ATMOSPHERE BAKED IN: Antique Bar & Bakery Set to Open — Feb. 7th

When Antique Bakery closed last April after 35 years, it felt like a sneaky gut-punch to many here in Hoboken—coming out of nowhere and leaving us all asking the question, “Why?”

As it turns out, we can still get Ivan Rodriguez‘s bread at 122 Willow Avenue… and soon we’ll be able to get a whole lot more.

Set to open in earnest on February 7th, Antique Bar & Bakery will take over the space and continue to make great things in those world-renowned 30-ton coal ovens. Having run as a bakery and coffee shop for the last few months, Antique Bakery & Bar will be offering a dazzling menu of seasonal fish, chicken and steak dishes—as well as some exciting paleo and vegetarian options—with Chef Paul Gerard fully stoked to harness the power of that fêted fire and create some truly unique culinary masterpieces.

And yes, the name is Antique Bar & Bakery—meaning the establishment has its liquor license and will be mixing up some mighty good cocktails.

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The thought of wining and dining in Antique Bakery would seem a bit surreal to anyone who had been in there previously just to buy a few loaves of bread. Rest assured, the space has been completely redesigned—featuring a service counter up front, a bar section, and table seating toward the back and along the side. The motif offers a wood-paneled, intensely retro feel, with each seat offering an unobstructed view of the star attraction: the ovens.

Accompanying these spectacular meals will be the familiar taste of Ivan Rodriguez’s bread, now being baked nearby at the new bakery on Newark Ave. in Jersey City.

With the heat coming off those ovens, Antique Bar & Bakery is the kind of place that will likely reignite imagination in the Hoboken dining scene. Here’s hoping its the kind of place we can all warm up to.