The early bird gets the worm – but at Dana Patisserie, the early customer gets the pick of the pastry litter.
“The best time to come is as soon as we open the doors,” jokes co-owner Amit Rosenweld.
It’s a small team of bakers who arrive at the crack of dawn. The prep time is much-needed because all the cakes, pastries, bread loaves and cookies are baked from scratch.
When customers set foot in-store at opening time (that’s 8am daily) and see cakes with hand-piped chocolate decorations, flaky pastries filled with homemade jam and intricately woven loaves of sweet bread, it’s not hard to justify the early start.
It’s a mammoth task to hand mix, roll, stretch and bake the extensive product range. So it’s no surprise that small-batch baking is Dana’s specialty. While croissants and cookies tend to sell out daily, Dana’s is also known for their specialty Jewish baked goods.
Freshly baked Challah for Shabbat is exclusively available on Friday and Dana’s is the only bakery in Melbourne baking Wholemeal and Chocolate Challah. Specialty doughnuts make an annual appearance throughout Chanukah and Hamentashen Cookies, with fillings like homemade jam or pecan maple, are available for the Jewish holiday of Purim.
If that wasn’t enough, every annual holiday sees Dana’s shelves lined with themed baked goods. From Valentine’s Day through to Easter, Mother’s Day and of course, Christmas.
The word ‘artisan’ barely scratches the surface with Dana Patisserie. The freshness, quality and love that go into every pre-dawn bake are second to none in Melbourne. Currently a “hidden gem” in the local Balaclava community, it’s time to share the secret with all of Melbourne!
Dana Patisserie
175 Carlisle Street, Balaclava VIC 3183
Open daily: 8am to 5pm
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