Tartine Bakery

Update Reviews, 2019 - 2020

Ah, Tartine.  San Francisco bakery darling.  For good reason, really.  They make some very textbook, essentially perfect, items.  This update includes my indulging from 2019 & 2020, but see my original review, or 2016 update for prior information and reviews.

Croissants / Morning Buns

Tartine is well known for many items, but, the morning bun is certainly one of the most highly regarded.  I personally think they make the best croissants I've ever had, and they offer the standard variety: plain, frangipane, pain au chocolat, pain au jambon.  They are all massive, and $$$, but, delicious.

Morning Bun. $4.75. (April 2019).

"Cinnamon sugar, candied orange."

Yup, the Tartine morning bun.  I finally got to have one WARM.

I'll admit that I've never been totally crazy about the morning bun. I know it is, literally, Tartine's most prized item, but for me it is just good, not, amazing.

The dough is beautifully moist inside, flaky and crispy on the outside, although, I find it a bit too crispy at times.  I loved the generous cinnamon and sugar coating, but the essence of orange is what detracts for me.  I just ... don't go for citrus like this.

It was good, don't get me wrong, but certainly not my first choice of item.

Morning Bun. $4.75. (October 2019)

I seem unable to resist trying these, even though I know how I feel about them.  They just look *so* good, and I know everyone else loves them.

I again recognize how well made it is, crispy exterior, perfectly coated in cinnamon sugar, but ... the citrus element, and the type of dough, just ... well, it isn't for me.  Luckily, my partner loves these, so I take my bite, and hand it off to a happy recipient.

Croissant. $4.75. (April 2019).

The Tartine croissant is a thing of ... well, perfection.  As textbook as it gets.  Very simple, and not what I generally want to just eat on its own (e.g. no filling), but, its as good as a croissant will ever be.

Incredibly flaky exterior, moist and buttery interior, just, gorgeous.  I was able to experience one warm, and, wow, what a treat.  

That said, for me, I wanted a spread to put on it, perhaps something like Nutella, but really, I wanted a pandan jam or something with a bit of flavor.

Pain Au Jambon. $6.50. (October 2019).

"Smoked ham, gruyère."

As good as the classic croissant is, the pain au jambon is ... well, another step up, if you want a more savory, and substantial item.

And substantial it is.  I wish I had a reference point, but ... this thing is honestly a meal.  Cut it in half, and perhaps it is a reasonable morning item, or it is perfect paired with a salad.  I can't imagine eating a full one in one sitting, as glorious as it is.  (But of course I will save the other half to warm up later!).

It really is just as perfect as can be.  Flaky, crispy, golden brown exterior.  Laminated, buttery, textbook layers.  Loaded with melted gruyère and sliced smoked ham, both of which are flavor powerhouses.

It is fantastic even just at room temperature, and I love the crispy bits of cheese that often are attached to the outside, crisped up after melting out and baking.  I often like it warm too, with melty cheese inside instead, but both ways, it is a winner.

Yes, $6.50 is pricey for a croissant, but consider it a sandwich, and that is totally reasonable.  And really, the quality cannot be beat.

Pain Au Jambon. $6.50. (January 2020).

Perfection.  Utter perfection.

I don't really have any other words or ways to describe the Tartine pain au jambon.  Getting one feels like winning the lottery.  A massive lottery.

Pain Au Jambon: Cross Section.

When it is fresh, I adore it at room temperature, with the perfectly flaky exterior, and incredibly flavorful gruyère and smoked ham inside.  Pair it with a salad, and it is an easy meal.

Warm it up, and the cheese gets melty, the inside more moist.  Also excellent, and a great way to devour the second half a few hours later, if you manage to restrain yourself from eating the whole thing at first.

These are just, well, amazing pastries.  I'll gladly get one, anytime.

Scones / Biscuits / Gougère

Tartine has more savory options than many bakeries.

They make exactly one type of sweet scone, and it never rotates with the seasons.  They make one type of savory scone, and I think it sometimes changes.  In addition, other savory treats include a (massive) gougère, that is always a visual stunner.

Buttermilk Scone. $4.25.

"Currants, candied orange zest."

This is the one sweet scone, and even with that, I'd say its not particularly sweet, although I do love the large pearl sugar on top.

I also lost my update review of this one, but I do recall feeling kinda "eh" about it, as it is just a scone of a variety that I don't tend to gravitate towards (eh to currants, eh to citrus).

Update January 2020: Yup, this scone isn't for me.  I'm just not into the currants or citrus.

Savory Scone. $4.75. (April 2019).

"Bacon, gruyère, fromage blanc."

I had this scone.  I wrote a full review.  And ... somehow Blogger lost it.   When I came to write update reviews, only the photo was here.  So, I present you the April savory scone, which I think I liked, but honestly, I don't remember.

Savory Scone. $4.75. (May 2019)

"Pickled fresno chili, cheddar, corn."

The May savory scone sounded like a winner to me - cheese!  corn! Chili!  And although a savory scone is never what I go for as a morning pastry, it made an excellent pairing with a salad later in the day.

It was a good scone.  Nice texture, a bit crumbly, moist enough but dry as a scone should be.  Not a ton of base flavor, but a nice backdrop of cheddar, a pop of heat from the fresno chili, and tons of texture from actual kernels of corn.  I was very appreciative of the whole pieces of corn, rather than cornmeal as I thought it might be.

A nice savory scone, and yes, it paired well with a salad.

Savory Scone. $5.25. (January 2020).

"Bacon, gruyère, formage blanc, herbs, salt"

Oh, man, this was a great scone.  Savory scones aren't something I normally seek out, but when I see one from Tartine, I go running straight for it.

It is a firm style, biscuit like, great crumble and texture.  Hard on the outside, moist but not too moist inside, and, much like the pain au jambon, just loaded with flavor.  Bacon and gruyère FTW, and plenty of herbs too.  

I've never even managed to try heating one of these up, as I devour them instantly.  I think they would be wonderful with some country style gravy, akin to biscuits and gravy, but I never get that far.  More of a lunch item for me, paired with a simple salad.

I'll gladly get one of these anytime, and it remains a toss up just based on my mood if I prefer this, or the pain au jambon.

Gougère. $4.50. (April 2019).

"Gruyère, black pepper, thyme."

I've had these before, and always find them pleasant enough.  Large, fluffy, flavorful from the gruyère, pepper, and thyme, but not generally the most exciting item to me.

Update (January 2020): Crowds love these, comments abound about the size, but, they really aren't the thing for me.  A bit too ... eggy inside.

Tarts

Tartine makes individual 4" starts, or larger 9" tarts (to serve 8).  I am not really into tarts, and mostly have ignored these, but someday I really want to seek out the banana cream tart, as Iv'e heard it is much like bannoffee pie, which I really, really love (it has caramel and chocolate layers!)

Chocolate Hazelnut Tart. 4". $8. (October 2019).

"Sweet pastry shell, guanaja, orange."

So, yeah, I never really like tarts, but one morning we had these, when I was particularly craving chocolate.  Yes, a chocolate tart for breakfast.  Don't judge.

I ... well, really didn't like it.  The tart shell was a standard tart shell, just crispy, and plain, and uninteresting to me.

The filling was kinda like a brownie, but a bit dry, and not interesting either.  I liked the hazelnuts on top for crunch, but yeah ... this was very ... bland, dry, and not what I would have expected from Tartine.

Gluten Free / Vegan

Tartine may not be where you'd think of for gluten-free items, but they do make a few gluten-free items, including breakfast pastries.  They always have a vegan crumb cake too.

Spoiler: the muffins are *amaze*.

Seasonal Muffin (Blueberry). Wheat-Free. $5.

"Almond, oat and rice flour, walnut, crumble."

Um, wow.  I can't say I expect *anything* of gluten-free, baked goods of all things, but this was, hands down, the best gluten-free baked good I've ever had.  It was one of my favorite Tartine items at all, in fact.

Yes, really.

It was shockingly good.  Super moist, bursting with flavor from the generous amount of fruit, and I loved the texture from the walnuts inside.  And I loved the crumble on top.  Maybe not the blueberry muffin for someone who wants a simple white base and just blueberries inside, but for me, this was as good as a blueberry muffin can be, almost like a blueberry crisp or crumble, in muffin form.

Loved it.  Would gladly devour another, anytime.

Seasonal Muffin (Peach & Currant?). Wheat-Free. $5.25.

 (October 2019).

The muffin changes frequently, but is always just listed as "seasonal".  It always features fruit, a crumble top, and some kind of nut.  This one trended far more into the dessert fruit crumble direction than morning muffin really, which didn't bother me at all.

The crumble top on this was my favorite part.  Sweet oats, crispy pecans, and I'm not sure what else.  It basically turned this into a dessert.  Great textures.

The base had a nice flavor from the mix of flours, clearly not a regular muffin, and it crumbled apart nearly immediately, but it was moist, and I liked the rice flour in particular, it almost made it taste like ... mochi?

Seasonal Peach + Currant Muffin: Inside.

Inside was big chunks of I think peaches (maybe nectarines?), little currants, and pecans.  I was pleased to see the stone fruit so late into October!  

The fruit was super juicy, and surrounded by pockets of moisture.  Fantastic, again, making this mostly a fruit crumble, not a muffin.  I hated the currants, as I really just can't stand them, and wish Tartine was less excited about them (the sweet scone is *always* currant.  Boo!).  They didn't ruin this, but, they certainly detracted from my experience.

I warmed this up, and topped with whipped cream, and had it as a dessert, and I loved it.

Vegan Crumb Cake. $4.75.

I tried this just for completeness.

It was very, very meh.  The cake had no real flavor, and was a bit gummy.  Even the crumb topping was kinda flavorless.  Certainly not an item I wanted a second bite of even.

Orange Sesame Tea Cake (GF, V).  $5.25. (January 2020).

This was a strange one, gluten-free and vegan, and really, really, really moist.  And dense.  Dense and moist.  Very different.  I was not into the texture, nor to the orange flavor that prevailed, but I did like the generous crust of sesame seeds on top.

Cookies & Confections

The final bakery menu section is cookies & confections, including chocolate pudding that I'd love to try sometime.

Eclair. (January 2020). $6.50.

"Vanilla cream, Valhrona glaze."

Wow.  Another #textbook item.

Seriously, textbook.

I will admit however that I'm not a fan of choux pastry, so eclairs and cream puffs are never really my thing, but I couldn't resist trying the version from Tartine, particularly once I saw it.

Eclair: Inside.

The choux pastry was as I expected, light, eggy, and not a flavor I like.  But I know how well made it was, how perfectly piped.

It was also perfectly filled, filled to the brim with INCREDIBLE vanilla cream filling.  It was a looser style than many others, it ran out, it made a huge mess, but I didn't care.  Incredible flavor in that cream.  Seriously good cream.

And finally, the gorgeous shiny chocolate glaze, made from high quality dark Valhrona chocolate, intensely chocolately.  I wished I could have more of it, and less pastry, but they had the ratio right for those who actually like the pastry.

I likely won't get another eclair, but such a well made item, and, swoon, that cream.

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• Coco Nib Rocher, $0.75.  Basically a meringue filled with cocoa nibs.  Nice crunch from nibs, very nice cloudlike consistency, a little too sweet.  Not really my thing.  Good price though.
• Mexican Wedding Cookie, $0.85.  Covered in powdered sugar.  Not my thing, but another good price.
• Toasted Almond Rocher, $0.75. Sweet, really nice almond, better than nib version, favorite of the cookies I've tried.

Update Review, April 2016

Morning Bun.  $4.20.

"Cinnamon sugar, candied orange."

Ah, the famous Tartine morning bun.  I've had a few of these in my life, to mixed success. I haven't ever disliked them, but haven't necessarily understood the hype.

This time was no different.  It was very, very crispy on the outside, but not in that nice caramelized way.  One edge, the left side here, was actually really burnt and dried out.

The entire thing did have a nice sugar coating, and the dough was decent, but, it certainly wasn't magical in any way.  It also did finally taste like orange, something I always noted before that was lacking (but, actually, I prefer to not taste the orange ...).

So, it was fine, and I'd eat another if it showed up, but, I wouldn't seek this out.  I still really want to try their bread pudding though!

Two years ago, I published my original Tartine review, and, a morning bun was $3.85.  I guess, inflation?

Original Review, March 2014

If you live in San Francisco, and have any friends who reside anywhere near the Mission, you've inevitably been to Tartine.  Or seen the lines on a weekend morning.  Or at least had someone enthusiastically show up at a party with some of their goods.  It is definitely an institution.  Even my mom, who lives in New Hampshire, called me up one day asking me if I'd been, as she read something about it somewhere.

I don't live in the Mission, I don't go there often these days, and quite honestly I don't get the Tartine hype.  I much prefer getting bread from Acme, and while the croissants are indeed pretty awesome at Tartine, the other things I've tried (particularly the cookies), haven't been all that memorable, and there are plenty of other places to get good baked goods in the city.  That said, they do have an absolutely incredible sounding banana cream tart, with caramel and chocolate layers, that I really, really want to try sometime.  If you are looking for a way to bribe me for any reason, please bring me a slice of that :)

Pastries

Morning Bun.  $3.85.

This is perhaps Tartine's most famous treat.  Made with croissant dough, and loaded up with butter, sugar, cinnamon, and some subtle orange flavor.  It is crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside, and ridiculously sweet.  And delicious.  Apparently even better if you get it fresh out of the oven in the morning.  Famous, and hyped, for a reason.

Update: I love all the cinnamon and sugar and the crunchy exterior, but the inside is not as moist as I recall, and I don’t really taste the orange (not that I want to).  It didn't live up to my memory, but it was still a nice sugary treat.

Pain Au Jambon. $6.25.

"Smoked ham, gruyère."

A savory item.  Yes, I went for a savory item.

These things are massive-tastic.  The croissant dough is flaky, crispy, buttery, and perfectly browned. Filled with ham and gruyere.

High price, but it is basically a meal :)  My favorite of their goods.

Pain au jambon: Inside.

This photo shows less than half of one.

The gruyere in here is just so good.  It combines perfectly with ham.  And damn, Tartine really just does make the best croissants!

I've found that this thing is even more amazing if you warm it up in a toaster oven.  The cheese gets so melty, and the layers of croissant dough get a bit moist.  Absolutely amazingly delicious.

Frangipane Croissant. $4.50.

"Almond cream."

This was my least favorite, by far.  I'm not sure if you can see in the picture, but it was sadly burnt.  I hoped it wouldn't effect the taste, but it did.  I tasted ... soot, and it was fairly dry.

That said, it was the same buttery, delicious croissant dough, and was filled with frangipane and sliced almonds, topped with more sliced almonds and powdered sugar.  If it hadn't been over-cooked, it would have been quite good.

Like all of their pastries, it was hugetastic.

Update review (June 2015):

I had another of these when someone brought in a bunch to work.  It too looked burnt, and I was initially put off.  But, I came around to it. I think this must just be Tartine style.

Yes, it was very crispy.  It leaned almost too far in the burnt category, but managed to stay on the caramelized and crispy side of the scale instead.  I loved the crispy actually.  Inside was dense and obviously very buttery, but not quite as flaky as I was expecting.

The almond frangipane filling wasn't very generous either.

So, hard to call it amazing, when there are plenty of things I criticize about it, but, the quality of the croissant dough is certainly there.

Croissant. $4.20.

Buttery, flaky, delicious.  Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside.  Definitely one of the best croissants I've ever had, but pricy at $4.20 each.  This is the same base that they use for the other filled varieties.

Update: Very textbook croissant, large size, easy to split with someone, incredibly flaky exterior.  Quiet messy, as flakes get everywhere!  But a bit boring to just eat plain.  I’d want jam with it, or I prefer the almond or chocolate ones.

Cakes

Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian.

• Passion Fruit Lime Bavarian. “Lime-moistened genoise with passion fruit Bavarian. Topped with sweetened cream and coconut. "  Tasting notes: Light and fluffy genoise, but pretty boring as a cake layer, and I didn’t taste the lime.  The cream was intensely passion fruit flavored, but far more tart than I was expecting, not sweet at all.  Perhaps some of the lime in the cake is what I was tasting here?  The outside had sweetened whipped cream and coconut flakes, both things I like, but the whipped cream was very masked by the strong flavors of the passionfruit, and the coconut flakes were not toasted.
• Tres Leches Cake, $5.50 slice. "Sweet coconut milk moistened chiffon, layered with cajeta and crema".  Tasting notes: A friend brought this to a party.  It did not look like anything special, not like something from a professional bakery, and certainly not from somewhere as famous as Tartine.  Many people kept asking if she had made it.  While it didn't win any beauty awards, it was obvious fairly quickly upon tasting it that this was not just a home cook's little cake.  First, it was unlike any tres leches cake I've ever had.  The bottom crust seemed to be made from their croissant dough?  The layers were moist and flavorful, with pastry cream in between them, and topped with whipped cream.  It somehow wasn't too sweet.  A nicely made cake, but the flaky croissant-like crust is really what made it something special.

Other Baked Goods

Lemon Cream Tart.  $6.75.

“Sweet pastry shell filled with rich lemon cream, topped with unsweetened cream”.  

Standard tart shell, hard style, not particularly interesting.  The filling was very tart, and lemon, which is not ever something that I like.  The whipped cream was not sweetened, quite rare, and so it tasted like … cream.  Fluffy cream.  Nothing wrong with that!

Definitely not something I care for, and the $6.75 price tag seemed high for a small individual size tart.

Buttermilk Scone. $4.25.

"Currants, candied orange zest."

This was good enough, but nothing amazing, hard style. Rolled in giant sugar crystals.

Previous tasting notes:  I really liked the buttermilk tang to it.  Did not hold up at all to a second day, got very soggy. I don't blame them though, no scones really keep!

Gougère, $3.50. 

This was HUGE! Decent flaky dough, decent cheese inside, but somehow just not that interesting overall. Not bad, but not great.

Update: Very light and airy, cheesy, not bad.