I finally got to try this bakery after missing out! They started as a pop up and found themselves a nice home in Japantown. Every time I'm in the city, it's always closed but that's on me since I went on a wrong day! I was greeted well and the staff were nice to offer suggestions. Now the choosing part was hard! I love the Asian and French fusion going on here. The shop was minimalistic and felt cozy. Sadly there is not enough seating if you want to enjoy your pastries and/or lattes inside. The cream puffs were absolutely to die. It was filled with rich creamy custard and slightly crunchy on the outside. Not too sweet either! It's also my first time trying salt bread. Wow! It was incredibly buttery without being too salty. The texture reminded me of a flaky croissant crossed with a baguette. Next time, I'd love to try the garlic cream cheese salt bread and some of their artisan croissants like their kalbijjim, hotteouk, and injeolmi. You are limited to 3 pastries so choose wisely! read more

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Gina Bakes is such a delicious bakery. I'm always impressed with their croissants with Korean-inspired flavors, and my favorite is the injeolmi croissant, which has a delicious mochi-like filling with soybean powder on top. It's a flavor experience! On this recent visit, I tried the salt bread, and I'm not sure if this is what it's supposed to taste like, but it had a dish soap flavor that really wasn't good. Overall, it's still one of my favorite bakeries in the city, but I'll be staying away from the salt bread. read more

Came back for the first time in years, and while lines have definitely died down, there was still a short line to get in. The hojicha latte was good, they didn't have almond milk so I picked oat milk. Not too sweet with a nice roasted flavor from the hojicha. Banoffee croissant is decadent but excellent. Love the rich cream and banana, paired with flaky croissant. Strawberry matcha cookie was too sweet and tart for me, and I wished it was softer. read more

First time at a super busy spot. Casual spot with no dining options. Nice variety of baked goods and drinks such as the honeycomb toffee latte. We picked up the kouign amann and the match cream puff. Both items are sweet, larger than expected, and a definite must share. Once your order is placed, your pastries are handed to you while you wait for the drinks to be made.Overall, another good bakery option in SF. read more

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Finally got to try the Daeho x Jina Bakes Kalbijjim Croissant! Unfortunately arrived a bit too late in the day to try their other offerings, but was able to snag croissants. Definitely filling, but a substantial savory pastry with delicious kalbijjim filled with veg and beef. Sweet, savory and well seasoned. The croissant wasn't soggy and was still pretty flakey. Wish it could've been heated up or was warmer. They do have the previously viral dubai chocolate cookie in both chocolate and matcha, but decided to pass this time around. No inside seating and the interior looks pretty run down, a bit stuffy in there as well. There is plenty of seating outside though with tables or easily taken out. Price point is typical, especially for a specialty item and well worth a try. Not sure I would wait in line for this though. Would love to come back to try their other items when more is available. read more

Jina Bakes - kalbijjim croissant - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I am so happy that I got to go to Jina bakes in Japantown. I was almost in tears with how good the food tasted. We had a chocolate chip cookie that was to die for and the salt bread was so good. We also drank an Einspanner and it was one of the best I've ever tasted. The people that worked there were so nice great service very cool ambience we loved it. read more

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I love bread and I love Jina Bakes Everything is solid, no notes I need to try everything on their menu now Injeolmi croissant, Kalbijjim croissant, salt bread, garlic salt bread...oooof all so good read more

Jina Bakes - Injeolmi croissant, Kalbijjim croissant, salt bread, garlic salt bread - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Chanced into a Too Good To Go order $10 at about 4pm with a pickup time ending at 5pm, so dropped what I was doing and made the run to the Japan Town Shopping Center. Had been wanting to check out Jina Bakes for ages, but never enough before today to deal with the parking at the mall. FYI, I miss Benkyodo Mochi Shop that closed 4 years ago that I could easily rationalize a pilgrimage. As for this Sunny Sunday Late Afternoon the Japan Center was bustling and parking abundant in the garage. Parking easily found in the sub level, and Jina Bakes easily located inside the interiors main level courtyard. Pickup was easy once the Too Good To Go mobile application confirmed my order was pending receipt. Inside the sturdy box received were 5 pastry that include several of Jina Bakes, Cream Puffs which are indulgent treats. Overall a great experience! read more

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Decided to check this place out since I was in the area for the Cherry Blossom Festival. We weren't sure what would be left since we got there a bit later in the day. There was a line out the door but it moved quickly. It is a grab and go spot. No seating available. We got the matcha dubai cookie ($9), matcha butter mochi ($9.25) , & choc. injeolmi croissant ($6.25). OMG everything was so yummy (5/5). For the matcha dubai cookie, the outside was mochi so soft and the inside was crunchy. Good contrast! My first time having matcha butter mochi it was so chewy and soft. I loved it I genuinely can't stop thinking about it... I want more already! I've never had a choc. injeolmi croissant before & would definitely get it again. Soft, chewy, & crunchy! Would definitely come back again if I'm in the area! I want to try their salt bread and drinks as well :) read more

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Tried Jina Bakes today and really enjoyed it. I ordered the black sesame, hojicha, and matcha cream puffs, and all three were fresh, light, and generously filled. The matcha had a nice earthy flavor without being too sweet, the hojicha had a warm roasted taste, and the black sesame was rich and nutty. The cream was smooth and balanced, and the pastry shells had a good texture with a slightly crisp top. I also appreciated that the flavors felt distinct instead of just tasting sugary. At $6 each, they felt like a fun specialty treat. Cute bakery and definitely worth stopping by if you like Japanese-inspired cream puffs. Would come back to try more flavors. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Korean inspired bakery in Japantown. Interesting location but with the quality of pastries and popularity, it is a hotspot especially during the weekend mornings and early afternoons. There wasn't really a line when we went around noon, maybe 5 minutes tops before our turn to order, but it comes and goes. As we enjoyed the pastries in the limited seating outside, we saw a line out the door, so it really depends. We got the honeycomb toffee latte which is quite a large serving but it was aesthetic and has a nice honey flavor especially after the honeycomb sits in the coffee for a while and melts into the drink. We also got 6 pastries to share amongst 3 people, a satisfying amount for brunch - Kalbijjim croissant - the pastry I've been wanting to try here. It's savory and the beef is so tender inside. I wish I got more than 1! - Injelomi croissant - love the mochi texture inside contrasting the slightly crispy exterior. Good injelomi flavor from the powder on top - Chocolate Injelomi croissant - chocolate variant, but chocolate flavor was subtle - Salt bread - first time trying it and it was good. Hard to cut into 3 to share - Hotteok Kouign-Amann - very buttery, with a nice mochi inside. Very flavorful - Banoffee croissant - huge croissant with lots of butter, cream, and banana. It was a great pastry to finish our meal read more

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Lovely spot - would get the mochi and of course the kalbijjim croissant. Decent amount of seating outside the bakery. Line moves fast, and people were friendly! Definitely would check this place out if you were in the area! read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Oh the elusive banoffee croissant! I've been trying to get my hands on it, from going there in person and trying my luck with Too Good to Go boxes. Alas, no luck. It's never there when I'm there. But I have had their other treats. Their mochi matcha squares are pretty popular and I can see why. The mochi has that qq chew. The matcha isn't overpowering, but present. And it's not too sweet. I also had a dalgona lollipop shaped as a bear. I enjoyed the caramel flavor and texture. I unfortunately don't know what this other pastry is called, but it's a spiral croissant with an orange glaze. That was so yummy! The orange was bright and the pastry was flaky. Now I really need my hands on a banoffee croissant after that pastry. I hope my luck turns for the better. I've only interacted with staff when getting my Too Good to Go boxes, but they were nice. They had everything prepared so pick up was easy. The bakery is on the first floor of the West Mall in Japantown, so it can get very noise and crowded on the weekends. Best to go there during the work week if you can. read more

Absolutely one of my favorite places for pastries. Always with unique inventive combinations. This time we had Injeolmi original, Injeolmi chocolate, chocolate banana croissant, and a Hotteok Kouign aman. Prices are a bit higher side but typical of high quality sf pastries. Definitely will be back again to try other new flavors and creations. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

We came around 11am on a Sunday and there wasn't any line. The hype might've died down from when it was really crowded but the quality was still pretty tasty. I never had salt bread before and it was an experience. You could taste the salted butter in the pastry but the roti top balanced it out as sweet and salty. There's lots of shops around to roam and look at since it's inside a plaza. read more

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What's not to like? The choices here are overwhelming--in the best way. I went in thinking I'd grab a couple of pastries and a Honeycomb Toffee Latte for my daughter, but everything looked so good I ended up splurging on Chocolate Chip Cookies, a Banoffee Croissant, Cinnamon Twist, Orange Chocolate Bun, Matcha Cream Bun, a slice of Basque Cheesecake, and a Teddy Bear Dalgona. Not a disappointing bite in the bunch--everything was delicious. The ambience is very much a bake shop/donut shop vibe. It's mostly grab-and-go, with only three people allowed inside at a time. There are a few tables outside if you want to enjoy your treats and drinks on-site. We took ours home, and it was just as enjoyable. Staff were just okay--efficient but not overly friendly, with few smiles--but the food more than makes up for it. Jina Bakes is a must-stop if you're in Japantown and craving a sweet treat. read more

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This place has some really good pastries. My favorite is the black sesame cream puff because that is so rare. The cream was also cold which was unexpected but super tasty. I will say that i was a little disappointed because 2 of my original orders were sold out and they made me come into the store both times to let me know that. Granted, they were super nice but it made me sad. The other two pastries were my friends. One was savory which was good and the other felt like the korean dust injeolmi on it. read more

Jina Bakes - Black sesame cream puff - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

I so wanted to be wowed by Jina Bakes, this spot has been on my to try list forever. However, I was thoroughly disappointed with my order when I came with my friend. We got the banoffee croissant, salt bread, galbijjim salt bread, chocolate chip cookie, and einspanner to taste. The banoffee croissant was high quality and the nutty banana flavor definitely pairs well with the punchiness of toffee. This was my favorite out of the pastries. The salt bread was cold and nothing like the ones I've experienced at other spots in SF (Tano, the Buoy). The galbijjim salt bread suffered the same fate, but somewhat worse since there was both cold bread and cold meat inside the cold pastry. I wouldn't recommend getting salt bread at this location. It's neither fluffy nor savory enough to be worth the calories. The chocolate chip cookie my friend got was rather good! It was super huge and was definitely good enough to have two people split and still keep some for later. The einspanner I got was decent, but I wasn't necessarily looking to be wowed by the drinks. It ended up being better than some of the pastries, though. read more

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That is some delicious bread I picked up. Perfect texture paired with just right sweetness. Not overwhelming and cheesy at all. Will return for some more! read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Located in Japantown, Jina Bakes is soooooo good! I got the honeycomb toffee latte and a chocolate chip cookie. The latte was perfect- great coffee:milk ratio. The honeycomb chunks were sweet and delicious- dipped in the latte, wow! The chocolate chip cookie was medium on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The sea salt on top really fine tuned the flavor. The service was great- fast and friendly. The vibe was super approachable and mellow~ amazing spot in japantown. read more

Jina Bakes - Exterior - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Last time I was here, it had just closed and the workers were inside cleaning up. This time, my friends and I made it in time! My friend ordered a drink (honeycomb latte) while I grabbed some of the dalgona bears. I don't drink coffee and all the pastries were sold out (around 2PM on a Sat), so I settled for the cute bears. There's a line section outside of the shop and limited to three groups inside at one time. They also ask that customers wait outside for their drinks after paying. Because of this, we didn't realize how long the wait for drinks actually was, as there were tons of drink orders before us. After ordering, we went outside and waited for 15-20 minutes before my friend's drink was ready. She enjoyed her drink and said it was sweet. I liked my dalgona bears, so it was a good experience. Staff who rang me up was quick. I need to come earlier and try the pastries next time! read more

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Noooo!! They removed all the wheel pastries from their menu! Those are my favorite. I was assured by the worker that it will likely come back at a later time, and that they had removed it to make room for other pastry treats. Not wanting to leave empty handed, I bought two of their well known cream puffs, hojicha and sesame. They have definitely shrunk in size since last year but still filled with a good amount of cream. Since coming back from my trip, I realized there are better versions of this out there. This still hits the spot! Service was great. I didn't get a bag but I suspect they charge for bags as they asked me before giving me the total. read more

Jina Bakes - Sesame and hojicha puffs - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

A cute & sweet little bakery tucked away in a cozy corner of the Japan Center Malls. The staff was friendly and very helpful with information on the variety of pastries and suggestions to local favorites. And the pastries are absolutely amazing. Kalbijjim croissant / salt bread are unique and delicious take on savory pastries that I would certainly have a dozen or more if I could afford it. Definitely coming back to try everything else when I'm back in SF. Side note: arrived 15min after opening on a Monday and was 2nd in line, as I left the line wrapped around the corner, so expect a wait if you're getting there later. read more

Jina Bakes - Amazing & delicious assortment of unique pastries - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Stopped by on a Saturday morning after seeing this place on TikTok and arrived right around opening. There was already a small line, but the wait was only about 5-10 minutes. They limit the shop to three customers at a time, so I can imagine the line getting much longer later in the day. The bakery is located inside the Japantown mall and has a very minimal look to it. Staff were friendly and efficient. I picked up five pastries: almond croissant, orange chocolate bun, injeolmi croissant, hotteok kouign-amann, and a danish. The orange chocolate bun was the standout, super unique and absolutely delicious and would highly recommend. The injeolmi croissant was also excellent, the rice cake was soft and chewy with a nice soybean powder coating, though most of the powder fell off during transport, so I'd recommend eating it right away. The hotteok kouign-amann was pleasantly surprising with a nutty, sweet flavor and it felt really well balanced. The almond croissant and danish were solid and exactly what you'd expect from a top tier bakery. Everything held up well even when eaten later at home, and surprisingly tasted great the next day too. Prices felt very reasonable for the quality. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area and don't mind a potential wait. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ok, ok... Now I get why influencers say, "Run, don't walk..." Jina Bakes has been on my list to go to since they opened in 2021 but my work schedule didn't align with their weekday hours. Not waiting in a long line on the weekends. I was super excited to visit on my day off. Sadly, my experience at Jina Bakes was not it. Maybe I'm 4 years too late. An Alexander's Patisserie alum, the owner started selling pandemic pastry boxes and when she opened up her brick & mortar, they got hella popular for their Galbijjim croissant, a collab with Daeho. M E N U Korean and Japanese inspired bakery with French pastry-making techniques: Savory + sweet croissants, hotteok kouign amann, cream puffs, basque cheesecake, mochi, dalgona candy, and more. For drinks, they have coffee and tea including the trendy einspänner. Oat milk available for a surcharge. Highly recommend ordering ahead if you have time constraints ($50 minimum and 7 day advance). Ordering process is mad slow, it took 15+ minutes with two customers ahead who only bought several items. P A S T R I E S Bought six items but only tried three (gave others away). * Galbijjim Croissant ($8.50) A collab with Daeho's famous Korean braised short rib with torched cheese, this is what I've been looking forward to. Deliciously buttery, flaky layers but it legit tasted like eating pizza with red pepper flakes, not galbijjim. At opening time, the tomatoey filling with cheese topping was cold. The braised short rib must have walked back to Daeho up the block because there was none (at least we couldn't taste any). At this price point, it should be served warm, not cold. * Vanilla Bean Mochi (4 pc-$8.50) Lacking the quintessential mochi texture, neither chewy, nor stretchy. Didn't taste the vanilla flavor. * Injeolmi Croissant ($6.75) Best item of the three, the satisfyingly chewy rice cake layer was a wonderful contrast to the crispy, flaky croissant. Generously dusted with roasted soybean powder for a nutty, mildly sweet flavor. S E R V I C E Bad vibes. As mentioned by many others across various platforms, the Asian team member is rude and unwelcoming. After spending $50, she refused to give us one cup of water to share and said, "we don't do that here". No napkins were available either. A M B I A N C E Communal seating outside the bakery. Overall, I'm glad I finally made it to Jina Bakes. Maybe I missed the boat and should have made an effort to visit when they first opened. Unfortunately, I'm hesitant to return because of the very off-putting service. read more

Jina Bakes - Galbijjim (Korean Braised Short Rib) Croissant | $8.50 - Tastes like cold pizza - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Got there around 10:30 am on a Friday morning. The line took about 15 mins to secure the pastries and then another 15 mins to secure the coffee. The pro tip is to put the pastries in the air fryer before eating it! Kalbi jim croissant - 8/10. Savory. Very small amount of meat with cheese and a croissant. Injeolmi mochi croissant 10/10. Dusted with the roasted soybean powder and a thick layer of mochi inside. I was most looking forward to this one and it didn't disappoint! Honeycomb toffee latte -9/10. I asked for less sweet since I read reviews of it being too sweet once the toffee melted. Less sweet was perfect. Regular croissant - 8/10 I got a regular one for my toddler and he enjoyed it. Overall, this was great ! read more

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We came around 2:30/3ish on a Saturday and there was a line wrapping around the building. The store is tucked away in the corner of SF's japantown. It's a super small shop so they only let in a few people at a time. We came here for the injeolmi croissant and it did not disappoint as it had a really strong roasted soybean flavor! Unfortunately it wasn't warm so I feel like we didn't get the full experience, but I would imagine it would be super flaky and buttery. read more

Jina Bakes - Injeolmi croissant - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

The evolution of salt breads! This spot is serving up one with kalbijjim. Although it's not as filled as a bun might be (def wish ot was a bit more heartier), the flavor is nice and savory which is great if you prefer that over sweet. The bread is a bit soft with a nice overall crispiness to it (hopefully you heard it in the video haha) especially with the buttery bottom layer. Fun fact- this was the place where I tried my first einspanner ever and it was so good I had to try it again this time. The whipped cream topping is decadent and reminds me so much of tiramisu when mixed with the coffee. They have some other goodies to try when you visit like the popular dalgona pops and other unique pastry combos. Be sure to check them out if you're in SF's Japantown area! read more

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Been here before, but had to return for the salt bread! The salt bread has a great crust and is very buttery with a nice balance of salty. The Kalbijjiim salt bread also has great flavors and the meat inside adds a nice savory touch. The matcha butter mochi is delicious- great matcha flavor and has a good chew. I bought a few other pastries to give away so didn't get to try those but want to return! The salt bread is limited so be sure to go early before the sell out! I also suggest toasting it in the oven at home because then it tastes like it's fresh out of the oven (better than when at room temp). Nowhere to sit inside, but you can take it to the plaza right outside. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Pricey, but was mind blowing!!!! The kalbi jjim (braised short ribs) croissant collab with Daeho was art! I dreamt about it every day read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

Was excited to try the kalbijiim croissant from here but my experience fell short. The croissant was perfectly flakey however it's extremely light on filling. My brother and I agreed on this, that it would be better if the filling was distributed better on the croissant. As for the filling it simply wasn't enough and I barely tasted any meat. I had higher expectations and was left wanting more unfortunately. Additionally I had to basically wave my arms and say something to get any of the staffs attention. A simple greeting to customers would go a long way... Not sure I'd recommend or come back read more

Jina Bakes - Daeho Croissant - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

I remember when Jina Bakes was all the hype back during the pandemic when she used to sell boxes for pickup from her Instagram orders, to having her own store front in Japantown. It's already been a few years since this location opened, but their pastries have consistently been great. Some of the items I recommend if it's your first time going are the Cream Puffs, and Injeolmi Croissant. The Kalbijjim Croissant is good as a try if you enjoy the flavors, but it's more pastry than Kalbijjim itself. They recently introduced Salt Breads to their rotation Weds-Fri only, but they have been harder to get since the flavors have a staggered time they come out, and if you're not in line when it comes out, it may sell out, which is the only frustrating part because you don't know when it really comes out. They are also short on staff multiple times when I have stopped by recently, so expect a bit of a longer wait as well. Overall, pastries are good, and will be back! read more

Jina Bakes - Updated pastry display with salt breads - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Nice little spot that I think is worth dropping by if you're in the area but not worth going out of your way to try if I'm honest. Located in side a strip mall in Japantown, there was about a 6-8 person line when we got there around 10:30 - 11. It goes by pretty quickly and still all of the items were available for purchase by the time we got to the front. ** Bannoffee croissant: didn't eat this one in its entirety because I don't like banana but I can say that the cream on top has a strong banana flavor. Looks like the inside of the croissant is also filled with what look like bruleed bananas. ** Injeolmi croissant: for those who like things on the sweeter side, this one might not be for you but the perfect dessert for a slightly sweet treat. I feel like the croissant could have been fresher (although that might be due to the fact I got there around 11AM) but there was a nice contrast with the flakiness of the croissant and a chewy mochi interior. ** Hotteok kouign amann: I mean who can hate a kouign amann??? Crispy flaky pastry topped with a caramelized snap from a sugar glaze. Wish the red been flavor from the hotteok could have been more prominent though. Again, like the injeolmi croissant don't think the pastry was the freshest since I came later in the day but I can imagine it's probably even more delicious fresh out of the oven especially with a fresh hot hotteok filling. Hoping that when I'm town next time I get to stop by right at opening so I can try their goods at their freshest! read more

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I visited Jina Bakes an hour before closing and found that they were almost sold out, with only about 10 pastries left. No kalbijjim croissant but they did have a few black sesame cream puffs ($5.50). It was so good! I hate it when cream puffs barely have any cream, but this one was filled with black sesame flavored cream. Luckily my husband and daughter are not into black sesame, so I had it all to myself! Once it was gone, I wish I had bought the other two! Next time, I'll make sure to come earlier so I have more to choose from! read more

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Got there right as it opened on a sunday morning and there was absolutely no wait/line. We ended up milling around for a while (there was some artist alley type event going on) and at no point did a line build up. We were really excited about the fusion pastries and they delivered. Got the Kalbijjim croissant: obviously the filling part was cool/room temp so it was fine not great in my opinion. Still super flavorful from the (cold, kinda congealed) sauces though Injeolmi croissant: there's absolutely no clean way to eat this lol. Take one wrong exhale in the direction of this pastry and injeolmi flies everywhere. That's a compliment to how much injeolmi they put. Absolutely coated in it. Loved it. Hotteuk kougn amann: a normal kouign amann is already usually nicely caramelized. Make it hotteuk and this was CRAZY caramelized. Nice. I'd say that is absolutely the one word to summarize this entire pastry. Just so super caramelized. Choco chip cookie: CCCs are like a golden standard and this one meets the bar - nice chewiness, love a flakey sea salt Garlic chive scone- good scone read more

Jina Bakes - Garlic chive scone and CCC - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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At this point I split my bakery reviews between asian bakeries and french patisseries. Jina Bakes ranks top two of the asian bakeries I enjoy. With that said Jina Bakes combines traditional Korean flavors with a modern twist. Both their savory and sweet desserts are a must try. Let's start with the savory. We got the Kalbijjim Croissant and the flavors were just right. The sweetness of the Galbi was not too sweet and allowed the cheese/other ingredients to really thrive. Think of this like a Korean Pizza. Now the star of the show was the Injeolmi Croissant which has a traditional rice cake baked into a flaky croissant, topped with some soy bean powder. This was so unique and such a great take on traditional rice cakes. The flavor profile here is very mild and some may even consider this bland but the texture is what you're here for. It's truly a great homage to Korean cuisine. Last but not least the Kouign-Amann. We came here early enough that we got to try from a fresh batch. The butter was oozing out of this one and it was soooo delicious. Pastry was flaky, sweetness was perfect. Definitely a recommended safe option here. Overall Jina Bakes has a good selection of pastries and unique pastries well worth going out of your way to try. The staff here was efficient and sweet, space is big enough to fit three ordering parties inside, and food is worth the wait in line. Definitely looking forward to coming back. read more

Jina Bakes - Kalbiijjim Croissant, Injeolmi Croissant, Kouign-Amann, Banoffee Croissant - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm writing this after my experience earlier today. I would not even give any star if it was a choice. We weren't greeted upon entry and we had to ask for help. When the staff finally wanted to help us, she seemed frustrated and I understand it's a busy store but when you accepted the job, you kind of sign up for it! I asked to have 2 sets of the cream puffs be put in separate boxes because one is going to a friend, another set can be put with other pastries I'm getting. The staff quickly said they'll charge $0.50 more for each box. However, when my friends were getting their pastries, they were packed in a box too but they didn't get charged for them. So when I asked about it, the staff said she didn't know what I was talking about! read more

Jina Bakes - All the pastries I got and they would not have fit in one box. I got charged for each box but none of my friends did. - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

My family came by to get the Salt Bread and Korean Style Garlic Salt Bread, which are only available Wednesdays to Fridays. We stood in line for the noon batch, and were able to get two boxes of bread. The Salt Bread was the best of the bunch, but it didn't really stand out from other bakeries. It was very buttery, maybe too much so? It was also on the smaller side. None of us really liked the Garlic Salt Bread. They used sweet cream cheese, which made them very sweet. So the flavor was a mismatch of sweet, saltly, and garlicky. We've had their Kalbi Jjim pastry before, but not their Injeolmi one. So we got one to try. It had a good injeolmi taste, and some dduk component in the middle, but nothing we'd ever crave again. All in all, it was a fun excuse to go to Japantown in the middle of a weekday, but not worth a trip just for these bakes. And at $6 a piece, we expected something more perfected. read more

Jina Bakes - Salt Bread and Korean Style Garlic Salt Bread - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This was my first time here and I didn't realize this store was INSIDE the mall! Haha I walked around the outside of the mall to the corner and realized I passed the store! Oops! As I arrived as they opened, I found a LINE! People were already waiting in line BEFORE the bakery opened! Goodness the early bird catches the worm! All my pastries were delicious and savory! The cream puffs had an amazing flavor and texture! Soft and a great crunch! This was also the first time I ever had a Honeycomb iced latte! Omg! I'm in love!!!! Definitely a MUST!!!!! read more

Jina Bakes - Cream puffs were delicious - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Traveling with my friend is like going on a bakery tour. We had Jina Bakes marked as a spot to check out in SF, and they did not disappoint. It is located in one of the Japantown malls, and was open (shorter hours) on Thanksgiving day. They limit occupancy to four people at a time, and since there weren't many people working that day, there was a bit of a wait. We got the hotteok kouign Aman and galbijjim croissant, as well as banoffee croissants for my friend's parents. The kouign Aman was teeny tiny but had the most delicious caramel sweetness from the sugar in the hotteok seasoning. Very pricy but tasty. The galbijjim croissant was a collaboration with Daeho (the flaming cheese galbi restaurant), and definitely needed to be heated up to enjoy. I was not a fan of the cheese on top and I feel like there wasn't a lot of meat, but the sauce was so savory and delicious. The croissant base was flaky and delicious as well. My friend's parents enjoyed the banoffee croissants, which were cute and very big, but I did not try them. Overall, I really enjoyed the unique and Korean-inspired baked goods at Jina Bakes. It is definitely a bit more of a splurge treat, but I would keep an eye on the seasonal items and come back next time I'm in the city! read more

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