Behind the wine-red steel windows and graffiti-marked facade of a former 1930s foundry, Red Jane operates with a level of design precision that contradicts its rough exterior. The space is the first full interior project by lighting designer Michael Anastassiades, who stripped the building back to its raw concrete bones and exposed brick ceiling. The result is a high-contrast room where the industrial shell is offset by refined materials, most notably a long slab of red marble from Ritsona that serves as the central counter.
A floor-to-ceiling glass wall runs the length of the production area, ensuring the physical labor of baking remains visible to everyone waiting in line. The culinary direction – developed with consultant Eyal Schwartz of London’s E5 Bakehouse – merges French lamination techniques with Greek ingredients. You see piles of koulouri (sesame bagels) and baklava swirls stacked alongside chocolate-filled croissants and sourdough loaves made with organic flour from Cretan Mills.
Mornings are typically busy, and the queue often spills out onto the street. Once inside, service is a guided process where staff walk you along the display to explain the day’s rotation of hazelnut cruffins, fruit cakes, and savory sandwiches. Seating is scarce – limited mostly to a sculptural marble bench outside – so you will likely end up taking your Freddo cappuccino and pastry to go.
