Top Bakery Cafe in San Francisco
Cinderella Bakery & Cafe
436 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94118, United States
The line took me a few minutes to traverse, but the food was worth it! Everything was fresh and delicious. Textures and flavors all on point!I ordered the pelmeni in chicken broth, beef/gorgonzola piroshki, salmon pierogi, and a strawberry custard croissant. Altogether this was about $27.The pelmeni dish was my favorite! It was warm, homey, and delicious. It came with 2 slices of brown bread and some creamed butter to spread, as well as a little bowl of sour cream, which complimented the umami meat dumpling flavors well. The broth was especially savory and comforting.Of the pastries (which I took to-go to share with others), the stuffed croissant definitely shone. It was refreshing and not too sweet, with a wonderful crisp to the croissant which remained despite each bite of creamy custard.The pierogi was yummy, with a significant quantity of salmon filling (along with some glass noodle bits that were full of flavor). I liked the textures plenty. Turns out that my husband found the overall flavor a bit too fishy for his preferences, though.The piroshki was straightforward- with a solidly yummy flavor developed between the beef and the cheese. I couldnt have guessed there was gorgonzola- the mix worked smoothly together and wasnt stinky to me at all.
Cafe Bakery Restaurant
1365 Noriega St, San Francisco, CA 94122, United States
So first of all ordering is difficult...the menu is actually hard to find; the link on their web page is not available. I included a photos of the take out menu.Ordering and pickup is easy... just finding parking is a bit hard though since Noriega is a busy street.When you order to go, you get the soup, but no dessert or drink.We ordered and I was able to taste most of the dishes:Beef Tongue with Mushroom sauce: overall the tongue were thick cut and pretty tender. Good flavor. The mushroom sauce was more towards brown gravy with sliced mushrooms tossed in (I found a bay leaf and a slice mushroom) so, I actually think they might make the gravy from scratch.Garlic Pork chops... I did not taste this dish, but note its breaded pork chops top with fried garlicChicken a la King: creamy, and al dente spaghetti. The cubed chicken was tender. The only thing I did not like was the large pieces of celery. The sauce was creamy, but I think a little more pepper would be needed, but that is me. I added it and it really popped the flavor.Chicken Steak with Mushroom sauce: juicy dark meat. The chicken was really good, it tasked grilled, but I did not see any grill lines.Fillet of Sole with Mushroom Sauce: OK on menu it shows it in English as grilled but the Chinese has it as pan fried. Pan fried is correct. The flour needed to be seasoned, but the it did not mask the taste of the fish. The fish flavor is very mild, so that is a good thing. They did serve the mushroom sauce on the side, which is a plus so the fish did not get mushy. Thumbs up for that.Baked Pork Chop with White Sauce: this is yummy breaded pork chops on top of fried rice then covered with a creamy white sauce, topped with cheese then finished in the broiler/salamander. Its hard to mess up breaded pork chop... they did a good job with this dish.Each of the takeout meals came with steamed kernel corn broccoli. It also came with some soup. The soup is a bit salty, it taste like a tomato based (read watery catchup) with cabbage added.
Tartine Bakery
600 Guerrero St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
So after seeing this on Somebody Feed Phil I had to give it a try. I placed an order online directly through their website but I was disappointed to see that they were sold out of items and I had no option but to purchase a 3 pack of the brownies instead of just one. I also spent almost $50 which was pretty pricey.When I arrived to pickup my order I mentioned that I was disappointed that they were out of the chocolate croissant and they said they had some left but when they run low they remove it off their website. My items were packed in a bag and the tart was in their refrigerator. Pickup was super easy, skipped the line which wasnt too bad with about 5 people and the staff was super nice!In order from favorite to least favorite:CHOCOLATE CHIP WALNUT COOKIE $3.75Valrhona chocolate, oats, walnuts*nice texture from the oats and walnuts, wish there was a little more chocolateCHOCOLATE CROISSANT $5.75Valrhona chocolate croissant*flaky and three pieces of chocolateBROWNIE (3 PACK) $12Valrhona chocolate, spelt flour*rich and moist but a little bitterMORNING BUN $5cinnamon, sugar, orange zest*definitely could taste the orange zest, didnt love the texture of this bun4 BANANA CREAM TART $9bananas, chocolate, caramel, pastry cream, and whipped cream in a flaky shell*looked better than it tasted, bananas were the best part, the tart shell itself was very dryCOLD BREW $4.50*very watered down coffee, needed more ice but also just more flavor the coffee flavor was very minimalOverall not a bad experience but I was pretty disappointed by the pastries even the cookie and croissant. I wouldnt come back or suggest making a special trip to visit.
Poesia Cafe
4076 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94114, United States
I felt like I was transported back to Italy on my recent visit here, between the greetings in Italian, the espresso, the pastries (cornetto not croissant, and custard-filled!), and all the European customers speaking different languages. I loved the cozy vibes, and while it was lively on a weekend, there was always at least one empty table. I think this cafe is a sister establishment for Poesia, the full-service restaurant next door.They have an assortment of pastries and also amazing sandwiches! Highly recommend the mortadella sandwich which was on some thin and soft, very flavorful schiacciata. The sandwiches were warmed up for us. We also had a brie and ham croissant sandwich and the croissant was so flaky.
AA Bakery & Cafe
1068 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States
Bait & SwitchWill never buy anything from them again.Was a regular customer of their dim sum, tarts and other baked good. It was always good. Have always like it, as they were no different from the other bakeries in chinatown.Today, i needed a cake at the last minute. Found a beautiful green tea mousse cake topped with strawberries, kiwi and mango. The lady at the counter took the cake I selected and said shell put a birthday card on top of it.I said sure thinking shell put a card with the cake and box it.She disappeared.I waited and waited. When she reappear, the fruit top changed. I asked her why, and she said they wanted to make it more beautiful. She was full of it, but I didnt have time to argue over it.Now that we have the cake out of the box, I realized that she replace the mango for canned pears. Very disappointed.And the green tea mousse did not taste like tea nor had texture of mousse. Not going to waste my time or breath bringing back for exchange as I fully expect them to be very argumentative.But definitely not coming back again. For anything.
Social Cafe
804 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94103, United States
By far the best, most authentic Cuban bakery in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Social Cafe is a must try.——After more than a decade of using Google Maps to find and try new restaurants around the world, this is the first review that I've felt compelled to leave on any restaurant.I was born and raised in South Florida and grew up with great, authentic Cuban cuisine all around me. When I made the move to SF six years ago, it became a mission of mine to find the best Cuban Sandwich in the city, or at least the one closest to home. My expectations were low given how deceptively difficult it is to perfect a Cuban Sandwich (similar to a NYC bagel, or Mission burrito). I was taught growing up that a Cuban bakery will always do it best because using fresh Cuban bread is so critical.I've tried Cubans from dozens and dozens of restaurants around the area - this is far and away the best I've had in the Bay Area. Indistinguishable from the best I've had in Florida.Since finding Social Cafe a few months ago, I've probably eaten 25+ sandwiches. I truly can't get enough. I tell all my friends. I've also tried almost everything else on their menu and can attest it's all on the same level, everything like being back in Miami. The coffee and pastries are fantastic.To the Social Cafe team, what you're bringing to the City in terms of quality and authenticity is so refreshing, and this Florida boy certainly appreciates it. Please keep up the amazing work!
Cafe St Jorge
3438 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
Something happened to this place. It used to be my favorite brunch treat but my visit today was extremely disappointing. The waffled that I ordered simultaneously took 25 minutes to come out ( and then an inexplicable extra 5 for my smoothie) AND it was cold to the touch all the way through when it did. The first waiter I asked told me it was supposed to be cold (?!?!?!?!?) and when I asked someone else they said that the waffles were made fresh and supposed to be hot. Unfortunately when he offered to replace it he told me it would likely take another 20 minutes :( really not sure what is going on with this place. The poor service was extra baffling because the apparent owner was circling like a helicopter and offering special service to some customers or something. Too bad I did not make the list!Id skip this one for now and hope to come back in a year or two when the staff has been cycled through or the owners have figured out better how to run the ship! Too bad. :(
Cafe Madeleine
149 New Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States
Definitely an excellent lunch and coffee place to try in the area! I might prefer getting it to go though.The lasagna was one of the best vegetarian lasagnas I have ever tried - and I love lasagna. I highly recommend it.The americano was delicious - the right amount of depth and smoke. It helped me when I was running on a few hours of sleep after a long trip!The tiramisu, however, was just meh. Given this is a patisserie-style place, that was disappointing. Maybe skip dessert or try something else.The service was a bit lacking though - I dont know why but the person at the counter was only half-listening and I had to repeat myself a few times. I even started wondering if I was speaking nonsense due to sleep deprivation but nope. Any other interaction I had with the servers here all felt hurried as well, which put a damper on the experience as a whole.So long story short: get lunch + coffee for sure. But dont expect great service.
Creightons Bakery Cafe
5214D Diamond Heights Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94131, United States
This establishment is an ideal place for a neutral meeting. BE it Business, Blind Date or what have you. I cant remember if there was background music or not..If so, it was not intrusive to say the least.I had a business meeting with someone I had not met with Before. There are several booths and other smaller tables and chairs. This Restauran serves Breakfast sandwiches, and an assortment of antrays for Lunch.Fresh coffee all.,and a host of other Beverages. Let me Not forget one of my favorite things is this Bakery, and thats All the sweets.Youll be sure to cure any sweet toothe.They have lots if pastries, cookies, and other pleasantries. I have frequented this place many times before and will continue to do so in the future. I Hope your experience will be as pleasant as mine. My rating... 5 thumbs up
Dragon City Bakery & Cafe
2367 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
I live in Hayward and anytime Im in the city, I must stop by this bakery for their bread rolls. During the Holidays we make extra stops. We cant have a holiday meal without the bread rolls.I have lived in Hayward for over 10 years and I have yet to find a bakery that makes their bread rolls like they do. They are perfect. I do admit the place needs work, its not as clean as I would like,, but I never stay and eat. I only buy the bread and go. The lady tending to the customer is not too friendly, but I have never had a problem with them. They are nice to me. Price of the bread does go up during the holidays, but I am ok with that. I love their bread nd they have never disappointed. I have been going here for over 20 years.