New Paris Baguette location set for Shadyside

The French-inspired Korean pastry shop Paris Baguette is gearing up to open its largest location in the Pittsburgh area next month.

The new 4,000-square-foot shop will accommodate up to 46 people, said Ammar Zafar, owner of Paris Baguette Shadyside.

“It’s always been a passion of mine to bring something new to the city… there’s definitely a good variety of bakeries in the area, but bringing a brand like Paris Baguette definitely adds more value to the city,” said Zafar, who grew up in Pittsburgh’s South Hills.

On Wednesday morning, construction continued at the new Shadyside property on Walnut Street, where yellow scaffolding and “Now Hiring” signs remained hidden behind a metal safety fence.

Paris Baguette has over 4,000 units worldwide, with over 250 locations across 26 states in the U.S., according to the Paris Baguette website. By 2030, the bakery chain plans to reach 1,000 across North America.

This will be the second Paris Baguette to open in the Pittsburgh area in the last two years, with its McKnight Road location in Ross.

Zafar said customers can can expect larger menu from the new Shadyside location.

”Whether it be some personal favorites from the community … anything the community wants from us will actually happily make for them we just need to test that on the market,” he said.

Some of the special items Zafar has on the menu include: Asian sweet rice doughnuts, mango coconut cake and potato bread. Zafar aims to have eight bakers on his staff, who will make this items fresh each morning.

The inside of the building will have a glass dome display case to show off the baked goods, penny tile and an exposed wooden ceiling, he said.

“We still have and maintain the old structure of the building,” Zafar said.

As Paris Baguette continues to expand, Zafar said the chain is looking at locations in Cranberry, Robinson and Monroeville.

Paris Baguette Shadyside is set to open tentatively on Nov. 24, he said.