Prague cronut bakery returns just in time for Valentine's Day

Prague’s Oh Deer Bakery, known for its croissant-donut hybrid locally called “kroblihy“ (kobliha means “donut“ in Czech), shuttered its three locations on Dec. 15 of last year after six years of operation and a large fan base at home and abroad.

Owner Lukáš Vašek cited burnout and customer dissatisfaction under new management together with a change in the production process for the closure. ”I’ve always said I’d rather close it than do it stupidly!” Vašek wrote on Facebook last year. The bakery opened a branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2023.

This weekend, however, Vašek took to social media to announce his decision to reopen the scrumptious space, saying that the bakery would once again start serving its signature pastry on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.

But wait: There’s a plot twist. The new Oh Deer will set up shop across the street from its former branch on Purkyňova Street, still owned by Vašek’s one-time partner and operating under the name Luna Bakery.

“I struggled internally with this decision, but the conditions and unique space I was offered are great. So the gloves are coming off, and I have to deal with it,” Vašek told Forbes, adding that he wants to focus more on the single newly opened location and plans to sell 10,000 cronuts per month from the shop. By the end of the year, he aims to reach CZK 15 million in cronut revenue.

Vašek will also rebrand under "Oh Deer" without the “Bakery.” Visitors to the newly reopened space can expect a new interior design, and, most importantly, production will take place for the first time on the premises.

With two cronut shops open only a few meters apart on the same street, customers face the enviable and decadent task of crowning the next krobliha king.