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Why Some of NYC's Best New Bakeries Are Going All In on Just One Treat
Since George Kaya opened Lisbonata in Crown Heights in May, he's been fielding one question over and over: 'Wait, you only sell pasteis de nata?' The answer is a resounding yes.
Kaya is firm in his decision to home in on Portuguese custard tarts at his new bakery — and he's not alone in choosing to narrow his focus. A slew of new bakeries have opened around the city that offer a singular item instead of filling up a pastry case with an array of options. While each shop had a different motivation for scaling down its menus, owners have found there are numerous benefits to selling just one sweet treat.
Kaya says his decision came down to his desire to provide a consistent product. 'I'm a bit of a quality freak,' he says. 'I want to focus on one product so I can be as good as possible.' Making pastéis de nata is complicated, as the flaky, laminated crust is filled with custard, then baked at high heat so the top becomes slightly charred and the center remains molten and rich.
Perfecting this technique means that Kaya knows he's going to make excellent pastries each time, so he has room to get creative with new flavors. Lisbonata currently offers six flavors from traditional to fun twists like yuzu and pistachio cream. Kaya will introduce seasonal flavors as a way to pay homage to his start hosting farmer's market pop-ups.
Kaya says Lisbonata was an opportunity to really spotlight pastel de nata, which he says doesn't get enough love in the city. The same is true of Mary O's Irish Soda Bread in the East Village. More popular baked goods also shine when shops give them the main-character treatment. Take flower-topped mini cakes at From Lucie, doughnuts at I'm donut ?, and viral cookie shops like Crumbl and Chip City, for example.
It's not just local businesses that are concentrating on a specific treat. Minuto Bauli, an Italian bakery that pumps out fluffy sourdough buns stuffed with fillings like pastry cream and pistachio spread, just opened its first stateside shop just north of Union Square.
The location marks the brand's 15th outpost, and the company's president, Enrico Bauli, says the fact that they only offer one pastry allowed them to expand internationally. 'It gave us a strong identity and allowed us to stay focused on what we care about most: quality, consistency, and delivering a meaningful experience.'
The push toward specialization mirrors recent restaurant trends, where sprawling menus have given way to tightly curated lists diners can nearly order in full. It's a win-win in that restaurants save on ingredients and reduce food waste and prep time, while diners avoid decision fatigue that comes with figuring out what's for dinner.
Armando Litiatco and Ahmet Kiranbay noticed that diners preferred a scaled-down menu at their Park Slope restaurant, Rana Fifteen, so they decided to mimic the trend for their bakery, Sunday Morning, a buzzy cinnamon roll shop that opened in January in the East Village. The shop is stocked with gooey cinnamon rolls made with enriched dough so they resemble Cinnabon-like confections. Beyond the classic, the shop is lined with trays of nine specialty-flavored cinnamon rolls like blueberry lemon curd and raspberry honey labneh.
Litiatco says while the duo is happy they decided to open a bakery with a tightened menu, the cost savings have been less than anticipated.
'This project actually cost us a lot more than we thought,' says Litiatco. 'We thought, 'Oh, it's just cinnamon rolls.' So we budgeted less than we would for a restaurant.'
The shop does spend less on ingredients than a bakery that offers multiple types of pastries, Litiatco said. But they've channeled those savings into using 'best possible version' of everything that goes into their cinnamon rolls so Kiranbay makes toppings like lemon curd and raspberry jam, plus ingredients like vanilla extract, from scratch.
Serving cinnamon rolls and only cinnamon rolls means Sunday Morning is not for everyone. While it could be a risky business decision to fall into such a niche, Litiatco says it has helped them stand out from competitors in the bakery-packed neighborhood of the East Village.
'Opening a business is the scariest thing because you put your blood, sweat, tears, and all your savings into it,' says Litiatco. 'It's always a gamble. I was super worried right up until we opened. I was thinking, 'People better like cinnamon rolls.'' See More:
