“The music could be louder so that we can scream-talk and talk about other people more easily.”
This was the initial feedback I received upon requesting commentary from my two friends on The Bun Shop.
Taking a day trip to Baltimore for the weekend, we decided to start our journey at the coffee shop, having found it online and being bun fans. (Who doesn’t love buns?) A 15-minute walk from Baltimore’s Penn Station, it’s an easy pit stop for anyone coming to the city by train. A short walk further, and you’ll find yourself at the Walters Art Museum—someplace we did not visit. In fact, when we asked our Uber driver for suggestions of places to go in Baltimore, the only place he could think of to visit was Sugar—an adult shop in Hampden. Particularly odd, considering he was a photographer and Baltimore has several popular art museums.
The Bun Shop is quiet and family friendly. The clientele ranged from cute gay couples, to a strange looking middle aged white-man with dreadlocks and his much older girlfriend, to a mother attempting to get her toddler to stop wailing Frozen’s “Let It Go.” The shop feels moody given its dark walls and furniture—the type of place you’d go to reflect on your childhood of neglect, as my friend described so particularly.
Long open banquest tables, couches, and various smaller tables allow for plenty of seating. The menu offers the regular suspects, though all of us found the coffee a bit watery and had expected more bun options, given the name. We split an almond meringue pastry that proved to be puff pastry filled with almond paste and topped with chocolate chips. Tasty, but nothing you couldn’t whip up at home in minutes. Vietnamese and Hong Kong coffee spice up the menu options though, and the staff were all incredibly sweet.
Overall, this is a nice spot in the area, perfect for working or studying for the GRE. One of my friends deemed it to be someplace he wouldn’t go out of his way to visit, but if he lived in the area in a cramped apartment he shared with four roommates and he felt suffocated and needed to get out, it would be a nice escape.
Overall, this spot provided a pleasant setting to rest up before our exploration of Charm City.
Stats
Price of a 12oz coffee: $1.80
Adult beverages: No
Vibe: Cool vibe. Dark with pretty gold accents throughout.
Music: Very quiet… almost TOO quiet.
Work/Study Spot?: For sure.
Food: A mix of savory and sweet buns/pastries.
Punch Card: No.
Website: facebook.com/TheBunShop/
Hours:
Mon – Sun (7AM-3PM)
Location:
239 W Read St
Baltimore, MD 21201