Fillmore Bakeshop
Almond Croissant
Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding
Cinnamon Brioche Swirl
Chocolate Chip and Almond Cookie
Raspberry and Mocha Macarons
Pecan Pie Bar
Slotted in the unenviable position of early breakfast on my last half-day in town I’d be lying if I claimed Fillmore Bakeshop to be anything more than a convenient curiosity en route from my hotel to b.patisserie yet with a friendly staff and comparatively low prices to the rest of San Francisco the small storefront actually managed a pair of delicious highs amidst otherwise mediocre offerings and air-pocketed macarons overloaded with sugary paste and far worse than those of many home cooks. Obviously an ‘everything to everyone’ sort of place with French pastry lined up along favorites from the American Kitchen it should probably come as no surprise that items warm from the kitchen would prove amongst Fillmore’s strongest and beginning there the croissant was a fairly good start with nature’s subtlety replacing sticky frangipane amidst crispy curls and moving on to the brioche bun a similar crunch was found, though this time giving way to a springy buttered core liberally dressed in cinnamon sugar. Saving cookies and ‘pie’ for later only to be underwhelmed in each it was last during my visit that my attention turned to the ‘still-too-hot-too-eat’ bread pudding and still my very favorite type of dessert no matter how ‘simple’ to prepare this particular version proved lovely – a big scoop fresh from the pan teaming with custard-laced old croissants, fresh bananas, and intense dark chocolate beneath a lightly toasted top.
RECOMMEND: Bread Pudding, Cinnamon Brioche Swirl
AVOID: Macarons, Cookies.
TIP: Bread pudding is available daily at opening with later day baking focusing on pies and cakes, though occasionally a second batch will be made. Flavors vary daily and reportedly included blueberry-peach and strawberry-banana most recently.
