I'd driven past Butter Roll Bakery (1500 West Broadway) countless times before I ever had a chance to go inside, even though I once mentioned it in a blog post about slumlord Morris Klock, click here.
But every time I went past, the place was just never open. Oh, sure, it was obvious there was activity inside and people were baking things, but the public didn't seem to be coming through the front door.
Then, a couple days ago, I saw a new sign in the window and...
...be still, my foolish pastry-loving heart! It was open!
I wasn't even in the MOOD for a jelly roll, but I didn't want to miss this sudden window of opportunity. I went inside and had a wonderful chat with the staff, including a guy who spent his whole life producing baked goods at that very store, putting his kids through college. I learned Butter Roll Bakery mostly prepares goodies for restaurants, but now they have the front door open and they're being quite welcoming to the general public. I learned there used to be other bakeries in North Minneapolis, including one across the street where Randy Lane and Sons Plumbing now resides.
I'd be remiss if I didn't tell everybody in North Minneapolis about the hours for this store: Tuesday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Go there and check 'em out. Be sure to bring cash, they don't appear to take checks or credit cards.
With their new hours posted, my family and I have been visiting Butter Roll a couple of times a week for fresh bread, etc. Their donut holes are the best anywhere and just 10 cents each. You have to get there early for the donut holes. I'm not sure how much longer Butter Roll will be around, though, since the owners are approaching retirement and I'm not sure anyone is in line to take over. Visit while you can! Can't beat the quality, convenience, prices (I don't think they've increased their prices for 30 years), and friendliness. They are a treasure trove of northside knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI do have some suggestions for improvement, though, as long as they're around. I wish they would put in some fresh light bulbs to illuminate their sign at night, and it would be so cool to have a small table or two to sit at and have coffee and a donut. I know they're mainly a commercial bakery, so the tables are probably a pipe dream. Butter Roll resembles Friedman's in a number of ways, both favorably and unfavorably: great product and long northside tenure, but rundown building and a sense of complacency as far as drawing in new business or improving curb appeal. Most of the time they look closed or out of business. Even so, they're a huge asset and I will be very sad to see them go when the time comes.
address please
ReplyDeleteAddress has been added to the blog post, it's 1500 W. Broadway.
ReplyDelete