The Legend of Kayani Bakery's Shrewsbury Biscuits
How a humble Irani bakery on a Pune street corner became the keeper of India's most beloved biscuit.
The Legend of Kayani Bakery's Shrewsbury Biscuits
How a humble Irani bakery on a Pune street corner became the keeper of India's most beloved biscuit.
Category: Food | Est. Legacy: Since 1955 | Location: East Street, Camp, Pune
There are certain foods that transcend the act of eating. They become memory. They become ritual. They become legend. In Pune, one such legend is baked fresh every single morning in a modest shop on East Street, Camp — and it smells, unmistakably, of butter, sugar, and history.
Kayani Bakery's Shrewsbury biscuits are not just a snack. They are a cultural institution. A pilgrimage destination. A golden, crumbly proof that some things are simply best left unchanged.
From Iran to India: The Story Behind the Bakery
In August 1955, three brothers — Khodayar, Hormazdiar, and Rustom Kayani — arrived in Pune with a dream, a family name, and decades of baking knowledge passed down through generations in Iran. Having left their homeland in search of a better life, the brothers chose to open a small bakery in the Camp area of Pune, naming it after themselves: Kayani Bakery.
Their only worry at the time was whether the location — which many considered too far off the beaten track — would ever attract enough customers. Seventy years on, that worry seems almost comical. Kayani Bakery now draws customers from across India and beyond, all for the chance to take home a box of their legendary Shrewsbury biscuits.
The bakery occupies the same East Street address it always has, at 6, Elphinstone Road, Pune Camp. It has no branches. No franchises. No sprawling empire. And that, perhaps, is part of its extraordinary charm.
The Biscuit That Made History
The Shrewsbury biscuit has British origins — a traditional shortcake cookie that was once a staple of English tea tables. But Kayani Bakery did something remarkable: they adapted the traditional recipe for the Indian palate and, crucially, made it completely eggless — making them one of the first bakeries in India to do so.
"Shrewsbury biscuits and Kayani Bakery are inseparable in India."
Today, the bakery produces over 200 kilograms of Shrewsbury biscuits every single day — and they almost never run out of stock before evening. Loyal customers know to arrive early. The truly devoted line up before the shutters even roll up at 7:30 AM.
What makes these biscuits so irresistible? The answer is deceptively simple: premium butter, fine flour, and just the right amount of sugar — baked to golden perfection in firewood ovens. That's right. Firewood ovens. Every evening, the bakery burns firewood in its traditional ovens, with the floor beneath packed with iron, salt, and heat-retaining materials. By morning, when the first batch of bread slides in, the ovens are at the perfect temperature. It is a method unchanged in seven decades.
The result is a biscuit that is buttery, crumbly, perfectly golden, and — as generations of Puneites will attest — utterly melt-in-your-mouth. No preservatives. No shortcuts. Just honest craftsmanship.
A Shop That Refuses to Change
Step into Kayani Bakery and you step back in time. There is no fancy interior design, no social media pop-ups, no digital menu boards. The day's offerings are written on a blackboard. The packaging is no-frills but functional, made from biodegradable materials. There is no special treatment for anyone — whether you are a first-time visitor or a regular for thirty years. It is first-come, first-served. Always.
The bakery opens at 7:30 AM, closes mid-day for a staff lunch break, reopens at 3:30 PM, and shuts at 8 PM — Monday through Saturday. These hours have barely changed since the bakery's founding. In an era of 24/7 online ordering and same-day delivery, this stubborn adherence to tradition feels almost radical.
Beyond Shrewsbury biscuits, Kayani also offers an array of other baked delights: their renowned Mawa Cake (rich, dense, and fragrant), Brazil Nut biscuits, crispy Khari, Ginger biscuits, Cheese Papadi, Wine biscuits, and a sponge cake that stays fresh for up to a week. Each item is made using time-honored techniques with premium ingredients. The Parsi bread, with its soft crumb and delicate crust, is another treasure worth seeking.
Why the Legend Lives On
In a city rapidly transforming with new cafés, artisan bakeries, and international chains, Kayani Bakery remains an anchor. Its success is not built on marketing campaigns or trendy aesthetics. It is built on something far more powerful: unwavering quality and the deeply personal loyalty of generations of Pune families.
Customers who grew up eating Kayani's Shrewsbury biscuits now bring their own children. Those who have moved to other cities — or other countries — plan visits to Pune around a trip to East Street. Stories of the biscuits being carefully packaged and couriered across India (and internationally) are not uncommon. This is the power of a product that has never once compromised on its promise.
The bakery has also earned recognition as the Best in Bakery in Pune — a title awarded not by any corporate body, but by the love, loyalty, and trust of generations of Punekars.
"Every evening, firewood is burned in the ovens. By morning, the smell of fresh bread wafts into the street."
A Note for the Curious (and the Hungry)
If you plan to visit Kayani Bakery, here is what you need to know:
- Address: 6, Elphinstone Road (East Street), Camp, Pune 411001
- Hours: Mon–Sat, 7:30 AM–1:00 PM & 3:30 PM–7:00 PM
- Delivery: Local Pune delivery via Zomato only
- No branches. No franchises. No authorised online store.
⚠️ Scam Alert: The bakery has issued warnings about fraudulent websites using the Kayani name. If you are ordering online, use only Zomato for Pune-local delivery. Any other website claiming to sell Kayani products should be treated with caution.
The best way to experience Kayani is the old-fashioned way: in person, early in the morning, joining the queue, and walking out with a warm box of Shrewsbury biscuits — perhaps eaten right on the pavement, because some things simply cannot wait.
Kayani Bakery is not just a place. It is a feeling — of warmth, of home, of a Pune that keeps its promises.
📍 Kayani Bakery — 6 Elphinstone Road (East Street), Camp, Pune 411001
🕗 Mon–Sat: 7:30 AM–1:00 PM & 3:30 PM–7:00 PM
📦 Local Pune delivery via Zomato only
Image Credits
- Hero Image — Kayani Bakery Shrewsbury Biscuits by Pune Culture Archive on Cloudinary — Original photography
- Irani Cafe Interior — Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash — Free to use under Unsplash License
- Freshly Baked Biscuits — Photo by Food Photographer on Unsplash — Free to use under Unsplash License
- Colonial Streets of Camp, Pune — Photo by Hulki Okan Tabak on Unsplash — Free to use under Unsplash License
