Delicious news landed last summer when international pastry and coffee shop 85C Bakery Cafe announced its move into Texas.
The company originated in Taiwan in 2004 with the philosophy that everyone should be able to afford premium coffee and snacks. When it moved into America in 2008, the first U.S. shop in Irvine, Calif., was a massive success, and it developed a rapid cult following. That location was followed by a slew of stores through California before it landed in a second lucrative American market: Texas.
85C Bakery Cafe rolled into Carrollton last August with fanfare and excitement. It became well-known for its Sea Salt Lattes, savory breads and sweet pastries abroad or in California. Have you been?
Perhaps you've never tried calamari stick (that's a cheesy black pastry, so colored because of squid ink) or red bean bread (which has a sweeter taste than you might expect).
Here are a some tasting tips for the 85C-curious.
Trust your eyes
The experience at 85C Bakery Cafe is extremely visual. You don't have to plan out your order ahead of time or come with any familiarity with the menu. Instead, it's easy to grab a tray and tongs and let your eyes (and, of course, stomach) dictate what to grab from the bakery display shelves. Warm items are self-serve, whereas bakery servers help with chilled items like cake slices and fruit-forward pastries on display in big glass cases.
In the self-serve section, each item is outfitted with a description card and its price. Nothing in the display case is over $3, a rep noted during our recent trip, with many in the $1 to $2 range. Plus, portion sizes are not small. Leftovers are likely if you pile up a few different items onto your tray. And it's hard not to.
Bet on a best seller
Go with what you like. But, now and again, it doesn't hurt to take a recommendation.
A rep tells us that 85C Bakery Cafe's top selling food item worldwide is the brioche, a soft, rich bread, which joins other crowd-pleasers like the blueberry jam infused Berry Tale and the Marble Taro, a sweet, mixed-grain bread with taro filling. (Taro is a popular ingredient, a bit comparable to a potato, used frequently in Asian cooking, including in desserts.)
If you're into coffee, 85C fanatics love the Sea Salt Latte, which the company has been selling since late 2008. In fact, 85C's coffee drink made such a buzz, it inspired international news features, trend articles and a host of YouTube videos featuring "first taste" perspectives.
Pro tip: Go on a Monday. That's when you can get an 85C Bakery Cafe Sea Salt Latte for just 85 cents, plus tax.
Don't have a sweet tooth?
While there are many sweet options on the 85C Bakery shelves, spicy, savory ones maintain a strong presence. The menu features recipes from around the world, and its sweet to savory option ratio is about 60-40, a rep explained.
If you're looking for a substantial pastry to carry you through lunchtime or, hey, even dinner, look out for 85C's cheese dog -- a bit like a pig in a blanket, dolled up with ketchup, light mayo, black pepper and parsley -- or the potato cheese -- a flaky, fluffy croissant-style bread with mashed potatoes and cheese filling.
You'll also find interesting pairings, like the ham and tuna sandwich, the Hawaiian chicken (which is a bit like a mini savory pie with pineapple and Italian seasoning) and a jalapeno danish, a European-style bread with a burst of heat.
Let's take a coffee break
We mentioned the Sea Salt Latte earlier, but it's important to note that 85C Bakery Cafe places similar emphasis on drinks as it does on pastries. In fact, the name comes from the temperature at which founders believe coffee holds its best flavor.
On the drink menu, you'll find standard coffee and espresso beverages and iced versions, as well as hot and cold teas, boba, slushes, smoothies and more.
Find a shop in North Texas
Since its move into Carrollton, 85C Bakery has announced plans to expand into other North Texas cities.
A location in Plano opened on June 16, with another set to open in Richardson on Friday, June 23. Frisco fans will have to wait; a shop there is expected in November in a shopping center with several Asian businesses.
Update, Feb. 12, 2018: A new location will open on Feb. 16 at 628 Harrold Street in Fort Worth's Left Bank Shopping Center, a rep confirms. The Frisco shop is still planned, with a projected opening in the spring, he says.
If that sounds like a lot, it's just a small sampling of the 85C's prolific reach. Stateside, it continues growing in California and Texas, and has since expanded to Washington state. When a shop opens in Houston on July 7, it will be the company's 1,000 location worldwide.
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Scroll through for more photos from 85C Bakery Cafe's grand opening in Plano:
