San Francisco’s Best Croissant contest 2023

At the competition final, organized by French Morning and l’Apéro, you will be able to taste the best croissants and other pastries of the candidates and vote for the bakery that will receive the Fan Prize, while the judges will award the Grand Prize.

List of the 8 finalists, revealed by French Morning :

Fournée Bakery
Perched high above Berkeley, facing the iconic Claremont Hotel, the bakery has been offering breads, pastries and cakes since 2013. Its owner, Frank Sally, is also an instructor at the San Francisco Baking Institute. He cut his teeth at the three-star Michelin restaurant Meadowood in Saint Helena.

The Midwife and the Baker
Mac and Jaime McConnell are behind this bakery that serves the San Francisco Bay Area with freshly baked, natural sourdough bread and pastries. The couple sources their bread from California farmers and local mills, and Franciscans seem to like it: they voted (Fan Prize) the bakery in the last Best Croissant contest. Mac McConnell also teaches baking at the San Francisco Baking Institute, and Jaime is a midwife, as the name of their bakery suggests.

Jane the Bakery
Known for its wide range of breads and pastries, Jane has become a favorite among San Franciscans, as evidenced by the long line of foodies waiting on Geary Boulevard. Jane’s products can also be enjoyed in her two coffee shops, located on Fillmore and Larkin streets. Jane The Bakery won the judges’ award at the 2018 Best Croissant contest.

Kahnfections
The Mission District bakery opened nearly six years ago with Judy Kahn at the stove. The pastry chef offers a wide variety of pastries - including croissants, of course - and classic French pastries, old-fashioned American desserts, as well as sandwiches, fresh salads and homemade soups for local residents.

Le Marais Bakery
Patrick Ascaso’s shop is above all a family business. The team uses organic ingredients from local farmers and French butter. Faced with an exorbitant rent increase in 2021, the Frenchman had to reluctantly close his store on Chestnut Street, in the Marina, but has since focused on his bakeries in the Castro, on Sutter Street and in Mill Valley, and most importantly, embarked on a new adventure by opening La Grande Crêperie last year, in the Ferry Building.

Maison Nico
The Montgomery Street deli doesn’t regret the three months of renovations it underwent last year. By enlarging the kitchen, the company gained a greater capacity to produce pastries and cakes. For its founder Nicolas Delaroque, it was important to expand the menu by offering not only his famous pies but also croissants, flaky buns and other pastries.

One House Bakery
Winner of the 2019 Fan Prize for Best Baguette, the Benicia bakery in Northeast Berkeley is family owned and operated. Hanalee Pervan, the daughter, has worked in prestigious kitchens, such as The French Laundry, but dreamed of opening her own address since she was a little girl. With the help of Catherine and Peter Pervan - her parents - it’s a dream come true as of 2018.

Thorough Bread and Pastry
A true institution in the vibrant Castro neighborhood, Michel Suas’ bakery has been offering a range of artisanal pastries for 14 years. The Frenchman, who cut his teeth at Barrier’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, is a well-known figure in the Bay Area baking world, founder in 1996 of the prestigious San Francisco Baking Institute (SFBI).

Useful information:
Sunday, May 7, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm
Location: Beacon Grand, A Union Square Hotel,
450 Powell Street San Francisco, CA 94102
Price: $25.00
Reserve your seat

Your admission ticket will also include your choice of hot beverage (coffee or tea), a selection of spreads and cheese and charcuterie.