Payne Street Bake House — Restaurant in Louisville

In lieu of Nancy's Bagel Box closing (I still weep at this), my go-to for Covfefe and Bagels is Payne Street Bakehouse, because that's where Nancy's amazing bagels and incredible cream cheeses are made.

But that's not all.

They also have excellent covfefe and muffins and lunch sandwiches and breakfast sandwiches and scones...for starters.

Located more-or-less convenient for me (with a slight detour) on my way to work, and I'm glad it's not actually on Lexington Rd, because that'd be a nightmare. In stead it's a couple blocks off of Lexington so you don't need to battle traffic to get your bagel and covfefe fix. The parking lot is rather limited, but there is plenty of street parking in the area. Generally people are in-and-out of the parking lot pretty quickly while they grab their food on the way in to work, so those spaces tend don't stay occupied very long.

Inside the Payne Street Bakehouse you're greeted with the wafty smells of fresh baked goods and coffee. In the morning you'll find 1/2 dozen bags of a variety of bagels just inside the door for a quick grab-and-dash. Behind the counter you'll find baskets full of a large variety of fresh bagels, with muffins and scones dotting the landscape of the counter. Some days it looks so good I'd like to throw caution (and calorie awareness) right out the window and just dig in.

Nancy's blends their on cream cheeses. I believe by now I've tried them all, with the jalapeño cream cheese and the herb cream cheese being my favorites. Their garden veggies is really good, too.

The girls behind the counter are always helpful, answering questions and making suggestions while I try to figure out what'll satisfy my morning appetite. Based on the amount of product that goes out the door or into a belly, I'm thinking this kind of activity goes on pretty much all day, with the baking and the bageling.

Nancy's coffee is local (Sunergos) and not some generic coffee that comes off the shelf or from a restaurant supply store. They have a variety of flavored syrups (English Toffee!!!) and come up with their own recipes from time to time.

If I were to make one recommendation that would significantly help Payne Street Bakehouse, it would be the addition of a drive thru. I know that's pretty counter-intuitive to their excellent customer-facing service, but at the same time getting a bagel and schmear while never leaving your car would make the drive in easier, as well as allow them to turn small-ticket orders around quickly.

While I desperately miss the convenience of Nancy's Bagel Box (it's directly across the street from where I work), if I plan accordingly I can still get my Nancy's fix and still make it to work on time. I absolutely love this place. Thanks for being there.

(Jim's tip: The Jalapeño & Cheddar Bagel and the Jalapeño Cream Cheese are the perfect starter.) (well, at least for me) (try it, you might like it, too.) (They should call it the...

UPDATED 1/13/22

The transition from Nancy's to Payne Street Bakehouse has not been ideal. From product consistency to operational issues (parking, ordering, lines, Covid, etc.) to staff training/consistency issues and turn-over, there certainly are areas for improvement. I have hesitated updating my review of Payne Street to give them time to fully transition from Nancy as well as give the benefit of the doubt around environmental challenges (Covid), but I think now is the time.

First the consistency of their product: the bagels

Prior to Payne Street, during the Nancy years, bagel consistency was nearly spot-on. The proofing was even (not flat, not inflated like a baseball) and more importantly the interior "chew" was perfect and the exterior wasn't overbooked (hard). Now, however, 9 times out of 10, the interior consistency feels like the bagel is 1-2 days old (no chew, almost a stale texture) and the exterior is hard. I'm unsure what has caused this change, but the bagels no longer feel "freshly baked" instead a two-hour-old bagel remind me of what I expect out of the day-old bags.

While I appreciate the addition of other baked goods, the primary focus should be the bagels and for over two years now they are not (IMO) exceptional.

Issues with Operations

Parking is an obvious issue but one that I'm happy to overlook given there is ample on-street parking just beyond the building on Spring Street. It's certainly an issue, however, but not necessarily worth describing. I think it's well understood.

Staffing seems to be a concern as well, granted EVERYONE is having those, so I'll try to not harp too loudly. The staff over the past several months now seems to be regulars and not the high school students of past who were very inconsistent in how they prepared sandwiches and speed of processing orders. Most orders would also typically be wrong (either missing items, wrong sandwich made or specific instructions not followed).

Logistics of ordering seem to have improved by eliminating the entrance on the side and instead funneling through the front but now restaurant area has been taken up by standing/waiting area. One of the best parts of coming to Nancy's/Payne Street was being able to sit and relax while enjoying a conversation over bagels, now it feels cramped and uncomfortable. While I understand there is a balance to be achieved between serving food and creating an inviting atmosphere during Covid (and they're likely doing the best they can) it currently does not meet the standards of past.

I hope this provides helpful feedback to the owner and staff. My intention is not to dissuade anyone from visiting but instead to provide my thoughts to potentially improve the overall product and experience.

• PRIOR REVIEW (2018) *

Simply put, the best. Nancy's has been the heart of the Clifton community for over 20 years and hopefully will continue for...

Vibes Saturday morning, you can smell Butchertown down the street... you walk up to this adorable building, you rush in.... the smells of Heaven hit you in the face 😍 You've arrived! You look to the left at the beautiful stone photo (I'm obsessed with it), you look forward and see a couple of people standing in line and a couple to the side. You walk to the line and see the fresh pastries all around, even handmade dog/cat treats! The menu is large and readable, hanging above the register. You decide you would like a flavored bagel with cream cheese, give your name, and you pay cash (also giving a little to the tip jar because you're a decent human ♡) You stand to the side with the excited others waiting for their treat bags. The music is a song from your childhood and you're humming along, nodding your head when suddenly "YOUR NAME" is called out!!! Here we go! Time to see if your friend who told you to go here was right...you find a seat in front of the rock picture (it's my review lol). You unwrap the bagel OH THEY RESPECTED THE SHMEARRRRRRRR!!!! Herb cream cheese is healthily packed between the tomato basil slices, you take a bite. This really is Heaven! You've needed this day for so so so so so long! Other shops just don't get it, they don't have the flavor! Tears begin streaming down your cheeks, blessed be! The Angels begin singing, there's a bright light that comes from the ceiling and washes over your body. You've been blessed by the Bagel God 😍👏 You found your new spot! You feel the best you've felt since before the Pandemic, you want to write an amazing review....no...you NEED to write an amazing review! You go to thank your friend, they were right! They were there for you through the other store experiences...they understand your pain 🫂 Have a wonderful day and spread love!

-Your Friend who...