#pastries

#pastries

London's bakery scene has got to be one of the best in the world right now. As well as an abundance of croissants and sourdough, there are bakeries doing everything from Italian maritozzi to Japanese milk bread and pretty much everything in between. The weekend pastry run has become a ritual (bonus points if you literally run to the bakery) and bagging goods from Toad or Chatsworth Bakehouse before they sell out is a social flex.

Their croissants are arguably the best in San Francisco: sinfully aromatic and buttery, with a flakiness that erupts like weightless shards of gold falling into your lap. Now, after a decade of waiting, another Bay Area city is set to finally lay claim to some of the most legendary pastries around. Arsicault Bakery, which has locations in the Tenderloin, Mission Rock and Inner Richmond, is expanding outside San Francisco for the very first time, landing in the Peninsula in late 2026.

Watching a celebrated chocolatier launch a line of chocolates in 2004, then an Echo Park shop in 2013, and a second 5,000-square-foot outpost in Glendale in 2022 has been a literal treat for longtime Angelenos. Valerie Confections' Valerie Gordon prepares toffees, petit fours, pies, and an outstanding and signature coffee crunch cake. The Glendale shop has an adorable and covered patio to enjoy any of these things, but also check what Gordon prepared for the daily specials, like quiche or breakfast hand pie.

On a recent Wednesday, about a dozen customers lined up inside Bun Appétit Donuts just after 8 a.m. to scan the nearly 30 savory and sweet doughnuts, croissants and stuffed malasada-style pastries displayed behind glass. Classic sprinkle and glazed doughnuts were nowhere in sight, but these loyal patrons already knew that. They were up early for the store's elevated brioche doughnuts, including house favorites such as tiramisu, guava cheesecake and "everything," a savory doughnut like the bagel.

In Bed-Stuy, Barker Cafeteria is a daytime spot run by a couple who've worked at places like Blue Hill Stone Barns and Superiority Burger. On the menu there are sandwiches, like a cold roast beef number with horseradish, watercress, and hickory sticks, soups, salads, and pastries, like currant scones with clotted cream and jam. We haven't been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists.

Good morning from Fort Greene, Brooklyn, where the intersection of Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue is a sudden hotbed of morning activity. As of last week, the block that houses Mr. Mango is home to two ambitious bakery projects popping up inside restaurants during the day. At Margot, Laurel Bakery's takeover of the front bar with various European boulangerie and viennoise specialities is a more permanent arrangement.

Join us for our upcoming launch event celebrating the debut of a first-of-its-kind culinary collaboration between One65, an award-winning patisserie, and Savor, the revolutionary Bay Area company behind the world's first carbon-based, animal- and plant-free butter. Be among the first to taste bonbons made with Savor butter, now officially available for sale at One65. Enjoy free samples of these world-premiere confections and mini pastries made with Savor's breakthrough ingredient, all while learning more about how this partnership is redefining indulgence.

There are a lot of decisions to make at Asha near Union Square. Many of their drinks come with a list of follow-ups-sweetness and ice level preferences, milk choice, and even add-ons for seasonal fruit purees like mango, blueberry, and mango. All that customization means a drink that you'll more than likely be happy with, but it might end up taking a bit of time to make.

Excellent espresso drinks and solid matcha are on hand at this minimalist coffee shop in Laurel Heights.

The biggest difference between a hand pie and a turnover is the dough that the filling is encased in. Hand pies are usually made with pie dough, while turnovers are traditionally made with puff pastry.

However, steeped down in my pastry-driven soul was a healthy dose of skepticism because how can something look SO beautiful and also taste delicious? See, I've worked in bakeries and I know first-hand that at times (I am trying my best to be careful here) the fancy, high-priced, fussy treats can fall flat on flavor.

If a pastry is simply, utilitarianly a food item that is made from dough, then shaped and baked, cookies totally qualify.