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Categories: Bakeries, Coffee & Tea, Sandwiches [Edit]
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley"Alison absolutely rocks the wedding cake world. I expected a pretty cake, and walked into a BEAUTIFUL, whimsical cake that had all of our…" read more »
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Breakfast? Lunch? This is my favorite place for a solo breakfast. It's always busy but surprisignly there is always room. The large latte could go for days especially curled up with a good book. The pastries are always fresh and I would suggest anything on the menu.
Personal favorite? Boulange egg with fresh fruit and chai latte -- never disappoints.
Date & Time: Friday November 13, 2009 @ Noon
Company: Kam & Jack
Crowd: Attractive BFF's Catching Up Over Lunch
Vibe: Energetic
Decor: French Country
Service: Parlez Francais Cashiers
Imbibe: Lattes in Bowls
Devour: Friday's Special: Smoked Duck Sandwiches w/ Salad(Kam) & Soup(Me)
This is the closest cafe to feeling like you're in Paris I've been to in San Francisco. I haven't been to the other La Boulanges, but it certainly does not feel like a chain! Super cute with large open windows, wood tables, and outdoor seating. Their milk and sugar table also has a fantastic spread of free olives and my lifeblood...Nutella.
The half soup/half sandwich order is the way to go. The soups are excellent and the tuna melt may be the best tuna melt this side of the Mississippi.
The pastries and breads emulate French style pastries and breads. They have that perfect balance of cripsy outside, soft inside, and buttery flava. What's with all these cafe's that sell croissants that taste like a piece of toast? La Boulange has got their breads down. Downtown.
Are you kidding me? You haven't tried their thick greek yogurt with fresh fruit, granola and honey, their almond croissants, or lemon turnovers? Really?!? My god, what have you been putting in your mouth this whole time?
I love this place. It's my favorite place for lunch, although really I'm happy to come here almost anytime. It has a super cozy feel, and I agree with other reviewers who say it does not feel like a chain. The options for food taste great, and make my belly happy - I love their smoked trout salad, but I've also tried many of their open face sandwiches which are also really delicious. If you have a hankering for something sweet, they offer lots of yummy treats. I love that they serve there large coffees and hot chocolates in a big bowl - it's a nice way to warm up your hands on a chilly day.
It has pretty everything that I am looking for in a cafe. Friendly staff, a cozy and warm environment, tasty meals, and even when it's really busy - it's not obnoxiously loud.
Plus, did I say they have free olives and cornichons?
Boy do I love me a good bakery.
They have a wide selection of pastries, breads (including mini sized personal baguettes for 50 cents!), and sammies....I didn't eat anything but the hummus sammy sounded so good! They have a crazy amount of condiments available for free, including nutella, jam, olives, butter, and mustard.
My favorite part: large coffees are served IN A BOWL.
So. Freaking. Cute.
My least favorite part: dirty bathrooom...and only one of them at that!
I could go on for paragraphs, but five stars and ...
FREE NUTELLA
... is all I need to say.
Spoiler alert: The secret is MORE BUTTER.
The perfect place for brunch on a Sunday, but good luck getting a table.
The perfect place to go on a rainy day and read a book, but good luck getting a table.
The main problem I feel, is that I usually want to pop in here on a whim and there is never any seating. I can't get too upset about it though as it is super kick as amazing. Decidedly my favorite French bakery in the City.
Never had a bad experience and I've been there at least a kajillion times.
Delicious croissants - almost as good as in Paris. Also, they have excellent selection of brioches and other sweet rolls, including cinnamon raisin rolls. And... if you never had pot de creme, in the real jars, mind you, I urge you to try it. It is heavenly.
Breads are excellent. You can even go for the "french-boy-after-school snack" of a baguette stuffed with chocolate - the real "pain au chocolate." All that's missing is a pair of short shorts and knee highs and you could be a real french boy skipping home after school with this delicious snack.
I also like the freebie condiments, cornouchons, and the beans, when they have it. The atmosphere is cozy. The best time to go is midday. Parking is a hassle, comme d'habitude, in that area.
This joint tries really hard not to look like a chain, but no amount of ironic hipster workers can cover up the truth. In one bite you'll realize this is nothing more than a nicely decorated Au Bon Pain. It's good for a sandwich on the go when both the slacker wine bar sandwich joint and the Chicago Jewish deli nearby are closed early (as usual). However, if you're in the mood to sit and enjoy a nice meal over good conversation, best to munch elsewhere!
French Onion Soup: Where's the cheese? There was a small toasted piece of bread floating above the broth with a half melted slice of deli-like cheese. A French onion soup that is not prepared gratinée style is severely lacking a much needed gooey and crispy cheese texture. The broth was mediocre, but the large chunks of onions were nice.
Boulange Club Sandwich: This was a half-freshly-made sandwich. I really appreciated the three layers of fluffy toasted bread. All the veggies were fresh and the avocado paste on the top layer stuck out. The bacon department was sorely lacking though. Pre-cooked hours ago, it was too hard, lacked flowing bacon juices and emanated that nasty cold bacon fat taste. The turkey was a boring deli slice which would have been much nicer if carved from a fresh bird cooked that day.
Goat Cheese Sandwich: Open face sandwich that was extremely heavy on the portobellos and stingy with the goat cheese. The red peppers and pesto were subtly mixed throughout and added good flavor. I enjoyed how everything on top had a light char from the oven.
Escargot Pastry with Chocolate & Dried Cherries: Heavy taste of chocolate with a few dried cherries. And no, there was no actual escargot in this... you probably made the same false assumption from the name as I did. Apparently "escargot" refers to the shape of the pastry, not the contents. Too bad, that combo might have been the next bacon-chocolate craze instead of simply remaining a middling French pastry.
Yummy chai latte. Okay croque monsieur. Okay latte. Friendly staff.
It was decently late in the afternoon when I had to croque monsieur so coming back in the morning when things are more fresh might make a difference. I'll have to come back and try some of their real food (and freshly made baked goods) and then update.
Their goat cheese sandwich with pesto is really good. I also liked their smoked salmon open sandwich. Nothing you can't make at home of course.. but for $10 why not have someone else do all the work for you while you sit and watch Hayes Valley-ers in line at Stack's across the street.
OMFG u HAVE to try their Chocolate Almond Croissant. OMG it's soo sexy. Their lattes are cute too.
Not a final destination for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even dinner. A good place for a snack or small bite to eat. Won't satisfy you if you haven't eaten in a good 3 hours or more.
Case in point: I came here once for brunch and was starving after. Came here for a light snack after breakfast and it hit the spot baby.
Consistently fresh and good quality food. Brunch and lunch dishes are reasonably priced at $3-$8 for eggs, sandwiches, and salads along with fresh fruit and other sides. Coffee and pastry items are delicious. If you ever need to purchase pastries or tarts, definitely come buy them here. It can get crowded on the weekends but the noise level is tolerable. The service can also be inconsistent. I would still come here rather than going across the street to Stacks anytime.
Legitly french, their pastries and breads looks delicious. I had the french toast, which really isn't french toast, at least in an 'american' french toast way. The dish resembled a soufflé, it was a small round of bread that was very egg-y in the middle. Very small serving, how french! Le jus d'orange was $4 and small :/. The bf had the granola and yogurt bowl, which was pretty tasty and a decent size. The yogurt was tangy and almost had the consistency of cream cheese, I could down a whole bowl of that stuff. The treats behind the glass make you salivate; imagine having a pastry eating contest here. Goat cheese and portabella mushroom sandwich on baguette, get in my mouth!
i'm convinced all the pastries here will kill you with how good they are. the croissants are rich and buttery and the chocolate they use is thick and warm. the coffee feels like something special, and it's just the cutest bakery. if it were a person, i'd pinch its cheeks. and then eat it.
there's free cornichons, all sorts of mustards and jams and yep, nutella, too, to go with your pastries and eats. i ordered a salad with goat cheese and devoured it right up. just a really sweet place to impress a girl with if you're a guy, or a good shop to pick up some sweet treats as a thank you gift for someone.
I'm shocked at my 3-star review and that I haven't updated it since. I love love love their smoke salmon open faced sandwich (with salad) and their open faced tuna sandwich (with salad).
that is all. :d
Went to meet some coworkers here for lunch today...and boy was I surprised. Food was reasonably… Read more »
Here is what I love most at this place (I dream of these items):
* The French Onion Soup
* The Tuna Melt
* The Chocolate Hazelnut Croisssant
All are amazing!
Had the nicoise salad and thought it was really good except for the huge glob of mayo that was plopped in it. It made the whole salad greasy even after i gook it out.
Opt for the side of mushroom soup! It was beyond delicious!
La Boulange is a cute cafe with great pastries. I loved the Almond croissant. The breakfast pizza is pretty good as well. I didn't really like the french toast because it was eggy and had a bread pudding-like consistancy, but my boyfriend liked it. I would probably come back again for coffee and pastries.
The pastries are definitely solid.
If you're not really into pastries, then come here, it'll change your outlook, because these are quality. Really yum.
I love the fact that they have organic coffee here, and their lattes are the kind you want to snuggle up with and chat with a good friend for a few hours.
Boulange is always my go to for reasonably priced Sunday brunch with my best girlfriend, regardless of my place in the city.
However, in Hayes Valley, for breakfast, you either have this Boulange or Stacks. This place is def less pricey than Stacks.
yes, it is a chain. But it's not a bad chain at all and it is a local chain. They have free refills on coffee and the coffee is quite good. Their sandwiches and pastries are different than the ones I became accustomed to in the south of France, but they are distinctively French and authentic nonetheless. This particular location is set in a lovely neighborhood and is generally relaxing.
Friendly and efficient service (the-just-my-size mini latte was made in a jiffy---- by the time i got myself a water and a fork, and put my number down, it was ready!). I only had was a flan tart and it was yummy.The side window seats are great for prime people watching!
I had some errands to run downtown yesterday, and decided to walk home afterwards- errands were done around rush hour time, when the buses are obnoxiously and nauseatingly packed like cans of sardines.
I always drive through Hayes Valley but decided to walk the long way home through this hood so I could stop and appreciate all that this cute little area has to offer.
Feeling like I couldn't be bothered to make dinner, I picked up sandwiches for the hubby and myself here. Yes, sandwiches for dinner, I know, weird, but I didn't feel like carrying spilly things all the way back to NOPA (the neighborhood, not the restaurant).
The guy behind the counter was super duper nice, friendly, and helpful. The interior is really pleasant and cute and warm and inviting. I ordered the open faced salmon sandwich, and for my husband, the club sandwich. Both sandwiches were fine, nothing awful but certainly not at all amazing. I would extend the adjective of "alright" to the sandwiches, but not "really good" or "great".
A totally acceptable place to pop in to eat edible food in a cozy atmosphere surrounded by pleasant and friendly staff.
This is like the happiest place in my neighborhood! The people who sip and dine here are glib and ready for pleasantries. This place is good to sit and talk over coffee and pastries or grab a pre-made sandwich and go!
I love the cafe au lait here as well as the croque monsuer!
I'll give them a 2 b/c the tart I had was really tasty. HOWEVER, I sat down at a table to enjoy my breakfast and wow, IT WAS DISGUSTING.
The table was really sticky so I put a napkin on the table to not contaminate my things. As I was eating, I proceeded to observe how the tables are cleaned.
The bus boy came and did two little swishes; he didn't even bother wiping the whole table. He then went back to chat with his fellas. WTHELL. Effing disgusting.
I wanted to be nice customer and clean up my table, so I tried to take off the napkin that I had put down initially. Ya know what, I had trouble taking the napkin off b/c the table was that sticky.
It wasn't just one little corner of the table. THE WHOLE TABLE WAS STICKY. GROSS!
MMMM.. their prosciutto salad is delicious!!
And I absolutely love the way they have jars of olives and cornichons out for you to take as much as you want. MM-NOM-NOM
There are certain staples in life -- let's call them "must haves" -- that we can't live without. Shelter? Warmth? Love? Nah. The chocolate croissant at La Boulange de Hayes is what I'm talkin' about.
Now there's nothing particularly amazing about this criossant. If you want something life changing, try their french toast. It's just that it's chocolate! Inside a croissant! And it's half a block from my house.
While I can't stand the constant parade of people and tots in this place, and the service at the register is complacent at best, I find myself at La Boulange often, indulging in one of their instant-waistline-expanding French pastries.
A good old standby, but if you're looking for a real cafe try Momi Toby's or Cafe La Vie for a laptop zombies. Just don't forget to pocket that chocolate croissant and bring it with you.
I come to this place a lot as it is literally 3 doors down from my work. Let me tell you though, it is awesome! The sandwiches are a little on the pricey side, but they are super good. And the salads are great. And I get their coffee (organic) about 3 times a week, both hot and iced, and it really hits the spot. Definitely check this place out!
It was really loud and busy here, not good for a girl going deaf like myself.
Took a while for my coffee.
Just got a pastry, it was a tad dry.
Decided to leave since it was so packed.
I thought this place was so cute. I saw it driving through the Hayes District and the next day, we stopped by here after Blue Bottle Coffee to grab pastries before hitting the Academy of Sciences.
The awning made me think of all the boulangeries I hit in the 6 months I lived in Paris, and it kind of sold me from there. Walking in, the pastries line the shelves, and we picked all kinds of croissants, palmiers, and an extra cup of coffee for the road.
Although they were not the best pastries I've ever had, the morning scent of fresh baked goodies and coffee made me happy. They were not bad at all, and they even toast the palmiers and croissants for you. Lots of points there.
The Trout Salad has made it to my top 5 favorite salads. Their fresh orange juice is pretty mouth watering as well. Cute little cafe in cute little Hayes.
Fun place for Saturdays for brunch.
They need more ingredients inside some of the pastry and reduced grease, but overall good taste. Highly recommended.
Chain-y. Option-y. Stuff-y.
Never would imagine that I'd speak so highly of a chain bakery in this beautiful city, but sometimes, all I need is an uber flaky, buttery croissant done just right to win me over.
This place is PACKED, both with people and pastries on Sunday mornings, but the line moves FAST - in fact, too fast for Lil Miss Indecisive. Luckily, I stuck with my gut (probably why it's so big) and went for the veggie croissant. I was pleasantly blown away.
The croissant is so flaky, buttery flakes EXPLODE into a million projectiles - so be wary of nearby neighbors. I could've done without the spinach filling.
The canneles (say: can uh LAY) - MUST TRY. It's amazing.
Oatmeal topped with fruit is delicious as well if you're too scared to have something as naughtily sexy as the croissants.
Seating is difficult as Boulange hardly has any moving space, but go across the street and sit at the grassy strip to make beautiful love with your croissant.
$Pastries range from $3-6
$Breakfast options range from $5-10
I went to Paris a couple months ago and I was having MAJOR withdrawals when I got back to The Bay.
I got so lucky on my birthday weekend when I was headed into Shu Uemura, I saw La Boulange and walked in (not the one in Hayes Valley). I walked in and was in heaven. I felt like I was in Paris, again, and it was the best thing in the world.
We took a sticky bun and a fruit tart to go.
We got home and devoured the sticky bun. It was stick as advertised! Sooo delicious. I, stupidly, left the tart out and decided to eat it 2 days later only to find tiny specks of mold on it. My fault.
We went back a few weeks ago for brunch here, the one in Hayes Valley, and I ordered the smoked salmon frittata that came with a side of greens. My boyfriend ordered the breakfast pizza. We also ordered the fresh squeezed orange juice. Yum. I looooooooved the frittata. It was absolutely delicious.
By the time we finished breakfast, we wanted to hop back in line to get our pastries to go. At that point, the line was out the door. We decided upon the croissant bread pudding, hazelnut croissant, and an almond and cassis tarte (they ran out of the fruit tart! the guy behind the counter even pointed to the lady who bought the last one...i swear i would've tackled her...). I enjoyed everything! The hazelnut croissant the most and then the tart the least. The tart was a little...tart for me from the flavor of the cassis. The almond did cut the tartness, but overall, I probably wouldn't get it again.
I would definitely get the hazelnut croissant, again! OH man, I miss this place already...
I really like this particular location, which is awesome b/c I live nearby. It's a lovely place to spend a beautiful, sunny morning or a lazy afternoon. My big complaint is that they don't have the scrambles like they do on Fillmore. The breakfast pizza is awful. The pizza "bread" was like a cracker--super dry, and it was topped with way overcooked scrambled eggs.
This location gets 3 stars for their pastries and for their mighty tasty chai.
If you are reading this La Boulange, please do something about the goat cheese, basil and tomato sandwich. The one on the little olive roll. It would be delicious if it weren't dry as a rock.
Oh! And don't waste 10 minutes stressing over which macaroon to get. They all taste the same.
I've been here a few times and have never really been wowed - the food is safe and expected. And my recent trip there was no exception.
I ordered the egg and "cheese" sandwich with ham and tomato. I had a hard time finding the cheese (I added my own when I got home) and there was literally one slice of a small tomato.
Dull dot com.
When you're in your mid-thirties you think you've seen it all as far as service goes. Most of the time service is adequate, sometimes it's fantastic and unfortunately, sometimes it's dreadful.
Today's experience at La Boulange de Hayes deserves its own category. It should be noted that my girlfriend and I have had lunch/brunch at this location probably 20 times over the years. It's right up the street, and the food is usually pretty good. We've come to see that service is pretty good on the weekends but usually sub-par during the week.
And then there was today. We were headed to the park for a mini picnic and wanted to pick-up a few sandwiches. Given that parking was full, my girlfriend hopped out while I waited in the car. Time passed. Finally she approached the car and had a broken look on her face. As she got into the car, she broke down in tears. (This is not something common...she's very well put together, so I knew something had jarred her.) Here's the story:
It turns out that the total cost of our food was $15.50. She handed the cashier a $20 bill. The cashier then took out $4 and was looking for change. To help matters, my girlfriend then handed her a single so she could receive a $5 bill back. The cashier then turned to my girlfriend:
Cashier: "You only gave me these singles."
GF: "No, I gave you $20. Then I gave you an extra single so you could give me $5 back."
Cashier: "I don't have any fives. You didn't give me $20. I haven't put anything in the register yet. You gave me the singles I have in my hand."
GF: "I gave you $20."
Cashier: "NO, YOU DID NOT. Okay, well, we're going to have to look at the video to prove that you didn't give me a $20."
She turns to dude and asks him to review tape to prove she is right.
Girlfriend is absolutely stunned.
Dude turns to cashier, looks at the register total and sees that $20 was entered. He tells cashier that GF did indeed give $20 because that's what the cashier had just typed in.
Cashier gives change and does not apologize for wrongly accusing my girlfriend of lying. Instead, cashier says next time GF should give her all the bills at once to avoid confusion!
Once GF returns to the car and tells me the story, I walk into the place, approach the girl and ask why she didn't apologize. She replies, "Will it make you feel better if I go out and apologize?" with a smirk. Her attitude was almost beyond my comprehension. Girl at register next to her jumps in: "SHE DID APOLOGIZE!!!!!" This was getting beyond bizarre. I told them that their manager would be hearing from me and walked out.
To the manager of the store: We were in about 1:45pm today, Tuesday, Dec. 30. The main girl mentioned has curly brownish hair and was wearing big, awful hipster glasses (brown and black colored frames).
This is your establishment, but Cashier #1 should be fired without question. There is absolutely no excuse for the way she behaved. To accuse an innocent customer of lying and then immediately saying, "We'll look at the video to prove I'm right" cannot be explained. Given this economy, there are plenty of kinder and smarter folks in need of work.
In the four years I've lived in this city, this is the worst service experience I've had thus far, and I've had a few. Simply unbelievable. But yes, it did happen. You can check the video.
Without question, the best breakfast place in my neighborhood. The coffee is fantastic and they make… Read more »
If you like overpriced, marginal baked goods then La Boulange on Hayes is the place for you! For example (and I'll only give one) today I went in to buy two Croissants. I payed $2.25 ( fucking expensive!) for each and they were the smallest yet most expensive Croissants I've ever seen. Conversely, I was at Cala Foods the other day on California and Hyde and bought the biggest, most delicious croissants for .99 cents! They were huge! And no less delicious. Everything at La Boulange was way overpriced and I'll happily spend my money elsewhere.
**French Macaroons only**
i came here before my hair appt at Oxenrose. i was hungry and i needed something to snack on.
after looking at all their goodies, i saw those French macaroons. i've never had them before and i've always wanted to try them. i go up to the cashier and tell him "i'll take that one....that one...that one...and that one." i ended up getting 4. these somamabitches are NOT CHEAP! they're $1.50 a pop! but i didnt care. whatever satisfies your PMS cravings, right?
as i was walking to the hairsalon, i took one bite. i thought to myself "OH. MY. FUCKING. GAWD! these are HELLA good!!!!!!" each and every bite was orgasmic! it was like having a frickin orgasm in your mouth! holy shit! they were fucking delicious! after the first bite, i knew i was hooked. i'm sure its laced with crack or some shit.
so i get to the hair salon. as i'm waiting, i just devour those macaroons one-by-one. when i was done eating all of them, i wanted more. and i got more. right after my hair appt, i went back and got 12 more!! not just ONE but TWELVE! i couldnt believe it either! who the hell spends $18 on these tiny ass cookies?! obviouly i did. ugh. FML. but i shared it with my boyfriend and his family. they LOVED it! i still have 6 more to eat for myself. i'm such a greedy little bitch! and no, i will not share with you! get your own! hahah.
let me tell you, these motherfuckers are TINY! they're about the size of an oreo (but smaller). its a sandwich-like cookie. the outer shell reminds me of a meringue. the cookie/cake part reminds me of a madaline. its like eating a mini bite sized cake. they also come in different flavors. my favorite was the vanilla, hazelnut and coffee.
if you havent had a French macaroon, i suggest trying them. like, stat! you can thank me later.
The breads and pastries are pretty good, some of their soups are bland, ok or nasty, and their sandwiches/salads are solid. But I can't rave about this place because it just doesn't accommodate to my "college was a while ago" metabolism.
I always end up going here for lunch with co-workers, and the sandwiches (club is my favorite) leaves me satisfied, but also guilty. I also HAVE to get a baguette for $1.50 and eat it butter, nutella, pickles, olives, and jams that they have available free. That's what kills me!
So their mediocre rating is really not their fault -- service is great, the food is good, but I had to incorporate healthiness (and sometimes lack of busy lunchtime seating) and prevent the 4 star rating. But don't let the 3 stars hold you back, it's a great spot!
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