NOW CLOSED: Bonfiglio and Bread: Cozy Catskills Bakery in Athens, NY
NOTE: Bonfiglio and Bread is closed. The Athens Rooster has opened in its place.
What's the best bakery in the Catskills? Bonfiglio and Bread, in the quaint riverfront village of Athens, is definitely on our list. This bakery and cafe serves deliciously crusty handmade loaves of bread, flaky pastries, strong coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and made-to-order pizza—covering all the most important food groups. The shop originally opened in Hudson and spent 5 years there before relocating to this charming little town other side of the river in 2017.
When you walk in Bonfiglio's front door, the aroma of coffee beans and freshly baked bread greets you like a warm hug. When I walked in the door for the first time, I also got an actual hug from one of my favorite local shopkeepers, Susan from Reed Street Bottle Shop and Pilothouse Paper, who was grabbing some coffee and bread on her way to work. She recommended the sesame filone, a large, darkly baked, toasty loaf, thickly cloaked in sesame seeds. It tasted even better than it looked.
Posted behind the cafe counter is a "Schedule of Breads," which indulges two of my personal obsessions: planning ahead and carbohydrates. Yay! Also, they have bialys and avocado toast, covering all the breakfast bases from old school to new school.
Bonfiglio & Bread's sunny, subway-tiled space packs lots of character into little details. Like, instead of using typical take-and-toss coffee stirrers, the cafe provides a little cup of uncooked bucatini noodles. Totally biodegradable, totally perfect.
At home in Brooklyn, we live around the corner from a pretty insane French bakery which has completely ruined us—we are all very picky about baked goods. But my pastry snob 6-year-old gave Bonfiglio's rich, flaky chocolate croissants his seal of approval, and I wholeheartedly agreed.
We'll be back soon to check out Bonfiglio's lunch menu because they serve my idea of a perfect meal—pizza and salad. I can't wait to dig into a classic Caesar salad and a margherita pizza topped with cappicola and drizzled with spicy honey. I think this bakery is my new best friend.
Bonfiglio & Bread is located at 44 2nd Street in the village of Athens, NY; (518) 444-4705. Hours: Friday through Tuesday, 7am to 4pm.
