Claude & Julien — Restaurant in Munich

Boulangerie Claude & Julien

I finally visited Claude & Julien, the latest addition to Munich's few Boulangeries, after passing it by a few times on my daily office commutes.

Other than the mainstream bakeries like Wimmer, Riedlmair or Hofpfisterei that I often find occupying some of the best locations in the city, it would be hard to spot an independent bakery in a more prime location such as this one. Situated in Munich's upscale Lehel neighborhood and surrounded with centuries old but well-kept residential buildings, business units and embassies, Claude & Julien sits only a few short strides from the busy corner of Ismaningerstr. and Prinzregentenstr., and less than a minute walk from Villa Stuck, a stunning 19th century neoclassical structure and a home of a museum and gallery.

I didn’t really get this at first but who opens a new food joint in winter?! Weather in winter turns cold and bleak in Munich between Nov - Mar and people avoid taking extra time or detours to explore novelties that might pop up on their routes - a routine truly becomes a king in winter. I understand that permits need to be obtained, inspections carried out, utilities hooked up, equipment is to be purchased, staff must be hired … all of this can take weeks if not months to go through so in the end, there’s very little a shop keeper can do to precisely plan an opening. I am not a baker (though my growing waist shows I am a big fan) but I heard that other than turning to the previously tested modifications, restaurateurs do not like make big changes to their menus, or generally they try to avoid coming up with something ‘new’ in winter - new service, new tastes, new menus etc. … so moving a bakery to the new location is kind of a big deal. But some rules are to be challenged and I applaud Claude & Julien for being brave when they decided to open in November! Having passed the shop at least dozen times and having visited twice in the last two weeks, I think I see now what gave them the confidence to challenge the conventions ... it's the belief in the uniqueness of their produce and in the uniqueness of the experience they provide … a commitment to the ‘New’.

So where am I going with this?

First off, you can’t really miss the light coming from the two large windows illuminating the street - I would only change the lighting to a more warmer tone (yellow) to better contrast with the grey paint and to make the ambience slightly more welcoming. The tastefully decorated shop area has clearly visible assortment of pains and pâtisseries that simply beg you to enter. And here is the ‘unique’ part that I mentioned above. The other window gives a panoramic view of the Boulangers at work, busy in their workshop making loafs and pastries in the morning and during a day. That’s right, Claude & Julien has its own atelier producing everything fresh right there and handing it to the shop where the shop keeper would put the still warm baguettes and breads into a row of wall-mounted wooden stands or arrange pastries into the neat rows behind the glass counter. I don’t know any other Boulangerie in Munich that does their trade end-to-end ... so any extra cost that would otherwise have gone into extra rental, transportation and staff can be invested into the shop itself.

On both of my two visits, I was greeted by a very pleasant shop keeper lady who despite several customers in the shop did not appear stressed or rushed and handled my purchase of a pain au chocolate and a baguette with a pair of croissants with loving care. Considering myself a devoted coffee lover, I was also pleasantly surprised by a smart choice of the espresso machine / grinder setup and the skill with which she pulled an exceptional espresso shot.

Just like everything else … life is about little pleasures … the fleeting moments of delight defined by kindness, beauty and love.

My dear co-dwellers, do yourselves a favor, make your day a little brighter and visit Claude & Julien on Ismaningerstr. … you will...

This is the bakery I love getting croissants and baguettes from.

However, on 19.08, something was off. Croissants were shrunken in size and my usual traditional baguette was extremely dense. Not well-made.

Hopefully this was a one time thing, and I see same old consistency in quality next time.

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Update: Flat spongy cake-like croissants on 09.09. What...

A bakery with a spacious atelier and an espresso machine, but unfortunately, no dine-in option available. They excel at crafting perfect french baguette tradition; however, note that their tarte aux fraises deviates from the typical pâte sablé crust, using a...