Source: aioli Sourdough Bakery & Café

Reported By: Matthew Kennedy

Autumn may not bring crisp air to West Palm Beach, but it arrives just the same at aioli Sourdough Bakery & Café, where the shift in season is marked by what’s pulled from the oven. The neighborhood institution, newly recognized with a MICHELIN Bib Gourmand, has shaped the city’s daytime dining culture for more than a decade. This fall, its pastry case and café menu introduce a comforting rotation of seasonal specialties that echo aioli’s signature warmth and craft.

Chef Michael Hackman ushers in the season with a series of new pastries that celebrate rich, nostalgic flavors. Each item is baked daily, paying homage to the restaurant’s ingredient-focused philosophy and long-standing relationships with local farms.

The autumn lineup includes:

• Bourbon Pecan Kouign-Amanns

• Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns

• Pumpkin Muffins

• Bourbon Pecan Tarts

• Chocolate Walnut Tarts

• Apple Pie

…with additional seasonal treats appearing throughout the season.

These sweets reflect Hackman’s instinct for balancing tradition with an expressive approach to flavor. Pastries unfold through a slow, layered process: croissants requiring three days to prepare, brioche proofing over four, and every syrup, spread and filling created in-house.

Beyond the pastry counter, aioli continues to weave fall produce into its menu. Daily rotating lunch specials highlight autumn’s most expressive vegetables, including roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash.

The café’s year-round favorite, the Turkey & Brie sandwich, feels especially timely this season. Served on raisin walnut bread with cranberry aioli and arugula, it offers a subtle homage to Thanksgiving in a form suited to the Florida climate.

Since opening in 2014, aioli has remained true to its core values: honest craft, community and flavor shaped by seasonality. The bakery’s naturally fermented sourdough anchors this philosophy, complemented by thoughtful partnerships with growers such as Swank Specialty Produce.

This dedication extends through every facet of the menu. Long fermentation, intentional sourcing and classical technique define the bakery’s rhythm, while its casual, daytime sensibility keeps the experience rooted in neighborhood comfort.

With its new MICHELIN recognition, aioli’s reputation is now national, though its soul remains local. The café continues to serve as a gathering place that honors the sincerity of baking and the joy of shared meals, marking each season not by temperature, but by the flavor of what emerges from the oven.

As fall settles into the city, aioli reminds West Palm Beach that the pleasures of the season are alive and well, best enjoyed with a warm pastry and a seat at the table.