Breadfern Bakery

Overview

There's something adorably confident in a corner bakery who buys the corner shop across the road, simply for more room to move. That's exactly what the team behind Redfern's Tapeo have done, with the opening of the best-pun-name-ever bakery, Breadfern.

Revitalising the old greasy Chick-a-licious chicken and chips shop beside Eathouse Diner on Redfern Street, Breadfern is the brand new, just-opened venture from the Spanish-influenced Tapeo bakery, cafe, tapas and wine bar crew. Sitting on either side of the Redfern/Chalmers Street intersection, the glass-walled bakeries are literally a few strides from each other. Why'd they do it? Tapeo simply needed more space.

Taking over a breezy, light-filled corner shop, Breadfern houses Tapeo's shiny new ovens, fridges and pastry doohickeys. The team have decided to keep their old baking facility over the road for their colossal range of gluten free creations (over 20 in total, devised by award-winning chef Raymond Kersh, formerly of Edna's Table), bringing their organic, handmade rye breads, tiramisu cake, chicken pies and custard tarts to a bigger arena. And while there's no chairs and tables at Breadfern, this over-the-counter affair is perfect for takeaway park lunches in Redfern Park over the road.

If you're hankering for a flaky, hot pastry for lunch, get in early. By our 1pm visit there were just two pies and two spinach rolls left. But these were by no means the scrapings of the barrel. Handmade hearty chicken pies filled with mushrooms and a cheesy, cheesy sauce made for one of the richest lunches in recent memory — don't be fooled by their modest size. Susceptible to unseemly gobbling, the homemade spinach rolls have a solid flaky to chewy ratio — and you can see the damn spinach, unlike the washed-up, green cardboard imitations at 7-Eleven. Just don't even.

Now to the sweet stuff. Creativity is key to Tapeo under Kersh's watch, and the team now have more room to move. Homemade white chocolate and berry tarts fill your mouth with springtastic goodness, chocolate and salted caramel fondants make you regret eating anything prior, while fruit buns and danishes glisten with homemade glaze. Sweet and sugary is truly Breadfern's forte.

Most importantly with the Tapeo/Breadfern team, it's also about the mad chats. Yearning for feedback, the Breadfern staff will take you through their favourites, crank out a fast coffee, be honest with their recommendations and make you feel like a local, even if you're just passing through. And these guys get up at 2am to make your fresh, fresh bread. TWO AY EM. Onya Breadfern.

Images: Trent van der Jagt

Appears in:

The Best Bakeries in Sydney for 2023