Every day should include Back in the Day Bakery

  My job is to know food, share the good news, and help food businesses create sustainable growth. As such, I eat out a lot. With few exceptions, many over-hyped restaurants underwhelm me. It is rare that I have an experience that is across the board fantastic and makes me wish that the restaurant were on the corner of my street so that I could go there every day. Well, it happened to me on an odd corner of Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia at the Back in the Day Bakery.

I had read various superlatives about Back in the Day in regional and national media. I must admit that I am rarely impressed with bakeries. I have great memories of the Italian bakeries of my youth in the northeast, and as an adult, I have swooned over and stuffed myself at bakeries across Europe. I do not share the aching sweet tooth of many of my southern neighbors. In fact, “too sweet” is a common refrain among my family with regard to southern baked goods. So I was cautiously optimistic.

I won’t bury the lead. Back in the Day is one of the best bakeries I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy anywhere. We arrived on a Sunday morning at a convenient lull in the counter traffic. Ten minutes later and we would have had a longer wait. Back in the Day is located off the tourist track in a real Savannah neighborhood. Across the street is a rather large liquor store that seemed to do a brisk business on a Sunday morning. Back in the Day has big plate glass windows that let you see the quirky, eclectic old-school décor before you come in. It’s a bright, welcoming pace with large communal tables and cozier seating areas. You can see through to the working bakery that is separated from the retail space by a large window.

One of the things I loved about Back in the Day was the abundance of visible deliciousness when we walked in the door. Some bakeries seem to hide the goodness. I want to be overwhelmed with choices, with one delicacy looking more inviting than the next. My eyes darted around the display case. Cookies, sticky buns, and lemon cream bars caught my eye. Loaves of gorgeous French country bread, a focaccia-like loaf, ciabatta, and other savory breads filled baskets and other displays. And then I saw the sandwiches. Sandwiches that immediately evoked memories of Paris. Jambon and taleggio with butter and mustard, salami with arugula and red onion were available when we arrived at breakfast and additional delights were promised on the lunch menu.

In the interest of a fair evaluation, I ordered a little bit of everything. Cinnamon roll, Mexican chocolate cookie, lavender rosemary cookie, Valrhona chocolate chip cookie, lemon cream bar, fruit pie bar, the rosemary-sea salt loaf. And yes, the jambon and taleggio sandwich. No, we did not eat everything at once, although it was tempting to taste. The jambon sandwich was perfection. If I lived in Savannah, I could eat one every day. The baguette had the right toothsome texture and the creamy, tangy blend of cheese, mustard and butter were luscious and delicious. The sweets were executed just as well. Nothing was overly sweetened, allowing you to taste the purity of the ingredients: the tart lemon, spicy chocolate, and aromatic herbs.

I mustn’t forget the drinks. The Mexican Mocha featured spicy Mexican chocolate that mellowed out the coffee flavor, which for me was a good thing. The espresso was pulled correctly with a proper crema.

If I lived in Savannah, Back in the Day would be my go-to spot for breakfast and lunch or to grab beautiful pastries and desserts for guests. If you visit Savannah, make time for a quick escape from the historic district to grab a snack or a treat for later. You won’t be disappointed. If you can’t travel to Savannah, you can attempt to replicate the Back in the Day magic at home with their new cookbook.

The Details:

2403 Bull Street, Savannah, GA 31401

Tuesday ~ Saturday  8am to 5pm; Sunday & Monday:  Closed