'It'll be like a completely new shop' - what to expect when Lunko bakery reopens …and when

One of Lark Lane area’s most popular independents, Lunko bakery, is preparing to reopen this week with a completely new look.

The bakery, which is just off the Lane on Little Parkfield Road, has proved to be a huge hit with pastry fans since it opened in spring 2023, regularly selling out and attracting long queues.

Three weeks ago husband and wife owners, Marius Dogaru and Adelina Blanaru, announced they’d be closing temporarily to give it a revamp.

Now they’re planning to reopen this Friday morning (March 14) after big changes to the shopfront, the shop itself and kitchen.

Lunko By The Lane. Credit: The Butterholic

Adelina explains:

“We’ve got a bespoke counter that we made in-house, bespoke shelving that we’ve had a joiner make for us, everything’s been painted, the flooring’s been changed – it will be like a completely new shop when people come in.

“We’re replacing the hatch at the front with a massive window so while people are queuing they can see into the kitchen and see what’s happening behind the scenes.

“That was a big thing for us because we wanted to give people a feel of what goes into the making of the pastries.

“Our production unit in Speke is still going to be the main hub for the pastries because it’s a larger scale which we need for the amount we produce on a daily basis.

“But we’ve brought in new kitchen equipment to Lunko and we’ll be preparing more pastries there in the morning and throughout the day so there’ll be a good amount baked on-site too.

“Everything is going to be new: the layout and how things are going to work.”

Originally from Romania, Marius and Adelina came to Liverpool in 2018 and set up The Butterholic after Marius lost his bakery job in the pandemic.

Initially The Butterholic pastries were all made in their kitchen at home, but the business soon took off and the success saw them move production to a dedicated space in Speke.

Adelina says when they took the gamble of opening Lunko by the Lane they didn’t really have the spare cash to design it exactly how they wanted.

“When we got Lunko we just didn’t have the financial means to change it very much so it wasn’t possible to make it the way we really wanted it at first.

“Now we’re in a position to invest into the shop, this was an opportunity for us to choose the flooring, the tiles, the counter, the décor and the details, which was always our dream from the very first day that we opened.

“We wanted to feel like we’d put our mark on everything, including the shopfront, and we’re really happy that we’ve been able to do that. The look is 100% more personal to us now.

“It’s been a monumental job in a very short amount of time choosing everything, picking up materials every single day, changing things that weren’t right. We’ve both been helping out with the work because we needed to open on Friday.

“The actual space is the same in terms of size but when you go inside you would think it’s much bigger because of the layout.

“We have so much more space to work, now we can have two people working on the coffee machine, we can have more people serving, more pastries on the shelves.

“It’s just going to be so much better for us and a better experience as well for customers coming in, seeing pastries everywhere!”