Cafeography
San Francisco

Bakery cafés in San Francisco

Tartine, Clement and Irving Street bakeries, downtown croissants and donut counters open at 05:00.

Photo: Magda Ehlers, Pexels License

San Francisco’s bakery tradition starts with bread. French bakers brought sourdough methods to Northern California during the Gold Rush, and the loaf has been tied to the 1849 prospectors ever since, although many of them leavened with commercial yeast or baking soda.1 The souring bacterium now called Fructilactobacillus sanfranciscensis was named after San Francisco starters, even though it isn’t unique to the city.1

Bakery cafés lean west. The Sunset has the most, the Richmond is second and SoMa third, and the mix runs from donut and bagel shops on Irving Street, Noriega Street and Geary Boulevard to pastry counters in the Financial District.

Local tip: Tartine Manufactory on Alabama Street is the Tartine to aim for after 16:00: it stays open until 21:00 from Tuesday to Sunday.3

Where these cafés are: Sunset District (9), Richmond District (6), SoMa & Mission Bay (5), Castro & Noe Valley (4), Hayes Valley & Civic Center (3), Financial District & Embarcadero (3), Mission District (2), Potrero Hill & Dogpatch (2), Nob Hill & Russian Hill (2), Marina, Cow Hollow & Pacific Heights (1), Union Square & Tenderloin (1), NoPa, Western Addition & Japantown (1), Haight-Ashbury & Cole Valley (1).

At a glance

40Cafés listed
23With opening hours
00:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: All Stars, from 00:00 (Mon–Wed 05:00–18:00 · Thu 05:00–00:00 · Fri 00:00–01:00, 05:00–00:00 · Sat Open 24 hours · Sun 00:00–18:00).
  • Most listed streets: Geary Boulevard (3), Market Street (2), Sutter Street (2).
  • Most common features: wheelchair access (40%), takeaway (20%), outdoor seating (20%).
Marina, Cow Hollow & Pacific Heights

b Patisserie

  • 2821 California Street
  • Wed–Fri 08:00–16:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–17:00
  • +1 415-440-1700
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Tartine, from Guerrero Street to 9th Avenue

Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson opened Tartine in 2002 at 600 Guerrero Street, at 18th Street in the Mission, on the site of two earlier bakeries. In 2008 the pair won a James Beard award as the country’s best pastry chefs.2

The original bakery opens daily 07:30–18:00. Tartine Manufactory at 595 Alabama Street opens 08:00–16:00 on Mondays and 08:00–21:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, and the Inner Sunset café at 1226 9th Avenue keeps daily hours of 08:00–16:00, with outdoor seating.3

Clement Street, Irving Street and Hong Kong-style cafés

Chinese families began moving into the Richmond in the 1950s, especially after 1965, and people of Chinese birth or descent now make up nearly half its residents.4 By 1999 about 60% of homeowners in the Sunset and Richmond districts were Chinese.5

The cha chaan teng, or Hong Kong-style café, spread to Chinese communities in Western countries, the United States among them, after migration from Hong Kong in the 1980s. Its staples include Hong Kong-style milk tea, yuenyeung (coffee mixed with tea), pineapple buns, egg tarts and Hong Kong-style French toast.6

The west side’s bakery cafés sit on the commercial strips: Alex Bakery at 431 Clement Street, ilana Coffee at 2314 Clement, TC Pastry at 2222 Irving Street, Cafe Bakery & Restaurant at 1365 Noriega Street and Twisted Donuts & Coffee at 1243 Noriega. Irving’s Central Sunset strip runs from 19th to 27th Avenue, and Noriega has strips from 19th to 27th and from 30th to 33rd.5

Croissants and pastry from Hayes Valley to downtown

La Boulangerie at 500 Hayes Street opens daily 07:30–15:30 and has outdoor tables. b Patisserie at 2821 California Street in Pacific Heights opens Wednesday to Sunday, until 17:00 at weekends, and Le Marais Bakery at 496 Sanchez Street in the Castro serves 08:00–15:00 Monday to Thursday and until 16:00 Friday to Sunday.

Downtown, Caffè Bianco at 39 Sutter Street opens weekdays at 06:30, The Wild Fox at 123 Battery Street serves weekdays 07:00–17:00 and weekend mornings, and Maison Nico at 710 Montgomery Street opens Tuesday to Sunday. Andersen Bakery at 1390 Market Street keeps weekday hours, 07:00–15:00.

Donuts, bagels and bakery hours

Donut and bagel shops are the early risers among bakery cafés. All Stars at 901 Clement Street opens at 05:00 and runs around the clock on Saturdays, All Star Cafe at 98 9th Street in SoMa opens at 06:15 Monday to Saturday, and House of Bagels at 5030 Geary Boulevard starts at 06:30 daily.

Afternoons are short: more than half of the bakery cafés with posted hours have closed by 16:00 every day of the week. Posh Bagel at 742 Irving Street serves daily 07:00–16:00, and Diamond Coffee N’ Pastry at 2575 Judah Street opens 08:30–16:00.

Sources

  1. San Francisco sourdough, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Tartine Bakery, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Locations, Tartine, accessed October 2026
  4. Richmond District, San Francisco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  5. Sunset District, San Francisco, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Cha chaan teng, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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26 cafés

By area: Financial District & Embarcadero Union Square & Tenderloin Hayes Valley & Civic Center SoMa & Mission Bay Mission District Haight-Ashbury & Cole Valley Sunset District

FAQ

Bakery cafés in San Francisco: questions

Where are the Tartine bakery cafés in San Francisco?

Tartine’s original bakery is at 600 Guerrero Street in the Mission, open daily 07:30–18:00. Tartine Manufactory at 595 Alabama Street opens 08:00–16:00 on Mondays and 08:00–21:00 Tuesday to Sunday, and the Inner Sunset café at 1226 9th Avenue opens daily 08:00–16:00. Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson opened the first bakery in 2002.

Where are the bakery cafés on Clement Street and Irving Street in San Francisco?

In the Richmond, Alex Bakery is at 431 Clement Street and ilana Coffee at 2314 Clement. In the Sunset, TC Pastry is at 2222 Irving Street and Posh Bagel at 742 Irving, open daily 07:00–16:00. Noriega Street adds Cafe Bakery & Restaurant at 1365 Noriega and Twisted Donuts & Coffee at 1243 Noriega.

When do bakery cafés in San Francisco open and close?

Donut and bagel shops open first: All Stars at 901 Clement Street at 05:00, All Star Cafe at 98 9th Street at 06:15 Monday to Saturday, and House of Bagels on Geary Boulevard at 06:30. More than half of the bakery cafés with posted hours close by 16:00, while Tartine Manufactory on Alabama Street stays open until 21:00 Tuesday to Sunday.

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