My Favorite SF Bay Area Cafes / Desserts
This is an on-going blog of cafes and bakeries in the Silicon Valley that Mr. Mystery Critic and his family like to go for dessert to-go or sit-down coffee and dessert time. They are mostly in the SF Bay Area, but there might an occasional out-of-town favorite.
- 100% Healthy Dessert [San Francisco] - Very interesting Hong Kong style dessert place. They look wacky (and colorful) but they taste like "normal" HK fruit desserts. You can create your own dessert too. Never tried the salty snacks but I saw many people having noodles and HK fish balls there.
1155 Taraval St., San Francisco, CA 94116
415-566-3887
- Bijan [Santa Clara] - Don't let the foreign name fool you - this place is a good old Californian bakery with a tiny European twist. The Princess cake is great and so are the tarts and pastries. Very crowded all the time except late and they open till LATE (11pm) most of the days.
- Draeger's Market [Many Locations] - This is NOT just another supermarket bakery (like Safeway) - it's high-end all the way! In all of its locations, pretty similar cake selections are found. Try to tricolor chocolate mousse cake - smoooooth! The tough-looking chocolate cake is reserved only for the choco-holics so be careful there. BTW, their deli is pretty good too, and the San Mateo has a decent restaurant upstairs.
- Fleur De Cocoa [Los Gatos] - If you are a fan of French-style desserts then you can't miss this place. It's not exactly Paris but close enough. GREAT looking desserts - esp the ones with chocolate - that melt in your mouth and leave an intense aftertaste. Just a little bit will satisfy you. If you can find a seat, try their coffee too.
- La Pattisserie [Cupertino] - Oh man, what an original name - and the desserts are not too creative either. They're good though - probably the best Euro-American dessert you'll find in that neighborhood. Reminder - Cupertino is not exactly a gourmet magnet so do set your expectation accordingly....
- Marco Polo [San Francisco] - This is a gelato place, not an American ice cream joint. Well, the name kind of gave it away..... But the flavors of the ice creams they are are by no means American - they can be intimidating, stuff like Lychee, Sesame and Durian. You can stick to a chocolate or hazelnut though, very rich, smooth and yummy!
- Satura Cakes [Los Altos and Other Locations] - Alright, this place is not quite comparable with those hyper-fancy bakery-cafes in Tokyo, but it tries hard to be one. The cakes are simply amazing - smooth, layered with full flavors, not overly sweet and nicely decorated (well, ALMOST to Asian standards). NOTE - place an advance order online and get 10% off!!
- Sogo [Milpitas and Other Locations] - Taiwanese-Japanese style bakery with breads and cakes. This is the best out of the many that are around. If you like light (not necessarily healthy though) desserts this would be your place - but you might find the chocolate-colored cake lacking taste of real chocolate....
