On a corner of Cawasji Patel Street, the sky-blue facade and red-tiled roof of Yazdani Bakery stand out among the Fort district’s British-era buildings. The building itself is from the early 20th century, once a Japanese bank, and the inside feels just as historic. There’s no air conditioning or WiFi, just a spacious room that holds the essentials of a traditional bakery – a large table for kneading dough by hand, an old-style bread slicing machine, and massive diesel-powered ovens. The walls are covered in vintage posters and family photographs, a collection that helped the bakery earn an Urban Heritage Award in 2007.
Opened by the Zend family in 1953, the bakery is now run by the third generation, who continue to use baking traditions that trace back to Iran. The key to their bread is a fermentation technique called *khamir*, where a piece of dough from a previous batch is used as a starter for the next, much like sourdough. Everything is still made by hand, resulting in a small but iconic menu of Irani cafe classics.
You'll find the famous bun maska, a soft bun sliced and filled with a thick slab of butter, alongside its crusty counterpart, the brun maska. The mawa cake, a dense and moist cake made from reduced milk solids, is another staple, as are the flaky khari biscuits and simple apple pie. While it was once a classic cafe with dine-in service, Yazdani now operates strictly as a takeaway bakery. The tables and chai service are gone, but the baked goods remain the same. It’s open from early morning until evening, and you’ll need to bring cash.
@yazdanibakery