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Humble daily little miracles
The tradition of fresh-baked bread is a routine worthy of repetition. Once Alain Coumont decided to open his bakery, he needed to decide on a name. He recalled a memory of his father exclaiming “moi, ce n’est pas mon pain quotidien!” literally translating to “it’s not my daily bread.” Alain knew he needn’t look any further for the words to hang above his bakery door. Welcome to Le Pain Quotidien, “the daily bread,” where the past meets the present and the future is today.
A family affair
Alain Coumont learned the beauty of baking when he was just a little boy. Too small to reach the counter, his aunt Simone would pull a chair over for Alain to stand on so he could watch her make the dough for bread. On Sundays they’d bake, not just loaves and boules, but a dozen tarts too.
His taste for baking up happiness reaches far back into the legacy of his past. Alain’s mother’s parents owned a restaurant near Liège in Belgium, and his father trained as a chef. Alain even studied at the same hotel school that his father attended in Namur, Belgium. He followed in their footsteps until it was time to mark his own path.
Impossible perfection perfectly mastered
As a young chef in Brussels, Alain hunted, tasted and searched for bread that lived up to his childhood ideal. Coming up empty-handed was perhaps the most fortunate stroke, for Alain realized that the only way to satisfy his yearning for the rustic bread of his youth was to recreate it from memory. And so, Le Pain Quotidien was born from his quest to taste the familiar.
16 Rue Dansaert Bruxelles, Belgique
The first Le Pain Quotidien opened in Brussels in 1990, and within a few months 10 more locations opened, all serving the classic, rustic loaves Alain grew up with. Seven years later, Alain’s dream to open in the United States was realized with a flagship bakery on Madison Avenue in New York City, and now, his vision of fresh-baked, traditionally made bread has become a tradition for neighbors and friends at 200 Le Pain Quotidien locations throughout the world.
About this location:
Location
Bleecker Street
About the store
In the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, our Bleecker Street Bakery calls the stunning landmarked Bayard-Condict building home. The only Louis Sullivan architecture in New York, this building has a stunning white terra cotta façade and large windows, letting natural light flood into our in-house bakery. The clean elegance of our bakery is paired with the rustic warmth of reclaimed wood in our dining room, and offers a beautiful space for events and gatherings. Stop by to watch our bakers hand-shape our artisanal organic loaves, or put on your baker’s cap and join us in the bakery for a class.
Available at this store
Bakery Classes
Specialty Breads
Free Wi-Fi
Beer & Wine
Catering
Now Serving Omelettes
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