The Bread Basket Food Store

Love these guys; Mike, Juan and Sam. Plus nice selection of craft beers and other quirky things like Mexican pastries and kombucha.

Tim P. mentions the Fabuloso, and he isn’t kidding. I like this place a lot – at the time of this review, they’re offering pints of Blue Bell at two for $ 3 – but you do have to be careful about what you buy here. The smell of Fabuloso (Mexico’s answer to Pine-​Sol) is SO STRONG that it will practically knock you over when you walk in the door. Not only that, but it will actually PENETRATE INTO THE FOOD if it’s packed in a wrapper that is at all permeable. I bought an ice cream sandwich here one time that I simply couldn’t eat because it tasted like Fabuloso. That said, they have a good beer and wine selection. If it’s in a bottle or can, you’re fine. The pints of ice cream only smell like Fabuloso on the outside – seriously, after buying a few pints and putting them in my freezer, I had to wash my hands to get the smell off. It’s THAT STRONG.

I LOVE the B.B. (as I call it in my household). It’s what you may call– FABULOSO! Why might I call it fabuloso? It’s not my inner Spanish-​Diva… it’s actually how clean and wonderful this place is! Every time I open the door I get a WHIF of the amazing fabuloso cleaner and I know I have arrived somewhere special. There selection of beer and wine is VERY impressive as well as they have excellent hot beverages and check cashing.
The very first time I visited I was able to meet Mike, the incredibly helpful Russian/​Polish (?) man. He informed me that they were having a Halloween special and it was three bottles of wine for $ 10. ==GASP== My eyes lit up like a twelve-​year-​old getting his first glimpse of side-​boob. Three bottles of wine for $ 10? I lost my mind. Granted they are some weird brand –AVOID the Cabernet and stick with the Shiraz– but that’s a ‘no duh’. I grabbed six bottles of wine and proceeded to walk home a happy man. LONG LIVE THE BB!

For most of my adult life, I’ve lived within a block or two of what Brooklyners would call a bodega — a little general store that probably makes most of its money on beer, but can be counted on in a pinch for things like key cutting, light bulbs, diapers, milk, etc. When I bought my first (and only) house here in east Austin, it seemed only logical to be within a block from such a store. Bread Basket would be like my extended pantry, if I were the type to be able to use the word ‘pantry’ without laughing like a 12 year-​old.
With the exception of the instant-​hot-​chocolate-​with-​tiny-​marshmallows I went without one night, Bread Basket has never failed me. What makes it even better is a surprisingly eclectic beer section, and an array of wine that I find remarkable even after I am done being surprised that they have wine in the first place.
Last and certainly not least, the Jordanian guys who run the place are fantastic. Sure, the one with the mustache always seems a little grumpy, but in an endearing way. And one time he let me come in and get a beer even though he was about to pull the roll up down for the night.
In a nutshell: lots of weird big beers, wine (at all?), an impressive selection of little grocery items (including a bunch of dynamic-​looking Mexican snacks that I can’t read but I’m sure are delicious), and — wait for it — moon pies. Like, five varieties. Plus great service!