pretzel and even Kase pretzel (cheese pretzel) I do not think it is made with emmentel cheese but it taste really close to the Bavarian one.
They have a big selection of bread, My favorite is their olive bread…
In special occasions they prepare special orders, such as European Christmas deserts (french butter cookies, mini palmier, sable cookies and even German christkindstollen– a dried fruit cake), new year swissrolls, Easter bread and cross buns.
It is a small shop and the staff are really friendly.
Here are the things i do not like about this place.
1– No credit card machine, so bring cash or check book.
2– Parking could be a problem.
3– They run out of stuff real quick so be there early if you want to get their best stuff

The closest thing to European bread in the area like Mike says.
Its spartan inside like Justin says.
Its your best bet in Cleveland for gut brot Toasty K says.

Best bakery in Cleveland. There I said it.
I swear Zoss was airlifted straight from Switzerland and dropped on Cedar Hill. This place is just a bakery, no frills. You can see that the breads and confections come first based on the aging sign out on the street.
Zoss’ excellence is in the croissants and so is an entire stick of butter I’d imagine.
The Bavarian pretzel comes highly recommended!