Mr. Holmes Bakehouse Peach Cardamon Danish: An entire think piece could be dedicated to Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, a pastry shop in the heart of San Francisco's Tenderloin district. The Dominique Ansel Bakery of SF, it has an equally iconic dessert: the Cruffin. A cross between a muffin and croissant, the Cruffin is filled with a seasonal cream and is made in limited quantities, requiring those willing to wait to get in line early (the bakery opens at 7am on weekdays). But unlike DA Bakery, Mr. Holmes is not based in the SOHO of SF. To... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended desserts pastry sanfrancisco sf mrholmesbakehouse peach cardamon danish 4.0
Blue Bunny Big Vanilla Sandwich: It's 100 degrees in San Francisco this weekend, a rare heatwave that still feels very muggy despite the lack of humidity. My co-workers that work in the downtown SF office of my company are lucky enough to have free access to a freezer of ice cream, including this large ice cream sandwich from Blue Bunny. It tastes exactly the same as the ice cream sandwiches you had growing up - two chocolate "cookies" that have a sponge-like texture that sandwich vanilla ice cream that somehow manages to... (read more) 2.5/5.0
icecream desserts frozen bluebunny big vanilla sandwich 2.5
Balthazar Banana Nut Donut: NYC institution Balthazar had a small bakery adjacent to the restaurant where you can grab pasties and coffee to go. Their banana nut donut is very good, with a fluffy texture lightly iced and topped with a banana-nut crumble. I love banana nut bread, and this treat successfully captures its essence in a way that is neither overly sweet nor heavy. 3.5/5.0
desserts recommended balthazar banana nut donut 3.5
Secret Scoop Thai Gelato Thai Iced Tea and Roasted Coconut Gelato: Just a few paces away from the Trader Joe's in Berkeley is a small ice cream shop specializing in Thai-inspired flavors ("Thai Gelato" refers to the unique flavors rather than a specific style of making gelato). Their curated set of gelato and sorbets range from chocolate lemongrass to soursop, originals you're unlikely to find elsewhere, even in a diverse, food-minded community like Berkeley. The Thai iced tea gelato is easily the best I've had; it's very lightly sweetened and tastes stro... (read more) 4.5/5.0
icecream sweets desserts berkeley exceptional secretscoopthaigelato thai iced tea roasted coconut gelato 4.5
Petitpot Salted Caramel Pot De Creme: Since I found this jar in the yogurt aisle, I picked it up on sale expecting it was yogurt and only discovered that it was pudding when I got home. By now, I have a bit of an allergic reaction when I see "California cuisine" on packaging, which essentially translates to organic ingredients, high marketing / branding expenditures, and consequently high prices. But I am guilty of purchasing it, and I blame that on the cute mascot. The dessert itself is made of simple ingredients: milk, crea... (read more) 3.0/5.0
desserts pudding berkeleybowl petitpot salted caramel pot de creme 3.0
Fugetsu-Do Peanut Butter Mochi: Long-standing Japanese confectionary shop Fugetsu-Do, located in Japantown in downtown Los Angeles, sells its mochi at various stores around California (I recently found their products at Berkeley Bowl). This set of Peanut Butter Mochi was purchased from Marukai in Glendale, LA and contained 6 sizable pieces of soft, chewy mochi filled literally with chunky peanut butter (maybe Jiff). It feels almost sacrilegious but simultaneously like a sort of twisted American dream where peanut butter c... (read more) 3.0/5.0
desserts japanese fugetsudo peanut butter mochi 3.0