The sweet smells of the bakery have been wafting down South Richmond Street since the 1870's and have inspired love and loyalty in the hearts of Dubliners. Still known as the Jewish bakery and eventhough the Kosher certificate is no longer there, the tradition and quality remains. The recipes and the (sitting room-sized) double-decked brick oven have not changed much in the past 100 years.

The history of the Bretzel parallels the history of the Jewish community in Dublin. The streets stretching from Portobello to Clanbrassil Street were once the heartland of a vibrant Jewish community. Now a museum at Richmond Hill and the Bretzel are the only lingering Jewish landmarks.

Back in the 1900's the Grinspon family ran a small bakery here. The Elliman family took it over in 1910. The chain of Jewish ownership was broken when the Christe Hackett took it over from Ida Stein in the 1960's, however the Bretzel Bakery was strickly Kosher bakery until the mid 1990's. The Hackett family was the custodian until the end of the century, until ill health forced a sale. A new century - a new owner, William Despard stepped in to revitalize this institution which is the Bretzel Bakery.