Tartine Bakery and Café, San Francisco

San Francisco is a playground of treats, delicacies and gastronomic surprises. Tartine Bakery is no exception to this rule and remains one of the city’s icons of food bliss.

The bakery resides in the warm, popular Mission District. As I walked towards its corner location for the first time, on Guerrero and 18th, the smell of butter enfolded me. That was the moment I knew this bakery was no ordinary sugar rush. Tartine is known for its classic French baking techniques producing the highest quality pastries and breads. That means using real butter, and lots of it.

The extensive glass display case, filled with pastries and cookies and cakes, dominates the room making space for only a few cozy wooden tables and chairs on the rustic wooden floor. The line of customers almost always extends out onto the street and around the corner. The wait is surprisingly short even when the line is monumental. This visit was no different so I waited at the end of the line and took my time looking over the menu items displayed in the window.

When I finally made it inside the warm, inviting bakery — with the large windows letting in bright sunlight — I had a difficult time choosing between the lemon cream tart, the coconut cream tart, the inviting chocolate éclair, the giant cookies, the wedding cookies or a loaf cake with decadent coconut-encased frosting.

Besides all of the sweet treats this bakery offers, they also make fresh loaves of artisan bread every day, and handmade sandwiches with local ingredients. First come, first serve so get there early. They also make buttery croissant sandwiches that melt in your mouth. I was considering their rustic loaf or an olive loaf, but I wasn’t sure I could eat everything I wanted in a single day.

I opted for a lemon cream tart, an éclair and a coffee for my afternoon treat this time around. They placed the tart and éclair in delicate, brown take-out boxes. I took my treats to sit outside at one of the few tables set up along the sidewalk. I was in heaven. The creamy, smooth filling, the buttery rich crust, the delicate chocolate ganache on top of the éclair, the smooth, accompanying coffee.

There are few places that make me drool just thinking about them. If you want authentic French-style pastries and breads, Tartine is the only way to go. It’s worth an entire trip to San Francisco and the Mission District just to have one treat. If you go, get a sampling of delicacies and split them with friends so that you can experience the rainbow of authentic, fresh bliss that awaits you.

Tartine Bakery and Cafe

600 Guerrero St

San Francisco, CA

Tel 415-487-2600