Flatiron Lunch: Big Booty Bread Co. Delivers on the Latin Baked Goods

Every Friday we go south of the ML boundaries in search of a delicious lunch. Sometimes it’s Murray Hill south or the Flatiron District, sometimes Gramercy and everything in between- but we just like to call it Flatiron Lunch.

When you pass a place called Big Booty Bread Co., you should ask yourself, “Self, how can I not go in?” When I passed Big Booty Bread Co., I asked myself that same question and had no good answer, so I had to go check it out. [Insert obligatory Sir Mix-A-Lot joke here]

The logo would suggest that the name is meant to be a comment on the owner’s physique. But after seeing all (and tasting some of) their baked goods, it takes on a double meaning of what will happen to your derrière if you partake too heavily at the Big Booty Bread Co. (hereinafter referred to as the “BBB Co”). BBB Co is a Latin bakery and coffee shop with a selection of hot and cold sandwiches. When I was there, everything took a while since they only had one guy behind the counter. In fact, another customer had to wait a few minutes to get his coffee and pastry while my sandwiches were being built and put on the sandwich press. I should mention that the employee was wearing a t-shirt that read “I Heart Big Booty”.

The first sandwich I ordered was the Chicken with Mango Chutney (for $7.95), and I was given the choice of white or wheat bread. Immediately, the employee behind the counter roughly chopped the chicken and threw it on the flat griddle of the sandwich press for a couple minutes before compiling the whole sandwich. I am pretty sure the extra sear contributed to the overall flavor of the sandwich. It also probably helped the sandwich reach a nice warm temperature in the toasting process since I would guess the chutney started cold. When I ordered, the bread was sliced fresh into huge Taxas Toast size slices from a large loaf. The sandwich had a nice combo of flavors, but I think the bread stood out as the most interesting part of the dish. The wheat bread was similar to brown bread and had a lovely nutty taste.

My second sandwich was the Turkey, Ham and Swiss on white (for $8.95). The filling tasted like regular sliced turkey, ham and cheese, but the white bread had an interesting, yet tasty subtle corn taste. It made me think that a loaf of this bread might make a great, savory French Toast. The tomato seemed to cool down the sandwich too much so it didn’t get quite as hot as I would have liked for a toasted sandwich. I could have also used more mustard. They also had toasted PB&J ($5.95) on the menu, which is on my list to try in the future.

The sandwiches aren’t necessarily the main event at BBB Co. Whatever you do, I recommend leaving room in your budget for a pastry or two, perhaps to enjoy as part of lunch or maybe even during the 3pm sugar low.

To supplement your sandwich, the Booty Buns come in at an affordable $1.95. They are slightly-sweet rolls with a light filing folded into the top of the bun and a nice coating of sugar baked on the top. I got one with nutella and one with guava. They also offered dulce de leche, apple cinnamon and strawberry with cream cheese. MMM…delicious. The fillings seem to vary in volume, the guava was a bit light, but the nutella was the perfect amount.

I also tried two of the bakery items that will stretch the boundaries of the ML budget. The Arepa de Queso ($2.75) was a great upgrade on the arepa vendors you see at street festivals all summer, which despite all the griddling and cheese taste bland. This arepa reminded me of flat corn pancake with a nice covering of cheese baked on top. It had a great corn taste with a grainy corn texture (like polenta.)

The Pan de Yuca ($2.25) is a roll made with yuca flour and cheese. The center has a nice springy texture and the outside bakes up with what tastes like a cheese crust. Because it is made with yuca flour, the pan de yuca (and many of the other items at BBB Co) is also gluten free, so if any of you ML’ers have to worry about that, go here! If you are carbo loading, also go here! It seems that BBB Co. is known for their Red Velvet Cupcake, but, without having tried it, I say go for the Colombian inspired items!

(Note: the cold sandwiches seem to be a dollar or two less than the hot sandwiches so as we move into the summer, a cold hummus and roasted pepper sandwich with two booty buns might be the thing to order.)

The + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

  • They have the best bread for a sandwich
  • I am always in the mood to try baked goods from other cultures, especially, dessert
  • It’s called Big Booty Bread Co…How can I not try it?

The – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

  • My generic deli makes better sandwiches
  • I prefer regular sliced bread
  • I don’t want think about dessert and extras with my meal, I just want a great lunch

Big Booty Bread Co., 261 West 21st btw 7th and 8th Aves., (212) 414-3056

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