Prolific Philly restaurateur Ellen Yin got into the bakery game when she opened the Bread Room in Center City this fall under her High Street Hospitality Group, right next door to its American restaurant of the same name. Chef Christine McKeough and head baker Kyle Wood churn out more than 20 types of pastries with pan-Asian touches — think yuzu, candied ginger, cardamom — alongside sandwiches and a fun variety of breads, like caraway rye, epi sesame baguettes, and cherry buckwheat loaves, in the small counter-service space.
The espresso and lattes are fun, with their own nods to the bakery’s menu of Asian pastries. My croissant milk cortado ($5) was what Sabrina Carpenter should’ve been singing about: short and sweet. I followed that with the black sesame latte ($6), which paired well with my cookie, a balance of subtle sweetness.
There aren’t too many seating options — some counter window seating and a couple of tables — so plan ahead. Otherwise, just order online or take everything to go.
At night, the space is used as a bakery workshop, hosting classes like pizza-making for children, how to laminate bread, introductions to sourdough, and even private group lessons.
The critically acclaimed team behind High Street Hospitality brings Center City a bakery by day and a place for culinary classes and events by night. Located around the corner from its sit-down sibling High Street, the walk-up case is stacked with 20 options made daily by pastry chef Kate Hughes and her team. Think: smoked vanilla bay leaf kouign amann, almond yuzu bostock, rotating “pop tarts,” and crullers. Luscious loaves sold by their weight join made-to-order items like a hoagie muffuletta on sesame focaccia and a black lime chicken salad on ciabatta.