Popular UES Bakery Opens 2nd Location, Rebounding From COVID

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Back and better than ever after nearly being knocked out by the pandemic, Padoca Bakery threw open the doors Friday at its new location in Yorkville.

Known for its trademark Brazilian cheese bread, the bakeshop spent five years on the corner of First Avenue and East 68th Street, across from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit Padoca hard, forcing it to close up shop in June 2020, with a sign on the window reading "we tried, we really did."

Then, 10 months later, Padoca bounced back, opening a new location on East 67th Street between Second and Third Avenues.

That was followed this week by a second shop at 1663 First Ave., near East 87th Street. With a window insignia dubbing it "The Neighborhood Bakery of the Upper East Side," Padoca's first visitors Friday morning included City Councilmember Julie Menin, who said she was "thrilled to welcome" it to Yorkville.

The new location will be churning out cheese bread — known as PDQs — all day, while also selling muffins, egg sandwiches and coffee, manager Megan Sesil told Patch.

Starting with a soft opening, Padoca's Yorkville shop will be open Tuesday-Saturday from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

An earlier version of this article misstated the hospital across the street from Padoca's former location.