Fat Peach Bakeshop held a soft opening Friday at its new Hyde Park location, 1613 E. 53rd St., marking the Bridgeport bakery's first expansion since it opened two years ago. The debut almost didn't happen on schedule after a driver swerved into co-owner David Castillo's lane while he was making a delivery the day before, ruining the pastry supply meant for opening day.
Castillo was unharmed in the near-collision, but the ruined pastries meant the Hyde Park shop had to scramble before its first customers arrived, according to Block Club Chicago. Co-owner Kerrie Breuer said plenty of people still showed up to check out the new storefront on Thursday, including some who traveled from Bridgeport. The Hyde Park location is Fat Peach's first expansion beyond its original shop, and it opened at 1613 E. 53rd St. following the soft launch.
During its first week, the bakery will be open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with regular hours still to be determined. The owners plan a full launch next week but aren't holding a grand-opening ceremony or ribbon-cutting, the outlet reported. Breuer described the new location as a work in progress: “We're just trying to figure things out, make tweaks along the way and make sure our systems are running efficiently.”
Why Hyde Park
Breuer said the choice to expand into Hyde Park came down to an appreciation for the South Side that she feels doesn't always get its due. “We really like the South Side and think it's sometimes underrated,” she said, calling the neighborhood a natural fit for the bakery's second storefront. The Hyde Park shop's decor will echo the original Bridgeport location, with the same peach color scheme and greenery, per the same report.
The Hyde Park menu is still being finalized, but early plans call for a guava custard danish, a breakfast pastry loaded with hashbrowns, ham, cheese and ketchup, and cinnamon rolls finished with raspberry glaze and espresso cream cheese frosting. Those offerings build on the bakery's reputation for both classic and creative pastry work, a identity rooted in the original Bridgeport shop, which David Castillo has said draws inspiration from coffee shops and bakeries in Mexico City and Oaxaca and broader café culture, according to Block Club Chicago.
From Bridgeport Storefront To Award Nod
Breuer and Castillo opened the original Fat Peach at 2907 S. Archer Ave. in August 2024, taking over a space long associated with Bridgeport Bakery. Block Club Chicago has reported that Bridgeport Bakery closed in 2019 after a 47-year run, reopened under new ownership the following year, and then closed again in 2021, while Eater Chicago has reported that the bakery officially closed in October 2021. Accounts of the original Bridgeport storefront's hours have also varied between outlets, with Block Club Chicago reporting it was open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. or until sold out Friday through Sunday, while Eater Chicago reported hours of 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on those same days.
Breuer brings her own résumé to the counter. She is a professional cake decorator who won Amazon Prime's 2022 “Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge,” and under her and Castillo's ownership, Fat Peach has built a following for its laminated pastries, croissants and rotating savory items like ham and cheese pastries. That track record earned the bakery a nomination for a 2027 Jean Banchet Award in the Pastry Program of the Year category, a nod to the kind of citywide attention the Bridgeport original has drawn since its 2024 debut.
For now, the Hyde Park shop is operating on a trial run, with Breuer and Castillo adjusting hours, staffing and the menu as the weeks go on. Customers hoping for a full slate of offerings and settled hours will likely need to wait for the bakery's planned launch next week, even as the weekend soft opening gives South Side regulars their first taste of what's coming to 53rd Street.
