After a year of too many chicken sandwiches, let loose and celebrate the joy of life with a beautiful dessert. The options are legion around the Bay but we found a few that were just a little more special. And yes, these desserts are worth the calories.
Featured Photo: Tribune
San Francisco
Craving something sweet without the guilt? Banán’s all about that — made from whipped banana with natural flavoring, you can get a taste of Hawaii and curb that craving all in one go. Try liliko’i (passionfruit) or chocolate haupia (coconut-meets-chocolate-custard), to name just a couple.
After an extended Covid closure, executive chef Rogelio Garcia and his team relaunched with an eight-course tasting menu that highlights his deep knowledge of contemporary American cuisine. At dessert, that means Tenbrink Farms Stoneftuit Pavlova. Like the ballerina it is named for, the meringue is light but intensely flavorful, crispy at first bite before giving way to a delicate softness. “The creme fraiche underneath gives it a deep rich note that accents the white peach,” chef says. “It’s a perfect dessert for me.”
Calling this dessert a Magic Stone does not do justice to the trompe l’oeil finale of the Stone Soup menu currently running at this theme- and experience-driven boutique restaurant. Carrot cake is disguised as a “stone” that sits on a bed of chocolate and fleur de sel cookie crumble meant to resemble soil. The sweet potato mousse and meringue mushrooms round out the forest floor idyl. Make sure to get a bit of each component in every bite for the full-on Hobbit experience.
Hit up Ocean Malasada Co.’s newly-opened kiosk at the Ferry Building where you’ll find Hawaiian-style stuffed doughnuts complete with tropical flavors like guava, pineapple and haupia. No need to splurge on a tropical vacation when you have these delightful treats!
Sweet Glory, the dessert café located in the Tenderloin, has quietly expanded to another location in the Inner Sunset. With these crepe-y desserts, there’s never been a better excuse to have cake for breakfast.
Another San Francisco dessert spot that is settling into its new digs is the classic Marco Polo Italian Ice Cream. Originally opened in 1982 on Taraval St. in the Outer Sunset, Marco Polo closed its doors last October to prepare itself for a move to a new location. Marco Polo’s new spot on Noriega St. is closer to the water, so grab some gelato and take a stroll down the Great Highway as you enjoy these creamy delights (weather permitting, of course).
South Bay
Not content to style San Francisco’s fog into a dessert, the pastry team at Alexander’s sweet spin-off went further afield for inspiration. Their iridescent blue London Fog is as cheery as a an English teapot. Slice into it to reveal chocolate mousse infused with the bright flavor of Earl Grey tea. Blackberry puree at the center adds a nice berry sweetness while the little black dress of the cookie world, chocolate sable, gives the base a just-right crunch. Audrey Hepburn would approve.
An ode to Filipino flavors, this cafe has all things ube flavored, and then some. The majority of Café 86’s menu is a selection of tasty beverages, including ube milkshakes, but be sure to pair it with a baked good or a sandwich. Already located in Union City and Daly City, their latest location recently opened in San Jose.
On the menu since day one, the Cashew Praline Cake is a favorite of Chef Pujan Sarkar who loves it as an example of modern Indian cooking technique. “The rice pudding, or phirni, on which the cake sits is blitzed and passed through nitrous oxide, making it super light,” chef says. By preventing the starches from coating your palette, the flavor of the praline really shines through.
North Bay
Angela’s Organic Ice Cream, just opened a new store in Mill Valley. Their artisan ice creams are made in-house with over 90% organic, locally sourced ingredients. Plus, they’re committed to sustainable practices, using compostable and reusable materials.
Waffle cones, creamy ice cream and everything you need from a classic ice cream parlor. The Shack is a sleek but homey shoppe in Larkspur, equipped with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating nestled among towering redwoods. Great for birthday parties, scoops after a game or just a sweet treat on a warm afternoon.
Whispered about by the area’s most fervent dessert lovers, the Bungalow Kitchen’s lemon crepe cake is a fan favorite and staple on the restaurant’s menu year-round. Paper-thin buttermilk crepes are layered with white chocolate crème fraiche cremieux, making for a luscious bite perfectly topped with Chantilly cream, strands of orange zest and toasted pistachios. MINA Group’s top pastry chef Veronica Arroyo keeps the perennial favorite fresh with nods to the Bay’s seasonality — maybe this spring, you’ll get to try it decorated with farmer’s market raspberries and preserved Meyer lemon curd.
The most famous pie in Marin — Buckeye’s S’more Pie — earned its reputation with plenty of old-fashioned yum. Chef Robert Price layers a honey-infused graham cracker crust with semisweet chocolate and toasted almonds, then ops it with meringue and more chocolate. The chocolate oozes from its meringue nest, a dark eye in a storm of fluffy white. The top layer of meringue is teased and toasted to look like waves cresting or a porcupine’s needles.
Chocolate, the ultimate happiness creator, is the heart, soul and body of a satisfying dessert crafted to capture chocolate’s ephemeral qualities. Chef Duilio Valenti uses olive oil instead of butter that gives the cake’s layers a silky texture, smoothed further by chocolate mousse filling. Topped with chocolate sauce and chocolate shavings, its actually a tower of triple chocolate love, but who’s counting?
A plant-based scoop shop launched in 2016 in Seattle has landed at Larkspur’s Marin Country Mart. Renowned for creamy, decadent vegan creations without the help of animal products, GMOs, soy or dairy, the brand creates up to 30 new ice creams and novelty products each year that are sustainably sourced. Be sure to try California Cabin, a flavor inspired by the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Sugar-free house made nut butters (pistachio, hazelnut), panna cottas (12+ flavors, including ube, mango, coconut), Belgian Liege waffles, croissants and cookies as well as toasts (avocado, salmon, Caprese) are available alongside Broadcast Coffee drinks, chai and lemonade. Keto options are available.
East Bay
The Asian-inspired desserts at Tammy Boonlieng’s Castro dessert café take cues from all over the world. The Hojicha Banoffee riffs on the English original with Japan flair. Made with organic hojicha custom grown for them at a farm in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, the aroma alone can stop you in your tracks. Then consider that an Oreo-almond crust supports sliced banana cradled by a layer dulce de leche caramel. The whole thing is topped with homemade hojicha cream and topped with fresh whipped cream. Garnished with a sprig of rosemary and Heath bar crumble, the pie looks like it was whipped up by elves from an enchanted land.
Bad Walter’s Bootleg Ice Cream began as an illegal living room ice cream operation in Oakland in the winter of 2020 during the pandemic (hence the “bootleg”). Their premium, lactose-free ice cream offers “maximalist” flavors like Slumber Party, made from Ritz cracker frozen custard, Reese’s Pieces, Nutter Butters and fudge swirls.
