Molly Hall, owner of Hall’s Pizza Kitchen in Midtown, said she’s been planning to open a bakery almost since the day Hall’s opened. The plan started taking shape last week with the opening of Harvey Bakery and Kitchen.
“Guests have loved the pastries and cookies at Hall’s, and they were a huge seller for us,” Hall said. “When we looked at this space in 2019, I fell in love with it.”
The space in question is the old Chrysler showroom at the corner of NW 13th and Harvey. Originally built in 1947, the whole facility has been refurbished, but elements of the original operation are still intact, and helped with Hall’s decision.
“The original touches that remained inspired me to bring as much as possible back to life,” Hall said. “I love the mosaic, the stairs, the 14-foot windows, all the natural light—you can tell it used to be a showroom. We want Harvey to be a place people come every day, and that requires the space have character.”
Key to Harvey’s success is head pastry chef Alyssa Urlich. “She’s incredibly talented,” Hall said. “She’s dreamed of starting a bakery, too, and our goals aligned in this.”
Ulrich brings excellent technique and delicious creativity to her role. The Midnight Cowboy croissant—easily the best thing I tasted—is her creation, and it succeeds with lovely balance, including a semi-sweet chocolate layer that creates a more complex texture, better mouthfeel, and deep, dark, rich flavors. The sourdough English muffin is a marvel, as well, including a house-made jam to dress it.
Hall said the bakery counter will feature a dozen or so pastries and a half-dozen sweets daily. The larger menu includes breakfast sandwiches, a quinoa breakfast salad, and a maple-pecan granola with Greek yogurt. The menu is tight and focused now, but Hall said there is much more to come.
In fact, in its current iteration, Harvey is just the first phase in what will be a multi-tiered consumer and commercial bakery and restaurant. Hall expects a lunch menu sometime in 2022, and the long-term plan includes a commercial kitchen to service local restaurants, something that OKC has lacked since Prairie Thunder’s demise.
“When our leadership team looks at possible concepts, we always ask, ‘What does the city lack or need?’” Hall said. “We believe this is a timely concept.”
She is correct. It’s very timely, and it’s for everyone. The vegan, gluten-free cinnamon roll is delicious, as is the gluten-friendly sandwich, and there’s a vegan breakfast sandwich as well.
“Alyssa and I believe it’s important to offer excellent choices to all our guests,” Hall said. “If they were coming to my home, and they’re vegan, I wouldn’t offer them ‘less-than’ options. I’d want them to have the same quality, so that’s what we do here.”
Harvey Bakery and Kitchen is open 6 am-2 pm M-F, and 7 am-2 pm on Saturday. It is closed Sunday.
