Eating out in San Francisco is hella expensive; often the choice of where to dine isn’t based on five-star Yelp reviews but instead hinges on how many days I can survive on water and air after paying $14.95 for a plate of leaves and nuts (and if I’m lucky, a sprinkling of cheese). To make matters worse, as someone with a massive sweet tooth, I often feel a surge of guilt when I shell out $7.25 for a sliver of cake or $5 for a tiny smidgen of ice cream. But when the server comes around to ask if I’d like dessert, I can’t help saying, “I’ll take a look at the menu”—despite my resolve to abstain from expensive treats.
So over the past few months, I’ve embarked on a quest around San Francisco to find delectable desserts that won’t break the bank. For the frugal dessert lover, here are my favorites, all of which can be savored for $3 or less.
Pacita’s Salvadorian Bakery
For less than the cost of a Muni ticket, you can have dessert at Pacita’s, an easy-to-miss family-run bakery in the Excelsior. It’s most famous for its pastelito, a pastry that’s a cross between a hand pie and a cookie, which you can get for 90 cents a piece. The exterior is perfectly crusty and crumbly like a shortbread cookie, while the interior is generously filled with jelly. My favorite dessert here is the guava pastelito, followed by the quesadilla cake, a kind of pound cake garnished with sesame seeds ($1.20). If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a batch coming straight out of the oven. The bakery also makes a good tres leches cake, which will set you back a whopping $1.60. All the goodies are made fresh on-site throughout the day. Open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Mondays through Saturdays and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sundays, Pacita’s is a perfect storehouse at which to stock up on tea-time sweets.
10 Persia Avenue | Excelsior
New Lun Ting Cafe (Pork Chop House)
This small, barebones Chinatown restaurant has been serving Chinese comfort food over the past 50 years. Most regulars come to enjoy the roast pork served with gravy, a hearty meal modestly priced at $9. The dessert menu includes jello, ice cream floats, and pies — all of which are well under $3. My go-to treat is the delicious homemade apple pie, served warm ($2). It’s usually the restaurant’s first dessert to run out, and customers often call in to reserve a slice. I try to get here ahead of peak lunch hours to make sure I get my portion of this warm goodness. New Lun Ting cafe is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
670 Jackson Street | Chinatown
Twisted Donuts & Coffee
Make the trek to the Outer Sunset for Twisted Donuts & Coffee, a small local shop owned by a husband-and-wife team. On weekdays, the couple serves up classic flavors, but the weekends is when the menu gets twisted. The owners whip up inventive flavors, including lemon berry, maple pecan buttermilk, coconut guava, s’mores galore, and the most popular offering—a maple bacon donut. During basketball season, Twisted offers a special Warriors-themed donut, so you can cheer on your team and have your cake too. The unique flavors come in at $2.00–$2.50 a pop, with a dozen of assorted cakes or raised donuts coming in at $16.50. Since it’s in the Sunset, the spot remains a local gem that’s far from more touristy areas, making it a wonderful nook at which to grab coffee in the afternoons. Twisted Donuts & Coffee is open on most weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on weekends from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; it’s closed on Tuesdays.
1243 Noriega Street | Outer Sunset
Bitchin’ Baklava
Tucked away in the Outer Richmond, Bitchin’ Baklava shares a door with the Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant. Baklava is my number-one guilt-rationalizing treat. Given that it’s all honey and dried fruits, I like to file it under “healthy eating.” The classic version at Bitchin’ Baklava is neither too syrupy nor cloyingly sweet. You’ll be able to taste the intricate flavors of cinnamon, pistachio, and honey, and the pastry is perfectly crunchy and buttery.
Apart from the classic, they also offer several yummy flavors, including chocolate chips, peanut chips, and butterscotch chips. The shop sells its baklava only by the piece ($3) on Sundays; while it’s open throughout the week, the weekday operation focuses on catering orders. If you can’t make it in on a Sunday, the classic baklava squares are also sold every day at Simple Pleasures Cafe, a couple of blocks down the road from the main store.
4031 Balboa Street | Outer Richmond
Polly Ann Ice Cream
Another Sunset gem, Polly Ann Ice Cream is one of the oldest ice cream shops in San Francisco, and it’s definitely worth the trip out to the west side. Serving up 48 flavors, the veteran parlor has a playful vibe that can be attributed to its giant flavor wheel; customers who can’t decide which flavor they want can spin the wheel. Most Yelp reviewers and San Francisco natives will tell you that they’ve been Polly Ann patrons for decades — and that the quality of the ice cream has been consistently great throughout. I might be getting close to having tried most of their flavors, but my forever favorites are lychee, sesame, and taro. A small single scoop here will cost you $3.25. Polly Ann is open from Monday to Thursday from 12:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., and on Friday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
3138 Noriega Street | Outer Sunset
Udupi Palace
Located in the Mission, this restaurant is a mini heaven for affordable and authentic South Indian food. I usually drop in here for a quick snack of ghee sambar idli or a full thali lunch. The reasonably priced dishes are bursting with flavor and come in very large portions — even the appetizers.
After you’re done feasting on the masala dosa or onion uttapam, it’s time for dessert. There’s the gulab jamun (two pieces to a plate), a classic Indian sweet made with milk solids, sugar, rose syrup, and cardamom powder. The carrot halwa — usually a seasonal winter dessert in India — is a rich carrot pudding made by cooking carrots with ghee, milk, sugar, and a bit of cardamom; it’s so decadent, you can see the ghee shining on the shredded carrots. A small bowl is more than enough for two people to enjoy. Both desserts are served warm, and they’re ideal cheat sweets for a cold night, perfect for San Francisco’s five days of summer. They’re priced at $3.99 each, but it’s worth splurging the extra 99 cents. Udupi Palace is open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Remember to carry cash, as they charge a fee for credt-card payments.
1007 Valencia Street | Mission
Golden Gate Bakery
This might be the most touristy location on this list, but it’s here for a good reason. The egg tarts at this famous Chinatown bakery, at $2.50 a piece, live up to the hype. The crust is buttery, the custard fluffy; together, they make for a completely melt-in-your-mouth experience. I also love the coconut tart and cream rolls, both of which are also sold at $2.50 a piece. Because the custard tarts are in high demand, they are made in multiple batches throughout the day. The service is always quick and warm, and the bakery is open every day from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
1029 Grant Avenue | Chinatown
Sheng Kee Bakery
Founded in Taiwan in 1948, Sheng Kee is a chain of bakeries that serves up baked goods and pastries at multiple locations in the Bay Area. Each branch offers sweet and savory buns, sandwiches, sweet pastries, cream rolls, moon cakes, and an assortment of breads and cookies. A single item here is rarely over $5. I love stopping by Sheng Kee for a slice of the mocha sponge cake ($1.75); the bakery also offers seasonal mini mousse cakes in peach and apricot, which are only $2.25 each. Sheng Kee is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
816 Irving Street and 1941 Irving Street | Sunset
