The Frenchette Team Is Taking Over Arcade Bakery’s Old Tribeca Space

Beloved Tribeca brasserie Frenchette is taking over the space left vacant by iconic neighborhood bakery Arcade, hidden inside the office building at 220 Church Street, between Thomas and Worth Streets. Local publication Tribeca Citizen first broke the news of the opening.

Details on the new project are still scarce, but Tribeca Citizen reports that another bakery is in the works. A spokesperson for the restaurant confirmed the Frenchette team is currently refurbishing the space and testing out menu items. The bakery is set to open sometime in October. Chefs and owners Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson did not immediately return a request for comment, and the restaurant spokesperson did not provide any additional details at this time.

Opening in the former Arcade space is a major get for the Frenchette duo. Owner and chef Roger Gural debuted Arcade in 2014, and the bakery quickly established itself as one of the best bakeries in the city. Gural brought his extensive experience at top-notch bakeries like Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery in Napa, and David Bouley’s NYC bakery, to create high quality baguettes and pastries.

Gural closed the bakery in August last year citing poor health, and the establishment saw massive lines before it shut down for good. The Frenchette team will likely capitalize on that success building on its own hit-making reputation. Previously, the duo served Gural’s baguettes at their Tribeca brasserie, according to the Tribeca Citizen.

Frenchette opened for outdoor dining in August, but there’s no word yet on when — and if — the restaurant will resume indoor dining soon. Meanwhile the Frenchette team has also been hosting a pop-up dinner series, along with Ignacio Mattos’ Estela, at the rink at Rockefeller Center. Aside from Frenchette, Nasr and Hanson have also been plotting a massive restaurant on Rockefeller Center Plaza, with plans to open in the spring of 2021.

UPDATE 10/1/20: A spokesperson for the Rockefeller Center tells Eater that the Frenchette team’s restaurant there is in fact moving forward.

• Frenchette will revive a bakery in the Arcade space [Tribeca Citizen]