Common Bond Café & Bakery

Kugelhopf is a Brioche pastry served during breakfast at Common Bond. (Photo: Ralph Smith)

The long search for moist, buttery kugelhopf ends here. Speckled with brandy-soaked raisins, the sultan’s turban-shaped cake-bread is a soul-satisfying breakfast with a steaming café au lait. The moistly crisped walnut chocolate chip cookies, even at $3-plus apiece, are worth it. The only version that surpasses these, you can’t get since it comes out of my brother’s oven. Not every pastry is perfect at Common Bond. Its frequently touted plain croissant falls short on texture. While beautiful to look upon – glisteningly golden-brown – the overly crisped shell tastes dry and interior mealy. Scones, too, were tough. But the pastries that are nearly perfect here, like the kouign amann (a flaky, buttery, caramelized, sugar-topped pastry), surpass their counterparts around town. Common Bond bustles at breakfast, and for good reason. Offerings include a stellar sourdough sandwich stacked with pork sausage, cheddar, frisee and fried egg. Be kind; share it with a good friend.