Witherspoon Street Swapped Its Bakeries This Year. Here's Who's Where Now.

The first block of Witherspoon Street north of Nassau looks different this fall, and most of the change happened a few doors at a time. The Bread Boutique moved up the street from 41 Witherspoon to 16 Witherspoon, the former Kilwin's space. The Baked Bear took over its old storefront at number 41. XiBei arrived next door at 43, and O'Bagel's address is 34 Witherspoon, a few steps from where Abel Bagel ran for 17 years.

Each of these changes stayed inside a short stretch of one street. Together they explain why the block between Nassau and Spring now has more places to grab something quick and sweet than it did before the road crews left.

Two Bakeries, One Block, Swapped Doors

The bakery swap started over the winter. The Community News Princeton Dining Guide 2026 described it in its last entry: "A bakery swap is underway on Witherspoon Street." It reported that The Bread Boutique had moved out of 41 Witherspoon and was heading up the block to 16 Witherspoon, where Kilwin's confectionery used to be.

Patch reported the move in May 2026, with The Baked Bear set to take over the space at 41. That means the street kept its bread shop and gained an ice cream shop. The bakery moved closer to Nassau, and the new arrival took the storefront it left.

The Baked Bear held its grand opening on Saturday, July 18, 2026, at noon, and the first 50 people in line got a free ice cream sandwich, according to Patch. The chain was founded in San Diego in 2013 by childhood friends Rob Robbins and Shane Stanger, who opened their first store in Pacific Beach, California. The chain has since expanded to more than 10 states and had five other New Jersey locations before Princeton, one of them in Westfield. The Princeton location page lists daily hours and online ordering for 41 Witherspoon.

The Next Door Down Opened First

XiBei, at 43 Witherspoon, got to the block before either bakery moved. The Northwestern Chinese restaurant opened in spring 2025 in the former Sakura Express space, according to the Community News guide. The region it draws on has a cooler climate, so the menu leans on heavier, wheat-based dumplings and noodle dishes. The guide points to dishes such as Chicken Feet with Pickled Peppers, Mutton on the Bone, and Steamed Fish Head with Diced Red Peppers.

So 41 and 43 now sit next to each other: an ice cream sandwich counter beside a hand-pulled-noodle-style dinner menu, both new within the past year and a half. On the same short stretch, these are the food and drink businesses listed in the Experience Princeton directory, in street order going north from Nassau:

1. Agricola Community Eatery, 11 Witherspoon
2. Small World Coffee, at the corner of the first block
3. The Bread Boutique, 16 Witherspoon, after its move reported by Patch
4. Jules Thin Crust, 18 Witherspoon
5. Mamoun's, 20 Witherspoon
6. La Mezzaluna, 25 Witherspoon
7. Junbi, 27 Witherspoon
8. Alchemist & Barrister, 28 Witherspoon
9. Tico's, 33 Witherspoon
10. O'Bagel, 34 Witherspoon
11. Dvaraka, 36 Witherspoon
12. The Baked Bear, 41 Witherspoon
13. XiBei, 43 Witherspoon

Farther up the hill, the same directory lists Kristine's at 51, Witherspoon Grill at 57, Jammin' Community Cafe at 65, and both Mistral and elements at 66.

The low numbers are mostly sit-down restaurants and a coffee shop that have been on the block for years. The moves of 2025 and 2026 happened among the 30s and 40s, plus the bakery's move down to 16.

A Bagel Address With a Long Memory

Number 34 has a backstory that newer residents may not know. In a July 2026 column for TAPinto Princeton, Pam Hersh wrote about walking past O'Bagel, "a new bagel shop at 34 Witherspoon Street," and thinking of Abel Bagel. Abel Bagel was "located from 1985 to 2002 at 30 Witherspoon Street," two addresses away.

"The opening of the new bagel store at nearly the same location as Abel Bagel inspired me to reach out to Alfie to resurrect some Abel Bagel-era stories."

Hersh describes Abel Bagel's owner, Alfie Kahn, as a Princeton native, a Princeton firefighter with Engine Company 3, and a regular in the town's Memorial Day Parade. Long-time residents who remember buying bagels at 30 Witherspoon now have a bagel shop's name back on nearly the same stretch of sidewalk. O'Bagel's Princeton page lists 34 Witherspoon as its address and is the best place to check hours and ordering.

The Pavement Came First

The construction crews left the street before any of these storefronts changed hands. Patch reported in February 2026 that Princeton's Mayor and Council had closed out the Phase II Roadway Improvements to Witherspoon Street project "after months of construction, detours, and disruption." Deputy Administrator and Municipal Engineer Deanna Stockton certified the work complete in a memo dated February 9.

The final contract with S. Brothers, Inc. of South River came to $4,071,410.95, compared with the original contract price of $4,302,771.18. That is more than $231,000 under budget, and Patch attributed the savings to smaller material quantities once crews saw actual field conditions.

The two-year maintenance period started December 10, 2024. The contractor posted a maintenance bond of $581,750.43 to guarantee the work through the end of that window. Counting two years from that start date, the window closes around December 10, 2026, which is just a few weeks after this post.

XiBei opened in spring 2025, a few months after the maintenance period began and almost a year before the February sign-off. Ooika Matcha's Princeton cafe followed in 2025. The Bread Boutique had already left 41 Witherspoon by the end of 2025, and The Baked Bear opened in its place in July 2026. Every new arrival on this list opened after construction ended and the maintenance period had started.

Up the Hill at 300

The newest Witherspoon cafe that is not on the first block sits farther north. Ooika Matcha, which first opened on Main Street in Lawrenceville, added a second cafe in 2025 at 300 Witherspoon Street, Suite 102B, according to the Community News dining guide. The company makes its drink ingredients in-house and serves all of its matcha within 24 hours of milling.

For Lawrence Township residents who already knew the Main Street location, the Princeton cafe puts the same drinks at the north end of a street they may already use to get downtown.

Holiday Weekends Start a Block Away

The holiday season on Palmer Square is a short walk from the bakery block. The Palmer Square Annual Tree Lighting is Friday, November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, from 5 to 6 p.m. on the Green at 40 Nassau Street. It features the Princeton High School Choir, the dueling pianos of The Flying Ivories, and The Sugarplums, winners of the CW's Christmas Caroler Challenge. The Yankee Doodle Tap Room runs an outdoor Hot Cocoa Corner during the event.

After that, Palmer Square's holiday strolling entertainment brings carolers and Santa to the square on Saturdays and Sundays from November 28 through December 20, 1 to 3 p.m.

Palmer Square expects tree lighting night to be busy and asks visitors to allow extra time to park. It points to the Chambers Street Garage and the Hulfish Street garage. From Palmer Square, the first block of Witherspoon is just across Nassau Street. That puts The Baked Bear at 41, XiBei at 43, and the bakery at 16 within a short walk of a weekend afternoon with the carolers.

If you're new to Princeton, or just trying to keep track of which downtown storefronts have changed this year, the Terebey Relocation Team follows these blocks as closely as the listings on them. Reach out to request a free market consultation and home valuation, and we'll share what we're seeing on the streets you walk every week.