First taste: NY’s first stand-alone Princi bakery opens in the Theater District

The new Princi stand-alone bakery is the third location in the United States, following openings in Seattle and Chicago. The renowned boutique bakery and café was founded by Italian baker Rocco Princi and is the exclusive purveyor of baked goods at the Starbucks Reserve™ store in Seattle and Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations around the world.

Princi in New York City

The new Princi store will open on the corner of 51st and Broadway (1633 Broadway) in Paramount Plaza, a 40-story skyscraper located in the Theater District, just minutes from bustling Times Square. A large window on Broadway offers a sneak peek into the new store, where customers can see freshly baked items coming out of the oven.

The Starbucks store design team took inspiration from Princi’s original Milan bakery, using natural materials and earth-colored stone. Many of the design elements in the store, such as the hand-blown glass light fixtures, were intentionally selected for their high level of craftsmanship. The 20-foot curated wall displaying an array of colorful ingredients – from lemons and peppers to glass jars filled with tomatoes and olives – the wall is designed to enhance the “feast for the senses;” and the 20-foot communal table promotes a Milan-inspired experience of community and togetherness.

The two ovens are the focal point of the space, with fresh baking onsite throughout the day. A brightly-lit food case stretches along the width of the space, enough for a visual landscape of freshly baked cornetti, brioche and focaccia, pizzas, salads and desserts. Commessas, Italian for “shop assistant," act as a guide through the journey of food.

The new Princi stand-alone location will also offer a taste of what's to come later this year with the highly-anticipated opening of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery New York in the Meatpacking District, which will also serve Princi food baked fresh on-site.

Starbucks opened its first New York City store nearly 25 years ago in 1993 and has over the years brought new store concepts to the city. It was the first city to welcome Starbucks opportunity stores in Jamaica, Queens and Bed-Stuy, and its first Express format store in the Financial District.

The Menu

The new store features the full Princi menu of artisanal baked goods, prepared with the highest quality ingredients sourced from Italy as well as local vendors.  The menu starts at breakfast with steel-cut oats with Italian jam, baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce and cornetti sandwiches made with prosciutto cotto and fontina. At lunchtime, the menu offers soups, salads, focaccia sandwiches, pizza, and hot entrees. Afternoons expand to a wider selection of Italian cakes, tarts and other desserts, like Tiramisu.

Starbucks Reserve Princi™ Blend is the signature coffee served, along with craft beverages made on a variety of brewing methods, including Black Eagle manual espresso, Clover X brewing, and Nitro Cold Brew taps. As the day fades in the afternoon, Bar Mixato will offer traditional Italian wine and beer; and from 5 – 7 p.m.  beverages are accompanied by complimentary small plates.

Princi History

Rocco Princi grew up in a small village in Italy, surrounded by hillsides scented by wild herbs and groves of olives, figs and lemons. It was here that he discovered the art of artisanal bread-making as an apprentice at the local bakery.

In 1986, Princi opened his eponymous boutique bakery and café in Milan at the historic Piazzale Istria. It was a “feast for the senses”, with crispy round loaves of sourdough bread leaning in rows, baskets of ciabatta bread alongside jars of olive oil and bins of flour. Princi uses the term “Spirito di Milano,” the essence and energy of Milan, to capture the feeling from that bakery, and infuses it into everything he creates.

Over the next three decades Princi built a legacy, expanding to five more locations across Milan and London. In 2016, Starbucks became a part of Princi’s global investment team and in 2017 opened the first Princi location in the United States inside the Starbucks Reserve™ Roastery in Seattle.

Starbucks made Princi the exclusive food purveyor in its Roasteries located in Shanghai (opened in 2017) and Milan (opened in 2018), as well as in the Starbucks Reserve store at the company’s SODO headquarters in Seattle, where his artisanal baked goods are served alongside the freshly roasted small-lot Starbucks Reserve™ coffees.

The stand-alone Princi store is part of Starbucks Siren Retail business which is dedicated to its premium Reserve™ brand and includes a suite of experiences including Starbucks Reserve Roasteries, Reserve stores, Starbucks stores with a Reserve coffee bar, and now Princi stand-alone stores.

Princi, 1633 Broadway. New York, NY 10019 // Hours: Open Monday thru Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.// www.princi.com. Instagram:@princi Facebook: @thisisprinci