A Beloved German Bakery in Minnesota Has a New Location—and a Bar

Joachim "Aki" Berndt missed the flavors of his native Germany, which he felt he just could not find in his adopted home of Minnesota. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and create them himself. In 2010, Berndt decided he should share his passion for German baked goods with his community and took his show—pretzels and bread—on the road to farmers markets and beer festivals. Four years later, he opened the doors to Aki's BreadHaus brick-and-mortar location in a small northeast Minneapolis space. He was not wrong to do so.

Berndt's bakery proved to be so popular that, for nearly eight years, he struggled to keep up with the demand. A large portion of his business consisted of commercial customers, mainly restaurants, that served his products. However, he had a steady fan base of retail customers, as well, and on weekends, the line was often out the door.

Then the pandemic hit. This slowed things down a bit, but it didn't take long for demand to bounce back. The problem, however, was finding the help Berndt needed to keep up with it, which proved to be a near-impossible task. He made the difficult decision to close the retail portion of the business, and on December 25, 2022, he shuttered the doors.

Berndt always anticipated the closure would be temporary. He kept his existing crew and maintained his wholesale customers, biding his time while he re-conceptualized the retail side of his business and found the right team of workers to help it run smoothly. Finally, in November 2024, Berndt relaunched as Aki's BreadHaus and WunderBar in an airy riverfront space on Marshall Avenue Northeast.

Aki's now offers not only the retail bakery items that put it on the map, but also hot food items, such as soup and sandwiches, a nicely curated selection of wine by the glass or bottle, and occasional beer tastings. I stopped in recently and found the space to be comfortable; the server who greeted me was friendly and welcoming—and, fortunately, patient, because I had a lot of questions.

Since I was doing a before-and-after comparison, I thought I'd better stick to the basics, so I ordered one of Aki's locally famous pretzels—and I'm here to tell you: It was as good as ever. The first time I tried one of Berndt's pretzels, it was the best I'd ever tasted, and it still is. Crusty and firm on the outside, tender and soft on the inside, with just the right amount of salt. Heated and served with Aki's house-made beer mustard, there may be nothing better.

Unless, of course, it's paired with a glass of wine. When I visited, I had the zinfandel with my pretzel, and I thought its plummy spiciness was a really nice complement to the slightly salty pretzel. Bread and wine have been a classic combination for millennia, right?

By the time I'd finished my pretzel, I still had a little wine left in my glass, and I decided I wasn't quite finished with my test. I ordered one of Aki's massive chocolate chip cookies to eat in the bakery and a loaf of the dark sourdough to take home with me. Thumbs up on both counts!

My conclusion? Aki's baked goods are as good as they ever were. The space is much better, and the wine bar is a sweet addition. I'm looking forward to my next visit! Check out Aki's BreadHaus and WunderBar on the web for menus, hours, and more information.

Have you visited Aki's? We'd love to hear about your favorite small businesses in Minnesota.