Platt Park is home to a new bakery from one of Denver’s most acclaimed pastry chefs, bringing its signature Portuguese treats, an expanded menu and the smell of fresh bread that drifts down the block before you reach the front door.
State of play: James Beard-nominated baker Ismael de Sousa opened Reunion Bakery’s new home at 1240 S. Pearl St. in early May after first launching inside The Source market hall in 2018. The bakery draws on his Portuguese family’s roots in Caracas, Venezuela.
Zoom in: An open kitchen gives customers a front-row seat to the baking process — an intentional choice by de Sousa to show everything is made from scratch, in-house, throughout the day.
- The light-filled café features a squiggly blue accent wall, a handful of tables and shelves stocked with baking goods, kitchen tools and cookbooks from Colorado chefs.
What’s new: The larger footprint lets Reunion offer more than breads and pastries.
- The all-day menu now includes brunch-y dishes like the “Eggsession” — an open-faced sourdough sandwich topped with soft-scrambled eggs plus your choice of bacon or lox. The herby fattoush-inspired kale salad has Kalamata olives, goat cheese and sourdough croutons.
- A refrigerated case showcases cream puffs and tarts, with rotating flavors like lemon meringue and mango choux.
- Fresh bread service is available Wednesday–Sunday each week.
Worth ordering: The bakery’s signature pastel de nata — a deeply caramelized Portuguese egg custard tart with shatteringly crisp pastry and a silky, still-wobbly center — remains a must-order. If they’re available, don’t miss out on the blue corn masa blueberry cookie or the gooey pull-apart dark chocolate babka…