Authentic Flavor from Breadico in Sioux Falls

David Napolitano took working with his hands to a new level when he opened downtown Sioux Falls’ Breadico in May 2014. After time in the pharmaceutical world, Napolitano said he was looking to try something different.

Bread was that something.

A Sioux Falls native, Napolitano started by building a commercial kitchen in his parents’ garage, garnering a following through making and selling different varieties of bread from scratch.

“I started out wanting to make the best bread I could,” he said. “Pretty soon, I learned I had a knack for it.”

Photo courtesy of Kaylyn Deiter

A brick and mortar store on North Weber Avenue soon followed, selling toast and coffee to customers looking for a touch of authenticity. Nearly two years later, Breadico has expanded into a full-service restaurant, serving sandwiches and pizza five days a week.

With its hand-painted logo, baskets of fresh bread and stone-fire pizza oven, Breadico is nothing if not authentic. It’s a common theme that Napolitano said he hopes to pursue in every aspect of the shop.

“A lot of the design was done by hand, and we wanted to do the same with our food,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Kaylyn Deiter

Whether that authentic flavor means having every loaf of bread come out a little differently or requiring Napolitano to work in the kitchen from midnight to 6:30 a.m. to bake and prepare dough, the young business owner is willing to do it for his customers. And the bread.

Breadico’s bread is all naturally fermented sourdough made on-site. Many of the ingredients for the shop’s sandwiches and pizzas are local, while others hail from artisans all over the world. “We go as far as we can to get good products,” Napolitano said.

Photo courtesy of Kaylyn Deiter

While their cheese may come from Italy and their flour from Massachusetts, Napolitano is focused on making Breadico a local destination.

“Our generation really has a sense of wanderlust,” he said. “We want to feed into that wanderlust by bringing those big city aspects here to Sioux Falls—creating community so that people will appreciate staying here.”

With their handcrafted promise, Napolitano hopes to make Breadico a place people need to visit when they come to Sioux Falls, emphasizing that this goal can be reached only if he and his staff continue to make the best bread they can for their customers.

Photo courtesy of Kaylyn Deiter

Those customers have already taken notice. Napolitano said he strives to ensure that each Breadico patron gets their money’s worth every time they decide to come to the little eatery on Weber Street.

“They put their faith in you,” he said. “It’s an act of respect to give someone a good product, and I don’t want to disappoint them.”

Napolitano said most of the shop’s customers are wholesome people who know what they want. Fans of the bread’s health aspect, locals also love Breadico’s unpretentious atmosphere.

“The best part of this job is when people recognize that they’re getting a good sandwich,” Napolitano said. “When they appreciate that quality, the work that went into their product, that makes the ridiculous hours and the challenges worth it.”

Photo courtesy of Kaylyn Deiter

But though each customer who opens Breadico’s wooden doors may be looking for something a little different, at the end of the day Napolitano said he hopes each one leaves with a sense of delight.

A delight that keeps them eating good bread, of course.