Old Town Bakery

The bakery offers pastries and artisan breads baked on the premises in traditional, Old-World style. Breakfast and lunch sandwiches are made to order, and Island Joe’s coffee, plus tea and cold drinks, are also available. A selection of gourmet cheeses is on offer, and party platters can be made to order.

Niall Bowen (the owner and baker) earned his degree in pastry arts at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island and started his career working in pastry shops around Boston. He moved to Atlanta, where he worked as pastry chef in a large hotel and later with a major caterer, for whom he established a wholesale dessert business. Later, he returned to Boston, where he helped open a new bakery.

The lure of fishing and warm weather brought Niall to the Keys. In Key West, he was the pastry chef at Louie’s Backyard for several years, and ran his own wedding cake business, serving the local hotels. After an exploratory move to Austin convinced him and his family that Key West is their home, they moved back to stay. Before opening the Old Town Bakery, he was the pastry chef at the Strip House at The Reach Resort.

The Old Town Bakery is a family affair. Niall’s wife and partner, Elzbieta Krysztofiak is responsible for the welcoming decor that greets customers. The historic building had been unoccupied for some time, and it took careful planning and hard work to renovate the interior, with its Dade County pine walls and exposed beams.