A selection of the sweet pastries at Lutra. Photo: Stacey Sprenz
Lutra Cafe & Bakerywill open this Friday at a newly renovated space in the American Tobacco Campus in downtown Durham.
Why it matters: Lutra, created by Chris McLaurin, the former chef de cuisine at Poole'side Pies, has developed a strong following for the sweet-and-savory buns it's sold at pop-ups across the Triangle.
What to expect: The new space, though, will allow Lutra to expand beyond pastries and serve breakfast, brunch and lunch seven days a week.
The menu will still include Lutra's signature sweet-and-savory buns, whose flavors change with the season.
But it will also include breakfast and deli sandwiches, an espresso menu, biscuits and gravy, fried French toast bread pudding and a variety of salads.
The sides also pack a punch, including 100-layer hash browns and German-style pretzels.
What they're saying: McLaurin said the word they came back to when designing the menu was "craveable."
"I love when I take that first bite of something, and I get that little happy dance, and I want to tell my friends about it," McLaurin said. "So when I think about our entire menu, it's about the things for me that hit those notes of satisfying, not too heavy, and feels like you can keep eating it."
📍 Location: 312 Blackwell St., Noell Building #102
