Business & Tech

Welcome to The Pantry

A new coffee shop-- the latest installment in the Peaches Restaurant "dynasty"-- opens on Lewis Ave

The space formerly occupied by Lewis Art Gallery is re-born. Its newest incarnation: The Pantry, a coffee house and pastry shop.

The Pantry, located at 411 Lewis Avenue, is the third installment in the dynasty (the second being , which opened in April and has since mysteriously been closed), occupying the block along Lewis Avenue between Decatur and MacDonough.

The café, approximately 800 square feet, is wide, airy and expansive. So unlike many of the coffee shops that have opened in Bed-Stuy over the past two years, The Pantry offers ample room to not only enjoy a long cup of coffee, but also work on the computer, read a book, hold a meeting or just kick back and relax.

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The Pantry features coffee from the Brooklyn Roasting Company, a direct-trade dealer based in DUMBO, and boasts “a deeper cup of coffee,” from a full-contact, stir-brewed process.

Its iced coffee is cold-brewed for 24 hours, which the café claims delivers a fuller flavor without the bitterness.

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And the café seems to be working out a few more kinks still: There was no printed menu nor a visible list of coffee options and their cost.

Also, the café’s sole cashier was unable to answer basic questions, such as when the café launched, its exact store hours and whether there was free WiFi.

Repeated calls to speak to management at Peaches Restaurant regarding these questions, including the status of the Bar at Peaches, also were not returned.

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By the owners of The Pantry, 8/16/12:

The Pantry has been open for about a month. Our "official" opening hasn't happened yet, though we're hoping to have our full offerings by the beginning of the school year/end of summer break. We are adding new items weekly: soups, sandwiches, whole bean coffee, etc. 

When we first rented the space, our idea was for it to be an afternoon and evening meeting place. We were envisioning a (fully enclosed) urban Beer Garden with a decidedly Bed Stuy feel. We planned to show independent and vintage films on multiple screens, offer spoken word open mics and maybe even live music. We imagined small plates of straightforward farm to table food with a lighter feel than Peaches.

The focus was to be on local beers and wines, artisanal breads and cheeses and, most important of all, community. In the interim, we used it as an Event space for guests who were planning parties at Peaches.

When Bread Stuy closed unexpectedly and we realized that we had the opportunity to expand Peaches in a more direct manner, we stopped planning the "bar" down the block and began work on the "bar next door."

In the time that it took for the dust to clear on The Bar, we had heard from so many guests and regulars that they missed having a daytime coffee and meeting place that the decision was made to open the Pantry. Since we had already done much of the interior remodeling, shifting gears from "Events" to The Pantry was relatively easy. 

We are proud to served coffee from The Brooklyn Roasting Company, Balthazar Bakery Pastries and Bread, HotHouse cakes and muffins, and an expanding selection of both curated and housemade savory and sweet items.

As always, our primary focus is on cultivating community. We firmly believe that each of our restaurants should be firmly grounded in the neighborhoods they serve and we work to maintain a rapport with regulars, residential neighbors, local businesses, local politicians, the community boards and anyone else who cares to engage with us.

As a lifelong member of this neighborhood. I am proud to have been able to open Peaches in a place where I was told a place like Peaches wouldn't survive. The Pantry, though not as long in the works, is a welcome second chapter.


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