San Francisco Bakery Crawl

What better way to explore San Francisco by letting your sweet tooth be the guide? Explore four of the best bakeries in the city in my San Francisco bakery crawl. Here’s where to go, what to order and even a video tour to help you plan your adventure.

If you’re visiting San Francisco and looking for things to do, skip the touristy stuff and explore my city the best way – through our pastries! Eating your way through San Francisco is the best way to see – and appreciate – it.

You can find a bakery in every nook and cranny of San Francisco, but there are a few that stand out. You’ll find everything from hipster to traditional all with their own signature must-order item that you won’t find anywhere else. I’m sharing four of my favorites in partnership with Expedia.com.

My picks are scattered all over the city, but if you’re looking for a good home base I would check out hotels in Lower Nob Hill/Union Square. Its central location has a lot of walking destinations and it’s really easy to pick up public transportation. You can find lots of San Francisco hotel options on Expedia.com.

San Francisco Bakery Crawl

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse San Francisco

If I had to pick one bakery to visit in San Francisco, it would definitely be Mr. Holmes Bakehouse. They have the bakery game on lock – cute location, great Instagrammable moments, and most importantly – the prettiest and most delicious pastries you’ve ever seen. Make sure you don’t miss their “I Got Baked in San Francisco” sign.

Even if you don’t live in San Francisco, you probably have heard of the cronut. This hybrid pastry combines the flaky layers of a croissant and the shape of a muffin to produce flaky bits of carb heaven. Every day they have a new flavor, and every day the sell out. If you have your heart set on trying a cruffin, I would get there 15 minutes before they open on a weekday and 30 minutes before on a weekend. It’s worth setting your alarm for!

What to order: Their famous cronut obviously! If they are sold out, no worries as everything they make is amazing.

Want more? See behind-the-scenes at Mr. Holmes Bakehouse in the video tour below:

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse San Francisco

1042 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
http://www.mrholmesbakehouse.com/

Choux Bakery in the Haight neighborhood of San Francisco sells tiny french cream puffs made of choux pastry dough. Each one is only a couple of bites, so try a bunch of flavors! There are some old favorites like salted caramel with a variety of seasonal ones, all made by hand.

All the Choux cream puffs are filled by hand right behind the bakery counter.

If you’re looking for an Instagrammable moment, the ChouxNut is where it’s at. It features layers of choux pastry dough shaped into a doughnut shape. If you’re gluten intolerant and this bakery list is bumming you out, the Choux Nut is gluten-free! It’s made with rice flour. This also makes it lighter and not overly sweet.

What to order: Choux-nut

Want more? Get a tour of San Francisco’s Choux Bakery in the video below starting at 04:15:

Choux

248 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94117
http://www.chouxsf.com/

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory in Chinatown

Next you’ll have to head deep into San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood. There are dozens of bakeries dotting Chinatown selling traditional Chinese pastries and my favorite egg tarts, but don’t get distracted! Hidden down an ally in Chinatown is the San Francisco Fortune Cookie Factory.

The fortune cookie was invented right here in San Francisco, and the factory is one of the last places in the United States where they are still made by hand. Admission is free and you can watch the ladies peel the hot wafers of the press and deftly fold them into that signature shape.

The owner is often there handing out samples of broken fortune cookies.

He seems to be a big Golden Gate Warriors fan:

In addition to traditional fortune cookies in all sizes, they have multiple flavors like green tea and strawberry. They also do fortune cookies with a custom message which makes a great gift!

If you want to take a photo, be prepared to pay the steep fee of 50 cents.

Want more? Watch a video of the San Francisco Fortune Cookie Factory starting at 02:25:

San Francisco Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory

56 Ross Aly
San Francisco, CA 94108
http://www.sanfranciscochinatown.com/attractions/ggfortunecookie.html

Neighbor Bakehouse is located in the Dogpatch neighborhood, which is a fairly new development in the city. Just 10 years ago it was all warehouses and industrial buildings. Now it’s full of homes, cute shops, great restaurants and even a winery. The bakehouse itself has an open kitchen so you can watch them make the pastries. The staff is friendly and it truly has a neighborly feel.

Their signature item is their Everything Croissant which puts a savory and salty spin on my favorite pastry. Another thing people go crazy for is their twice baked croissants. They are split open, filled and baked a second time until the filling sets and the ends become delightfully crispy.

What to order: Everything Croissant, Pistachio-Blackberry Twice Baked Croissant

Neighbor Bakehouse San Francisco

2343 3rd Street #100
San Francisco, CA 94107
https://www.neighborsf.com/

Thanks so much for reading! For more Sweet in your life, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, or subscribe to receive a weekly email with new posts and musings from me.

Thanks to Cynthia and Brandon for helping with these photos & video! Check them out for more San Francisco inspiration.

Headed to San Francisco? Pin this list of bakeries for later!