Reviews City Bakery

I am someone who has to have some bakery products with my tea twice a day. I've been to most of the bakeries in Camp but since discovering City in December, I haven't felt the need to go anywhere else since. Must try the Jam Puffs and Maska Khaari.

Great family run institution. Icon of Poona! Must try nut biscuits and rich plum cake. Worth the trip from Bombay!

Lovely fresh crispy kharis.
Regular with their brown breads.

Must try: Jeera butter,
Plain cake, fan biscuit.

Don't try: Brownie, jam puff.

Overall good stuff.

Review No 420:

In continuation of the food trek to some amazing places in my bucket list brought us to City Bakery.

There is an amazing write up on this place by fellow food blogger Ms S Roy Choudhury on 24 Aug 2015. The review may look dated but is still very relevant.

Being a Sunday evening, we lost on the opportunity to sample quite a few offerings but got our hands on the following:

a. Plum Cake: Honest. That's the first thing which comes to your mind. The core of the cake, the flavour and density all in order. Something which I'm sure has got better with time.

b. Shrewberry Biscuits: One of the better places to pick up Shrewberry Biscuits. A lovely companion to that cup of tea or coffee as it’s not overtly sweet and has that nice buttery after taste.

c. Kaju Biscuits: Slightly different from the staple Kaju biscuits we are used to getting. Would have loved if there were more of the 'Kaju'ness and I felt it was slightly downplayed.

Ambience: Expect nothing but old world charm.

Price: in 2017, the prices are still very much value for the dime. Period.

Service: Being a Sunday, the rush was slowing down the single soul who was trying to get to the orders in time.

Ratings on basis the experience so far. I wish I would make it more often and not complain of the distance from where we stay. Definitely calls for multiple revisits.

Food: 4/5
Price: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambience: 4/5 (For those who love the old world charm)
*****************
Overall: 4/5

One of the underrated gems in Pune, do try their glass cakes, mawa cake and yummy batasa.

They also sell some yummy cookies in many flavours so do try them out when you are on MG road in the camp area.

Thank god for such lovely places which add to the charm of visiting Pune.

One of the best bakery for their maska khari and sweet buns.

I also love their nuts biscuit and long toast.
They work on fixed schedule so be on time coz they run out of stock fast

Yummilicious!
The jam puff is my favorite. Melts in the mouth. Top it with Irani chai right opposite in Cafe Kohinoor and it feel satisfying.
Other favorite fan biscuit (sugar khari types).
Don't miss it, be aware about the timings though.

This is the bakery which serves you taste in every bite which you have of their product....
The veg puffs, jam puffs are too excellent..
The biscuits the cakes are also well cooked and excellent... must try is the brownie... u feel like pampered... A must visit place..

CITY BAKERY is such a fine example of a Parsi-run establishment, brimming as it is with character and joyful eccentricity. For a bakery that does business for mere 4 hours (yes you heard it right although of course they work far longer in their kitchen, in fact from the early hours of morning itself – but the shutters go up only at 4pm because you see the baker-in-chief sells you his wares himself), CITY manages to impress with its range of items, all freshly baked and more importantly, with how fantastically community-centric it is. Run by the famous Irani family of the city that is into its fourth generation in the baking business, this bakery has always succeeded in capturing my imagination. It is because of establishments like CITY BAKERY that Camp remains my favourite market in town to dawdle about in.

The following are some of my top picks from here that I have thoroughly enjoyed over the years:

FAN BISCUIT (Rs 70 for ¼ kg): These are my real favourites from here (of course, second only to their awesome cashew biscuits – see below). They call them Fan or Fine biscuits but these are actually PALMIERS or the SCHWEINE OHREN (pig’s ears). This is simply a must buy and I doubt if I have ever returned from CITY BAKERY without getting a pack. The caramelised sugar in it appears almost re-granulated on a fantastically flaky, almost cordate wafer biscuit made from puff pastry – it is an instant heart stealer. Check out how pretty they look (see attached pics) – they are not just heart-shaped but are large hearted too;-) I find them best with a nicely brewed unsweetened cup of Lopchu.

CHEESE STRAWS (Rs 80 for ¼ kg): These long curly wafer sticks are such a delight – although CITY also sells good SOUP STICKS, I often use these as stirrers instead with some of my more rustic soups with sweet tonalities like a hearty pumpkin or pea soup or even a chowder – cannot tell you how well they jam with them although of course they are intended as companions for more regular beverages like tea & coffee. Note however that I can’t have them just like that because there is a greasy aftertaste of whatever fat they use in it which tends to coat the tongue unpleasantly – you will need a hot beverage or soup to allow that aspect to be suppressed as it is supposed to be.

BATASA (Rs 60 for ¼ kg): Specifically these are their Jeera Surti Makhania which are desi-style savoury biscuits spiked with whole jeera – ideal for people like me who prefer a note of salty in their teatime biscuits.

WINE BISCUITS (Rs 70 for ¼ kg): These are biscuits I get a craving for every six months when I pick up a pack, from which I then proceed to do several rounds of binge eating. They are actually बताषा-shaped thin discs although funnily CITY’s BATASA is the surti biscuit mentioned above. Like the Shrewsbury, I discovered them only when I came to Pune, thanks to grocery shopping at Dorabjee. CITY’s version is a perfect rendition of the type. Why it is called a wine biscuit – of course, it doesn’t have any – is something that I find very interesting. I think it may have something to do with the Eucharist and the sacramental bread used during communion – the consecrated bread is after all dipped in wine and placed on the tongue of the devout by the priest – I think WINE BISCUIT resembles that or may have been made for that purpose. For our purpose, all we need to know is that it is a lovely morsel of eggy sweet biscuit and CITY’s version is as good as they come.

CHEESE FINGERS (Rs 60 for ¼ kg): Oh how I love these! They may look very crayon-ish but are wonderful especially in combination with sweet mixtures like say Sabudana Chivda or Falahari mixture. They have a unique texture that appears almost odd when you take a bite but the biscuit soon dissolves, leaving its lovely cheese taste behind.

PLAIN KHARI (Rs 70 for for ¼ kg): Naturally I have to pick Khari up given what an addict I am of that commodity in general. The ones here are as good as any. The top layers might be a little too puffed up but it is spot-on in terms of taste.

CUP CAKE (Rs 15 each): These are what they call their VATI CAKES because they do seem to have taken the shape of the katori they have been individually baked in, resembling a squat button mushroom if you will. You get them in packs of 4 or 6 I think – nice for that snack lunchbox. Slice them latitudinally, spread some crème fraiche and you have yourself a real nice treat!

JAM PUFF (Rs 16 each): I tried this recently for the first time. I had actually gone to try their VEG PUFF that Husein Upletwala had suggested I should try which I had somehow never really had here before. So at the next opportunity I got, I made sure I asked for the puff but sadly it was unavailable – instead I was offered this JAM PUFF. One bite and it took me rushing back to childhood like a rewind on steroids – can’t remember the last time I so enjoyed an amply jam-filled delight like this. I had bought just one piece and decided to have it as soon as I got into my car – I tell you, pure blissful five minutes I spent like a lost-in-her-own-world kid, fingers all sticky with jam, mind blanked out of all concerns. If this is any indication then that VEG PUFF must also be beautiful.

CASHEW NUT BISCUIT (Rs 180 for ½ kg): This is my absolute top pick from here – if you have to try just one item here to test their proficiency, please make it this one. This cashew/kidney shaped biscuit is such a favourite of mine that I share it most sparingly with others at home – in fact I actually keep a count of the pieces left and severely ration their consumption till I can source more. The taste, the texture, everything works for me in this biscuit – just rightly sweetened such that the cashew flavour is not too masked but not too overpowering either, the unique crunch of the top, the nutty bits in it, the cute shape, the pale golden colour, the ideal size – everything is perfect about this biscuit. Please have it with only black tea or coffee for its goodness to shine through – it will be like what a good amaretto cookie is to a cup of espresso.

The handsomely moustachioed Salamat Irani who runs this family-enterprise is a superbly delightful chap, the real jaan of establishments such as this and why I would any day choose a bakery like CITY over all the nouveau riche boutique ones that may have all the fancy pâtisserie stuff with matching clientele but that still score high on borrriiingggg, zero on soul for me. No surprise he comes from notable lineage since they are a branch of the same family that runs Royal Bakery just a little down the same road, all tracing ancestry to a pioneer grandfather Irani who is often credited in culinary history of the region as the creator of the famous mawa cake in the early years of the last century. On a recent visit when I ask the uniquely charismatic Salamat for a plastic bag to carry all the goodies I have just bought from them, I get a reply in his trademark self-assured style that is, inadvertently, part reproachful chastisement, part flirtatious teasing – only a bawa can get my heart fluttering so even when he is, in essence, scolding me. I will be going back for another dose of that डांट soon – hope you do too.

P.S: For a lovely 4min short film on what they do best, find "City Bakery, Pune (Experiment Box)" on youtube and enjoy:-)

I have always been a city bakery fan. Very Nostalgic of this place as I remember visiting here since I was a kid. The list of my favourites is endless , to name a few is a difficult task. tops favs on my list is the Brazil Nuts, big ears, Shrewsbury, jam tarts, maawa cake, chocolate chip cookies and The best khaari in the world. Owners make the visit memorable and special with their warmth and super sense of humour. Owner "Salamat" is always friendly n witty with his quotes n jokes And prices are quoted in dollars in a funny way. You have be on time in the evening when the bakery opens to be lucky to lay your hands on these delicacies. Else if late most of the stuff is sold out.

An old world charm and simplicity makes this bakery very likeable and popular among the Puneites...
One thing that can be noticed right away is that their stocks finishes with the blink of an eye.. The stocks consists of puffs-veg, jam etc, doughnuts, muffins, kharis, and the other usuals..
Baked to perfection, the kharis and puffs are a delight and so are the muffins.. The biscuits are fresh and really tasty..
Haven't had an opportunity to try out all the items but going by what I have seen and heard, these items make up the morning chai of many a people there.
The owner seems to be a jovial guy and the other staffs too help you in deciding what to take hinting out the egg items and the eggless ones..
The price seems to be okay... The puffs are a little overpriced tho'..
Would like to see their stocks and disposables last a little longer..
So if you happen to reach early to their shop, you are in for a treat.... Recommended

One of the best plum cakes you will get in the city. I have tried quite a lot of them from around all the bakeries in camp and found theirs to be the best!. Visit during Christmas as they make them fresh each day but might get sold out till evening so reach there a bit early.

A large variety of deliciously fresh bakery products. Some of the best in Pune. Super personalised friendly service. My absolute favourite in Pune. I'm hoping to be eligible for a loyalty recognition. Will not shift even if not recognised. 😉

Look no further, undoubtedly the best bakery at Pune.Their walnut pie, brownie,Shrewsberry biscuits, butter khari are the best. Wish them more and more Success and Prosperity.

A heavenly place for walnut pie....! Other stuff is basic bakery items. Nothing great...! But walnut pie is a must try...!

Walnut pie must say is a go and grab one..It's simply yummy and just so irresistible..Must try to experience the Woww..The owners also are kind and friendly.

It's open from 7 am through 9 pm. It's a must go if you are in Pune

Hello..Feels bad to hear the timings are being changed intentionally, by one of the partners. Never heard Parsi and Irani's are of that kind. Just to update, so customers are aware. The bakery is up and running from 7am to 9pm. P.S- have been loyal customer of city bakery for long time. Sheru bhai and khushru are so kind hearted and frolic. God bless them.

Very yummy brownies and awesome walnut pie 🥧 😋 which u won't get anywhere