Arsicault: Inner Richmond's Neighborhood French Bakery

I love baked goods. I especially love pastries. San Francisco is full of delicious bakeries and treats such as morning buns, kouign amman, or a simple almond croissant. This makes my morning breakfast decisions especially rough (it's a hard life) as I'm choosing not only WHERE to go but WHAT to get.

My favorite San Francisco bakeries (in no particular order):

• Tartine Bakery: Get the morning bun and literally everything else, the bread pudding is featured in the picture below (Mission and 16th)

• B. Patisserie: Get the croissants and open faced sandwiches (Lower Pacific Heights)

• Arizmendi: Get the daily pizza and scones (Multiple locations, also part of the Cheeseboard Collective)

• King's Bakery: Get the Coconut Buns (Mission and 24th Street)

• Specialty's Bakery: Get the cookies, they are the perfect afternoon treat during a particularly rough day at work (This is a chain with multiple locations)

Recently, I learned about a new neighborhood spot in the Inner Richmond called Arsicault Bakery. Arsicault is a simple french bakery that has a small but wonderful selection of pastries including croissants (sweet and savory), scones, and morning buns.

My sister and I ran from our apartment in the Haight to the Inner Richmond, as we figured this would balance the sugar, butter, and bread we were about to inhale. We approached Arsicault and saw a gaggle of strollers and families enjoying their pastries with a cup of coffee. We approached the counter immediately.

We settled on an almond croissant and kouign aman to split. We grabbed our pastries and took a bite. They were, dare I say, FANTASTIC. Buttery and delicious. Carmelized sugar reigned supreme. The almond croissant had a filling that reminded us of the famous marizpan of Toledo. Luckily, I managed to get a picture of both before the demolition.

Were these pastries simple? Yes. Were they flaky, warm, and buttery? Yes. Did Arsicault have a large selection? No. Do they probably run out of options by noon? Yes.

Arsicault is a great neighborhood spot for when you are looking to go back to the basics. Forget a banana chocolate croissant (like the one at B. Patisserie), because although delicious, the simplicity of these perfectly well done pastries hit the spot. The next time you are in the Inner Richmond for Hong Kong Lounge or Burma Superstar, remember to return for Arsicault.

***UPDATE***: On August 10, 2016, Bon Appetit magazine declared Arsicault as "The Best New Bakery in America" for 2016. Good thing Burritos Beers & Bakeries found this spot way before it became popular. Hope you got in there before the crazy lines started forming! See the article here.