This place is literally legendary. Home of the famous Dutch letters and all kinds of Dutch goodness, Jaarsma Bakery is the kind of place that takes you back to the old school in the best possible way. With a staff dressed in traditional Dutch outfits and fresh pastries filling an entire room, Jaarsma smells and looks about as close to bakery heaven as you can get. The sheer amount of pastries, breads, cookies, and treats is impressive. You can also grab various foods and sides, along with a great collection of Dutch products that won't disappoint. I arrived around midday, and some of the favorites were already gone or running low, which probably tells you everything you need to know. I was on a mission for the letter "S" pastries and the cream-filled bars, and they absolutely delivered. Since I had flown into Pella on a private plane, I also ordered some thank-you treats to bring home for a few supportive people in my life. It was the perfect place to find something unique and memorable. If you come to Pella, you come here. It's really that simple. Do not miss Jaarsma....your stomach will thank you! read more

Jaarsma is deserving of this 4-star review based on its size, selection and general quality. Please understand that's not a bad thing. They did a nice job on the Dutch letter and Chicago Cubs frosted sugar cookie that I tried. I did find the place to be overrated compared to the mass' reviews and the legend that it has outside of Pella. But no doubt, you kind of "have to" go there if you're in Pella. Hopefully a 5-star experience awaits you. read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

A very large selection of baked goods we got the lemon bars something that was called S. Apple bars everything was delicious. I'm glad I don't live close I would be there all the time. read more

Very cute bakery! Lots of very fun options. We got am apple fritter, cream filled Bismark, and a Dutch letter and all of them were excellent! read more

See all

What a charming place! It smells so sugary when you walk in and my husband and I kept looking at each other like truly children in a candy store - excited, overwhelmed, want a bite of it all. It doesn't matter what you get here - it's all oh-so-fresh, absolutely heavenly delicious, and so cheap too! They also have nice curios as gifts or for yourself. read more

Awesome bakery with delicious treats . Keep up the good work Tulips viewing was a bonus read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

I come here once a year in the fall, usually when they're putting up Christmas lights in the square. The almond macaroons are my favorite but everything they have is good. And you can get a huge box of goodies to feed a whole team of people for less than $20. I also especially love their molasses cookie and the cherry donut holes. read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

See all

Our order was shipped to Southern California, and was perfectly packaged! The pastries tasted fresh. the coffee cake and breads will be put in the freezer for later. great experience! read more

This place has the best treats. I've yet to try something that wasn't exceptional, and the staff is hard working and attentive! Keep it up guys! read more

See all

This place is the best! There's always countless things to try and the staff is always so nice and friendly! There's treats are delicious too! It may be busy most days but their food is well worth it! read more

Absolutely a spectacular Dutch bakery. Go to love those Dutch Letters and their breads are amazing

This place is Disney for the Dutch. I seriously got the same high walking through these doors as I do on vacation. I honestly expected to be somewhat disappointed because I'd be comparing the goodies I was buying to my grandma's homemade recipes. Now I travel an hour detour on my trips to and from Chicago just to stop here. The pastries here are so ridiculously good I cannot comprehend how they are always fresh and produce the volume they do. It is nearly always busy but completely worth the wait. Some staples I favor are the almond horns, letters, banket, coffee cakes (!!), and raisin buns. I don't think you can go wrong, what a top of the line bakery! They ship and take phone orders - but not always same day, if you're in a hurry plan in advance. read more

See all

Not sure why everyone is obsessed with this place. We'll I guess it's because they have a massive selection. We ordered a few pastries including the famous letter but I was very disappointed. I was expecting more. The pastries were not flaky at all. The only thing worth while was the apple koek. My mom saw a few flies in the display cases and she was turned off by them. They lacked customer service skills. They weren't rude but they weren't friendly either. They seemed annoyed mostly. They don't have a separate line for merchandise so you have to wait in the same line as the pastries. You should visit for the experience but don't expect to be wowed! read more

See all

Lots to get here! Souvenirs, baked goods, candy. Service very friendly from the girls and they had samples to try. Got a dozen cookies for under $4. It was great. read more

DELICIOUS!! We first tried Jaarsma Bakery when we visited Pella, Iowa and it was the cutest bakery with the nicest people. We told our family how much we loved it so now they buy us pastries from there as gifts since they ship. I'm including a picture of the packaging to show how great of a job they do with ensuring the delicate items arrive intact all the way to Southern California. The box is also stuffed with packing peanuts so everything is well protected. Our favorite are the Dutch letters but honestly everything is so good! read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Sealed Dutch letters and almond butter cake shipped all the way to Orange County California - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

One of our favorite things! We love the charming shop that has been a part of Pella history for longer than I have been alive. Order the Dutch Letters or one of everything. If you are in a hurry, call in your order. read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Such a tough decision. - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

It worth for the long line. So adorably cute inside. A lot of Dutch antiques and cute souvenirs. So many varieties of pastries to try. My favorite is the almond paste cookie. It's good with hot tea and coffee. However, I don't know what the pastries call, they should have names and prices for each pastries. All I can do is pointing at what I want lol. Overall, great service and highly recommend if you're in Pella. read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

See all

We called ahead and walked right in & checked out. Was nice to avoid waiting in line. They packed them exactly like I ordered them. All were tasty. I'm not sure why they have to recheck to make sure the order is correct-- have trust in your workers. Dutch letters are awesome but so are cinnamon twists? read more

I've made two trips to this wonderful bakery in two days. This is not good for my diet, but the reviews were so positive and the locals speak highly of their baked goods. I tried the famous stroepwaffles, pillow puffs and the Dutch letters and they were amazing. This would explain the lines I experienced at 5:00pm during a weeknight. If you make it to Pella, you have to stop at this place. read more

Get ready to be transported into the sugar coma of your dreams!! This hometown bakery is a destination, people from around the world visit and lines on a Saturday are 50+ people deep. The moment you step in the aromas smack you in the face and lure you in. Most well known for the Dutch letter a thin flaky pastry with almond paste shaped like an "S" , but make sure to load up on strawberry donut holes, bismarck's, coconut macaroons, and coffee cake and danishes in all flavors. I have always dreamed of a sugar coated Bismarck tower as a birthday cake! Traditional Dutch cookies called Gevulde koek, Speculaas (windmill cookie), creme horns, and stroopwafels are also some of my favorites! Best when eaten with a coffee to break the sweetness. I'm salivating thinking about it. I break my keto run every time I'm here and never regret it. In addition to amazing pastries, cakes, cookies, they have amazing rolls and homemade breads. *Sorry if you are gf, limited gf items. Also big selection of delft dishes, ornaments, and tiles if you like Dutch antiques. Pella is known for its Dutch settlers influence. As soon as your enter this little town square you will feel transported. Take your glorious bakery treats and walk across the street through the park. There's a small windmill that serves as an information booth to grab a map of the area. COVID Curbside service makes it's really convenient right now. Can't make it to Pella order online and ship! Not open on Sundays. read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Entrance to Jaarsma bakery - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

Went in on Friday morning. there was a line waiting for bakery goodies. You work your way through a gift shop area into the bakery area. it wasn't a long wait.Staff was nice polite and efficient. I wanted to try everything, but opted for the puff pillow and a Dutch letter. I ate the puff pillow right away and saving the Dutch letter for later. puff pillow was flakes and oozing with buttercream. very tasty. I wish I lived closer. read more

I love all of the treats here!!! I came for tulip time this past year and I loved all the food.

Really fun little shop with great Dutch charm located right across the street from the Tulip Toren. The sweets are good, especially the cookies, and the staff is always nice. It's not their fault that the lines are so long and the amount of fun you can have choosing your treats, for not very much money, may make them the best bargain in town. read more

Traveled over an hour to get here and I was not disappointed. I could have easily dropped $100 and still wanted more. The puff pillows were my fav. The Dutch Letters are an Iowa staple. I was not disappointed by anything. The place is very cute inside and reasonably priced. read more

I went to Pella for the weekend for a visit and this was one of the first places I was brought to--and I am so thankful for this! The food and variety was AMAZING. The staff was friendly despite sometimes being very busy. I also love all the Pella trinkets and other items they have for sale besides just baked goods. I ended up getting a magnet there as well (and went back daily or twice a day to get some more baked goods). HIGHLY recommend! read more

Jaarsma Bakery - Bag Filled with Yummy Treats! - Bakeries Near Me - Pella, Iowa

See all

I love this bakery so much! I've been visiting since I was a child. Dutch letters for days! Stroepwaffles, almond logs, sugar cookies, Dutch treats and basic bakery items for every occasion! Tulip time or anytime I'm near Pella I have to stop. I buy 6 Dutch letters and 6 puff pillows, my favorites! Still enjoy the frosted sugar cookies too. I'd like to try a little of everything, but may have to move there to do so! The stroepwaffles remind me of my trips to Amsterdam! Plus they have Dutch candy and other little trinkets to remind you of your delicious trip. Pella is a quaint little town that you can walk off your calories from Jaarsma's bakery! Stop there, it's soooo worth it! read more

See all

Jaarsma Bakery is everyone's jam. There's a line that snakes out the door because everyone knows what's up. Everything here is good. All the fun little stuff inside is nice to look at. All the baked goodies are amazing little works of art. The buttercream bumblebees are my girls' favorite - they're literally just cute bumblebees made out of cream and chocolate. My personal favorite is the "coffee cake." It's actually more like a danish though. It's like a big, irregularly shaped slab of flaky, but soft, buttery amazing goodness. They have a cheese and an apple one, and I like to get both. It's one of those things that you think, oh I'll get this and we'll eat it all week. Later that night you find yourself standing in your kitchen, slowly making it disappear in one sitting and you're like, man, why did I do that? Now I don't have any for the rest of the week and I can't get more unless I drive to Pella! read more

What can I say about this bakery that a lot of Central Iowa natives do not know? This place has always been my go-to place (and every body else I know) to get Dutch Letters. The flaky, almondy goodness is just so oooh my goodness tasty! I grew up getting these Dutch letters rather infrequently but would always see them at an event or gathering and would always grab one. Every time I ate one, it just brings back memories to when I was younger. I didn't even know that the bakery was in Pella until I was in high school. They are serially worth the trip alone. The rest of the bakery is cute and has so many varieties to choose from when it comes to baked goods. We tried a few of their other goodies, but I just keep going back to the Dutch letters! Everything we had was delicious. Give them a try next time you are driving through and happen to be by Pella! read more

See all

Great local bakery! I arrived late in the day, cases were full and staff was quietly friendly.

Just had to come on here and give this place a raving review. I'm from Knoxville and every time one of my family members visit, they bring back the Dutch letters & a whole lot of donuts. I've been coming here since I was little and it's awesome how far their business has come!! This is probably one of the most special places for me, and I always get excited walking around Pella & smelling the amazing aroma of Jaarsma's. It's always clean, welcoming, the staff is always super nice and their treats are the best. It always gives me a little piece of home to take with me back to Florida. read more

I have always wanted to stop in for baked goods, but I am usually only in town during the Tulip festival and the line is ridiculous. We stopped in at 11 am on a random Friday morning and there was still a line, so this place must be good!! There are plenty of people working here to keep the line moving at a good pace, and they all seem friendly and helpful. Initially we only went in for dutch letters, but everything looked so good, we also ended up getting blueberry cream puffs, almond macaroons, white chocolate covered pretzels, almond stuffed cookies, and some other almond pastry that I forgot the name. They have such a large selection of baked goods that it made it hard to decide. Needless to say I should have had lunch before stopping in here, but I cannot wait to try all of the goodies!! read more

See all

yea it is larger than the Oskaloosa Iowa store as it should be! after all this is the bakery store!! lol! kinda hard to find parking at times. unless you want to walk across the street. but worth the effort!! lots of choices for sure. the big thing for me is the cherry doughnut holes. yea if you have yet to try them... well you have just missed out!! I think it is the best thing they have in there! I did get a dozen monster cookies.. after all I had a gallon of milk at home!! lol. cookies were kinda dry.. but I am spoiled I make better cookies. I wish they would offer an orange dough nut hole!! hint hint!! if it was as good as the cherry!! wow!! lots of other good baked goods in there. yea I should to have shot a few pix.. but they were busy and I only shoot pix of just the store only when I take pix for the net. more later for sure! read more

What an exceptional place!!! Located on the Pella Town Square, this was one of my 2017 highlights. Sensational customer service, friendly people in abundance who knew their surroundings and didn't rush me as their store was about to close. I will never forget how great the interior smelled! Loved the Dutch letters and their flaky crust with an awesome almond filling. Great cookies, brownies, pastries, and muffins too! Going to try and visit them again in my travels, as it was an unbelievable stop. read more

See all

Since I am local, I often take bakery goods to friends I visit. I usually order things for pick-up a day ahead (they often will not allow it same day), rather than standing in line while other customers gawk at the baked goods through the long glass cabinets. My order is pre-packaged and ready to go! But if you are unfamiliar with the baked goods, take the time to familiarize yourself with the offerings before you are next in line if you can. It is a popular and busy place year 'round, but especially so on weekends, near holidays, and practically impossible at Tulip Time. The help is efficient, the baked goods delicious. Dutch Letters are expensive but SO worth it! There are many other items to tempt you as well. Give them a try and find your favorites. read more

What a wonderful gem for Pella. I've been here a couple times now: once during the tulip festival (the line is worth the wait. I mean, Dutch letters? Totally worth it.) and I stopped by because it didn't take me any longer to drive through Pella or take 80 to get home (the obvious choice was to take the Pella route for Dutch letters). I also enjoy the almond cookies (Andre something?); they have the Dutch letters' almond paste inside. They're like a mini pie and I love them. My husband loves the puff pastries (two pastries with a fluffy layer of frosting in between). And of course, we get a handful of Dutch letters. They have fantastic Dutch letters, and I don't like just anyone's Dutch letters. There are two places in Iowa where they're the best, and Jaarsma is one of them! Long story short, go to Jaarsma Bakery if you're ever in Pella! read more

There's a reason why everyone on Yelp gave Jaarsma Bakery a perfect 5 of 5, and everyone's feedback explains how this family owned bakery has stood the test of time for over a century. My Mom who has been here a year ago highly recommended that we stopped in because their pastries are just that good. So on my first time visiting Pella with her and my husband, we just have to go. And from the moment you come in, the aroma of freshly baked pastries will make it so hard to resist to sample just about everything. There are staffs in every bakery shelf to assist you and there are also pastries for grab and go that are already neatly packaged. When in Pella, Iowa you must come to Jaarsma Bakery. It's officially in my Top 5 of Bakeries we've been to around the world. And to know it's in a small town in Iowa. read more

See all

Fabulous selection and exceptional pastries! Have been coming here for more than five decades and the quality, flavor and selections are outstanding! read more

I ordered product over the phone. My product was delivered to the wrong address and ended up being late. I talked to the owner about what happened and she said that it was there fault they put the wrong address on the package, but there was nothing she was going to do about it. I have been buying and shipping from this bakery for years and was so disappointed and disrespected I am appalled by her attitude and lack of concern it's terrible. I will never shop here again! Buyers be ware! read more

Everything and I mean literally every naked good inside this gem is delicious! And don't fret if they offer you an item from the freezer! It only means todays batch ran out but yesterday's will NOT disappoint. Don't sleep on the Dutch letters, Bismarck or fresh bread! read more

Is it possible to have too many options? Be prepared when stopping by this bakery to be overwhelmed by their wide selection. The service was very friendly and I would 100% try this place again during our next visit. Maybe I just tried the wrong items or not familiar with Dutch culture, however the cookies we selected were very crisp and hard (like a tea cookie that needed to be dipped). We don't know if they were meant to be like this or a day or two old. Several other options, were proclaimed day-old as well by the lady behind the counter. read more

See all