The East Village just got a little sweeter with the opening of Hani’s Bakery and Café. Led by former Gramercy Tavern pastry chef Miro Uskokovic and his wife Shilpa Uskokovic, senior food editor at Bon Appétit, Hani's promises an ode to American desserts with international flairs. As Eater reports, the bakery has drawn attention for its unique offerings, including a PB and J cake and chocolate-chunk cookies, reminiscent of Miro’s popular creations at Gramercy Tavern.
The location, a former Dunkin' Donuts spot on Cooper Square, saw an impressive turnout for its friends and family opening, with food industry icons such as Rose Levy Berenbaum present in the crowd. “The vision with Hani’s is to continue that legacy and celebrate the diversity of American baking, [with] nods to who we are,” Miro told Eater. With both owners having roots in other countries, Miro hailing from Serbia and Shilpa from India, their baking style is a blend of their experiences and the American baking traditions they have come to love.
The bakery is not only a culmination of their shared dreams but also serves as a tribute to Miro’s late mother, whose own aspirations of opening a bakery were crushed by the Balkans' tumultuous political climate in the 1990s, as he shared with Eater. Beyond sweets, Hani’s plans to expand its offerings with sandwich selections in the coming weeks, such as a BEC with spicy cilantro sauce and a dilly tuna salad.
Grubstreet highlighted that the Uskokovics are aiming for a laid-back atmosphere in their bakery. “I think increasingly, people want something that tastes good, feels familiar, and offers them a small element of surprise,” said Shilpa. This conveys in their menu, which alongside their cakes will include savory pastries like broccoli-cheddar scones, and a comforting masala chai developed by Shilpa with her parents.
The couple's journey to opening Hani’s began back when they were international students at the Culinary Institute of America and has been filled with meticulous planning, from its conception to dealing with the setbacks of a global pandemic—during which they wrote their business plan. Both Shilpa and Miro share an appreciation for American desserts’ nostalgic allure despite their overseas upbringings. As quoted by Grubstreet, Shilpa reflects, “There is something strangely nostalgic about American desserts. Neither of us grew up here, but somehow we long for these things.”
Hani's Bakery and Café officially opens its doors tomorrow, inviting New Yorkers to experience the shared global past that Miro and Shilpa bring to an all-American tradition. With its myriad of baked goods and diverse cultural touches, Hani's stands as a testament to the couple's dedication as purveyors of comfort and sweetness in the heart of Manhattan.
