The bakery that brings sweet things to everyone is bringing them to downtown Dallas. Unrefined Bakery, the gluten-free champion, is opening a location at 2222 McKinney Ave., in the same shopping center as Morton's Steakhouse.
Which, if you want to get technical, is really Uptown, but Taylor Nicholson, who founded Unrefined with her mother Anne Hoyt, says they'll be serving both markets.
"We're in the space that used to be a cigar bar, Up in Smoke, on the Pearl side," she says. "That center is easily walkable from downtown, from Klyde Warren Park, and for all the residences that have popped up in Uptown."
Nicholson knows the market because she herself used to work downtown.
"I used to work at the Trammel Crow Center, and I know there's plenty of opportunity, especially for healthy dining options," she says. "We have something unique that people really want, especially in the lunch segment."
The bakery will have some seating but it'll really be more of a grab-and-go kind of spot where you can take your lunch back to the office. They also offer online ordering in advance so people can place orders and pick them up, or have them picked up by all of the many delivery options available in the area.
Nicholson says that the location is ideal to satisfy what they witnessed as a growing market.
"We've noticed a huge uptick in the number of orders for cakes and cupcakes coming from downtown businesses, for catering and for staff," she says. "Currently, our closest locations were either Greenville Avenue or Preston Center, but with traffic and distance, it represented a barrier to reach our downtown customers."
For this location, they'll offer everything they offer at their other locations in Medallion Center, Frisco, Rockwall, and Fort Worth — and more.
"We've applied for a beer and wine license and we'll offer a gluten-free beer on tap," she says. "We'll also extend our hours. We'll be open earlier to catch the morning coffee crowd, and later for those people who want to sit and have coffee or a beer."
And here's a new twist: They'll also be making pizza.
"We make gluten-free pizza crust which is currently one of our most popular products," she says. "We'll just turn that into gluten-free and organic pizzas to grab and go, and also keto pizzas. Keto is one of our biggest categories right now, it's really prevailed."
Another new thing they'll add: various healthy snacks you might see at a healthy grocery store, as a convenience.
As always, they will be a totally gluten-free zone with organic, keto, paleo, and vegan items.
"We're a one-stop shop for anyone on a specialized diet or who wants to eat healthy," she says.
They're aiming to be open by November, possibly earlier. "We hope to be open so that people can come stock up on Thanksgiving treats, like our pies and ready-to-go dressing," she says. "Thanksgiving is actually our biggest season for the year."
