San Francisco is famous for having extra delicious sourdough bread, made iconic by the City’s naturally-occurring bacteria Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. Ask any SF resident and they’ll tell you their own favorite spot to pick up this tangy, chewy loaf – but we think we’ve got a solid roundup here to get you started.
1. Josey Baker Bread at The Mill
At Josey Baker Bread, they mill all organic, whole-grain rye flour on-site daily, and you can enjoy dozens of different loaves at The Mill, their SF coffee shop. They’ll actually give you some of their sourdough starter in exchange for hand-written poems, drawings, paintings, photography, six-packs of beer, and more. Of course, you can also just ask for some… but where’s the fun in that?
Location: The Mill, 736 Divisadero Street, San Francisco
2. Rize Up Sourdough
Azikiwee Anderson founded this innovative micro-bakery in the spring of last year. It started as a quarantine project in response to nationwide unrest after the murder of George Floyd and the uneven impact of Covid-19 on the Black community. He now bakes dozens of delicious, creative sourdough loaves per week, with fun flavors including ube and jalapeño bacon.
Order online for delivery
3. Tartine Bakery
No time in San Francisco is complete without a visit to Tartine Bakery. It’s a Bay Area staple that you simply cannot bypass. Take home a loaf of their classic country levain bread, or opt for the extra soft whole-grain porridge loaf or the Danish-style rye. Their bread has a sweet character with those subtle hints of acidity we all love.
Location: 500 Guerrero St, San Francisco
4. Boudin Bakery
Boudin Bakery is an icon of SF sourdough on Fisherman’s Wharf, offering mouthwatering bread bowls with clam chowder, amazing baguettes, and sourdough pizza. Their sourdough soup bowls are best enjoyed while watching the boats on the harbor on a foggy day.
Location: Various locations around San Francisco
5. Acme Bread Company
This awesome bakery started in Berkeley, but we’re in luck because they opened a location in the Ferry Building. They’re primarily a wholesale bakery that supplies bread to the Bay Area’s top restaurants including Chez Panisse, and they have over 100 different products available including sweet baguettes, pain au levaine, and more.
Location: 1 Ferry Building, Stall #15, San Francisco
6. Jane the Bakery
Started in 2011 as a neighborhood cafe on Fillmore Street, Jane the Bakery has expanded across SF with its freshly baked sourdough loaves alongside flaky croissants, granola, and other house-made treats. Everything is baked daily and completely from scratch.
Locations:
- 2123 Fillmore Street
- 1881 Geary Blvd
- 925 Larkin Street
- 401 Clement Street
[Featured Image: @joseybakerbread via Instagram]