2 Little Red Hens Bakery Announces Move To New Location

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — For the past year, Upper East Siders have gone without Brooklyn Blackout Cakes and banana chocolate chip muffins as the beloved bakeshop Two Little Red Hens underwent months of renovations.

This week, the bakery shed light on its extended closure — and revealed that it would not be reopening in its longtime home on Second Avenue near East 86th Street.

In social media posts Wednesday afternoon, the bakery explained that kitchen renovations undertaken during the pandemic had been beset by unexpected delays — "and the solutions available to us would have made it too difficult to continue working efficiently in a space that we had already outgrown," management wrote.

Since the store's lease was up this month, the bakery is now searching for new, larger locations, management said.

"While it’s bittersweet to be leaving our beloved home, we’re super excited about the possibilities of a more spacious future!" they wrote. "We’ll let you know as soon as we settle on a new location and will keep you updated along the way."

The shop phone was disconnected and messages were not immediately returned on Thursday.

After keeping its doors open during the pandemic's early days, Two Little Red Hens closed on March 16, citing safety concerns for staff. Starting last fall, a sign in the shop window said it was closed for renovations and would reopen in 2021, but the bakery remained shuttered into the new year. (By Thursday, that sign had been replaced with a new note announcing the move.)

Two Little Red Hens opened in 2002 on the Upper East Side, joining an original location in Park Slope that has since become Ladybird Bakery. Its owners were friends Christina Winkler and Mary Louise Clemens.

Besides the blackout cake, popular menu items included cupcakes, cheesecakes, and apple and pecan pies, among many other sweet treats. The bakery's wares have earned it a spot on lists of the best pastry shops in New York.

"We miss you and can’t wait to get back to baking for you in our future home!" read Wednesday's note, signed by "the Hens."