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"this is the best italian-american pastry shop in the united states of america. located in north beach, san francisco, they offer the best…" read more »
Since moving into the neighborhood I've averaged a visit here about once a week. A quick walk down the hill gets me a fresh sandwich sized loaf for 80 cents, the largest coconut macaroon imaginable, and a fresh piece of foccacia big enough for a small family.
The Italian French Baking company bakes their bread right in the back of their shop, the old school way. They also have a few select items from other local sources like their delicious Connolli shells brought in from South San Francisco. Their items are so fresh that my homemade biscotti cookies I bought from them were still soft after a week in a zip lock bag.
They do use an exorbitant amount of small paper bags. 3 bags for 5 small items = minus 1 star! I hope they figure out a better way to pack items for their customers. So along with the guilty pleasure of eating a good carb, you get another dose of guilt from the extra paper you take with you.
The service is very New York Italian. They're either on the phone or talking back and forth from the bakery to the counter or to a random friend outside their shop. And yes, they'll be with you when they're good and ready, so fogettaboutit, ok? It's best to get here early in the day if you want to have a good selection of rolls or pastries. This place is a staple of North Beach fare. Five minutes in the store and even this half Chinese girl feels like she's Italian.
I don't really feel welcome in here. The woman with the short, spikey, blonde hair seems to be the only person working here that has any notion of what it means to be nice to the customers.
The bread is delicious, crusty, and cheap. I love the smell this bakery adds to the neighborhood.
I don't get this bakery. I love to buy freshly baked bread from a LOCAL bakery to support local businesses but this place has left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I bought a focaccia here that had a tomato spread on the top with green onions to bring it home to notice a slight tangy taste on it. I realized that it tasted more like spoiled tomatoes that had been left out too long in the sun. I also bought a loaf of bread here that molded literally a day after I bought it.
Not only that, I DON'T feel welcome here at all. I once came in to the family arguing about something as I stood there with a loaf of bread hoping that someone would ring me up. Also, the woman who runs the register is NOT nice at all nothing as a "hi" or even a "thank you."
Also I live literally a block away from here and walk past it every morning on my way to work and I'm amazed at how much this place wastes food. I see those at least 4 to 5 green compost bins of perfectly good bread thrown away 2-3 times a week. They should re-prioritize and figure out how much they sell typically and make that much with a bit of wiggle room instead of just wasting bread like that. Or at least work with a local homeless shelter to give the bread to.
And it is just a JOY to walk past the million of pigeons pecking at the old bread on grant on my way to and from work.
I'd pass this place and rather support another local bakery that actually enjoys my service rather than be an ass.
The people that run that dump are not nice people. They are rude and care about nothing but screwing someone else out of a dollar. That is the only thing that is important to them, customer's means nothing to them but another buck. There are a lot better places in the city to get fresh baked goods.
I wouldn't buy from that dump if it was the last place in the city, I'd do without. Don't waste you time or money and these mean, ugly on the inside people.
$1.50 for their huge baguettes, probably cheapest in the city. Pretty darn good bread, great for panini.
I tried their orange roll, really good...I could use one right now!
Their cookies and biscotti are cheaper then other Italian bakeries in the area.
You'd think buying a loaf of bread from a bakery would be a great experience...? nope. Why does the unhappy woman close the store early every night I NEED bread? Business must be good when unwilling to sell a loaf at 5:45 PM and the store's sign says 6 PM close...
That said, the bread is terrific... but on a day like today, when i wanted bread, gimme the Wonder Loaf.
What a sweet little diversion!
I was walking around looking for a lunch place with project mate and we ran into this little bakery. We thought...hmmm maybe they make sandwiches and we were burning up time anyway waiting for our next meeting.
No sandwiches but, some good little treats to be had. I bought two almaretto dollops and man!! The lady said..."you'll be back", and yep I sure did!!
Wonderful, not to sweet just perfect with coffee, tea or cocoa but, it was too hot today for that!! They were perfect all by their little selves!!
I bought 10 of em and shared a few with co-workers! Mmmmm!!
I will be back!
Let's just say that this atheist had a religious experience here this weekend.
Their bread rocks my world.
I had never been here until our Barbary Coast tour came by today. Amazing aromas of baking bread assailed my nostrils a block away. It looks small from the outside but I saw the kitchen and huge wood-fire ovens in the back where they have been baking their goods since pening in 1919. A friend bought a loaf of still-warm rustic Italian bread and we munched on it all the way up the hill to Coit Tower. Great stop on a great tour!
you just need to know that their coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate weigh over 9 ounces. i'm not even joking, i weighed in on my baking scale. that's over half a pound people!!
and their croissants are really good too! crispy and flaky on the outside with lots and lots of buttery layers inside. you can tell they really worked the dough! they are a good size, bigger than boulange, but not as big as tartine (not as heavy either). i reheated one in my toaster oven the next day and it was still heaven!
they also have a ridiculous selection of biscotti that is sold by the pound.
you should also know that they bake everything in old school brick ovens. pretty neat!
From another review: Foccacia is $3.50 for a good sized slab and half price for day old!!!
Well, I think we got the day old at the full price. We purchases two yesterday afternoon. We got home (less than 2 hours later), went to serve the onion foccacia, and it was stale and tasted moldy. I would complain directly to the baking company, but all I can find is a long distance phone number. Very disappointed.
I came by after 4 on a Sunday and I'd say about half the selection was gone, which is a good sign, but also left me with somewhat limited options (there was almost no bread left!). The prices seem very reasonable - various rolls are $0.60 each, loaves of bread are $1.50-2, foccacia is $3.50 for a good sized slab (and half price for day old!!!), and croissants and other pastries seem to be $1.95.
I got a bag of biscotti ends ($6/pound, reduced from the regular biscotti price), and I liked them, but they seemed pretty different from regular biscotti - much less dry and much more cookie-like. I also tried a mexican wedding cookie which was one of the better I've had - nutty and appropriately buttery with the perfect layer of powdered sugar on it. I also tried a sweet roll which was not as good as I was expecting it to be - a little dry and a touch too salty.
I have a feeling I'll be upping the rating once I try more things - especially the cinnamon croissant!
Great little place to grab a morning pastry and a cheap ($1.10!) cup of no-frills coffee to accompany it. I'm personally partial to melt in your mouth goodness that is the chocolate croissant. If you stop by in the afternoon, and you have someone to share with, the $4 size of your fist chocolate dipped macaroons are worth every penny.
Ka-ching! This bakery is a winner. I don't come down to North Beach much but when I do, I hit up this bakery for the biscotti. There were seven assortments of biscotti. All are freshly baked on the premises. There's also a big selection of cookies and foccacia breads reasonably priced compared to surrounding bakeries.
You can't leave North Beach without trying stuff from here.
Not always my absolute favorite, but pretty darn good.
You can buy a baguette for $1.50 which helps me get through with this recession budget. If you catch them late at night as they're making bread with the door open, they'll often give you a free baguette. Fresh baked goodness.
My best friend's mom is Italian American, as in the type that grew up in North Beach and still knows the name of every single bakery in the neighborhood. So what better than two pounds of biscotti as the perfect hostess gift?
Every bakery on Columbus charges $16.50 / lb for biscotti. The Italian French Baking Company on Grant charges $8.75.
They have at least six types of biscotti, including raisin, chocolate chip, anise (amazing!), almond, and chocolate. The biscotti is generously cut and has just the right amount of crunchiness to them. So addicting, these are.
Um, yeah...so I stole a piece or two for a little taste test. Or three.
p.s. The hostess loved her little gift, and nodded her head in approval at the very mention of the bakery's name. yay!
This is where I bought pastries on the first morning after I moved into my new neighborhood. Tried the orange bun, and I don't know if you'd call it beginner's luck , but it's still my favorite item there. The texture of the bun is light and crisp, like a good croissant, and they stay away from overloading it with that sticky-sweetness that you find on other morning buns. My mom even asks me to bring a couple home every time I fly back. The almond macaroons, with soft marzipan texture on the inside and crunchy on the outside, are another of my favorite things here.
The biscotti, I didn't have as much success with. The anise biscotti had too many anise seeds for my taste, I felt like I had a mouthful of seeds with each bite and the texture/flavor was woah - way too much. Maybe that's authentic and enjoyable for some people. But I grew up eating my Japanese mom's version of anise biscotti, so obviously I don't know jack about authentic biscotti. The counter ladies definitely take a tough-love approach to customer service - take it or leave it, that's up to you, cause they sure aren't changing.
I haven't had too much experience with the food, but I went with a class on got the all-inclusive tour and saw how that place works. First, the bakery kitchen is about the size of a parking garage. Huge old ovens and dough-kneading-machines (I'm sure there's a more technical name for that...), and a bunch of guys running around scooping dough and heaving it into troughs, en route to its proper place. They bake bread 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It was one of the cooler things I've ever seen.
We got to try two types of bread, and they were both fantastic. From what I've seen their prices are incredibly cheap for a north beach bakery, and if you've ever had great bread at a North Beach restaurant, this is probably where it came from since they are one of the biggest suppliers. I hear the macaroon is to die for so I will definitely be heading back.
This place is tucked away on Grant in North Beach. They have the best Macaroons in the city - hands down. Their breads are also to die for.
Great neigborhood spot.
I've never met a biscotti I liked before the almond biscottis here. It was like having had Charles Shaw all my life and finally trying a good bottle. Beyond the biscotti, their delicious fresh loaves of bread max out around $2, and they have a huge selection of rolls behind the counter for more like 60 cents. If I lived walking distance from here I'd be like the French and buy fresh bread every day.
Baguette is more French bread than the crispy baguette I usually get but it's amazing and VERY well priced ($1.50). The biscotti is heavenly but if you're looking to try something else, check out the chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies on the counter as you enter. $1.35 and great to split with somebody if you're meeting up for people watching in Washington Square.
Some of the people who work here are mean and scary looking.
My husband won't go in there because they scare him. They are also rude to their employees. I once went in there only to witness a scary lady scream at the bakers. Something along the lines "are you stupid." Very scary.
So, 2 stars for good bread, plus 1 star for the fresh baked bread aroma that spread over the neighborhood around 2am. +1 because they've grown on me.
6/14/08: Great neighborhood bakery. We grabbed a loaf of their sour french loaf to make sandwiches after our afternoon hike in Marin. I normally don't like sour dough bread but was willing to chance it given it was my trip back to sf. anyways, real pleasant surprise - we slapped on some peanut butter and jelly and the sandwich was awesome - this clearly didn't taster like the boudin bakery sourdough bread - much more refined taste and certainly more artisian feel to the whole experience.
thumbs up to the free pastry given to the little boy ahead of us!
I was just walking along Green St. towards the foccacia place and I noticed this shop with all the baguettes piled on the racks. Well the other place was closed, so I walked my butt back up here and was happy to see how many options they had. I got a sour baguette and some day old pastries for $2.50. Love the carbs. The lady was really nice. What I loved was the view of the actual bakery in the back room. Wow! That is how fresh this stuff is, I couldn't believe it. When I got home I sliced off some of my bread and splattered butter and ate myself silly. Oh so good.
This place is the best. Why not get your bread fresh from the source. This is the place. A peek into the back and it's all loading docks. It kinda gives you that old-time feel. Prices are great! you can walk out of here with a Baguette of Sweet, Sour or Rosemary for $1.25. And the incredible Focaccia is to die for, and will only put you back $2.50 or maybe it's $3.00 now, I can't remember but it's like seriously 12" x 12" and 1" thick. Wow!! Also there Dutch Crunch Bread is yummy.
The folks working the counter can either be nice to downright mid-evil in their attitudes, but alas, if the bread is good buy it. And move on to the next battle. ;-)
Do they bake their goods there? If so, where's the wonderful aroma?!?
So far, just tried their blueberry and cheese croissant - hits the spot quite nicely and only $1.85!
Will return to try other items and adjust rating accordingly.
I don't care which country this bakery is supposed to be from--their Dutch Crunch Bread is suberb!
Update 5/12/06 from 4 stars to 2: I bought a loaf of Dutch Crunch today and was sorely surprised. What happened to the fresh, toasty loaf I came to love? Stale and mushy that's what. I still hold out hope...
Well the macaroon is pretty close to die for...in fact, if I was holding the last one of these babies in the world; and someone offered me a million dollars- I would turn it down. Then, if they put a gun to my head and said all you get is one bite and I pull the trigger- I'd take the bite. That's saying a lot. Plus, the gal behind the counter was pleasant and gave my cute lil' 3 year old daughter a free cookie because she thought she was cute. Pretty cool in a sometimes cold city.
I'm always turned off by the overwhelming smell of old yeast the permeates through the back doors if this little bakery...it reminds me of some unsanitary area of the human anatomy. Gross, I know, but my mind wanders to questionable things when left to its own devices....like thinking of camel toes and wondering why Grant Ave. always smells like a pee fountain. The camel toe is one of the greatest human mysteries. Especially in jeans. How is it possible I ask?
Anyway, the yeasty-stench is gross, but the raspberry rings are delish. Just hold your nose as you walk by the back door and the treats inside will compensate for the dirty thoughts.
Despite the fact that the service is surly at best (and I've been coming here for over 10 years and I know they know who I am), there's no better biscotti in the city. Two double chocolate and two anise and I'm a happy camper.
Final thought? If you're drunk and wandering down Grant Ave. after all the bars have closed, try to tone it down for a second and sneakily peek into the service door to watch them bake by night. It's old world magic.
Bread heaven - sold by half the loaf for under a dollar. Amazing coffee (that doesn't need sugar) for a dollar with 50 cent refills. They also sell loaves of Liguria foccacia if you are too lazy to venture down the street.
Update: the coffee is now $1.25
Such a heavenly smell wafting through my neighborhood at night can only mean one thing: Italian French is baking bread. It even comes in my windows at night, gently taunting me: carbs, carbs, carbs...
Their bread is delicious. I bought a white country loaf to make stuffing with and wound up toasting and eating a slice just to see how it was. It was mouthwateringly delicious, and I'm not a huge fan of white bread (in fact, I haven't eaten it since I was a kid). I have also had their rosemary and whole wheat baguettes, which are also delicious.
I used to stop in every morning and get a pastry for work until my butt got big and I stopped. Quite frankly, their pastries are a little mediocre, certainly not as good as the pastries you get at Cafe Grecco. But their bread is awesome.
As for the service, it just depends on who you get, but I would never classify any of the counter people as surly or anything. The lady with the dark brown, short hair and glasses: she is such a sweet-natured person. So cheerful so early in the morning. How does she do it? The English lady disappeared for a while and I was so disappointed, but now she's back, yay!
Once, when I needed a cake box and went in and asked if I could buy one from them, the brunette lady just gave me one. She always gives me a breadstick for my dogs. So nice! Also, she always recognizes me in the neighborhood and says hi.
The other ladies aren't curt, they're just busy. That's cool. I don't always feel like making chit-chat either.
All in all, I love this bakery: for the bread and for the smell of the bread wafting through my neighborhood at night.
I give this place 5 stars based solely on aroma. Walking past here at 3am to get to our car after a fun, music filled night made me want to wait a few hours til they open. I was temtped to bang on the window and ask if they'd consider selling me a loaf before regular business hours. Loaves, breadsticks, biscotti...YUM! I really think they should consider selling the super fresh, warm, out of the oven goods to passersby needing a fix.
I had the pleasure of living two doors down from them on Grant from Sept 2002-Jan 2003. I agree with the Yelper who said 5 stars on aroma alone! Their bread is fantastic, especially the rosemary kind. We used just buy loaves all the time and have it around as a snack. The biscotti is great, with a big nod to the chocolate biscotti. Stay away from the cookies though. Too hard and not all that tasty.
great almond biscotti. so great that my mom successfully used it to bribe me into going to church at sts. peter and paul on sundays. i'll happily stand, sit, kneel, pray rosaries and give old ladies the "kiss of peace" if it means i'm rewarded with baked goods from here.
- I have to walk by this place to get back to my car after my Pilates class. Talk about canceling out all the good abs work I just sweated to complete! oh well, it's worth it. I recommend the sour bread (lovely toasted with some European butter and fruit preserves) and the yummy biscotti (anise or almond-simple, crumbly and eminently dunkable--nunya chocolate dipped new fangled types!)
4 stars just for the delicious mexican wedding cookies! YUMMY!
spend the $1.50 on a chocolate covered maccaroon...bliss
this place is amazing, take a look at their old ovens...probably from early 1900's...
can't wait to go back and try the zucchinni muffins
Wildly wonderful biscotti, particularly the almond & chocolate chip. I took home a bag of the stuff, which sadly ran out yesterday, and now I guess I'll be forced to go back and try more things. Really nice people as well, and when the lady handed me a bread stick on the way out to give to my dog, I was charmed.
2.5 stars. the lady at the counter was pretty haughty, but prices were cheap compared to most bakeries i've been to. i had a brioche bun from them, even though i've heard great things about their macaroons. they unfortunately don't have almond ones, so i opted for some brioche at a 1.50 for a bun, which is really good. the brioche, however, was not flaky or buttery. it was really thick and just tasted like white bread. i was expecting quite a bit more, but it seems i've been spoiled by the brioche bakery on columbus. i might give this place another try if i'm in the area just because of how cheap it is, but otherwise, things were very mediocre. the ones who reviewed this place before me are right, though: you can smell this place a block away, and it smells fantastic.
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