After nearly 60 years, this classic Phoenix bakery is closing

For 57 years, a family-run German bakery has sold loaves of rye and tart cherry-filled strudel to generations of Valley customers. But at the end of the month, the ovens will turn off, and the doors will close at Old Heidelberg Bakery.

“April 30 will be our last day open ever,” a handwritten note taped to the bakery’s front door reads, with “ever” emphasized in capital letters and underlined. 

The Laukenmann family opened the bakery in 1969. It currently occupies a terracotta-colored block building on Indian School Road near 22nd Street. The bakery started with breads, second-generation owner Chris Laukenmann told Arcadia News in 2023, and over time expanded its offerings to include melt-in-your-mouth flaky danishes and chewy almond horns. 

Inside the bakery, the aroma of fresh-baked rye loaves, rolls and pretzels hangs in the air. Those breads are arranged on wooden shelves behind pastry cases that hold strudel, curved palm leaves, delicately piped meringues and pretzel croissants studded with sesame seeds. Those items can go quickly at the bakery, which opens at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday. On a recent mid-morning visit, we snagged the last apple turnover on the tray.

The bakery also sells imported pantry goods neatly arranged on shelves and racks in half of the shop. Those market items are likewise beginning to dwindle, leaving only a few shelves and racks filled with candies, drinks, spices and other packaged goods. 

When reached by phone, a bakery representative declined to comment further on the upcoming closure. But fans of Old Heidelberg have been more outspoken online.

The old-school bakery doesn’t have a website or social media, but patrons shared their memories and dismay at losing the longtime destination for freshly baked German breads and pastries on platforms like Reddit. 

“Everyone, try and support them this month,” one Reddit user encouraged.

Another Redditor chimed in: “Best apple strudel and pretzel croissants. They will be missed :(“

Reaction to the news likewise poured into a Facebook post by the German Society of Arizona. 

“This makes me so sad. I’ve been going there for 40 + years,” Shawna Noble wrote. “Many great memories and great food from this amazing place.”

Luckily, fans of the bakery still have a few more weeks to stop in.

Old Heidelberg Bakery

Closes April 30
2210 E. Indian School Road