ALLENTOWN, Pa. – A much-loved bakery has outgrown its original home in Lehigh County and is planning to bring its made-from-scratch croissants, danishes and other tasty treats to a bigger, nearby spot this week.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery, offering artisanal French pastries and other baked goods, will hold a soft opening of its new location at 7 a.m. Wednesday, July 8, at 960 Hamilton St. in downtown Allentown, owner and French pastry chef Sophie Vandecasteele told 69 News.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery is planning to move to a new location at 960 Hamilton St. in downtown Allentown.
Ryan Kneller
The bakery held its last day of business at original spot, located a couple of blocks away at 924 W. Walnut St., in mid-June.
For its soft-opening phase this week, the bakery will operate 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.
Beginning next week, the bakery will operate Tuesday through Saturday, and regular expanded hours will be announced soon on the business’ social media pages, Vandecasteele said.
A grand opening celebration, held in conjunction with the Allentown Chamber of Commerce, will be held 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. on July 14. The celebration will feature mini samples of baked goods and a 5 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
“This is like a dream coming true,” Vandecasteele told 69 News. “I didn’t expect to expand so quickly.”
The bakery’s forthcoming location will operate near 10th and Hamilton streets, across from the Moxy Allentown Downtown Hotel.
It will occupy a renovated space that previously housed a cigar shop.
Street parking will be available, and there also will be a small parking lot behind the Hamilton Street property, Vandecasteele said.
“I’m very excited,” Vandecasteele told 69 News.
“Since the new place is going to be bigger, I’ll have a separate, bigger kitchen where I can make more items. We’ll also be offering some drinks as well, and there will be a few tables for seating.”
Vandecasteele opened the bakery on West Walnut Street in November 2024 after amassing a large and loyal fan base over the previous two years at local pop-up events and farmers markets.
Sophistiqué focuses on typical French baked goods such as fresh baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat, and brioches, along with French pastries like tarts, eclairs, mousse cakes and millefeuilles.
Everything is “homemade and prepared from scratch with quality ingredients,” Vandecasteele said.
“The most popular items are the croissants,” Vandecasteele said.
Pictured is a display case at Sophistique’s original location in downtown Allentown.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
“We have a lot of different varieties of croissants, like pistachio berry, chocolate and almond, and we also offer different danishes and savory croissants. With the new location, we’ll have even more lunch options, like sandwiches on French baguettes as well as salads during the warm months and soups during the winter.”
Vandecasteele, who was born and raised in France and moved to the United States about nine years ago, held pop-up events in 2022 at Jay’s Local – a neighborhood eatery in Allentown’s West End – where she sold pre-packaged items such as shortbread cookies, hazelnut cakes and quiches such as red pepper and feta, bacon and cheese and salmon and cheese.
In early 2023, she began making her food fresh on-site at Jay’s Local with a recurring pop-up bistro, Sophistiqué.
Prior to opening her own, brick-and-mortar bakery, Vandecasteele also garnered followers by selling her treats at local farmers’ markets.
She labels her bakery a dream fulfilled and is “so thankful for everyone’s support.”
For her new location, Vandecasteele plans to build Sophistiqué’s team to accommodate more production.
Sophistiqué – French Bakery
“Business has been good, and I’m very thankful,” Vandecasteele said.
For the latest Sophistiqué updates, follow the business’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.