With a bit of luck and favor of time, everything comes back—even Easy Bake Ovens. The new Lucky Oven Bakery proudly displays neat rows of retro ovens. The Easy Bake wall makes a colorfully nostalgic backdrop for photos. Snap! Check that there are no crumbs between your teeth. Many a gleeful selfie has been shot here. Easy Bake Ovens capture the imagination of a younger generation and bring back memories for more seasoned cooks. Growing up, didn’t just about every girl on the block have a light bulb-heated Easy Bake Oven? Food and fun go together.
The Easy Bake Oven wall adds retro charm to the Lucky Oven Bakery.
Comfort food is served with relaxed casual dining efficiency at the Lucky Oven Bakery. The bakery-café emerged from a former dry cleaner business on the corner of Penn Avenue South and West 54th Street in Minneapolis. Beyond a youthful spirit of kitchen kitsch, the place has a neighborly feel. Families come here. Book clubs meet here. Locals run into old friends and neighbors here. How did the Armatage area get along without the Lucky Oven Bakery? A center-placed, large communal table extends a warm welcome and the food is irresistible.
Some salads, sandwiches, veggie plates and sides are on the menu, but breakfast dishes and sweet treats steal the food show. Just try to come in and only buy coffee.
On the savory side, a duo of egg benedicts and hash plates switch up flavors. Curry seasonings, wild mushrooms, rich sauces, poached eggs and select meats add zip to breakfast dishes. Portions run big. If it’s too much of a challenge to leave room for dessert, take something home. Carb-laden counters and cases tempt customers with housemade wonders.
Any steamy cup of fresh-brewed coffee or tea goes down better accompanied by a scone, cupcake or cookie. Bakery selections vary but count on something sweet and good as homemade to be in the bakery case. Everything is fresh-made from scratch, even the bread and English muffins. The variety adds to the adventure and is always tempting. Flavored scones, buttery croissants, brioche buns, peanut butter sandwich cookies and caramel cinnamon rolls are prime contenders.
The caramel rolls are a must try.
The super-sized caramel cinnamon rolls are best when shared. Entire families dive into poufy swirls of yeast dough and sugary goo, tossing aside napkins in reckless abandon. The result is a frenzy of messy eating that’s well worth the clean-up time. Keeping tidy is nearly impossible but no one will leave hungry.
Stop by the Lucky Oven Bakery for a memorable breakfast lunch or snack and refuel in retro style. Be sure to take photos in front of the Easy Bake Oven wall and smile when you do—no light bulb required for a winning shot.
Lucky Oven Bakery | 5401 Penn Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55419 | (612) 353-6232 | luckyovenbakery.com
