WHEN: Wed @12:30pm First thing we see walking into the mall is Judy Bakes, and we knew we had to check it out. While it's not my first time here, it's been a long time and we tried something new and unique: CHEWIE COOKIE - $9 each They had 2 flavors and since we couldn't decide on which, we got both! And man I really get the hype of adding Katalfi into the mix. It's like today's rice crisps in a chocolate bar. Only, you add pistachio cream into the mix! These "cookies" are wrapped in a layer of soft chewy mochi, and when you bit into it, there's an amazing sweet crunch from the Katalfi. They advise to wait 15 minutes before eating since it's kept fridge rated. Worth giving a try! MATCHA CHEWIE COOKIE - Matcha Marshmallow with matcha Katalfi filling. DUBAI CHEWIE COOKIE - Cocoa marshmallow with Pistachio, Katalfi, and Milk Chocolate. It seems a lot of items were sold out by the time we got there, but not these "CHEWIE COOKIES!" read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Jina Bakes is a popular bakery with Korean flavors. They're located in Japantown inside a shopping mall and there was a line formed when we arrived. I got the Matcha Cream Puff, Injeolmi Croissant and Einspanner. I enjoyed the Matcha Cream Puff, but not so much the Injeolmi Croissant. The Einspanner was decent and made for a good refreshment to wash down the pastries. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this spot. It was nice to try, but I wouldn't come running back just for this place. read more

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Quite possibly my favorite bakery in SF. Definitely worth a trip! The Einspanner is so dreamy: the best coffee with oat or cows milk topped with pillows of sweet lightly whipped cream. I'll never be the same and will judge all drinks on this moving forward. We loved our pastries- chocolate croissant and chocolate-banana-almond croissant. The star was the garlic cream cheese salt bread. Out of this world!!! Wonderful friendly service to boot. read more

If you want to lick a Squid Game cookie, they sell them here! This Korean grab-and-go bakery also has great yummy pastries including their star: salt bread! This is a very popular bakery situated inside the Japan Center. Friendly service. read more

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How have I not reviewed this place yet? Every time I'm in the area, I feel the need to stop by and pick up some baked goods. A girlfriend of mine was in town and I wanted her to try the Kalbijjim Croissant and the Iced Honeycomb Toffee Latte. The croissant was incredibly flaky and the honeycomb toffee latte tasted even better once the honeycomb dissolved a bit and was stirred in. They also had a garlic salt bread with a garlic cream filling that was mostly savory with just a touch of sweetness in the center. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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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've loved Jina Bakes since 2022 and have been a loyal customer for years. I'm genuinely happy to see the bakery becoming more popular and successful, and I really appreciate that you continue to create new and interesting items even as the business grows. That being said, as a longtime customer, I'm honestly disappointed by how often items are sold out in the afternoon. I completely understand that popular items can sell out occasionally, but this seems to happen almost every weekend. I've tried coming earlier and earlier--around 3 PM, then 2:30 PM, and even shortly after 2 PM--and I'm still constantly seeing SOLD OUT signs, even though the store is open until 4 PM. As the bakery has grown and attracted more customers over the years, I would hope the inventory and preparation could grow with the demand as well. Not everyone is able to come first thing in the morning. Some of us work all week and only have time to visit on weekend afternoons. If items are intentionally only available while supplies last and regularly sell out hours before closing, I think this should at least be clearly communicated on the storefront, website, or social media so customers know before making a special trip. I really do love Jina Bakes, which is exactly why this has become so frustrating and disappointing. I want to continue supporting a bakery I've enjoyed for years--I just wish I could actually buy the items when I come. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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

Jina Bakes is great. We loved the different mochi versions you can get. We got the matcha mochi, the ube mochi and the butter mochi. All of them were great. Really efficient staff and the place is super simple, just a takeout bar. Definitely a must have if you're in jtown in SF. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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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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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The honeycomb toffee latte is something my wife and I drool over when we think of this place. It is so refreshing, satisfyingly sweet, and delicious. She also enjoys the injeolmi croissant, which I find good but not a fan of the mochi inside. The line grows quickly but moves as such. Definitely one of our recommended spots. What a gem. read more

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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I love the dalgona coffee perfect honeycomb, stickiness, chewiness. Melts lovely in their ice latte. This place is conveniently located in Japantown, but does have odd hours and days that it's operational or certain pastries are available which can be frustrating. Check beforehand it closes early or runs out a pastries. The store logistics is a little bit needy. The flavor is a great. The iced latte is excellent, goes well with alternative milk such as oat milk. The pastries are innovative Korean inspired flavors, some mochi pastries. Dalgona lollipops (squid game style) available for takeout. Nice big modern bakery, no inherent seating. Staff is nice and helpful. 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

Pastries not too rich, perfect amount of savory and sweet. Kalbijjim Croissant wasn't overly stuffed with short rib and veggies so it wasn't soggy and overwhelming. Chocolate Injeolmi Croissant had the perfect about of bitter and sweet. Solid matcha. read more

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

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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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Finally got to try this place, got the salt bread that my kid is crazy about. Was able to get the regular salt bread and the garlic salt bread. I'm not sure what the craze about the salt bread but the kid loved it. Also got the matcha cream puff which I really enjoyed. The Dubai chocolate chewy cookies was really good. I've tried another bakery's version and I did not like it. Will need to be back to try the croissant. read more

Jina Bakes - Bakeries Near Me - San Francisco, California

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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

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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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

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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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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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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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

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

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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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

Very good pastries with ridiculously rude service. No line when we went on a Friday afternoon. A couple things sold out but still plenty fun things to try. Sadly, I can't call this my favorite bakery because I like folks who actually like taking my money. Here they seem rather bothered by their customers. read more

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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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

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

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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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

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

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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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

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