I love making my own baked goods, but I also love sampling baked goods that I wouldn’t be able to make at home. This past Saturday I organized a “Bun in the Oven” baby shower bakery crawl for my older sister to taste the best treats that San Francisco has to offer. While marveling at the fact that I’ll soon be an aunt (hello adulthood), I also managed to eat a remarkable amount of pastries. Flaky croissants, giant donuts, and perfect cannoli – this bakery crawl itinerary has it all. This crawl is designed to take 2-3 hours with ~50 minutes of walking and goes over a relatively flat area with some beautiful views of the Bay.
Stop 1: milkbean
881 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94109
What they’re known for: creative lattes and breakfast sandwiches
Milkbean has an array of creative latte flavors, from lavender to creme brulee. They also sell an array of sandwiches to kick off your crawl with a savory start. And if you want to indulge your sweet tooth right away, they offer a variety of pastries including a Fruity Pebbles cookie.
Stop 2: Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
1042 Larkin St
San Francisco, CA 94109
What they’re known for: Cruffins and sushi croissants
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse is an iconic SF establishment. New York city has cronuts – San Francisco has cruffins, the love child between a croissant and a muffin. Flavors rotate and range from toffee crunch to matcha to blackberry. The neon pink “I got baked in San Francisco” sign is the site of many an Instagram pic, and its pastries are as delicious as they look.
Stop 3: Bob’s Donuts and Pastries
1621 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109
What they’re known for: Giant donuts
Bob’s is a classic donut shop selling all your favorite yeast and crumb donuts. Their claim to fame is a giant donut that is 100% larger than your face. If you eat it in under 3 minutes, you win a free donut, a place on their hall of fame, and one heck of a sugar high. Bonus – they also sell vegan donuts.
Stop 4: Stella Pastry & Cafe
446 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
What they’re known for: Cannoli and Sacripantina
Venture over to North Beach and you’ll find yourself right in the heart of Little Italy. Stella serves some delicious Italian treats, and you must try the cannoli and sacripantina, a vanilla sponge cake. If you’re feeling thirsty from all the walking, treat yourself to a refreshing Italian soda.
Stop 5: Golden Gate Bakery
1029 Grant Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
What they’re known for: Egg tarts
Right where Little Italy melds into Chinatown you can find Golden Gate Bakery, known for its traditional Chinese egg tarts. Pie shell crust meets a creamy custard center for the perfect treat to top off your bakery crawl.
Hali, I’ve never been one for a pub crawl, but a bakery crawl is something I would love! What a great idea for a baby shower.
Yes it was so much fun! We got to eat some delicious treats and also stretch our legs as we wandered from one dessert to another 🙂
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No Arizmendi??? :O
Arizmendi is amaaazing!! A bit of a trek from the financial district but totally worth it if you’re in the area