The Place: The smell once you walk into Justin’s Salt Bread lets you know you’re in the right place. Somewhere between a coffee shop, a bakery, and a communal gathering space, the vibe is comfortable and trendy. You probably won’t find a seat, but you’re here for the namesake specialty and maybe one of their unique coffee or tea drinks. Justin’s is the first bakery in New York to specialize in salt bread, which is the Korean version of a Japanese pastry (shio pan) that is basically what it sounds like. Although the more accurate name would be salt butter bread because the primary flavor is sweet rich butter.
The Dish: I had to wait a few minutes because the next batch of Salt Bread was just coming out of the oven and it was worth the wait. This looked like a misshapen packaged croissant that you would receive on an international flight – except it was glistening and steaming with the aromas of butter. Warm, slightly salty, and full of richness, this was like a croissant but not laminated and even more buttery (if you can imagine). The recommendation is to eat it with a sweet cream dipping sauce, but it felt like my arteries were going to take enough beating for one day, so I’ll leave all of that to the kids. Price: $4.50/$12 (3 pack)
| JUSTIN’S SALT BREAD |
| 58 Second Avenue (between East 3rd and East 4th Street), East Village |
| IG: @justinssaltbread |
