Sullivan Street Bakery • 1994

Jim Lahey revolutionized home baking when he pioneered the no-knead bread method at this Italian bakery, turning out rustic loaves and Roman-style pizza bianca that sparked a nationwide bread renaissance. From its 1994 Sullivan Street origins in SoHo through its Hell's Kitchen evolution, the bakery has remained a temple to slow fermentation and Italian tradition. The pizza bianca—crispy, olive-oil-slicked, and impossibly airy—still draws lines of devotees who understand that great bread requires nothing more than time, heat, and patience.