East Passyunk Avenue’s Brazilian bakery is moving
Kouklet is upgrading to a bigger space and opening an all-day cafe
Mardhory Santos-Cepeda is moving Kouklet Brazilian Bakehouse up East Passyunk Avenue into the former ITV, the bar attached to chef Nicholas Elmi’s now-closed Laurel restaurant.
The move, from 1647 to 1615 E. Passyunk Ave., will allow Santos-Cepeda to expand Kouklet into an all-day cafe with breakfast, lunch, and seating for about 15 customers. She hopes to open by February.
Santos-Cepeda said she began looking for a new location after her lease expired in August and her landlord declined to renew it. While leasing month to month, she considered other neighborhoods but was reluctant to leave East Passyunk, where she has built a following since opening Kouklet in late 2021.
“It took five years for us to build this beautiful community we have here,” she said.
Two weeks ago, she noticed that the former Laurel and ITV spaces, previously marketed together, were being offered separately. She contacted owners and worked out a deal for the bar side. The former Laurel side at 1617 E. Passyunk Ave. is available for lease.
The new space, about 1,200 square feet, is half again as large as Kouklet’s current 800-square-foot storefront. It also has a basement walk-in refrigerator, additional kitchen space, and room for tables.
Santos-Cepeda plans to retain the pastry counter, featuring Kouklet’s Brazilian specialties, including sonhos (filled doughnuts), bolo de rolo (thinly layered rolled cakes), cookies, and savory pastries.
The expanded menu will include egg dishes, tapioca flatbreads, rice bowls, other breakfast and lunch offerings, and a coffee and beverage program.
She also envisions an open kitchen, giving customers a view of the baking operation. The window counter will provide about six seats, with additional tables elsewhere.
And the bakery’s signature bright yellow color scheme will follow it up the block, inside and out.
Santos-Cepeda, who grew up in Brasília, began Kouklet — a name she made up in high school — as a home-based business before establishing the East Passyunk storefront. Last year, she expanded to 1429 Wolf St., opening a second takeout bakery alongside a production kitchen. She left that location over the summer; it is now Backyard Cravings, the new pizza and cheesesteak shop.
Santos-Cepeda intends to keep the current East Passyunk location operating until the replacement is ready, then transfer the equipment.
The additional space excites her. “When you get into a Brazilian bakery, you are overwhelmed by all the options,” she said. “This will be no different.”
