A famous backstreet bakery! CROIX: A bakery you'll want to visit every day

Hello everyone. I'm Chiitan, a Nakano Tourism Reporter. Chibi Nakano is here with us. This time I'd like to introduce a bakery called CROIX, located in a quiet residential area of ​​Nakano. It's about a 13-minute walk from JR Nakano Station, and this sign is the landmark.

Located down an alley off Waseda Street, the stylish exposed concrete exterior makes it feel like a hideaway.

"It seems like you like the 'Kakuremin' at the entrance, Chibi Nakano-san." As jazz music plays in the store, you are greeted by about 30 types of bread.

In addition to the monthly breads, they also have breads that are only available on certain days of the week, and I was really intrigued by their new bagels. I'd love to come here every day.

From the left: "Sausage & Cheese Bagel", "Cranberry & White Chocolate Bagel", "Quarter of Fig & Walnut Country Bagel"

"It's hard to decide which one to get, Chibi Nakano-san. What? All of them?" From the left: croissant, apple & custard, baguette, bean paste butter, and walnut sugar. Chiitan always pops in here when he wants to eat a delicious bagel. He loves the unique texture of bagels made from domestic wheat, and it's very satisfying. The chewy dough is surprisingly delicious.

We spoke with the owner, Enomoto Jun.

- When will the store open? "It opened on April 21, 2014, and will be its 10th anniversary this year (2024). Every year, we offer discounts on bagels to celebrate the opening, and we're thinking of something else this year too." The anniversary in 2024 is a regular day off, so it will be around that time. We're looking forward to it.

-Please tell us how you decided to open your shop in Nakano. "This is my home and shop. After I trained at a major bakery for three years, I renovated my home and turned it into a shop."

-What is the origin of the store name? "It comes from the cross-shaped cut in campagne (cross is "CROIX" in French). I was shocked by how delicious the fig and rye bread was when I tried it while I was training, so I wanted to make campagne the main dish when I opened the store. It also looks cute, so I used it as the image of the store." "CROIX's "Fig and Walnut Campagne" has just the right amount of rye acidity, making it easy to eat, and the crunchy texture of the figs is enjoyable. It will definitely change your image of campagne.

--What are your most popular and recommended items? "Bagels. The most popular is sausage and cheese, followed by lemon and cream cheese, and chocolate and macadamia nuts. Our signature items are fig and walnut campagne, pain au brome, and half a baguette."

--Please tell us about the particularities of your shop. "We only use wheat produced in Hokkaido. We use six different varieties, including "TYPE ER," "Haruyokoi," and "Haruyutaka." We also have a whole wheat bread day on Fridays. We also add more moisture to make the bread chewy and easy to eat. We're in a residential area, and our customers range from children to the elderly, so we're particular about that, but we also value the impact it makes when you take a bite."

Apparently, he starts baking bread at 6am, and Enomoto is the one who produces and sells it all by himself.

-What do you pay attention to when baking bread? "I make sure the shape and size are consistent to make it look nice. And the baking time. I want to make something that I think is delicious, and I also change the way I make it based on the customer's reaction. By the way, I like alcohol and I like spicy and salty things." Indeed, the bread has a salty flavor overall. The saltiness gives it an exquisite richness that brings out the sweetness of the wheat.

-What kind of salt do you use? "It's Shima Mars from Okinawa. I basically love to eat, so I use the delicious ingredients I eat outside to incorporate into my bread."

-What is fun about baking bread? "Baking bread itself is fun. And thinking up menu items is fun too. Also, seeing the smiles and thankful voices of our customers brings us joy."

-Finally, what would you like to see the store develop into? "This year marks our 10th anniversary, and we've become familiar with the local community, so I hope we can continue to make this a store that is loved by the people of the town." On the day we visited, many customers had come in to buy the bread that was baked at 11am.

You can pay with cash or PayPay. The reasonable price is also one of the attractions. After listening to the story, I bought a lot of them.

From the left: ham, cheese and onion, apple and custard, egg keema curry, and cranberry and white chocolate bagels. All of these bagels have familiar fillings that go perfectly with the chewy dough.

The egg keema curry is a taste that shows Enomoto's love of spicy food. The sweetness of the boiled egg and the batter softens the spiciness, creating a great balance. It is also recommended for those who like spicy curry.

A cutely designed apple & custard. The texture of the apple is pleasant, and the custard has just the right amount of sweetness. The mild flavor makes it perfect as a snack.

If you go in the afternoon, the bread is often sold out, but you can reserve the day before using the QR code at the store. You can reserve a variety of breads, including about 20 types of bagels, so it's a great service. Chiitan will continue to visit "CROIX" while making good use of the reservation the day before. Chibi Nakano also seems to have memorized the location of the store well.

Address: 1-44-6 Nogata, Nakano-ku

Access: 13 minutes walk from the north exit of JR Nakano Station

Phone: 03‐6310‐9996

Business hours: 10:00 - 18:00

Closed: Sundays and Mondays