Australian pastry shops are showcasing their creations without covers, sparking debates about art, hygiene, and customer behavior. From Melbourne’s Tokyo Lamington to Sydney’s Pantry Story, open-air displays blend aesthetics with practical challenges.
The Art of Uncovered PastriesPastry shops across Australia are redefining storefronts by displaying baked goods in open-air exhibits, a trend that blurs the line between culinary art and retail. At Tokyo Lamington in Carlton, Melbourne, Styrofoam lamingtons coated in chocolate sit on tiered displays, while Sydney’s Pantry Story features a circular table of honey butter croissants and pandan mochi cookies. I wanted it to remind people of togetherness,
says co-owner Hari Wibowo, who drew inspiration from Chinese New Year banquets. The circular table at Pantry Story includes a honey butter croissant, a pandan mochi cookie, and a beef rendang pie, all labelled with their names and prices, according to the source material.
Aesthetic Appeal and Practical ConcernsChefs and owners cite minimalist aesthetics and up close and personal
engagement as key motivations. Isabella Leva Laureti of Cafe Lewi notes, Nothing’s going to go soggy because it’s in an ambient cabinet – if it needs to be refrigerated it can be.
Yet the displays face real-world hurdles. At Pantry Story, staff occasionally encounter customers who mistakenly attempt to purchase displayed pastries, which are later discarded. Some people even say… You haven’t been to Pantry Story if you haven’t taken a picture of the circle table,
adds co-owner Mutiara Sucipto. At Cafe Lewi, the vintage buttercream cake, their most elaborately decorated specimen, occupies the most vulnerable position on the corner,
according to Leva Laureti, who describes how if you lean over [in] a batwing T-shirt… people’s T-shirts go into it.
Challenges and InnovationsThe trend has prompted creative solutions to balance visibility with food safety. Tokyo Lamington replaces its Styrofoam lamingtons monthly, while Pantry Story refreshes most displays twice daily. Co-owner Hari Wibowo has experimented with resin coatings to preserve pastries, though trials with meat-based items failed due to moisture. Kimchi focaccia was too wet, he says. The resin method, which adds a glossy finish, allows pain aux resins to last more than a year without spoiling, provided the pastry is dry and fully cooled. Meanwhile, Martha’s in Sydney, which opened in late 2025, initially showcased cinnamon scrolls and za’atar knots in open displays but later added acrylic covers after concerns about crowd density and hygiene, as reported by the source material.
The Role of Lune CroissanterieThe trend’s origins trace to Lune Croissanterie, which pioneered open-air displays at its 2015 Fitzroy flagship store. Its eight subsequent locations replicate the approach, with flaky croissants lining concrete counters. The owners of Cafe Lewi, Pantry Story, and Melbourne’s Bakemono all cite Lune as the progenitor, according to The Guardian. Lune’s flagship warehouse space, which opened in 2015, features flaky, full-frontal specimens
on a concrete counter, a model repeated across its eight stores.
Customer Reactions and Unintended ConsequencesThe open-air concept has drawn both admiration and frustration. At Cafe Lewi, Leva Laureti recounts customers leaning over batwing T-shirts, smudging frosted cakes. If you lean over [in] a batwing T-shirt… people’s T-shirts go into it,
she says. Meanwhile, Tokyo Lamington’s co-owner Eddie Stewart acknowledges the “feral” behavior of some patrons, who have bitten into display items. People are pretty feral sometimes,
he admits. At Pantry Story, staff have encountered customers who mistakenly pick up display pastries, take them to the counter, and say, I want this one.
When staff place a “sold out” sign on a sausage roll, some customers offer to buy the display pastry that has been sitting in the open, all day, at room temperature—a request Pantry Story staff politely decline.
Additional DetailsThe open-air displays at Tokyo Lamington include Styrofoam lamingtons double-coated in real chocolate, a setup that has drawn both curiosity and unintended interactions. At Pantry Story, the circular table serves as a focal point, with staff fetching fresh pastries from a nearby cabinet after customers circle the display. The trend’s influence extends beyond Australia, with some shops citing Asian-inspired banquet traditions. For example, Wibowo’s concept draws from Chinese New Year gatherings, where families gather around a table,
he explains. Meanwhile, the resin experiments at Pantry Story highlight the balance between preservation and aesthetics, with Wibowo noting that anything with meat
or high moisture content, like the failed kimchi focaccia, poses challenges.
Industry ContextThe open-air display trend reflects broader shifts in retail and hospitality, where visual appeal and customer engagement are prioritized. While some shops embrace the risk of food waste and hygiene concerns, others adapt with innovations like resin coatings or hybrid models, such as Martha’s addition of acrylic covers. The trend also underscores the role of social media, as Pantry Story’s circular table has become a photogenic destination, with customers taking a picture of the circle table
as a rite of passage, according to Sucipto. Despite the challenges, the practice persists, blending art, commerce, and the occasional “feral” customer interaction.
