Long before multi-national cafes dotted Pune’s landscape, five bakeries were already perfecting the art of making delicious baked goods. To this day, heritage bakeries in the city continue to guard closely held recipes that transform regular ingredients into extraordinary delicacies.
The aroma of freshly baked Shrewsbury biscuits wafts through Royal Bakery on MG Road in Pune’s Camp area. Established in 1914 by S A Irani, it is currently run by Yohan Irani, the fourth-generation owner.
“Milk bread, glass cakes, broons, plum cakes, and nut biscuits for Christmas stockings are the best sellers among various items. We still follow the original century-old recipe. Personal connections matter to us, so we do not have any presence on food delivery apps,” said Yohan. Unlike many others, they still rely on cash payments and are open from 8 am to 8.30 pm, while remaining closed in the afternoon.
Pasteur Bakery
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For the past 85 years, Pasteur Bakery in Camp has been a beloved destination for food enthusiasts. The place is renowned for its chocolate walnut cakes, puffs, brownies, moist plum cakes, and fruit cakes. They are open from 9 am to 10.30 pm.
“No preservatives are added, and the preparations are handled by us personally. Quality and customer satisfaction are our priority, even if it means lower margins. So despite increasing competition, we have a steady stream of loyal customers, and with increasing traffic issues, we are now also available on Dunzo,” said Hassan Yaveri, its fourth-generation owner.
Pasteur Bakery on MG road and Sadabahar bakery in Chinchwad gaon. (Express)
Imperial Bakery
Imperial Bakery in Camp has been famous since 1955 for its delectable cakes, pastries, raisin and fruit toast, and cake rusk among others. Founded by Sorab Irani, it is currently run by Farokh Irani.
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“Our bestsellers include plum cake, fruit cake, red velvet mawa cake, and biscuits like Brazil nut, oatmeal choco chip, and Hyderabadi, among others. The plum cake begins its journey 40 days before baking, with dry fruits soaking in wine to achieve that perfect flavour. Every item is baked in-house. Open from 6 am to 10 pm, the secret to our popularity lies in time-honoured recipes, loyal staff, and commitment to quality,” said Farokh.
Imperial bakery near Pulgate and Hindustan Bakery near Chaphekar chowk. (Express)
Sadabahar Bakery
The Ansari family, hailing from Uttar Pradesh, founded this bakery in 1965 in Prabhat Colony, Chinchwadgaon. Their in-house goodies include ladi pav, khari, toast, butter, cream roll, maska pav and others.
“Our ladi pav is the best seller with a daily average sale of around 2,500. Even famous misal joints like Nevale Misal, De Dhakka Misal, Balaji Misal, and others use our products. The furnace is lit at 6 am and goes on till the evening. Because of consistent quality over the years and personal attention in preparation, we have been frequented by loyal customers,” said Rahman Ansari, its second-generation owner.
Hindustan Bakery
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Established in 1972, it was founded by Ajay Mehendale to serve bakery items to the staff of manufacturing industries such as SKF and others in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area. It is famous for puff patties, coconut cakes, rum balls, cupcakes, plum cakes, and nankhatai, among others. The bakery is situated near Chaphekar Chowk in Chinchwad. Barring Mondays, they are open from 7 am to 8 pm, closing briefly in the afternoon.
“Initially, we used to supply fresh bread to industries, but later, they set up canteens and our complete focus shfited to retail. Puff patties, coconut cakes, and cupcakes are our best sellers. We had our main branch in Shaniwar Peth, which was started in 1948. But it was closed as the next generation is not interested in taking it up. So even though I am an automobile engineer, I left my job and decided to look after the legacy bakery, else this would have also closed,” said Rohit Mehendale, the third-generation owner.
Shubham Kurale is an intern with The Indian Express.