There are some restaurants that succeed because they use the tools of the trade – atmosphere or technique or the food itself – to transport a diner to a different place.

Reis’ Bakery, for example, is a small storefront in a west Omaha strip mall. But it has the power to take you straight to Europe with its flaky, buttery croissants, its decadent chocolate mousse and its crunchy, pillowy baguette. 

It’s the ingredients that do the trick at this little bakery on Pacific Street.

Imported French flour, which they also sell, is milled by Grands Moulins de Paris. That flour, along with rich French butter with at least 82% fat, imported Belgian and French chocolate and organic milk make the base of every baked good in the case. There’s also a German beer loaf and, for good measure, a bread of their own creation featuring hunks of salami and cheese baked right into the dough. 

And what a difference that laser-focus on ingredients makes. After three visits, I’m confident in saying that Reis is one of the best European bakeries in the city. 

Co-owner Judith Reis runs the shop with her husband, Aires, the baker. Their interest in baking came from years living in Europe, where they grew used to eating not-so-sweet, finely crafted desserts and baked goods. Eventually, they tried their own hand at baking.

“You experience all these different cultures and foods, and you get to like what you like,” she said. “We got back to the states and we missed having certain things. It became a passion.” 

You can tell after just a bite that time is tied up in the passion and the ingredients at Reis. 

It takes time, for example, to laminate layers of butter into the flaky, airy, delectable croissants that fill the case. One bite, you’ll forget your troubles. Two, you’ll forget you have deadlines or meetings. Eat the whole thing? You might find yourself somewhere in France. 

The almond version is more of the same, but this time with a sweet hit of nuttiness in the center, finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. 

Kouign-amann, a specialty from France’s Brittany region, is like a croissant coated in a crisp, burnt sugar coating. It’s sweeter, but not overly so, and the caramelized edges, which resemble a flower, are the kind of thing amateur bakers can only dream of creating. (Another version gets filled with just-sweet cherries and cream cheese.) Reis, it turns out, is no amateur.

The couple moved to Omaha because their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren live here, but they’re originally from Brooklyn. Aires had already begun baking at home by the time they moved to Nebraska, starting with bread during the pandemic.

Originally, Judith said she and Aires’ plan was to move to Omaha, get settled for six months, and then return to their corporate jobs — she in administration and he in logistics and contract management. (Aires also served in the U.S. Navy, which is why they lived abroad.)

Their daughter was the one who had the idea to turn the bakery into a business. The state’s 2019 cottage food law allows individuals to sell homemade foods already authorized for sale at farmers’ markets directly to consumers from the producer’s home. Thus, out of their home kitchen, the bakery began. 

The family promoted it on social media, and soon, Judith said, the business became too popular to sustain from their home. Their storefront, near 120th and Pacific streets, opened last year.

Bread is still much of what the bakery creates: there are crisp-tender baguettes, hearty German ale bread that makes excellent sandwiches and provossata bread,  the one that features cubes of both provolone cheese and soppressata salami baked right into the loaf. I haven’t done it yet, but provossata would make an incredible grilled cheese. 

There are also parmesan braids, a sort of croissant-breadstick hybrid, deeply savory with a wonderful, crispy, salty chew and a flaky, pleasant finish.

Judith said that Aires aims to bake products that are as “authentic to the country of origin as possible.” To that end, the couple have begun importing flour from France.Customers, many with a gluten sensitivity, began to ask if they could purchase the flour, too. (Though this flour may not work for everyone with a gluten sensitivity, Judith said many reported no problem after trying it.) 

“Selling flour was never in our game plan,” she said. “So we put our heads together and figured out how we were going to do it.” 

Now, the bakery uses the imported French flour for its own baked goods, and also sells it in 3.3-pound bags to customers. Aires’ background in logistics, she said, helped make it reality. 

Reis creates just a few sweet desserts in its case, among them a Mont Blanc, which originated in Paris in the 19th century and is named after the French snow-capped mountains. This version is made with chestnut cream and a chocolate cookie base covered in whipped cream and topped with a cherry. It is sweet, airy and rich. I loved a small teacup crafted out of chocolate and filled simply with a lovely chocolate mousse and a dollop of cream. Its petite size, which fits in the palm of your hand, is perfect. 

Reis’ Bakery is a small passion project for European-style baked goods coming to life in west Omaha. It’s a little gem we’re lucky to have in this city. You should go and see if it transports you, too. I know I’ll be back. I have grilled cheese to make.