Arsicault Bakery

The best, most authentic croissants in San Francisco. Couldn’t find better on the Blvd Saint Germain. The chocolate and almond croissants are amazing – special treats and worth the calories!

Please don’t judge me for waking up at 6 am and rushing across town to stand outside the bakery until it opens. Taking that first bite of a warm chocolate almond croissant is all this pregnant woman wants to do.
Favorites/​chocolate almond croissant, almond croissant, chocolate croissant, ham and cheese croissant, regular croissant.

One of my co-​workers brought in an assortment of pastries from Arsicault. First, the pastries came in this really cool box that you unwrap and the sides lie flat so you are presented with all this goodness — excellent presentation. I sampled about 6 different pastries and every single one was soooo delicious! The best tasting pastries I’ve ever had in my life! I can’t wait to visit Arsicault myself and try everything!

Small bakery with amazing croissants and long lines on the weekend. The first time I stopped by Arsicault Bakery was on a whim after my doctor’s appointment. And after trying their almond croissant, regular croissant, and ham & cheese croissant, I feel in love with Arsicault. And yes I tried all three croissants in one day. And yes I went back to that weekend for more.
That weekend there was a short wait to order and about a 20 minute wait for almond croissant, which was totally worth it. Arsicault Bakery’s croissants has also become a favorite of my friends and family. Only drawback is the difficult parking situation in the area.
What I recommend:
— Almond croissant

Ummm… the croissant are other worldly. I don’t even understand how they get it so perfect. Rivals Paris.

On my continued trek to discover the best pastries in the Bay Area, I arrived at Arsicault via the Unilocal reviews. These reviewers know their pastry. Now normally I’m very suspicious of pastries covered with powdered sugar, but I chanced their almond croissant. Whew! Wow! When I bit into that almond croissant, for a brief moment I was in heaven: flaky buttery goodness with a luscious almond paste. That almond croissant immediately hit number one on my chart. I honestly don’t think I’m going to fine a better one. And trust me, I’ve had my share of almond croissants.
If you’re an almond croissant fan, you have to experience Arsicault’s take on this delicious pastry

Decent amount of selection. Quality of all the pastries on point! So rich and buttery. Just melts away in your mouth. People very friendly. Got there little after they opened everything was fresh out of the oven as they were still bringing more out that just came out of the oven. Little pricy but so worth it! Must try!

The Almond Croissant… WOW! It is just incredible! I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a better one!
The place is little so is probably best for take out. They only have drip coffee, no lattes. But the baked goods are just to die for!

Just returned from 2 weeks in France– enjoyed pain au chocolat in Paris, Bourgone and Marseille… Arsicault out does them all. Perfect.
Chocolate almond croissants were light, flakey, and flavors were well-​balanced, delicate, with just the right amount of almond. All the pastries are made with good attention to detail, and you can see, and taste, a good amount of passion for baking.
Owners were very friendly, and engaging. Cannot wait to return

One of THE BEST chocolate croissants in ALL OF THE BAY AREA!
Wow.
* Chocolate Croissant — 5 stars: So flaky, buttery and the richest über decadent bittersweet chocolate. Heavier and richer overall than Marais, with chocolate more decadent and bittersweet than Pamplemousse. But you can’t go wrong with any of the above. This was my favorite of the three pastries at Ariscault and not for the chocolate faint of heart.
* Kouign Amann — 4 stars: Unlike what I’m used to, this one extra crispy and flaky throughout almost like a palmier. Good in its own way and different from B Patisserie’s and Pamplemousse (my top 2).
* Almond Croissant — 4.5 stars: I favor Neighbor Bakehouse’s almond croissant by a smidge because it tastes more decadent and rich but this one is also really good and a MUST visit if you like almond croissants! Can’t wait to return for their almond-​chocolate croissant.
Best Chocolate Croissant: 1) Ariscault, 2) Pamplemousse (close second), 3) Le Marais
Best Kouign Amann: 1) B Patisserie (favorite hands down), 2) Pamplemousse, 3) Ariscault
Best Almond Croissant: 1) Neighbor Bakehouse (favorite hands down), 2) Ariscault

I get it. The almond croissant is special, crunchy, caramelized, plenty of filling inside. It’s very filling. Goes well with coffee. All you need is a beach chair overlooking the ocean, you are all set for the morning. Everything they have looks wonderful. Perhaps I can go there every day till I try everyone of their pastries, ummm, to be continued…

I took a bite of this croissant and was pretty sure I was back in Paris. Just complete bliss. Complete bliss. My boyfriend and I both agreed that we were taken back to France with one bite and every bite basically reaffirmed that.
The aeration on these babies are perfect. Absolutely blissful alveoli pockets of perfectly layered butter, flour, butter, flour, butter, flour repeat a hundred times. Each bit is crispy and yeah, crumbs will be everywhere. But these are all the hallmarks of an amazing croissant. Worth a visit, or a million.

You need to come here if you’ve got a sweet tooth for pastries. This is small little shop with some of the flakiest croissants.
The server was really nice. I was really debating between an almond croissant or a chocolate croissant and then he pointed out they have a CHOCOLATE ALMOND croissant because why not have the best of both worlds. This little devil of a pastry was captivating. Use a plate because there will be flakes flying everywhere and you’re gonna want to pick every piece. Came and bought it around 10:30AM though. Can’t imagine how much better it would be fresh with the chocolate still melted inside. The outside is almost caramelized and sweet and the filling doesn’t soak through to the bottom giving a nice crispiness to the outside while still soft on the inside. What a way to spend the morning.

My fav croissant so far in the gastronomic city of San Francisco — better than Tartine,
Craftsman and the Wolves and my ex-​fav: the dense, dangerous yet divine fresh croissant of Knead Patisserie.
A sweet, clean little bakery, rather quiet on weekday mornings. I Purchased a valehona choc chip cookie, an almond croissant and a kouign amann all for $ 11.75. A slight tad to the pricier side of bakeries, but it was worth every bite! The almond croissant is a little sweeter and crispier than B. Patisserie’s, but I’m not complaining. It coupled beautifully with my morning coffee. The kouign amann is super crispy, with a caramelized undertone, rich in taste but airy in texture — a perfect decadent afternoon tea pastry without feeling the gilt.
Will definitely return soon to try more of their delicious goodies!

Arsicault is still enough of a local neighborhood secret i’m hesistant to even add onto their perfect star score with another 5 star review but they’re croissants are so deserving of it!
I’m always on the hunt for the good stuff. buttery, flaky pastry goods!
Comparisons:
I’m very loyal to B. Patisserie’s Banana Almond Croissant and Tartine’s Ham & Cheese Croissant. I can now put Arsicault’s Almond Croissant on my list of TOPS. It’s filled with a delicious almond filling and has a dark bake i very much appreciate. Their Ham & Cheese is different from Tartine’s. both good in their own ways. but i think Tartine still wins on this savory one.

HOLY MOTHER OF CROISSANTS.
I was in the neighborhood and finally had the chance to check this off my list. Almond croissants, ham & cheese croissants, chocolate croissants, plain croissants, croissants galore! I was about to have lunch so it would be silly of me to leave with a backpack filled with croissants, and maybe a kouign amann too =/​so ONE almond croissant will do for now.
I came home, opened my back pack and my nose was hit with the most amazing smell ever.
ALMOND CROISSANT– Flaky on the outside, fluffy on the inside. Right amount of sweetness. Big enough to split into two desserts; one for after lunch and one for after dinner.

This may be the home of the best croissants in the city. This I’ve tried the regular croissant, chocolate croissant, almond croissant, morning bun and the ham and cheese croissant here. Compared to other pastry shops, Arsicault makes the flakiest pastries. The owner and head baker (I assume) is a perfectionist. The first time I visited I witnessed him observe one of the staff members bringing some croissants out and requested they return them to the backroom as they weren’t quite ready even though that particular croissant was sold out and there were customers ready and willing to buy them! I have a lot of respect for him wanting his customers to only have the best he can offer.

Move over Tartine, hellooo Arsicault!
A friend told me about this secret bakery with the best croissants, I was doubtful considering Tartine is my go to bakery. She was so secretive, would not even tell me the name of the bakery, afraid that more people would discover this establishment and buy out all the yummy pastries.
So we arrived and the croissants looked amazing. I tried both the chocolate and ham/​cheese croissant. The chocolate croissant is by far the winner! Liquid gooey chocolate made with varlhona on the inside, a super flaky croissant with nice crispiness on the outside. Not to mention one croissant is enough to make you want to workout for the next 2 hours. But surprisingly the croissants are lighter, less dense, and just as tasty and delicious as Tartine. The ham and cheese croissant is also good, the cheese and ham is on the lighter side which is nice. But I didn’t like the balance of cheese and ham on the inside, felt it needed more cheese and a slightly stronger cheese.
They make a true French style croissant, it looks very similarly made to Tartine bakery. The main different i noticed is that the Croissants here are a little more flaky, slightly less buttery, and less dense and heavy, as compared to Tartine. The chocolate croissant here tops Tartine for sure, there is no comparison. However i still do love Tartine’s ham and gruyère croissant because they use a higher quality cheese and melt more of it inside.
This place has ample seating, its more of a grab n go place, the owners are nice, there were no long lines or crowds at 11am on a Sunday. Definitely a step above Tartine, which has an avg 30min wait!
So who takes the winner of croissants? Well I think its a tie right now, you can’t really go wrong with either place! Tartine does offer much more variety compared to Arsicault, who only focuses on a few pastries (mainly croissants). Price wise, both Tartine and Arsicault are about the same. I would keep coming back to Arsicault for croissants, even though its comparable (if not better) than Tartine, only because I get indoor seating and there are no long lines for goodies!
So if you are around town and want a nice flaky French style croissant, don’t want to wait the long lines at Tartine, come to Arsicault! You won’t be dissapointed!

Arsicault Bakery is a great addition to the neighborhood. For a long time, there has been a void of French-​style bakery west of Divisadero. All the good ones I know: Tartine, Le Marais, and b. Patisserie are all pretty far from my neighborhood (Ocean Beach).
i have tried two of their croissants so far (Almond, Chocolate). Both are on par with the top-​notch bakeries in town, and they are usually really fresh if you show up in the morning.
One minor complaint is that the Almond Croissant is a bit too sweet, and the filling is on the wet side and can make the dough lose some of its nice texture.
This place also seems to be a biker’s spot w/​lots of road riders in spandex.
They serve Equator Coffee here.

Newly opened in 2015 and with a perfect 5-​star rating on Unilocal,Arsicault has been on the radar. Not to mention, it’s the first search result in SF for almond croissants, which is one of the boo’s favorites (a very important consideration!).
I know that my 4-​star rating is not going to make the slightest dent in Arsicault’s stellar 5-​star streak, but I’m writing a review anyways to share my thoughts and mark my Unilocal territory.
Arsicault appears as though it has always been a part of the Inner Richmond neighborhood and exudes a local-​business vibe – a simple storefront with a plain green awning, a limited but solid pastry selection, and general basicness. There were two staff members working, one handling pastries and one handling monies, and there was a small but steady influx of customers, most of whom appeared to be regulars grabbing their morning breakfast and coffee (quite different from the hustle and bustle of the notoriously busy Mr. Holmes).
I walked in planning only on getting the famous almond croissant, but it looked and smelled like bakery heaven, and I ended up leaving with a box of three pastries. Whoops… at least it makes my Unilocal review look more legit and comprehensive.
Arsicault has serious skillz – what stands out the most is the composition of rich buttery pastry layers. With air interspersed between the multitude of flakey layers, you get a pastry with the perfect balance of decadent flavor and fluffy lightness. What I dislike is that everything is glazed to a heavily caramelized finish, making everything overwhelmingly sweet. It tastes good for than first few bites, but I would like to appreciate more complex patisserie art than just sugar.
(++) Almond croissant: The darker hue is perhaps due to a prolonged baking time and/​or the caramelized coating, and indeed it has a tad of charred smokiness. Because of the endless layers, I want to describe this as literally mille feuille, with a crispy flakey exterior making it «a croissant you can hear», quoting the owner’s words from a newspaper article. There’s no doubt it’s among the best, but I think it could use more almonds and a more custardy filling (it seemed mostly marzipan) which are the main reasons B Patisserie still holds first place for almond croissants in my opinion.
(+) Kouign amann: Richer and sweeter than the almond croissant, making it more like a dessert. The concentric circular layers of caramelized pastry made this similar to a cinnamon roll minus the cinnamon.
(++) Raspberry paille: I was intrigued since I’d never seen this pastry before, so I asked the staff which one he would recommend. He explained that the raspberry is more tart and traditional, while the blueberry is sweeter – bonus points for friendly and knowledgeable staff, and extra bonus points that he looked and sounded French, which made the French bakery experience that much more authentic ^^ The pastry itself reminded me very much of palmier cookies and is well complemented by the raspberry, though it seemed to be regular raspberry jam and not some house-​made raspberry compote (what has SF done to my expectations…) Overall it made a tasty dessert but, like everything else, a bit too sweet for my tastes – if I could customize it to 30% sweet like milk tea, it’d be perfect.
Pastries are ~$ 4 – 4.50 each, which lies at the price equilibrium point for pastries in SF. (Emphasis on SF.)