A proper French patisserie popped up in downtown Detroit this week. Cannelle by Matt Knio made its debut on Friday, February 1, anchoring the 45 West Grand building in Capitol Park with baskets stuffed with golden bread loaves and case upon case of colorful pastries.

Cannelle by Matt Knio is the follow up to Golden Wheat Bakery founder and pastry chef Matt Knio’s popular Cannelle Patisserie in Birmingham. The Detroit location has been in the works since fall 2017 but faced significant delays due, in part, to lease agreement issues. Knio tells Eater that he’s looking forward to joining the growing collection of downtown Detroit businesses. “I was witnessing what’s happening actually in Detroit — the improvement of this city, a lot of restaurants opening, a lot of businesses, and hotels — and I wanted to be a part of it,” he says.

The 1,200-square-foot downtown location features big picture windows and two counters — one devoted to pastries and breads and the other to a barista station. The shop features seats for roughly 40 patrons and will eventually include a patio with an additional 30 seats. The menu at Cannelle by Matt Knio mirrors its Birmingham counterpart with roughly 30 different items ranging from chocolate croissants to macarons to eclairs. The list is rounded off with a larger selection of sandwiches geared toward workers in the downtown area.

Knio and his wife worked together to design the space which features marble countertops and a mixture of shiny pendant lights and glittering chandelier-style fixtures. The new location will serve as a model for future Cannelle by Matt Knio outposts. Knio says he plans to open one in West Dearborn and another in an as-of-yet-unconfirmed location.

Eater’s photographers took a tour of the freshly opened space on it’s first morning in the neighborhood. Take a peek around the cafe and patisserie in the gallery below.

Cannelle by Matt Knio is located at 45 West Grand River Ave.; open 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

• Pâtisserie and Cafe Aims for February Debut in Detroit [ED]

• Cannelle Patisserie Is Bringing French Pastries to Downtown Detroit [ED]

• All Eater Inside Coverage [ED]

• All Openings Coverage [ED]