Alf Bakery, NYC

New York City obviously has a lot of bakeries.  Many are known for a signature thing, e.g. the cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery, the cupcake (or banana pudding) from Magnolia, the Milk Bar Pie (née Crack Pie) from Milk Bar, etc.  Sure, these places have plenty of other great things, but, there is one item that is a bit unique, and really put them on the map.

And such is the case for Alf Bakery, a small bakery located in Chelsea Market.  They make breads, viennoiserie, pastries, babka, and sandwiches, but if you ask anyone if they've heard of Alf, they'll probably say, "oh, yeah, the laminated baguette place!"  Because, as far as I know, they are the only ones making this hybrid bread.  I've had soooo many people tell me to seek it out, particularly given that our office is close by.

But I never prioritized it.  Sure, I like croissants, but in a city filled with so many epic baked goods, this seemed hard to prioritize.  And then, just like that, in early December 2025, Alf announced that they were closing at the end of the month (possibly relocating?).  Oh noes.  Well, now I had FOMO, and HAD to prioritize it when I was in town for a week for a summit.

But a co-worker beat me to it.  He went and picked up a loaf, and bought it back to the office to share.  Excellent!

Seeded Laminated Baguette. $10.50.

He selected the seeded laminated baguette, a great choice.  It came wrapped in a traditional baguette bag.

Alf Bakery also makes a non-seeded version, and regular baguettes as well, but the seeded laminated one is probably the most famous.  You can also get simple French sandwiches on them, e.g. ham and cheese.  We had just the baguette, all that as needed, really.

Seeded Laminated Baguette.

I ripped off a hunk.  My reaction was immediate.

Wow, this really was as unique and interesting as people say it is.

It was flaky and messy like a croissant (and even more so with the seeds), had all the deep butteriness of a croissant, but then ... woah, had the exterior and chew of a baguette?  So fascinating.  And it worked.  It really, really worked.

It was delicious to just eat a hunk like this, but I think it would be great with cream cheese, or stuffed with smoked salmon and creme fraiche ...

I don't understand why these aren't a thing at more places.  I'm glad I finally got to try this, and now mourn the fact that it will be my last (at least for a while).

4/5.

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LeLeCha New York

Update Review, December 2025

Last summer, a friend checked out Lelecha soon after they first opened, and brought me day-old pieces of everything she got.  I was impressed then, even with day-olds, so I was excited to try more items.

This time, I got to try all three of the danish tarts they make: the butter caramel egg tart I had previously, plus the chocolate and tiramisu versions.  I remain impressed, and can't wait to try even more of the menu.

Butter Caramel Egg Tart. $6.30.

"Crafted with a rich 1:1.8 egg-to-milk ratio, the custard center is exceptionally silky and smooth. Hand-laminated pastry ensures long-lasting crispness, while the caramel sauce is slow-cooked by hand for deep, layered flavor."

This is the item I'd had before, but was more than happy to have again.

The custard really is what sets it apart.  Sooo silky smooth.  Barely eggy.  Beautifully burnt on top.  The large tart size means you get tons of custard filling, it is like eating an entire crème brûlée (... along with a nice pastry).  No notes really.  The flaky pastry shell is a nice vessel for it.

4/5, higher end.

Chocolate Tart. $7.25.

"Dusted with a thick layer of cocoa powder, this tart features a crisp, airy crust and a pudding-like custard center. Topped with rich dark chocolate and handcrafted chocolate crisps, it delivers deep, satisfying indulgence in every bite."

Next up, the chocolate sibling to the fantastic butter caramel egg tart I've enjoyed before.  Same flaky crust surrounding an oversized custard filling, this time a chocolate version, with plenty of cocoa powder and dark chocolate curls on top.  (Beware of the cocoa powder and accidentally inhaling, lol.)

I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this as I do like chocolate desserts, but tend to not care for chocolate cheesecakes and similar things.

Except ... well, this wasn't a chocolate custard as I expected.  The filling was just the same egg custard, just smothered in cocoa powder.  I did love the chocolate curls, but, this wasn't really a dessert that delivered in the chocolate indulgence department, if that is what you are looking for.  For a "chocolate tart", really this gets a 3/5 or lower, but, that custard really is so good I didn't mind once I reset my expectations, so still a 4/5 overall.

Tiramisu Tart. $7.25.

"Infused with a signature coffee aroma, this tart offers a rich, multi-layered flavor experience. The handmade pastry is paired with a velvety cheese and egg custard center—together creating an indulgent, lava-like burst of creamy richness in every bite."

And finally, the tiramisu version.  

And ... yeah, this too was the same base egg custard (so good, but not tiramisu infused or anything), but then it did come topped with thick, rich, presumably mascarpone cream AND ladyfingers AND yes, tons of cocoa powder.  I didn't taste any coffee though, so not very tiramisu forward, but it was definitely the most unique of the tarts, and had so much at play: flaky pastry, silky egg custard, thick rich cream, light ladyfingers.

I really enjoyed this, even higher 4/5.  

Original Review, August 2025

I have wonderful friends.  Like ones who scope out new Asian bakeries, get more goodies than they can possibly eat, and bring me some to try.  In this case, from LeLeCha, a Taiwanese bubble tea and baked goods shop that recently opened in the US, with its first location in New York in July.

"Get ready for an extraordinary tea & pastry experience, where East meets West in every bite and sip.  From iconic Dirty Buns to artisan tea creations — we’re bringing something truly special to the streets of New York."

LeLeCha does focus on the tea side of things, as you'd probably guess from their name, but both my friend and I were drawn to their Asian baked goods.  The lineup includes sweet and savory breads, loaves, buns, a few other danish style pastries.  I got to try one item from each of the Toasts, Breads & Buns, and Danishes sections of the menu.  I did try them a day old, so, I try to take that into account, but they were still fantastic, and I'm sure even better a day sooner.  I'd gladly have more goodies from this place anytime.

Branding.

The goodies came in a Wonder branded box, which I'm not entirely sure I understand.  The brand is LeLeCha, but they have "Wonder" scattered about their materials too.  And no clue what the dog thing is about.  But it was a distinctive box!

Buttery Cloud Loaf, Dirty Bun,
Butter Caramel Egg Tart (all pieces).

My friend brought me a sampler box of hunks of each of the items she got.  These are just the small pieces that she saved me, which still filled up a full box!  Most of the items are quite large in full form.

Buttery Cloud Loaf.  $8.49.

"Wheat flour and butter are thoroughly mixed and kneaded for a soft, fluffy texture. The homemade milk custard filling adds creamy sweetness, making every bite tender and rich."

The one right in front is the buttery cloud loaf.  Such a soft and fluffy loaf!  It was lightly sweet in the way that most Asian sweet breads are, and the custard filling was just the right amount of creamy goodness inside.  I really enjoyed it just as a snack, ripping off pieces of the soft fluffy bread, and I think it would be great for breakfast too.  I imagine you could toast or warm it, but I didn't find that necessary.  Very simple, but very enjoyable.  High 4/5.

They also make a loaf in a chocolate version (with cocoa-hazelnut filling and dark chocolate glaze), one with azuki red beans and pork floss (!), another one with coconut milk filling and coffee crumble topping, and a more plain one.

Dirty Bun. $8.49.

"Flaky pastry filled with rich chocolate cream, topped with a layer of green matcha powder."

Next is the dark one, the dirty bun. 

The bread itself had reasonable cocoa flavor, not super dark, but definitely chocolatey, and was standard Asian style slightly sweet bread.  As a day-old, it was a touch stale, but I can't blame them for that.  The chocolate cream filling was fantastic, great chocolate pudding flavor, and it added the strong hit of chocolate I was looking for.  The shards of dark chocolate that flaked off the top were high quality and delightful too.  4/5, good execution of a chocolate cream bun.

They also make a matcha version of this.

Butter Caramel Egg Tart. $4.99.

"Crafted with a rich 1:1.8 egg-to-milk ratio, the custard center is exceptionally silky and smooth. Hand-laminated pastry ensures long-lasting crispness, while the caramel sauce is slow-cooked by hand for deep, layered flavor."

And finally, hiding in the back, a hunk of the egg tart, which is nothing like any egg tart I've ever had before.  In fact, I had to search through the menu, and ask my friend who got it what this was, as it didn't seem possible it was the egg tart.  But it was.  And, she said it was massive, this was just a tiny hunk.  But if you had asked me what it was, I would have told you a creme brulee inside a croissant/danish crust.  

So yeah, what we had was a thick laminated pastry base, formed into a shell.  It wasn't flaky exactly, perhaps as it was a day old, but it was very well laminated, and clearly high butter.  The flavor was fabulous.  A very good pastry, just on its own.

But that filling!  Zomg.  Such a rich custard.  I guess, yes, an 1:1.8 egg to milk ratio does it as they say.  It was so thick and rich.  But not eggy at all. Sweet but not too sweet.  Really, really fantastic.  

Put it all together, and this one just hit all the high marks.  I think my favorite of the items I tried, and definitely the most dessert-like, 4.5/5.

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Slicehaus Pizzeria

Does New York City need more pizza?  Um, obviously not.  But do we still get excited when there is a hot new pizza place opening up?  Yep!

"Slicehaus Pizzeria brings authentic New York attitude to every slice. It’s bold, creative, and made for people who love real food and real energy. Come for the good vibes, stay for the crunch, and feel what the city’s all about."

Slicehaus caught my eye as soon as it opened this fall (2025), partially due to all the comparisons to L’Industrie, which I tried for the first time this summer, and found their burrata slice just as exceptional, flawless really, as everyone says it is. 

"Every slice at Slicehaus carries a story — slow-fermented dough, crisped to perfection, and layered with care. It’s not just food, it’s a vibe: fresh, fearless, and made with the kind of passion that keeps you coming back for more. Think street-style cool meets handmade heart."

Slicehaus is a similar style (New York style, but with Italian basis) and is the product of L'Industrie alums, so it is no surprise people compare the two.  The dough is the focus, with 48 hour fermentation.  They offer some basic pies (pepperoni, margherita, meatball & ricotta, etc, but also some nicely curated ones like sausage & shishito or porcini & truffle).  One size only (large, 20"), the most expensive of which is $57.50.  You can also just get slices at the shop.

Slicehaus, at least this early on in its life, is far more accessible than L'Industrie: no crazy lines AND they are available for delivery.  However, I cannot say I recommend the delivery experience, and have quite a side tale to tell here ...

===

I ordered 7 pizzas for delivery on DoorDash for a group work event.  My order was quickly confirmed, and although I was given a far out delivery slot, I knew to expect this, and planned my summit schedule around it.  I was pleased when I saw that our order was ready quite quickly, despite the long time estimate given, although had to slightly scramble to wind down the formal content of our event.  I got everything set up for our pizza party.  Ended the sessions.  Folks were waiting.

A Dasher got assigned quickly.  Things were looking great.  But .. after they arrived at the shop, suddenly, I had no Dasher.  Huh.  Another got assigned. They went to the shop.  And then they vanished.  A third.  At this point, Slicehaus actually called me to say that bike Dashers kept showing up and refusing the delivery as 7 large pizzas couldn't fit on their bikes.  They suggested I contact Doordash.

So I did.  Or, I tried. Got an AI chatbot.  Kept escalating.  Got a human who ran through a generic playbook, "Don't worry, we're still working on finding a Dasher for you!", etc, etc.  Another Dasher assigned.  Another reject.  Time kept on ticking.  I *finally* got a real human on Doordash support, and explained the issue.  I asked them to send a car Dasher, not a bike Dasher.  They assured me they had assigned me, manually, a car Dasher.  They said it would take longer, as the nearest one was further away, but rest assured, a car Dasher was on their way to the store.

That Dasher arrived, and ... refused the order.  Back into the queue I went.  Another bike Dasher I got (you can see the type of Dasher by their icon on the map).  Sigh.  I tried to get back in touch with support, and this time, was never able to get a useful human.  5 more Dashers assigned, showed up, refused, left.

I called the restaurant back.  They said even the "car" turned out to be a bike.  No bike could take the order.  I asked if maybe they could at least send half the order?  They said I really needed to get in touch with Doordash.  I tried again to contact support.  Finally got a human who told me Doordash cannot split the order.  But I could cancel and order 2 orders if I wanted.  I said sure, thinking I could call the restaurant to tell them what was up.  But ... Doordash also said they couldn't actually refund my order if I cancelled, since the restaurant had already made the pizzas (!).  The best they could do is refund my service fee (!!).  

This situation went on for 2 hours.  Nearly 20 different Dashers assigned.  Pizza obviously cold and old.  My group of 25 people getting quite restless.

So what did I do?  I finally called the restaurant, and told them I was putting someone in an Uber to come pick up the pizzas.  So that is what we did.  2.5 hours after ordering, we ate our pizza.  This was a complete failure of Doordash's platform and large orders, absolutely not the fault of the restaurant in any way.  I also learned that you can order from their website directly, as they have a car service they use instead.  For next time.  Sigh.

===

The pizza came many hours after ordering, so I cannot give this a fair evaluation (and also failed to get photos of the 5 other kinds we had).  What I can say is that the crust was perfectly cooked, crisp but not too crispy, just the right level of flop, no charred bits.  The toppings were evenly applied and well distributed, the sauce and cheese to the edges as you'd want.  Really well made pizza, but, alas, I had it cold much later.

Porcini & Tartufu (half with shisitos). $55.20.

"Savory pie with porcini mushrooms, truffle, fresh basil, and melted cheese."

I quite liked the juicy, meaty mushrooms on this one, although I didn't really taste any truffle.  I added shisitos to one half since many people in the group indicated liking some spice.

Sausage & Shishito. $48.30.

"Savory sausage and shishito peppers atop a classic New York-style pizza, garnished with fresh basil leaves and a rich tomato sauce."

I also snagged a slice of the top most requested pizza for my group: sausage & shishito.  A very well made pizza, sauce right up to the edges, fully covered in cheese, good amount of both, nothing dominating.  I really quite liked the flavorful sausage.

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Sterns Bakery, NYC

Sterns is a kosher bakery in the New York City area.  It is a family run bakery, started in Hungary, but moved to the United States in 1949.

The bakery makes sliced breads and challah, buns, bagels, and pita, plus tons of cakes (roll cakes, bundts, layer cakes, babka cakes), all the pastries (donuts, danishes, muffins, cupcakes, cookies, rugelach), and cheesecakes.

In addition to the bakery fresh items, they have several more stable product lines: Pastry To Go is boxed family sized individually wrapped smaller (1 ounce) snack cakes (akin to Little Debbie/Drake's, etc), Munchbreak is individually wrapped convenience store style boxes of slightly bigger (3 ounce) items, and Fresh To Go is the larger (5-6 ounce), clamshell packaged pastries.  It is one of the Fresh To Go items that I tried.

Fresh To Go Packaging.

"In 2012, Stern's unveiled the Pastry to Go product line, a revolutionary moment in the cake industry. Individually wrapped for convenience, these pastries became a clean and delicious go-to snack, bringing taste and tradition into the hands of consumers."

I tried a Fresh To Go item, which is the style of something you'd find in a convenience store that is sorta trying to look like it has fresh bakery items.  This product line has muffins, danishes, turnovers, and a few desserts (classic black and white cookies, napoleon)

They make all your standard muffins: chocolate chip, corn, blueberry, plus some very dessert-like ones such as cappuccino, chocolate cream cheese, or cappuccino cream cheese.  All are 4", 5 ounce muffins, although they make minis too.

Blueberry Muffin.

"A 4” vanilla-based blueberry muffin that is crisp on the outside and moist on the inside."

The blueberry muffin is definitely a cake masquerading as a breakfast item style, sweet, vanilla cake base.  It was fairly moist, didn't taste overly full of chemicals or processing.  Fairly average.  It had some big blueberries in it, well distributed and not clumped together, but not nearly as many as I'd hope to see.  A tiny bit of streusel on top that I liked, but again, not as much as I'd want.  It was "fine".  3/5

They consider this 2.5 servings, and like many muffins, it was ~600 calories if you ate the whole thing.

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Martha's Country Bakery

Martha's Country Bakery has been on my radar since the first time I stayed in Brooklyn (Williamsburg) for a month one summer a few years back.  They had several locations within a few minutes walk of where I was staying, and, well, it is a bakery, and I love baked goods, and seemed pretty busy, so of course I was interested.  However, I also discovered Mia's Brooklyn Bakery during that visit, and I became a repeat customer there instead, and thus, never branched out after the rave success of their lobster roll.  So somehow, despite walking by it daily to get to the subway to/from the office, I never actually got anything (I did step inside to scope it out, and honestly, the vastness of their selections was another factor in me not getting anything, as I was overwhelmed every time).

Anyway, Martha's Country Bakery is a small chain of bakery-cafes in Brooklyn and Queens.  5 locations, none in Manhattan.  They first opened in 1969.  I still haven't actually gone there myself to order, but recently a friend did, and got a whole pie, so I finally got to try it.

Setting

Walking into Martha's is a bit ... overwhelming.  Well, if you approach the display cases that is.  You could choose to be seated and order from a menu, as they offer full table service.  But you can also approach the display cases and order there, and ... well, let's just say, I've walked in a few times, and been met with total decision paralysis.  The array of goodies is beyond massive.  A glimpse:

Cupcakes.

The lineup starts chill, with cupcakes (or, as chill as a lineup with 18 choices for cupcakes alone can be ....). 

Bars / Pudding / Cake Pops / Slices.

Then some bars, cake pops (3 kinds), puddings (5 kinds), and slices ...

Cookies.

But don't forget to look on TOP of the cases, where there are cookies.

More cookies & slices.

In fact, there are 18 different kinds of cookies too, some of which are vegan.

Cheesecakes.

Then we get into the cheesecake slices, 14 kinds of those.

More Slices.

And different styles of cake slices, a whopping 17 of those.

More Slices / Tarts.

The slices continue, along with fruit tarts (3 kinds).

Slices / Bread Pudding.

More and more slices, but don't forget to look down, where the bread puddings are hiding (with or without chocolate), and flan, and rice pudding.

Pie Slices.

And then it is time for slices of pie.

More Pie Slices.

12 kinds of pie, by the slice.

Pies.

But of course you can get whole pies too.

Whole Pies.

All are readily available whole too, no pre-orders required.

Cakes.

Same with the whole cakes (7 or 8 inch, 30 kinds!!!!).

Pies

For pies, Martha's has quite the lineup: all the fruit pies (apple crumb, sour cream apple, old fashioned apple, or apple strudel, blueberry or triple berry, cherry), cream/custard pies (banana cream, pumpkin, key lime), nuts (pecan), and decadent chocolate (mississippi mud).  Slices are available for $10.25 each, whole pies for $40-45 depending on the variety.

Cherry Pie. $41.50.

This was my third cherry pie in as many weeks - the first was sour cherry from Bubby's (average, their crust isn't that great, 3/5), and then another sour cherry from Petee's (much better crust, much better filling, didn't blow my mind, but very good classic cherry pie 4/5).

The Martha's version was crumb topped, not sour cherry pie, regular cherry.  It came very generously covered (normally I'd say "dusted" but that doesn't seem appropriate for the quantity) with powdered sugar.  It also had a trio of maraschino cherries perched on top that actually made it look kinda cheap (at least to me.  Fresh cherries, cocktail cherries, those would look classier ...).

Under the abundance of powdered sugar was a thick crumble topping.  It required force to cut into, almost like a cookie layer.  It was sweet and crumbly, and I really liked it except ... it had a spicing to it that I didn't care for, perhaps nutmeg, that was fairly aggressive and really clashed with the cherry filling.  I almost loved that topping, it's a shame on the spicing.

Cherry Pie: Inside.

The pie crust base was good, thick, nice buttery flavor (although not super flaky).

And then, the cherry filling.  To me, it tasted a bit cheap and was just fairly sweet (not cloying, but definitely just sweet).  In short, it matched the vibe of those maraschino cherries perched on top.  I definitely prefer either a sour cherry pie, or one that is made with fresh cherries, this one just felt kinda like pie-from-a-can (although less goopy that those can be).

I liked the pie considerably more once I warmed it up and served it with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream, but overall it was a letdown.  Good crust, almost awesome topping, mediocre filling.  Low 3/5.

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Dominique Ansel Workshop

Update Review, August 2025 Visit

For the Workshop location's 4th anniversary, they celebrated by bringing back 6 fan favorites for one weekend only.  Of course I was interested in this, because, exclusive! And likely to be great, after all, fan favorites don't happen by chance ... right?

I'll admit that I was slightly let down by my order.  Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it wasn't exceptional, and in particular, the *pastry*, the part I expected to shine, was the let down (particularly compared to Petit Chou, which I had a few days prior).  I did still enjoy my order, but, didn't feel quite the charm I have in the past.

Mango & Rice Pudding Danish. $10.50.

"Fresh-sliced mangos, vanilla bean riz au lait (rice pudding), lime almond cream, laminated brioche, lime zest."

I couldn't resist the mango and rice pudding danish, even though my brain was a little confused about rice pudding inside of a danish.

It was good, but not exceptional. The pastry is actually the part that let me down which was a real surprise. It did have incredible buttery flavor, and was well laminated, but it was soft, almost spongy, as if not fresh or if it had been refrigerated. No flaky qualities to it. The depth of flavor in the butter was fantastic, but it did let me down overall.  Pastry: 2/5 if that in terms of texture, 4/5 flavor.

Mango & Rice Pudding Danish: Cross Section.

However, the fillings were amazing. 

The mango in particular was perfectly ripe and juicy, honestly better than any mango I've had in the US in years. It instantly transported me to Southeast Asia. And obviously it was beautifully arranged on top.  This alone was a showstopper.  I'm still thinking about that mango two weeks later.

The rice pudding was good, thick and rich.  The rice was well cooked, not too mushy, not too al dente.  The lime almond cream had an amazing brightness to it from the zest, but I did find it a bit weird texturally to have the rice pudding, and the thick almond paste, and the danish itself all together.

Fillings, 4/5, maybe just 3.5/5.

So overall, lackluster pastry, tasty fillings that I would have rather had in just some other application.

Original Review, August 2024

One of my first visits to New York, I visited Domnique Ansel Kitchen on my last day, not to try the oh-so-famous cronut, but rather, the DKA.  I was going through a kouign amann discovery phase at the time, and *needed* to try that famous version.  I enjoyed it, and the rest of the lineup looked great, but it never made it back to the top of my list during subsequent trips to NY.

Then, I spent 5 weeks in New York in the summer of 2023, and even with that longer stay, somehow visiting any of the locations (the bakery, the workshop) just never reached the top of my list.  So when I returned in October, I was determined to give it another shot.  This time, I visited the "Workshop".  It was so great I returned again in August 2024 when I spent another month in NY.

"Our newest shop is a celebration of croissants,  located right inside of our pastry production kitchens here in Flatiron, NYC, just a block up from Madison Square Park. Stop in for a taste of all different types of croissants and breakfast viennoiserie, stroll to the park, and enjoy!"

The Workshop really is that - it is their massive baking facility, with just a tiny little side area for those who want to stop by in person.  The menu is entirely different from the other locations (besides croissants and cookies), and they do NOT carry the cronut.  They offer a few savory items as well, but I focused on sweet.  

I really enjoyed my goodies, and several were particularly mind blowing.  Next time I'm in New York, I *will* return!

Pain au Chocolate. $7.70.

"Double chocolate croissant with three batons of chocolate."

I like chocolate.  I like croissants.  And yet chocolate croissants / pain au chocolate are rarely what I gravitate towards.  But I was drawn in by this as it wasn't a standard offering with chocolate only inside, but rather, chocolate in the dough as well (but it did have three big batons of chocolate within as well).

The pastry was exceptional, as expected.  Ridiculously flaky exterior that shattered in a beautifully messy way.  It did have a bit of chocolate flavor to it, but it wasn't dramatic.  The chocolate batons within were deep and dark, clearly high quality chocolate, definitely where the majority of the chocolate aspect came from.  The bakery likes to point out that they throw in an additional baton instead of the usual 2.

This still wouldn't be my top choice of croissant flavor, but, it was a high quality, textbook execution, of a pain au chocolate with a touch of extra chocolate.  3.5/5. 

Almond Croissant. $7.25.

"with extra homemade almond frangipane, crunchy toasted almonds, and confectioners sugar."

Oh, wow.  Um.  Wow.  This was truly fabulous.  I don't think I've had a better almond croissant, anywhere.  

Where to start ... it was stuffed full of very flavorful frangipane, that almost tasted like it had a boozy aspect to it, in a good way.  Plenty of it.  A+ filling.

And the pastry itself, top notch, well laminated, crispy, buttery, flaky, yadda yadda.  

And then, what pushed it far above and beyond other very good almond croissants: the topping.  It was absolutely coated in the slivered almonds, that had a deep toasty flavor, phenomenal crunch, and lots of caramelization.  Exceptional.

There is nothing that I'd change about this.  Flawless.  Perfect 5/5.

Croissants. $5.50 Classic / $6 Olive Oil.

"Classic Croissant made with Beurre d’Isigny French butter and Les Grands Moulins des Paris flour."

"Olive Oil Croissant made with cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and a hint of rosemary, confit garlic, and coarse sea salt."

I think the larger ones here are the regular classic croissants, and the thinner the olive oil?

I tried a hunk of the olive oil croissant, mostly out of complete curiosity.  It really was interesting!  It was an excellent croissant, but, far more savory.  My brain somewhat tasted focaccia, with the oil/rosemary/salt (I didn't detect the garlic), but ... it was a croissant.  I think this would make a totally incredible breakfast sandwich (which, I realized after I wrote this, they do offer).  3.5/5.

Brown Sugar DKA. $6.50.

“Dominique’s Kouign Amann”: similar to a caramelized croissant, with tender flaky layers

inside and a caramelized crunchy crust outside. Our best-seller!!"

"Best described as a “caramelized croissant,” our classic DKA (short for “Dominique’s Kouign Amann”) is a Breton pastry that features a crispy, caramelized crust on the outside with a flaky and tender crumb within, and a bit of gooeyness in the center. It's no wonder these flaky golden pastries are our #1 best-seller here at the Bakery! "

And of course, I had to get a DKA.  I had this once before, my first ever visit to any Dominique Ansel location (Dominique Ansel Kitchen), and did find it to be one of the best kouign amann's I'd ever had.

It remains exceptionally well done.  Everything you want in a kouign amann: very crispy caramelized exterior, flaky layers, SOOO much butter and sugar flavor.  And their kinda signature touch of a slightly gooey caramel center.  

Sugar. Butter.  Crispness.  Decadence.  Yup.  4.5/5.

Chocolate Caramelia Triangle. $7.50.
(2023).

"Filled with silky Valrhona Caramelia (caramelized milk chocolate) pastry cream."

My first selection of more interesting items was inspired by the memory of a couple different cream filled flaky pastries I had during my stay in New York in August: the insanely delicious lobster tail from  Mia's Bakery in Brooklyn, and the chocolate cream version from Veniero's.  I was craving quality flaky pastry and delicious cream filling.

When I picked this up, I was shocked.  First, it was considerably bigger than I was expecting.  Much like most lobster tail pastries, it was a monster compared to the size of a standard danish or croissant.  But even though it was physically large, the weight still surprised me.  This thing was hefty.  Seriously, it weighed a ton.

The pastry was fairly standard laminated dough, like you'd get with any filled croissant.  Reasonably buttery, reasonably flaky, definitely not stale.  Not particularly great, but certainly better than an average bakery.  It had a few lines of a darker color through it, that might have been chocolate, but I didn't taste a difference in that area.  The pastry was a couple layers thick. 3.5/5.  (Don't mind the slight caramel glaze on top here, that actually came from my second item, that was packaged in the same bag as it).

Chocolate Caramelia Triangle: Inside.

Inside is where it got interesting.  It was absolutely loaded with the pastry cream.  This is where all the weight came from.  Light fluffy chocolate whipped cream this was not.  It was very thick custard style cream, with intense caramelia flavor.  If you are unfamiliar, caramelia is one of Valrhona's signature milk chocolates (36%), that has remarkably strong buttery caramel tones (it does have butter in it, after all).  This tasted like if you melted down a caramello bar (or any other sweet buttery caramel filled bar of your choice) and then made it into rich pastry cream.  Intense, intense, intense.  The pastry helped cut it a bit, but, wow, this was quite rich, and a little went a long way.  3.5/5.

If you are a caramel and chocolate lover, this is definitely worth a try.  I enjoyed it, but found it too heavy and rich to eat more than 1/3, maybe 1/2 of in one sitting, so I recommend sharing with someone.  I had the second half later with vanilla ice cream, which was a nice pairing, and helped cut the richness a bit.  

Sea Salt Hazelnut Praliné Flan. $7.75.
(2023).

"A French-style flan with hazelnut pastry cream baked in a laminated brioche nest, hazelnut praliné, and Maldon sea salt."

Next up, the incredibly fascinating flan pastry.  Yes, this was a laminated brioche "nest" (basically, a croissant shell), filled with thick rich flan, topped with hazelnut pastry cream, topped with hazelnut praliné (which, was basically like hazelnut butter), and some hazelnut pieces.  If I thought the previous item was rich, this was another notch.  It was also incredible.

The pastry itself was remarkable.  Much like the triangle pastry, it was well laminated, had beautiful layers, was reasonably crisp, but not particularly decadent, no noteworthy flavor.  Better than average, but not amazing.  3.5/5.

The pastry nest was very well formed, and thicker than the triangle pastry, as was needed to hold the marvelous contents.

Sea Salt Hazelnut Praliné Flan: Cross Section.

And here you can see those contents.

Filling the cup was the flan.  Well set, thick, rich, good flan.  Not too sweet,  This alone would be a good flan.  4/5.  Together, the laminated nest and the flan filling sorta gave off the vibes of a Chinese egg custard tart or Portuguese pastel de nata, but, with a French spin.

But then ... the hazelnut praliné.  OMG.  It was one of the tastiest things I've had in a while, and, I say that eating lots of tasty things regularly.  It was sweet.  It was nutty.  It was gritty.  It was salty.  It was like the best cookie butter, but, amplified.  Truly, I think it is ground candied hazelnuts.  They should sell this by the jar.  I'd spread it on anything, including, my finger, direct in the jar.  This was bonkers good.  Perfectly ooey gooey too.  5/5.  Flawless.

Add in some hazelnut halves for even more crunch, and more hazelnut flavor, and, well, this was just a truly wonderful treat to eat.  Every component could easily be enjoyed on its own - quality pastry, rich thick flan, insane-o hazelnut praliné.  But put it all together?  And it totally worked.

Glorious.  I'd get another with no hesitation.  4/5.

Strawberries & Cream Pistachio Roll. $10.
(2024).

"Fresh strawberry compote, vanilla Chantilly, pistachio ganache, laminated brioche."

Oh, man.  Another one that may look the size of a normal filled croissant in this photo, but I assure you, it was not.  It was really quite large, easily splittable by 2-3 people.  The super-size of the pastries from the Workshop always surprises me, but it does make the now $10 price more reasonable.  

Anyway, what we had here was a laminated brioche, with bi-color layers of strawberry and regular pastry, with an attractive pattern on top, accented by strawberry white chocolate paint.  The ends were dunked in more of the white chocolate and covered in pistachio bits.

The pastry was good, clearly fresh, crispy.  It reminded me of croissant pastry, but a bit crispier, less big pockets of air, and a bit more rich.  You could really taste the butter, in a good way.  I guess, now I know what "laminated brioche" really is.  It was a good vehicle for what was to come.  4/5 pastry.

Strawberries & Cream Pistachio Roll: Chantilly.

I cut into it to reveal the fillings.  At first I was confused: why did I see only the white vanilla chantilly?  Where was the pistachio ganache? The fresh strawberry compote?  It turned out, the end with the pistachios decorating it was also filled about 1/4 of the way with pistachio ganache, and the strawberry compote was primarily concentrated in the top half as well.  So, don't just cut in half and hand one half off to a friend (unless you slice the other way or want one of you to not get all the great fillings).

The vanilla chantilly was pretty incredible.  I've never had such a light, fluffy cream in my life. It tasted so purely of cream, like, intense cream flavor, but, fluffy.  Remarkable.  4.5/5 cream.  Like something you'd get in Japan.

My slight complaint is that there really was not much of the strawberry compote, there was some in the folds of the pastry as you can see here, but that was about it.  It was sweet, fruity, light, and really went well with everything else, but I wanted more of it.  

Strawberry & Pistachio Roll: Pistachio Ganache.

And finally, the pistachio ganache, from the end with the pistachio bits on it.  It was thicker than the chantilly, a pretty light green color.  It was very rich, and mildly sweet, in a white chocolate sweet way.  I actually thought it didn't taste all that strongly of pistachio, but it was enjoyable anyway.  ***, because it didn't quite deliver in the pistachio department.  The pistachio bits on the end certainly did, and they also added nice crunch.

I did find the choice of concentrating the ganache on the end less than ideal.  It made those bites really almost too rich.  I liked the ganache, don't get me wrong, but I wanted more of the lighter cream to cut it, particularly given the richness of the laminated brioche.

If I sound critical, that is only because this is at the top echelon of baking perfection.  It was a very, very, very good pastry.  Most bakeries only dream of achieving this level of quality.  The pastry, the fillings, everything was truly textbook, which I mean in a perfection sense, not boring.  Overall, 4/5, and I'd certainly get it again, and can't wait to try more of their offerings.

Caramelia Feuilletine Clusters. $18.
(2023).

"These deliciously decadent clusters are made crunchy wafer crisps covered in rich Valrhona Caramelia (caramelized milk chocolate). Bet you can’t eat just one!"

And finally, since I was getting delivery one time, and couldn't resist just adding on one more item to take home with me, the caramelia feuilletine clusters, which feature one of my favorite things: feuilletine.  Take feuilletine and cover it in quality milk chocolate, and make it even more snackable by forming clusters?  Um, yes.

These were pretty much exactly the sum of their parts.  Feuilletine, super crispy, formed into clusters, smothered in very rich creamy Caramelia chocolate (the same used in the triangle pastry).  Crunchy, chocolatey, caramely, rich.  Very tasty, but I found that one cluster was enough at at ime.  I liked to pair with coffee, or top with whipped cream, to balance out a bit.

Very enjoyable, but I don't think I'd get another batch.  3.5/5.

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Crumbl Cookies

Update Review, August 2025 Visit

My second ever visit to Crumbl.  We don't have a location in SF surprisingly, so I've only ever visited while traveling.  Even my hometown in NH has one now, so I find it a bit puzzling that they haven't opened any in SF yet ... but anyway, on to the review!

Display Cookies.

The week I visited, Crumbl had a fairly boring (to me) lineup of 7 primary cookies, along with one trendy Dubai Chocolate Brownie, plus the minis.  From the 7, two of the cookies featured Oreos (one golden, one regular) and I dislike Oreos, so those were out.  One was just the basic chocolate chip, which is just boring.  The Kit Kat, S'mores, and chocolate peanut butter just really didn't call out to me.  I was striking out.  But the final one, strawberry pretzel pie, was at least vaguely interesting.  Still, not a week that excited me, but I still picked up a cookie.

As always, the cookies were showcased in a display when you enter.

Strawberry Pretzel Pie Cookie.
(Chilled). $5.29.

"A buttery pie-inspired cookie rolled in pretzel pieces, adorned with whipped cream cheese topping, house-made strawberry jam, and more crunchy pretzel pieces."

My choice was easy, the only interesting (to me) one: strawberry pretzel pie.  Inspired by strawberry pretzel salad/pie, if you are familiar with that sorta retro Southern 1960s dessert with strawberry Jello, Cool Whip, and cream cheese, usually on a pretzel crust base as a bar, or made into a pie crust shell.  The Crumbl spin on it of course was a cookie.  This is one of the chilled offerings.

It was assembled to order, with the whipped cream cheese topping, jam, and pretzel garnish added to order.  It was presented to me for my approval, and handed over.  I immediately plucked off the pretzel from the top, dragged it through the jam and whipped topping, and plopped it into my mouth.

I was let down but also quite happy, all at once.  Let down because the pretzel was soft, soggy, kinda stale ... even though assembled to order and consumed literally on the spot.  This confused me.  Clearly the pretzels in the assembly station weren't exactly the freshest.  So, -1 point for the "more crunchy pretzel pieces" being well, not that.

But the jam!  Oh the jam.  The jam was incredible.  It looked a bit ho-hum, and I know people really like it and that it is house-made, and, yeah, it is rave worthy.  Intensely fruity, concentrated berry flavor.  It was far from generic strawberry jam you'd find at a diner.  They make it in-house at the individual stores.  Excellent jam, although it was very sweet.  4/5.

Then, the whipped topping.  This sorta reminded me of slightly cream cheese-y Cool Whip.  Far lighter and more like a mousse than cheesecake, but with some of those flavors in there.  It went great with the jam, just like it would go great with the strawberry jello in the classic pretzel pie, but it too was really fairly sweet, particularly alongside the jam, I found myself wanting it to have the sweetness toned down a bit, and the cheesiness amped up.  Probably 4/5 for that too, isolated, but maybe 3.5 in this application due to sweetness. (Oh, wow, I looked up the ingredients, and yes, it actually *is* Cool Whip and cream cheese, lol).

And then of course, there is the fact that this is a cookie after all.  The cookie base was quite interesting.  A thick, soft cookie.  Buttery, sweet but not too sweet, sorta like a softer shortbread almost with the high buttery flavor.  But also it was studded with candied pretzel pieces, so many pretzel pieces, baked inside and then it was rolled in them.  They added a lot of texture, flavor, and salt.  It was a fairly decadent tasting base cookie. 3.5/5 base.

Put it all together, and you have sweet, fruity, creamy, salty, yep, yep, yep.  But it still trended too sweet for me overall, fine in small pieces, or with black coffee or red wine, but hard to really devour on its own (not that you should necessary try to take this down in one sitting anyway. T his is actually one of their more modest desserts, only 620 calories (the rest of the lineup was more in the 800 range, or even over 1000 for the Dubai chocolate brownie), but still, an undertaking (it is also available in mini form).

I enjoyed trying this, but I wouldn't get it again. High 3.5/5.

Original Review, January 2024

I spent many years not really being into cookies, mostly considering them a snack, and not worthy of a full fledged dessert slot.  Sure, a cookie could be an element of a dessert, but you'd never find me eating just a cookie and calling that dessert.

Sometime during the covid lockdown, I got a bit more, let's say, adaptable, and settled on eating cookies more.  Yes, I did still normally warm them up and serve them with ice cream sandwiched in-between, or I'd dunk into whipped cream and sprinkles, but, I finally started eating more cookies, and even, gasp, craving them from time to time.

This past summer, when I was in New York for my birthday, I of course did my annual birthday freebie crawl, and was delighted to have so many more venues to hit up.  One of those was Crumbl, a fairly popular nationwide cookie chain, that somehow doesn't have a location in SF.

Crumbl is a relatively new chain, started only in 2017.  They have more than 800 stores in the US now, and some internationally.  Rapid expansion, for sure.

They started out with serving literally just chocolate chip cookies, but quickly expanded the menu too.  The concept now is actually fairly unique, with 6 cookies offered every week, the same 6 at every Crumbl location, and they change weekly on Mondays.  Seasonal offerings abound.  This gives a consistent experience across locations, but, a constant sense of missing out and thus needing to visit, stat.   They have a decent loyalty program, and, yes, a free cookie on your birthday.  I'll gladly return, and wish they'd open in SF.

Daily Offerings.

Every week features a new rotation of 5 cookies (I think chocolate chip is always offered), which run Mon-Sat (they are closed on Sun, nationwide), and every store can do a "mystery cookie" of their choice, which changes throughout the week.  The lineup includes a mix of both warm and chilled cookies.  They are all quite large, bigger than average cookies (I later looked it up, and saw the serving size is 1/4 of a cookie ... doh).  They do also make some mini (e.g. normal size) cookies.

The week I visited, the lineup was: semi-sweet chocolate chunk (warm), caramel pumpkin cake (warm), chocolate peanut butter ft. Oreo (warm), key lime pie (chilled), chocolate toffee cake (warm), and the mystery flavor was another chocolate one (also warm).

Box.

Cookies are prepared to order, so, warm ones are warmed up, and *then* toppings are applied as needed (which makes sense, as the toppings would melt as the cookies are warmed, and most have some kind of frosting/whipped cream/etc on top).

Since mine was a chilled cookie, I didn't realize it too would be prepared to order, but it was filled and topped to order, and then put in a box, perfectly sized to fit the (very large) cookie.  Again, these are not normal size cookies.

Key Lime Pie.

"Our refreshing classic key lime pie rendition includes a chilled buttered graham crust, zesty lime filling, whipped cream, graham cracker crumbs, and a fresh lime wedge to squeeze on top."

If you read my blog much, you'll realize what an odd order this is for me.  I don't tend to like citrus based desserts.  But ...  I didn't want something with chocolate (as it was evening and I avoid caffeine), so, that left with me with the choice of the pumpkin cake one, or this.  As it was just barely the start of September, and 95* out (!!!), I certainly was not ready to delve into pumpkin spice themes, I was in full on summer mode still.  Thus, key lime pie it was.

I was very pleased with this "cookie".  Calling it a cookie is a bit odd, but, I guess, at the heart, the base *is* a cookie.  It was a fascinating graham cookie, not anything like a graham cracker, more, well, like a sweet sugar cookie, perfectly soft and sweet, but ... it tasted exactly like graham cracker.  Also not like a graham crust you'd find in a normal key lime pie either, it was not crumbly and dusty like that.  Really unique and interesting.  Far better than any graham cracker I've ever had, or any graham cracker crust, which I generally really do not care for.  Very thick, yet so soft.  **** cookie base.

And then, the key lime filling.  This was a little bit more runny than what you'd find in a well set key lime pie, but, it was smooth, creamy, tangy, lightly sweet.  Not a curd, which I appreciated, as I don't tend to like citrus curds.  Nice lime flavor.  Also quite good.  ****.

The little dot of whipped cream, the sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs, and the half a thin slice of lime really elevated the presentation dramatically, even if they were fairly easily lost in the end creation.

Overall, soft, sweet, tangy, unique, and definitely one of the most interesting cookies I've had in a long time.  I'd get it again, but now really want to try more of their offerings!  **** overall.

I was a bit thrown off by the fact that the sign said "180 calories" for the cookie ... that just didn't make sense, given the size, and decadent taste and fillings.  When I looked in more detail on the website, I found the reason why: the serving size is 1/4 of a cookie.  Aha.  If I was to eat the whole cookie, it clocks in at 720 calories!  Which definitely makes more sense, but also is far more than I expected.

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