The Magic at Heritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant and Pizza Bar

Heritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant & Pizza Bar was opened by maverick restaurateur, Lou Ramirez, of Maison Kayser, Fig & Olive, and former president of Le Pain Quotidien. Ramirez’s partners Luc Boulet, a Master Baker and fourth-generation bread artisan from France who opened 80 Maison Kayser bakery-cafés across 14 countries, and Alex Garese, founder of Wolkonsky Bakery, are all experienced veterans in the world of bread, pastry, and restaurants.

Photo byHeritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant and Pizza Bar

Together, they had a vision of opening a bakery and restaurant that reflected their dedication to Ancient Grains and Artisanal Milling Techniques, with menu items that would showcase their unique grains, grown before the introduction of intensive, scientific plant breeding in the mid-1900s.

Photo byHeritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant and Pizza Bar

The 4,500-square-foot space is divided into two distinctive operations, Heritage Grand Bakery which opened in December 2021, and Heritage Grand Restaurant & Pizza Bar, which opened in April 2023. The 1,500-square-foot bakery is where the imported ancient grains from owner Garese’s farm in Europe, comprised of 17 varieties, are combined to create Heritage’s proprietary grain blend called Population Wheat.

I love the beauty that just hits you when you step into Heritage. You get a sense of real vintage elegance and it got me quite excited for the meal that was to come. My guest and I were guided to our seats and of course. We started our meal off with drinks. I went with the Chai Old Fashioned (Jim Beam Bourbon, cardamaro, chai syrup and angostura bitters) and my guest had the Evil Eye Espresso Martini (Alb Vodka, Evil Eye Espresso, Mr.Black Coffee Liqueur and vanilla bean). My drink made me feel like Autumn or Winter came early. The flavors definitely blend together very well but this drink just gave me a sense of Christmas or the holidays in general. I really enjoyed it, I just think this drink should probably be something more seasonal. My guest really enjoyed her drink as well so I think we can conclude that Heritage has some great drinks.

We definitely wanted to try something made with Ancient Grains so we decided to try the Moroccan Lamb Ancient Grain Flatbread. This was absolutely delicious! This tasted like an elevated pizza or flatbread. Every bite was better than the last and I will absolutely be recommending this dish to anyone who wants a great flatbread in the city.

Photo byHeritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant and Pizza Bar

For our mains, I went with the Crispy Skin Salmon (fennel, piquillo pepper, couscous and charred lemon) and my partner went with the Woodfired Branzino (roasted sea bass, pistachio chermoula, haricot vert and charred lemon). Both of these dishes were top-notch. My salmon was cooked to perfection and the crispy skin added a saltiness to the dish that I didn’t really expect. I had a bite of the branzino as well and I can honestly say you wouldn’t go wrong with either of these dishes. For dessert, we split the Warm Apple Tart and the Olive Oil Cake (which came with a lit candle as a surprise for my guest's birthday) Truly tasty and a great way to end the meal.

Photo byHeritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant and Pizza Bar

I really enjoyed my dinner at Heritage and I can’t wait to stop by again. Stop by Heritage Grand Bakery, Restaurant & Pizza Bar today, enjoy some of the best food in New York City and thank me later. heritagegrandbakery.com/restaurant