Before Ghufrana Mahrukh, owner and head baker at Heaven’s Bistro Bakery, opened her eatery, the pastry chef said she was having a hard time finding a bakery that satisfied her standards in the North Austin area.
“In your own place you can do anything. This is my place, and I’m doing whatever my heart desires,” Mahrukh said.
In the summer of 2019, Mahrukh and her husband opened their own shop. Heaven’s Bistro Bakery, located off West Parmer Lane, sells classic French pastries and baked goods.
“I’m doing things exactly the same way they’re doing it in Paris—using the same recipes,” Mahrukh said.
The baker has gone so far as to source high-quality ingredients from around the world, including gelatin from Germany and purees from France.
The French patisserie uses those ingredients to craft sweet and savory baked goods. Heaven’s Bistro Bakery’s top seller is Mahrukh’s tiramisu, the baker said, which is sold alongside sweet pastries such as mousse domes, almondines and rochers. Seasonal cheesecakes and Swiss rolls are frequently rotated into the bakery’s display cases.
Mahrukh also offers a full display of savory croissants, sold beside the classic French almond croissant—another one of the patisserie’s more popular items. The bakery further makes several gluten-free options, and Mahrukh has made her entire menu halal.
“We are making pastries that nobody else is making,” Mahrukh said.
Heaven’s Bistro Bakery also takes custom cake orders from customers, and the bakery can prepare baked goods for and cater weddings, birthdays and other events.
Under current pandemic conditions, the bakery is closed for dine-in service, though customers can still come in to peruse the bakery’s display cases and order takeout. When health conditions become safer, Mahrukh said she hopes to build a patio on her building’s rooftop. The baker and her husband own the Heaven’s Bistro Bakery building, which offers a rooftop view that overlooks the rolling hills of Northwest Austin.
“It’s a really beautiful way to look at Austin,” Mahrukh said.
Down the road, Mahrukh believes Heaven’s Bistro Bakery will be able to expand to other corners of Austin. For now, Mahrukh said the bakery is committed to serving its loyal customer base. For a business that was less than a year old when the coronavirus pandemic shut down dining rooms, Mahrukh said, her patisserie is now thriving.
“We are very thankful to God that we are not seeing too much of an effect on our bakery,” she said.
Heaven’s Bistro Bakery
2205 W. Parmer Lane, Ste. 100, Austin
512-351-8044
www.heavensbistrobakery.com
Hours: Tue.-Sun. 7 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mon.
