Altbau, a new bakery at 184 North 8th Street in Williamsburg, opened its doors this week. The bakery announced its first day on its own Instagram account in a post shared with Chad Robertson, the baker who founded Tartine in San Francisco, and thanked the neighbors who came by to help it celebrate.

It is open Wednesday through Sunday, starting at 9 a.m. and running until the day's baking sells out. It is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Who is behind it

Robertson is the founder of Tartine and the author of the Tartine Bread series of baking books. According to Tartine's own history, he and Elisabeth Prueitt moved to San Francisco in 2002 from Point Reyes, where they had run a small bakery, and took over a neighborhood corner bakery at 18th and Guerrero streets in the Mission District when its baker retired. That corner shop became Tartine Bakery.

Altbau is a separate business with its own name, its own website and its own Instagram account. Its website still carries the placeholder it used through the summer, which listed the opening as fall 2026 and gave the North 8th Street address along with a contact email.

What is on the counter

Altbau has been showing its pastry on Instagram in the days around the opening. One item it described in detail is an apple turnover: a buttery rye short pastry filled with vanilla pastry cream and New York State apples, baked until golden and crisp. The bakery described it as a version of the classic apple hand pie, made with a nod to the place it now calls home.

The account also keeps a menu among its pinned highlights, which is the place to check what is being baked on a given day, since the hours are set by when the case empties rather than by a closing time.

Where it is

The bakery is on North 8th Street, a short walk from the Bedford Avenue stop on the L, the closest subway station.

Because the bakery closes when it sells out, the first hours of the morning are when the full selection is on the counter.

Plan a visit

  • Address: 184 North 8th Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
  • Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. until sold out; closed Monday and Tuesday
  • Subway: L to Bedford Avenue
  • Contact: hello@altbaubakery.com

Check the bakery's Instagram for the day's menu and any schedule changes before heading over.

Sources