Le Pain Quotidien Coming to Montague Street?

By on January 10, 2012 8:47 pm in Commercial Real Estate, Food, News

A reader was walking by the long vacant former Jennifer Convertibles space at 121 Montague between Henry and Hicks, looked in the window, and saw this:

Table with some tools, a bottle of coke and a set of architectural drawings in the westmost vitrine. Title block legible enough to make out Le Pain Quotidien.

The popular French Belgian style boulangerie offers, along with bread and pastries: breakfasts featuring fruit and granola; lunch and snack items including soups, tartines (open faced sandwiches), quiches, cheeses, and salads; a variety of desserts; and beverages.

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  • Teresa

    We couldn’t possibly be this lucky…could we?

    Please oh please say it’s true…

  • Jorale-man

    Awesome. That would a great fit for Montague actually. They’ve been expanding in NY a lot in the last couple years so it wouldn’t surprise me.

  • Matthew Parker

    If we can’t have a mom and pop French bakery–something similar to Almondine in Dumbo, this is the next best thing.

  • redbaron

    Please please say it’s so. My life will be complete.

  • GHB

    Oh good… another chain

  • Andrew

    As much as I don’t like LPQ because they’re expensive, I do think this is a great fit for Montague St. and good for the neighborhood. A good chain bakery is far better than a mediocre Busy Chef.

  • Jon

    horrible news. We finally get Banh mi with Hancos but now instead of tacos or something not so bland and ordinary we get a chain deli. Lame.

  • Jorale-man

    To amend my earlier comment: I always prefer local restaurants to chains too. But let’s face it, the rent on a large storefront on Montague is above and beyond what most mom and pop restaurants could afford. As chains go, LPQ is not half bad. It’s not like an Applebees or TGI Fridays is moving in.

  • Villager

    This seems to me to be a decent compromise given the fiscal reality of Montague.

  • Freddie

    They have been wanting a brooklyn location for a while but were afraid their prices are a little high for brooklyn, especially for the working crowd which is responsible for the foot traffic around there during lunch time.At some point they were talking about renting the space on Clark and Hicks but that turned out to be to big and not enough traffic.
    I welcome them into our hood, great chain!

  • OrangeJulius

    This would be great!

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/13189502@N02/ Eddyenergizer

    For decades the owner of that building didn’t want any restaurants in there, Looks like they changed their mind…
    There’s not really a huge breakfast/lunch crowd this far down Montague, though… but I guess if they can turn 10c worth of flour into a $4 baguette they got a chance…

  • Ginny

    Frankly, I’m not a fan of Le Pain Quotidien. I’ve been to many (out of convenience’ sake) but I find the food tasteless and the presentation full of itself. And I don’t think we need another chain establishment on Montague St. which has lost most of its local character as it is with the disappearance of local businesses.

  • Wrennie

    Does anyone still even consider Montague a place to be or go? That street is straight out of middle-America. I avoid it at all costs. Even the Banana Republic (which to be fair, I don’t really like all that much anyway) is terrible, compared to other BR’s in other locations.

  • EHinBH

    What does that mean – ‘out of middle america’? I would actually prefer it to me MORE middle america versus what it is now — which is a dead zone that only caters to workers in the courts. maybe if it was a mall like The Westchester at least people would go there…

    In any event, I am not a fan of LPQ either — they have shared tables, which SUCKS. Better than a Blimpie though. We used to have a little Mexican place on Monty. It was actually pretty good.

  • wallard

    Lots of drywall being loaded in this morning. No mention, though, on the LPQ website’s “coming soon” list. Would think it will be a pretty quick fit-out regardless.

    Personally, anything that fights against the “fresh baked” odor of Subway (in the old Old Mexico space) will be a relief. And it’s far better than Spicy Pickle. Come October, I guess Ricky’s will need to find a new Halloween retail space. For those who want to support a local, there’s a stool waiting for you at the bar at Armando’s, and soon enough you’ll have tapas in the old laundromat space next to Dashing Diva. I’d say it’s a win-win.

  • Wrennie

    Straight out of middle-America doesn’t make a ton of sense outside of my brain, but I just mean that the street seems to cater to tourists and workers who aren’t locals, and it does so mainly with chains. It doesn’t feel like our neighborhood, aside from a few spots here or there.

  • DrewB

    Yes I’d rather have a locally owned place, and chains are evil, blah blah…

    But as far as choices to sit and have a quick bite on Montague, this seems like a good addition. The food is good and generally fresh and while it may not be world class, it still beats subway, chipotle, muffins, cellphone stores and dry cleaners. I’ll take it!

  • zburch

    Somewhere new to have a quick sandwich or salad and a seat. I am for it.

  • WillowtownCop

    As far as lunch chains go, I prefer Pret a Manger, but I’m not complaining.

  • resident

    What Jorale-man said, chains are what we’re going to get and there are worse options.

    We can hope for better in the future, but until a culture of actually sticking around the neighborhood to eat dinner/go out for the night takes hold, we’re going to get places that cater to the downtown workforce and the burgeoning tourist crowd.

  • Joe

    LPQ taste terrible & they are expensive but I admit they have a better look/ambiance than most chains which hopefully will help beautify Montague. I’ll take this one as a draw.

  • Andrew Porter

    In December, Brownstoner’s commercial real estate update mentioned that the Jennifer site had been rented, and I forwarded the info to the BHA and Homer. Also, the “for rent” sign was taken down several weeks ago.

    Wonder where the Halloween store will be located now?

  • GHB

    Couldn’t the Halloween shop set up in any of the other vacancies in the neighborhood? Sadly, there’s no lack of them…

  • AEB

    …or it could be run out of Great Wall. (Sorry–just couldn’t help myself!)

  • Luke C

    At the rate things are going, Fulton Mall is going to be more distinctive than Montague St. I’m starting to worry that all Brooklyn Heights residents do is comparison shop cell phones and dine on Italian food after withdrawing cash in person from one of their 9 banks on Montague. It’s like a Flintstones background: Bank-Italian-Mobiles-Bank-Italian-Mobiles

  • gcarl

    It is sad that Montague Street cannot support the kind of food places (restaurants, specialty shops, etc.) that seem to be doing OK in Dumbo. Also, does the area really need a Tapas place as opposed to a good ethnic restaurant that isn’t Italian or Chinese.

  • Willow St. Neighbor

    Speaking of food. Has anyone been to Gandhi Palace?
    If so, how is the food.

  • Heightsguy

    Tapas would be great IF it is really good, like Pipa on 19th St. in Manhattan or Xunta in Williamsburg, even D’Espana on Broome St. which is a combo grocery, deli and tapas bar. Or with other Spanish food, like Socarrat on Mulberry just south of Houston, where the paella was better than Barcelona. And how about an AUTHENTIC Chinese restaurant like in one of the cities Chinatowns, a Shanghai place, soup dumplings. Now you’ve got me starving. Oh well, back to C-grade Great Wall to get a rancid egg roll, in the same oil since 1985.

  • stuart

    English traveler: you damn froggie eavesdropper!

    Hercule Poirot: Belgian, Belgian eavesdropper!!

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