L'acajou is a small cafe/bakery in San Francisco (and apparently in Oakland, they have expanded), that I've walked by many times over the years, and stopped in at a few times.
"L'acajou has been serving the most delicious breakfast, lunch, coffee drinks, and catering that the Bay Area has to offer since 2010. Our flagship cafe at the busy intersection of 9th and Bryant St. is a San Francisco tradition of warmth and Bohemian hospitality in the midst of the city's bustling tech savvy crowds. Come and enjoy life at a slower more luxurious pace!!"
They serve breakfast and lunch, and have a variety of baked goods. A few tables indoors, a couple on the sidewalk outside. Decently friendly staff. When I ordered online once, I ordered a dish that came with "seasonal fruit". Since I'm allergic to melons, I put in the "special instructions" that I had an allergy. When I walked into the cafe, the staff member looked up, and before I even said who I was, said "No melons, got it!"
Quality seems decent. For years, I only ever stopped in to get a baked good, but recently I decided to try them for some savory food. I ordered easily online in advance, on delivery.com, and my order was waiting when I arrived.
Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services? Here are some codes ...
This was exactly my kind of cookie. Soft. Great buttery flavor. Sweet. And then a fantastic texture from the oats and little bits of walnut. Plentiful, plump, juicy raisins. Every ingredient was tasty, and they all combined together perfectly. I loved the addition of the walnuts. It went great with a cup of coffee, and I can imagine being delightful with a cup of tea as well. Would gladly get another.
Another fantastic cookie. Soft, almost-but-not-quite undercooked in the center, leaving it just a tiny bit gooey. Incredible ginger flavor. This is not a cookie for someone who only sorta likes ginger. Another one I'd gladly get again!
I was really excited to try more of their cookies, since I'd loved the first two I'd tried so much. I got this one for my partner, since he likes chocolate and hazelnuts.
I didn't like this. It was a hard, crisp cookie, nothing like the soft cookies I'd previously enjoyed. Maybe they just do this one in a different style, or the fact that I got it at 3:30pm rather than 11am made the difference? Anyway, it was buttery and sweet, with decent chunks of chocolate and half hazelnuts, but it was just far too crispy. Would not get again.
On the same visit, I got one for myself. I love peanut butter, and I love pretzels, so this sounded perfect.
Unfortunately, like the dark chocolate hazelnut, it was also very crispy. It almost seemed burnt, although it wasn't visibly charred. I even tried heating it up in the toaster oven to soften it, which did work, but I still did not care for the flavor at all.
I couldn't decide which of the breakfast pastries I wanted, as they all looked amazing. The worker recommended this one, so I went for it, even though I was a little skeptical, as it was the only vegan item. I don't have anything against vegan food, but, for baked goods, butter tends to be pretty important ...
I'm so glad I took his advice. This was an awesome scone. It was crumbly, but not in a bad way. Fairly moist for a scone, but not in a weird way. The raspberries were just bursting with flavor and were gooey little bits, contrasting with the texture of the rest of the scone. The scone itself had a wonderful buttery flavor, even though it was vegan. It also had almond slivers that added a crunch, and some tiny little seeds that I think were golden flax seeds, that added some heartiness. And it was topped with sugar.
It all just came together so well. Great textures, great flavors, sweet but not too sweet, just ... really really good. And it went perfectly with a coffee.
I'd gladly get another in a heartbeat, and the $2.50 price tag was totally reasonable.
After having so many amazing baked goods from the cafe, I was very excited to try out some of their "real" food. And I love nothing more than a good brunch, so I was thrilled to see that they offered french toast, made with their own bread.
Unfortunately, I didn't like this very much.
The preparation was different from any french toast I've ever had before, grilled in the panini press rather than on a griddle. This makes sense given their tiny kitchen but definitely resulted in a different style. The bread slices were standard sandwich bread thickness, rather than thick sliced as is more common with french toast. The panini grill left strong grill marks, which resulted in a crispy exterior where it touched, which I liked. The inside was almost custardy, but actually more just gummy, strangely dense, and pretty unappealing. There also didn't seem to be any spicing, no hints of cinnamon or anything.
The seasonal fruit on top was kiwi and nectarines. They were perfectly ripe, fresh, plentiful. No complaints here.
Alongside the french toast was maple syrup. I'm pretty sure it was real syrup, but it wasn't that flavorful. Pretty standard. There was also a little pot of Nutella. I know that most people love Nutella. They go crazy over it, particularly with french toast. But ... it just isn't my thing. I've tried to like it, in crepes, on waffles, in shakes ... it isn't that I hate it, but I just don't care for it. I tried some on the french toast, and again, just didn't like it, but that is clearly me just not liking Nutella. I also thought it really didn't go well with the nectarines and kiwis, although earlier in the summer I could see being a great combination with strawberries.
It was made to order, I saw her slice the bread, dunk it in the batter, and grill it up. Delivered hot to my table within moments of coming off the grill. But, it was disappointing, and I would not get it again.
"Mixed greens, tomato, avocado, cashews, roasted veggies, seasonal fruit, and lemon dressing."
And ... my order notes "melon and avocado on the side please. Dressing on the side. Is it possible to get spinach (and/or endive) instead of mixed greens?"
The salad I ordered comes with "seasonal fruit", which, in the summer is lovely stone fruit, and I was hoping for berries, but alas, in March, the offering was ... cantaloupe. Doh. I'm allergic to melon. It also comes with avocado, another ingredient I'm allergic to. Doh.
One day I was really craving juicy tomatoes and crunchy nuts, and I remembered this salad. I was pleased to see I received the same thing, so, that previous side salad *was* correct!
- Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
- Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
- Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
- Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
Cookies
The baked good lineup has changed a bit over the years, but they always have housemade cookies, scones, cheesy biscuits, sweet and savory croissants, and decadent cinnamon rolls. I've tried only the cookies. They make really good cookies.
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| Walnut Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. $1.50. |
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| Ginger Molasses Cookie. $1.50. |
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| Salted Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut Cookie. $1.50. |
I didn't like this. It was a hard, crisp cookie, nothing like the soft cookies I'd previously enjoyed. Maybe they just do this one in a different style, or the fact that I got it at 3:30pm rather than 11am made the difference? Anyway, it was buttery and sweet, with decent chunks of chocolate and half hazelnuts, but it was just far too crispy. Would not get again.
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| Salted Dark Chocolate with Peanut Butter Pretzels. $1.50. |
Unfortunately, like the dark chocolate hazelnut, it was also very crispy. It almost seemed burnt, although it wasn't visibly charred. I even tried heating it up in the toaster oven to soften it, which did work, but I still did not care for the flavor at all.
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| Vegan Raspberry Almond Scone. $2.50. |
I'm so glad I took his advice. This was an awesome scone. It was crumbly, but not in a bad way. Fairly moist for a scone, but not in a weird way. The raspberries were just bursting with flavor and were gooey little bits, contrasting with the texture of the rest of the scone. The scone itself had a wonderful buttery flavor, even though it was vegan. It also had almond slivers that added a crunch, and some tiny little seeds that I think were golden flax seeds, that added some heartiness. And it was topped with sugar.
It all just came together so well. Great textures, great flavors, sweet but not too sweet, just ... really really good. And it went perfectly with a coffee.
I'd gladly get another in a heartbeat, and the $2.50 price tag was totally reasonable.
Breakfast
The breakfast lineup is fairly small, but has all the main trendy hits (acai bowls, avocado toast, and savory quinoa bowl), plus cafe necessities like an easy to grab and run breakfast sandwich (with pancetta and gruyere on house made bun though), healthy fruit and granola, and basic egg/potato breakfast staples.
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| French Toast, with seasonal fruit, maple syrup, Nutella. $8. |
Unfortunately, I didn't like this very much.
The preparation was different from any french toast I've ever had before, grilled in the panini press rather than on a griddle. This makes sense given their tiny kitchen but definitely resulted in a different style. The bread slices were standard sandwich bread thickness, rather than thick sliced as is more common with french toast. The panini grill left strong grill marks, which resulted in a crispy exterior where it touched, which I liked. The inside was almost custardy, but actually more just gummy, strangely dense, and pretty unappealing. There also didn't seem to be any spicing, no hints of cinnamon or anything.
The seasonal fruit on top was kiwi and nectarines. They were perfectly ripe, fresh, plentiful. No complaints here.
Alongside the french toast was maple syrup. I'm pretty sure it was real syrup, but it wasn't that flavorful. Pretty standard. There was also a little pot of Nutella. I know that most people love Nutella. They go crazy over it, particularly with french toast. But ... it just isn't my thing. I've tried to like it, in crepes, on waffles, in shakes ... it isn't that I hate it, but I just don't care for it. I tried some on the french toast, and again, just didn't like it, but that is clearly me just not liking Nutella. I also thought it really didn't go well with the nectarines and kiwis, although earlier in the summer I could see being a great combination with strawberries.
It was made to order, I saw her slice the bread, dunk it in the batter, and grill it up. Delivered hot to my table within moments of coming off the grill. But, it was disappointing, and I would not get it again.
Lunch
The lunch menu is a couple salads, a soup of the day, and a few sandwiches (mostly warm ones). I stopped in to get a salad early on during COVID-19 summer.
This was my first time to L'acajou in years, and before, I had only really gone for the treats. This time I visited for salad, during the Shelter in Place, when I really was seeking out fresh healthy items.
L'acajou bubbled to the top of my list, as they have a generically named "vegan salad" that people seem to love, and, it changes constantly, with fresh fruit and vegetables in season.
I called ahead to find out what the seasonal fruit was, and was told it was kiwi (yay!) and melon (boo!). I still choose to order, as everything else seemed promising.
L'acajou bubbled to the top of my list, as they have a generically named "vegan salad" that people seem to love, and, it changes constantly, with fresh fruit and vegetables in season.
I called ahead to find out what the seasonal fruit was, and was told it was kiwi (yay!) and melon (boo!). I still choose to order, as everything else seemed promising.
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| L'acajou Vegan Salad, with Customizations. |
And ... my order notes "melon and avocado on the side please. Dressing on the side. Is it possible to get spinach (and/or endive) instead of mixed greens?"
The salad I ordered comes with "seasonal fruit", which, in the summer is lovely stone fruit, and I was hoping for berries, but alas, in March, the offering was ... cantaloupe. Doh. I'm allergic to melon. It also comes with avocado, another ingredient I'm allergic to. Doh.
I certainly could have just asked to have them left off, but my partner enjoys both these things, so, I simply asked to have them separate. I was quite pleased that this was easily accommodated, although I'm sure the person preparing my order must have wondered about it.
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| "Seasonal Fruit" (cantaloupe) and Avocado (Separate). |
I did peek in the box, and the melon looked a bit pale, but the avocado was clearly sliced right to order, and was even sprinkled with salt & pepper. The serving size of each was good - a half an avocado and a pretty nice pile of melons.
I hope my partner enjoyed!
And finally, the base. This salad comes over mixed greens, but I requested spinach instead (the other salad base), and that was honored. The spinach was fresh baby spinach, crisp, and not wilted.
Overall, even if I didn't love some of the ingredients, this was a very good salad, particularly for the price. Portions were generous of everything (except my mushrooms!), everything was fresh, and the ingredients were creative. I'd love to have it again, when the fruits are more to my liking.
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| Tomato, Roasted Veggies, Cashews, Lemon Dressing. |
The remainder of the salad came in the other box, along with the dressing on the side.
It was hard to tell really what else was in there, and I was eager to find out what the "roasted veggies" would be, so I started digging. I was also surprised not to see any kiwi ...
Starting at the top, was a very generous serving of cashews. They had flecks of black on them, which I originally thought was seasoning, but I think actually they were just lightly toasted and a bit charred? I didn't taste any particular spicing on them. They were, uh, cashews? Nothing particularly novel about them. I love having nuts, and crunch, in my salads, but I did grow sick of these, as there were just too many (which was fine, I saved some, and had them with a glass of wine later in the day ...).
The tomatoes I thought might be roasted, but were fresh, and were slices of tomato, like you'd find on a sandwich, rather than chunks (or cherry tomatoes) more common to a salad. This worked, but, was a bit different than I've seen before. It kinda reminded me of Subway. The tomato was very ripe, juicy, and fine, not mealy. Another generous portion, 7 slices!
The dressing choices at L'acajou are extremely limited: this salad comes with "lemon dressing" and the other salad on the menu comes with balsamic. I ... brought my own creamy dressing instead, but did try the lemon one. It was just a very very simple vinaigrette, mostly just oil. Meh.
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| "Roasted veggies" (mushrooms, red onions, artichoke hearts) and Spinach. |
Finally, I was able to dig through and find the roasted veggies. But the kiwi? Yeah, it didn't exist.
The "roasted veggies" were a mixed success.
First up ... marinated artichoke hearts. Lots of marinated artichoke hearts. I certainly would have had these left out if I knew the salad included them, as they just aren't my thing at all. And the portion was huge. Ok, perhaps it was consistent with the generous portions in general, but, I just really didn't want it in this case. I also don't really think of these as roasted veggies ... my partner scored these, along with his avocado and melons.
The red onion was a fairly small portion in comparison to everything else, but was nicely roasted, and although most of it was just bite size chunks, one chunk was large, and I really loved that one.
The best part was the meaty roast mushrooms, but, um, it had only two small chunks! Two! One stem, one cap. I don't really understand, given the generosity in the other ingredients. It was totally out of balance (which was extra sad since it was the thing I wanted the most!).
And finally, the base. This salad comes over mixed greens, but I requested spinach instead (the other salad base), and that was honored. The spinach was fresh baby spinach, crisp, and not wilted.
Overall, even if I didn't love some of the ingredients, this was a very good salad, particularly for the price. Portions were generous of everything (except my mushrooms!), everything was fresh, and the ingredients were creative. I'd love to have it again, when the fruits are more to my liking.
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| Mixed Greens (Side). $3.50. (Feb 2021) |
"Organic mixed greens, organic tomato, spiced almonds and balsamic vinaigrette."
My next visit, I ordered a side salad, and the menu simply said "mixed greens", so I was (pleasantly) pleased to get something with a bit more going on. Fresh chunks of tomato and ... randomly ... tons of sliced, spiced almonds. Definitely a bit of an odd combination, and it really, really felt like it needed cheese. Cheese and nuts just go hand and hand ...
Anyway, this was a fine quality salad - good fresh baby greens and baby spinach, the tomato was actually juicy and reasonably tasty for a February tomato, and the almonds were nice for crunch, but I couldn't quite figure out the spicing on them.
I asked for dressing on the side since I don't care for their dressings (they only offer vinaigrette), and I did try it - it was thick, tangy, and totally not my thing.
I brought it home, rounded it out with other toppings, and added my own dressing, and was pleased with it. I think I may have gotten the full sized garden salad ($8) that was described as having the tomatoes and almonds ... either that, or amazing value for a side salad!
***.
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| Mixed Greens (Side). $3.50. (March 2021) |
Again, the side salad is a great value for the price, loaded with goodies. I asked for no balsamic vinaigrette since I didn't like it before, and had my own dressing on standby.
It was exactly the same as last time: fresh mixed greens, tons of spiced slivered almonds, juicy tomatoes, lots of seasoning. I had it with my own dressing and cheese, and really enjoyed it. I think some poached shrimp would go great on it too.
***.
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