Jen's Pastries: warm bolo bread at the weekend window

Jen's bolo levedo shows up under breakfast sandwiches all over town, at Either/Or and a lot of other coffee shops, which is a good reason to visit the bakery itself instead of eating one somebody else drove across the river. Jen's Pastries is at 606 S Dakota Street in South Portland, on the John's Landing side, inside a working production kitchen that looks nothing like a brunch spot, and most of the week it's a wholesale operation. Jen Legge grew up in New Bedford, Massachusetts, baked bagels out of her house, and started the wholesale business in 2018, and she now supplies more than twenty coffee shops from Portland to Vancouver, Washington. On Saturday and Sunday the kitchen opens a walk-up window from 9 to 1, walk-ups only, and that's when you go.

There's no indoor seating right now. The bakery's site says the café is under construction, with a hoped-for late summer 2026 opening, so for now you stand outside in a line of people who also checked Instagram around 8 a.m. Through the window you can see metal racks of deep golden laminated pastry cooling next to trays of bolo levedo, which look like slightly sweet, muffin-shaped English muffins with a tender, spongy crumb. You'll be waiting in the parking lot, so dress for the weather, and the weekend specials go fast. Even on a chilly morning, the wait pays off.

Start with a bolo, even if you've had plenty of them at coffee shops, because one that's warm from the bakery makes a very different sandwich than a boxed one that's been driven across town. The crumb is light, a little sweet and sturdy enough to hold eggs, with the Portuguese-muffin chew that explains why so many shops buy these instead of baking their own buns. Then look at the laminated pastry, starting with the flaky croissants, which are what to point first-timers toward. Next to them are the weekend-only specials regulars talk about, like French onion soup bialys when they show up, passionfruit cruffins with a bright filling, pumpkin pie turnovers when the season turns, cheddar jalapeño scones and berry pop-tarts. Slices of cake and pie turn up too, rustic and a bit uneven, and the lineup changes with the week and the produce, so check their Instagram that morning to see what's on.

Try not to buy one of everything, or you'll end up with a box you can't finish in the car. A good plan is one savory thing, one sweet thing and a bolo to take home, plus a pop-tart or scone special if there's one left, since the specials change every weekend. Ask what just came off the rack, and if the onion bialy or the cruffin is already gone, get the croissant. Custom cakes go through the order forms on their site, so the window with a line behind you is the wrong place to plan a wedding cake.

South Portland is easy to skip if you only visit bakeries on Division and Alberta, and plenty of people do. Dakota is worth the detour, since a lot of the city's bolos come out of this kitchen and watching the racks come out of the oven is most of the fun. Get there early if you want a particular special, because they bake what they expect to sell and the one-off items go first. Park, get in line, know what you want, and plan to eat in the car or walk toward the waterfront. If the café opens later this year, that's a good excuse to come back, and until then, aim for 9 a.m. and don't expect much to be left at 12:40.

The essentials live on the bakery page: Jen's Pastries