b. patisserie
The kouign-amann is the thing, and the dough eats like a caramelized croissant. The line runs down California Street most mornings.
Why go
The Infatuation's Lani Conway sets the bar and the order in one go: If you leave b. Patisserie without at least three kouign-amann, we're going to start wondering things. That's because this popular French bakery in Lower Pacific Heights is churning out the best in the city, all thanks to buttery dough that tastes like a caramelized croissant.
1 Conway names a chocolate caramel mousse bomb and some top-notch financiers,
and she tells you to buy blind at the case: Whatever you decide to get, whether it's the tarts, tartines, cakes, or cookies, will be near peak form.
Order this / avoid
- Order: three kouign-amann, on the critic's instruction. Then the chocolate caramel mousse bomb.
- Avoid: planning around a specific pastry late in the day. The case empties.
What locals & experts say
- The Infatuation SF (Lani Conway):
Folks line up down the street for them, plus many of the other viennoiseries and baked things you can get here.
1 The page carries no date and no score, so this entry asserts neither. - On the baker: Belinda Leong's name comes up with this counter everywhere, and so does a James Beard win. Neither was confirmed on a page we read, so neither is printed here until it is.
Good to know
- Timing: morning is the full case. Lunch runs tartines.
- Booking: walk-in, and expect to queue.
- Getting there: California Street at Divisadero, Lower Pacific Heights.
Verdict
could-visit — The Infatuation's Lani Conway calls the kouign-amann the best in San Francisco and says why in a sentence a baker can act on: dough that eats like a caramelized croissant. That is a real verdict on a real thing, and the queue down California Street is the corroborating behavior. It does not climb higher on this pass because the baker's own record, including the award most people associate with this counter, was never read at source.