London's Bread Ahead bakery opens in Dubai after Expo 2020 success

Following a successful run at Expo 2020 Dubai, London bakery Bread Ahead has now opened a permanent spot in the city.

A new dine-in space, which can seat up to 45 people, opened its doors at Mall of the Emirates on Wednesday.

Bread Ahead is famed for its filled doughnuts, pastries and sourdough pizzas — served whole or by the slice. It also offers a range of sandwiches such as salmon bridge rolls, chicken Caesar brioche rolls and egg mayo, as well as cinnamon buns, banana cake and croissants.

“We’re thrilled to have opened up our first permanent bakery in Dubai following the extraordinary success of our pop-up at Expo 2020,” Bread Ahead's master baker Matthew Jones told The National.

“I’ve always wanted to open in Dubai. I love this city. It's been a dream for a long time, so we took the opportunity and here we go.”

Some menu items, including the zaatar croissant, spicy chicken pizza and pistachio doughnut, are exclusive to the region. Bread Ahead has also brought its Expo 2020 Dubai bestseller — the blackcurrant cheesecake doughnut — back to the city.

Jones said he hopes the Mall of the Emirates bakery will be only the start of Bread Ahead's journey in the UAE, with potential for an Abu Dhabi shop next.

“We found at Expo we had a large Emirati audience and that brought a smile to my face. We love working with the local clientele, and there are definitely more opportunities to explore here."

The Dubai outpost is not Bread Ahead's first Middle East venture. In June, it opened a bakery and school in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The brand opened its first London bakery at Borough Market in 2013, and has since expanded to six shops across the UK capital, as well as three baking schools, where fans can learn how to make their favourite Bread Ahead treats at home. Jones said a Dubai baking school will be coming soon.

“From the start I wanted Bread Ahead to be a multipurpose site that alongside the bakery provided an educational platform,” he said.

“It’s an immersive experience where we teach people to bake, aiming to improve their skills as home bakers.”

Bread Ahead is located on the first floor of Mall of the Emirates and is open daily from 10am to midnight