Birley Bakery, a French-inspired, London-based bakery, is getting ready to make its United States debut right here on the Upper East Side at 20 East 69th Street (between Madison and Fifth avenues).
The two-story bakery will be replacing the short-lived Italian café Poppi, which occupied the building’s first floor, and a nail salon, which occupied the second. Both the café and the nail salon closed last month.
Advertisement
The brainchild and passion project of “London club king” Robin Birley, Birley Bakery was inspired by the nostalgia of traditional boulangerie-pâtisseries that were once a pervasive feature of every French city, town, and village, but have since dwindled and are on the verge of extinction. The bakery’s selection of breads, cakes, viennoiseries, biscuits, ice creams, and sorbets—which bring a modern twist to the classic staples—have been crafted and perfected over the course of five years by maître pâtissier Vincent Zanardi and his team of chefs.
Get East Side Feed in Your Inbox
According to Birley Bakery’s website, the delicacies—many of which are vegan—are all made on site with ingredients sourced from around the world: “the wheat flour comes from an artisanal farmer in Burgundy, the sea salt from La Guérande in Brittany, the plump almonds from Valencia, and the thick dark honey from hives in Bermondsey.” The bitter chocolate reserve created specifically for Birley is mixed with cacao beans from the Philippines, forming the basis of their chocolates.
More Upper East Side Openings, Here
The bakery will be housed on the ground floor and the top floor will be for seating. A small outdoor seating area will also be available. Last night, Community Board 8 met and approved Birley Bakery’s beer and wine license application (in an advisory-only vote), so patrons can expect to enjoy alcoholic beverages as well as coffee, tea, and soft drinks along with their baked goods. The exact opening date for Birley Bakery is unclear, but according to the business’s legal representatives who attended the meeting, it’s “still going to be quite some time from now.”
Robin Birley has also had plans for at least two years to open an exclusive supper club a block away from the new bakery location, and the status of that venture is also unclear. We’ve reached out for estimated opening dates for both the bakery and the club and will provide updates as we learn more.
Sounds properly precious for 69th and Madison.