Arsicault Bakery

Arsicault is one of the most established bakeries in all of San Francisco, and in my first trip back to San Francisco in six years, I made it my mission to make a visit. When I got to the storefront, there was already a line of about 50 people down the block. This was only 30 minutes after opening, but also on a Sunday morning. However, the line moves quickly. I could tell that they were used to this and ran a very smooth operation. Each person spends about thirty seconds to a minute inside. Only one party enters the building at a time. You tell your order to the cashier, and while they ring up each item, the other staff members are packing your order as you say it. By the time you finish saying your order, everything is ready to be taken away, and all you need to do is pay. This level of efficiency keeps the line moving quickly without compromising customer experience. We ordered the kouign amann, plain croissant, ham & cheese croissant, chocolate almond croissant, and a scone. There is nowhere to sit down and eat, so we got something from the coffee shop next door to grab a table there. To start, the ham and cheese croissant was amazing. The croissant itself was so flaky and buttery. The cheese added a nice richness and gooey texture to contrast the crisp flakiness of the croissant. The chocolate almond croissant was delicious too. It had a slightly different texture from the ham and cheese croissant, being a little less flaky, but it was just as buttery and rich. They also don't skimp on the chocolate. Each bite almost guarantees a delicious, creamy bite of chocolate. I love it when the chocolate in the croissant has a slight firmness on first contact, then melts apart, and it did just that. As for the kouign amann, I honestly wasn't super impressed. It has a nice flakiness, but I thought it could've had a little more to it. The texture was very similar to the croissant, but I was hoping for a slightly more sugary, caramelized crust. Arsicault was absolutely worth the trip. The croissants were without a doubt some of the best I've ever had. And even though the kouign amann wasn't my favorite, it was still pretty good. If I lived in the area, the pastries are cheap enough, and the line moves quickly enough that I would love to stop by on any given morning.