San Francisco may be known for its fog, cable cars, and sky-high rents, but let’s not forget the sugary delights that keep us coming back for more (even when we should probably just move to Oakland). From Instagrammable pastries to desserts so pretentious they practically deserve a Michelin star, here’s a bite-sized tour of the city’s most iconic treats:
#1: It’s-It Ice Cream
Where: You can get these at many SF stores. But “It’s-It” headquarters are at 865 Burlway Rd., Burlingame, CA 94010 — just 9 minutes south of SFO
The It’s-It ice cream sandwich is San Francisco’s OG treat: two oatmeal cookies, vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate shell that somehow makes everything better. Whether you grab one at the grocery store or at a foggy Ocean Beach bonfire, it’s a reminder that SF’s most legendary desserts don’t always need to be bougie.
Legend has it that Playland-at-the-Beach owner George Whitney haphazardly placed a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two freshly baked oatmeal cookies, and then dipped this messy handful into some chocolate — and the It’s-It was born. Whitney’s creation reigned over the amusement park for four decades, until Playland was demolished in the early 1970s. The It’s-It was sold, and production was moved to the SOMA district, then on to a larger facility in 1976.
In the 1980s, the It’s-Its popularity outgrew the Bay Area and can now be found at the major grocery chains west of the Rockies. Its factory shop, however, remains in The Bay, just south of the San Francisco airport, and its title, “The real San Francisco Treat,” (HuffPost Taste) pays homage to its origin.
#2. Ghirardelli Sundae
Where: Ghirardelli Square is located at 900 North Point St. E204A and is an entire pavilion with multiple Ghirardelli shops and ice cream cafes. There’s another spot in the Financial District at 2 Montgomery.
Locals don’t exactly hang out at Ghirardelli Square, but we’ll admit the hot fudge sundae is worth the occasional tourist-filled trek. The fudge is thick enough to coat a spoon in chocolatey decadence, and the whipped cream is piled so high it feels like a dare. Sure, it’s kitschy, but there’s a reason this classic has stood the test of time.
Founded in 1852 by Italian chocolatier Domingo Ghirardelli, this giant establishment overlooks San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf and is a staple for tourists. After a series of iterations, beginning with a small general store in Stockton that catered to miners.
#3. Arsicault’s Almond Croissant
Where: Locations at 397 Arguello, 87 McAllister St., and soon to be at Mission Rock.
Arsicault’s almond croissant is the Beyoncé of pastries: flawless, iconic, and absolutely not here to play. Flaky doesn’t even begin to describe the layers of buttery, golden perfection that practically disintegrate into your lap. Inside? A rich almond filling so good it feels borderline indecent. This is a croissant that knows it’s the main character.
But getting one? That’s a sport. Arsicault is a small shop, and their almond croissants fly off the shelves faster than someone abandoning Muni for a Lime scooter. If you don’t time it right, you’re walking out with a baguette and a broken heart. And don’t even think about eating this thing discreetly — it’s messy in all the best ways, leaving you with powdered sugar evidence on your shirt and zero regrets.
“Nothing is better than Arsicault’s almond croissant,” said Jake Muro, a long-time fan of the establishment.
Arsicault is owned by French banker, Armando Lacayo. Lacayo’s baking blood runs deep, with his grandparents owning a bakery in Paris 100 years ago, but he had no desire to follow in their footsteps. When he left his finance job in 2014 and decided to switch it up, he found himself sharing a space with a cafe in San Francisco where he was baking croissants every day for 6 months. “People liked them,” shrugs Lacayo. So he acquiesced to his fate and San Francisco appreciates that.
#4. Bi-Rite Creamery’s Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Where: 3692 18th St., Mission
Sure, every artisanal creamery on the planet does salted caramel now, but this is the original that paved the way — and it still reigns supreme. Let’s not romanticize the experience too much, though. The line outside Bi-Rite can something, especially on a sunny day at Dolores Park when it seems like everyone in the city has the same idea.
The 80-year-old Bay Area food institution uses small-batch methods and bakes ingredients by hand — a labor of love that you can taste. “I remember when I was there last, I got caramelized bananas and they used a giant blow torch from a hardware store, not some dainty creme brulee kitchen torch,” said Happy Go Marni, “but more importantly, I remember the salted caramel ice cream. That’s because it’s the flavor to be reckoned with. It’s the flavor people travel far and wide for. And it’s unreal.”
#5. Golden Gate Bakery’s Egg Tarts
Where: Golden Gate Bakery is at 1029 Grant Ave.
Golden Gate Bakery has been serving its delicious Hong Kong-style egg tarts for decades. But getting your hands on one? That’s where the adventure begins.
First, there’s the infamous “Is it open?” lottery. Golden Gate Bakery doesn’t believe in regular hours, social media updates, or your need for predictability. You might show up to a shuttered storefront, with a handwritten “closed” sign mocking your efforts.
Fans are so dedicated that they’ve created a Facebook page called “Is the Golden Gate Bakery Open Today?” with updates on the responses given to the page admin when he or she calls to check on hours and inventory.
Golden Gate Bakery’s version of the Cantonese pastry has gained a cult following due to its combination of textures and its somewhat secret recipe, yielding what is regarded as more savory than other egg tarts and coveted as the best in the city. When you finally take that first bite, it’s like being hugged by buttery sunshine.
These tarts can be elusive though, as the hours of operation are inconsistent and subject to change without warning. Be ready to wait in a long, slow-moving line if you want to experience the magic that is the Golden Gate Bakery egg tart.
#6. Smitten Ice Cream’s Liquid Nitrogen Magic
Where: 904 Valencia St., Mission
On a mission to make the freshest ice cream ever, Robyn Sue Fisher teamed up with mechanical, electrical, and software engineers to create a high-tech ice cream machine that freezes the ice cream base in just 90 seconds, using liquid nitrogen. The result? An ultra-creamy texture, free from those pesky little ice crystals that you find in traditionally frozen products.
But let’s be real: the theater of it all is half the appeal. That dramatic hiss of nitrogen, the ultra-cool steam rising into the air — it’s basically an Instagram moment waiting to happen. Sure, the process might take a few extra minutes, but in a city where people debate the merits of $8 toast, patience for artisanal anything is practically mandatory.
Smitten quickly became a local favorite, not just for its product, but for the spectacle of the technology used in its preparation. “Nothing is frozen until you order it, and we make everything from scratch that morning,” said Fisher in an interview with CNN.
#7. Miller & Lux Provisions Cafe’s Soft Serve Croissant Cone
Where: 350 Powell St., San Francisco
Leave it to San Francisco to take soft serve and make it bougie. They’ve managed to merge two dessert icons — soft serve and croissants — into one gloriously over-the-top creation. It’s a dessert that screams, “We’re extra, and we’re proud of it.”
This one is more basically a San Francisco tradition than actually a San Francisco tradition, as it only opened last year, but Chef Tyler Florence’s PR team harnessed the power of Instagram to make it feel like if you haven’t had one of their soft serve ice creams served inside a hollowed-out croissant, you’re not a real San Franciscan. “It’s a new SF classic dessert for sure,” said Bay Area foodie influencer, Chelsea Davis.
The San Francisco-famous chef accidentally created the unique dessert at his newish Union Square cafe. “Literally we were testing croissants anyway, and I just looked at it. I’m like, ‘That’s an ice cream cone,’” Florence said of the ah-ha moment. “I lopped off a third of it, hollowed it out with a wooden dowel, and then we just started pouring soft serve into it until we got it right. And it’s just kind of a thing.”
#8. Tartine’s Morning Bun
Where: 600 Guerrero St. and 1226 9th Ave.
Ah, the Morning Bun. Tartine’s iconic pastry that’s been drawing lines of sleepy, caffeine-starved fans since before the term “foodie” got annoying. Sure, it’s flaky, buttery, and kissed with citrus zest, but is it worth standing in line like you’re waiting for concert tickets? Probably not. Will we still do it anyway? Absolutely. Some things are just too good to resist — even in a city obsessed with “discovery.”
Honorary mention: RIP Mr. Holmes Bakehouse’s Cruffin
Where: It no longer exists; gone but not forgotten. ☹️
Remember the cruffin frenzy? When Mr. Holmes Bakehouse’s croissant-muffin hybrid burst onto the scene, it was like a pastry-fueled feeding frenzy. People lined up around the block for the sugar-dusted, cream-filled creation, clutching their pink boxes like they’d just discovered fire. The hybrid desserts flooded Instagram, as did his neon “I Got Baked in San Francisco” sign.
But like all trends, the hype eventually mellowed — so much so that the San Francisco location closed its doors in the pandemic.
If you’re still craving one of these over-the-top confections, you’ll need to hop on a plane to Los Angeles. Yes, you can now enjoy a cruffin while inhaling the city’s signature smog. But hey, that’s commitment to dessert, right? Just don’t forget to grab a photo for Instagram, because if there’s one thing the cruffin is still great at, it’s stealing the spotlight — even after it’s gone from SF.
Looks like there’s a knockoff in Kuwait
We’d like to thank some readers for politely providing some additional desserts to our apparently “vapid” selection we curated this weekend. Writes in The Real Do Something Nice over from SFist:
#9. Stella Pastry & Café’s Sacripantina
Where: 446 Columbus Ave., North Beach
Stella Pastry & Café’s Sacripantina is the kind of dessert that doesn’t need TikTok trends or food trucks to stay relevant — it’s been quietly holding court in North Beach since the 1940s. This is how the menu describes it; and someone else added it’s a light, airy sponge soaked in liqueur forms the foundation, while layers of rich Chantilly cream add just the right amount of indulgence. It’s an Italian classic a decadent throwback to when desserts didn’t need hashtags, and an OG of San Francisco cakes.
To be fair to a user named Do Something Nice — lol — an SFGate story just last month called the Sacripantina “a great, barely known San Francisco bakery treat.”
#10. Dianda’s St. Honore cake
Where: 2883 Mission St., Mission
Some cakes whisper, but Dianda’s St. Honore cake makes more noise — in the best way. Picture this: a rum-soaked filling surrounded by cream puffs, all perched on a caramelized sugar base that brings the crunch. It’s indulgent, a little over the top, and totally worth the sugar coma.
Dianda’s Italian American Pastry has been serving timeless classics since 1962. Founded by Enrichetta and Elio Dianda, natives of Lucca, Tuscany, they brought authentic Italian baking traditions to San Francisco’s Mission District.
#11. Mee Mee’s Fortune Cookies
Where: 1328 Stockton St., Chinatown
Baked onsite in Chinatown, these crispy, golden treats are so fresh you’ll wonder why anyone bothers with the prepackaged stuff. The classic vanilla hits just right, but Mee Mee isn’t afraid to shake things up with chocolate and strawberry versions that feel like a middle finger to tradition. Want drama? Try their oversized fortune cookies.
And then there are the coin-shaped cookies — no fortune, just straight to the point. They’re perfect for anyone who’s over the whole “what does this even mean?” fortune game and just wants to enjoy a snack without existential questions.
Courtney Muro is a San Francisco-based content strategist, producer, designer, and creator.
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