Jade L.

I've had Loquat on my radar for a long time and think I've even passed by it before, but the signage is so lowkey, I had no idea I was nearby. My friend and I stopped by over the weekend and tried their popular babkas. I got the poppyseed walnut, and my friend got the salted chocolate. We snagged the last available table and ate the pastries on the spot. We both liked what we got, and I especially liked the nutty flavor profile of mine. I'd like to come back and try more in the future now that I know the exact location.

Cat N.

We loved it. I already left a review, but I just wanted to update some more photos. I highly recommend you go. The food is great. The service is awesome and the ambience is really hip.

Victoria Z.

Amazing gem of a cafe! So glad I finally tried this place. Kubaneh Platter (9.5/10) - they ran out of their Bourekas so this was recommended to us instead and wow it was so good! The sauce dips in this were incredibly rich and delicious - I wish I knew what was in it to make it myself! The buttery dough and pickled beets were also amazing. Chocolate tahini cookie (8/10) - loved that the sweetness was balanced with some salt Salted chocolate babka (7.5/10) - pretty good but not as good as other ones I've had in the city or in nyc. Wished it was more chocolately. The bread/chocolate in this one was a bit dry and not as moist as I would have liked. Might try it in a different flavor next time Definitely need to come back to try their Bourekas and other tea cakes!

Rachel H.

One regret in moving back to the Bay Area was missing the legendary honey cake at 20th Century Bakery. Its former space now houses Loquat Bakery--a worthy successor. Inspired by Jewish baking with a distinct Middle Eastern/Israeli focus, last year (2024) a notable food magazine named it one of the most exciting US bakeries. It offers excellent sweet and savory pastries, including flaky bourekas with fillings like delicata squash and feta, and three distinctive babka options (cinnamon date, chocolate, and poppyseed walnut.) They also have beautiful cake and on the day we visited: olive oil and spelt, almond and pistachio, and chocolate buttercream with edible flowers. The cozy salmon-toned dining room is small and pretty, and the staff are friendly --I was offered a tiny piece of delicious homemade halvah with my pastry. Though the small team seemed stretched thin at times, i.e. they were behind in clearing off the tables of customers who failed to self buss, still the pastry quality is apparent. Their babka is layered with rich flavor and has a good texture: both crisp, buttery and moist.

Stephanie L.

Was nearby Civic Center and wanted something sweet but required to be gluten free. Found this place on yelp. Ordered mahlab cake. Was nice to see a few other gluten free options as well (they also had gf cheesecake and gf cookies). A bit pricey, but honestly super delicious. Nicely spiced and moist cake with a lemony icing that paired perfectly. Friendly service.

Ed U.

I must admit I'm quite ignorant of the Jewish diaspora much less bakeries devoted to the ongoing dispersion of Jews around the world. This particular bakery shows how rich the Jewish baking traditions are but not necessarily from Israel but rather the entirety of the Middle East. It's been around for well over three years, but I only discovered it last week on a non-denominational whim. I guess it can be described as a Mediterranean-inspired Arab Jewish cafe. However, compartmentalized labels don't provide much insight into the deliciousness of their pastries. I came by out of curiosity after seeing a mid-afternoon movie at Opera Plaza, and the place was bustling mostly with twenty-somethings who took over all the tables. Not seeing a menu readily available, I stood in line staring at the luscious pastries in their display cases. The staff was infinitely patient, so it was hard to pick up one of everything. Somehow I managed to show some discretion and made a takeout order. The first thing that drew my eye was the chocolate-covered $8 Pistachio Cream Puff (Photo 9). It was quite tasty given the pistachio pastry cream was refreshingly light. That should've been enough of a sampler, but I also bought a couple of uniquely yummy $4 Cookies, Chocolate Chunk Tahini and Pistachio Butter (Photo 10). I definitely need to come back when the cafe is a bit emptier. FOOD - 4 stars...pastries and cookies that hit the spot AMBIANCE - 3.5 stars...crowded when I got there SERVICE - 4 stars...very polite and cordial TOTAL - 4 stars...now I know what the Jewish diaspora is RELATED - Exploring Hayes Valley? Here's a collection of places l've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/cGg_wTLrBo

Darci K.

Simply the worst! The entire experience from ordering, to picking up, to eating the items. Their online presence needs some major work. If you don't want people calling the bakery and ordering over the phone, then make your website more palatable. I needed to make an adjustment to the online order order that we placed. It took forever to get through to someone on the phone, and when I did, the woman was extremely rude to say the least. She begrudgingly added onto my order, and literally told me three times that I would have to pay for it when I picked up the order. Really?! It's not free. Of course I know I have to pay for it. I don't need to be told multiple times. If you're unable to take a credit card over the phone, not a problem. But you don't need to repeat yourself We spent a bloody fortune, and really at the end of the day they need to refund the money. Yes, it was that bad. Three challahs- we figured this would be enough for everyone. The bread is supposed to be late, fluffy, sweet, and the added raisins are supposed to enhance that. The reasons were hard. Yes the raisins were hard. Not how this is supposed to be. The bread itself was definitely overdone by any standards, and frankly inedible. We picked up a variety of pastries as part of our order, and each was worse than the last. Bourekas- I don't know on what planet anyone thinks that they should spend $55 for a dozen of these. Apparently, I gave to local influence, and thought that this would be a nice treat. It was a dozen doorstops. I feel like they gave me all the worst items that they had for whatever reason.If this is representative of what anyone considers to be the best, you need to enjoy other places. We also picked up a couple of Babka knots - I was assured that they were filled with lots of fruit. As you can see from the picture, I don't know what to make of this. This turned out to be a piece of over baked bread with a little sugar sprinkled on top and no fruit on the inside. The honey apple cake. The initial reason for this entire visit. $45 of nothing but pure garbage. This is supposed to be a heavily sweet cake that's filled with apples. This was worse than anything that I ever possibly could have fathomed. The cake itself again was over baked, and I don't know if they've created their own hype, but be embarrassed for putting something out like this. This was such a total representation. This is not supposed to be a spice cake, this is supposed to be a cake filled with honey and apples and again sweet. This tasted like a horrible spice cake and had a couple of sliced apples on the top. There's only so many ways to say something is horrible. What I can say is, there are so many other bakeries in San Francisco, if you have this one on your list, seriously consider going somewhere else. Spending close to $200 on baked goods that literally got thrown away, my money should be refunded. This was a huge disappointment, and a huge embarrassment.

Mike R.

Loquat feels and takes like home my "mother-in-law" shared the 1st Night of Hanukkah today. She was born in Tripoli when it was part of Italy. The bake goods brought back memories of her childhood as well as specialty dishes she has prepared for 50 years as chef, caterers in Ohio and Los Angeles & an American/Israeli cookbook author. Today we arrived at noon and there was a line heading out the doorm. The Loquat team efficiently served each customer with personal service, friendly smiles and great hospitality. This "San Francisco bakery and wine bar in Hayes Valley known for its baked goods inspired by Jewish diaspora and Levantine flavors, like its famous salted chocolate babka, bourekas, and coffee tarts." We ordered it ALL! We loved it unique flavors and taste it all from sweet to savory. Masterpieces. Given it was Hanukkah there were many pre-order jelly donuts stacked up high! After we ordered, we were able to secure seating which is at a premium on the weekend. The atmosphere is elegant yet casual with cartiron marble tables (9 or 10) a water station and beautiful counter display of cakes, cookies and tarts! You will be hard pressed not to select Everything on display! Plus do NOT forget to order delicious coffee. We had two cappuccinos. Perfect! Loquat is an incredible gem in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. Chag Samech.

Ifechi I.

I had been wanting to try Loquat forever, so I was so happy to strike it off the list! That said, I will be back again. Everything was delicious! Here's what we got: Seasonal Babka (~$7): this was yummy! Flaky, moist on the inside, sweet but not too sweet. I just wish there was a bit more jam inside! Strawberry Meringue Tart (~$9): while this was my least favorite item, it was still solid. It had a strong strawberry flavor, which was great, and the crust was nice and dense. Kubaneh Platter: I've been waiting to try this bad boy for what feels like forever. My friend and I really enjoyed it! The bread, as expected, was fantastic. Crispy but also moist. It came out nice and warm. And then we loved the spread of dips and pickles! The labneh was insanely thick. The hard-boiled eggs were fun with the spreads, and it was great to have some protein in the mix. Bourekas Sandwich ($11.50): this was also super fun! It was insanely flaky, so do have a plate underneath. There was a complex, tangy sauce in there that paired really well with the egg. Overall, I enjoyed Loquat! Everything is gorgeous and tasty, and there's so much more on the menu that looks great. Seating inside is a bit limited, but a lot of stuff can be eaten on the go or taken home! Would recommend!

Helen C.

A lovely cafe with exquisite vintage-like decor. Service is sweet and just keep in mind that there is limited seating. The Cortados came with a sugar cube which I thought was v charming. Loved their Lemon Rosemary Tart as well! Honestly, everything here is so well-curated. From the designs of the pastry to small details hidden around the interior. Overall, their coffee is great and worth visiting if you're in the area. Picked up a bag of Four Barrel Coffee beans and will definitely be back! :)

Lawrence C.

I came here some time ago to meet up with a friend, and we decided to check this cafe out since it was on our list for some time. Located around where Hayes Valley is, the area itself is pretty nice and the cafe itself is quite convenient to get to. The interior is a bit small, but they do have some seating if you want to try and eat there. I decided to try the buttery roll in nigellas seeds, which came with some egg, hummus, and olives. I was a big fan of this dish, as it had a good crisp to it and a solid savory flavor to the bread. Pairing it with the egg and hummus is a nice combo, so I was pleasantly surprised by this meal. We also tried the coffee here, which was pretty solid too. If you want to try some interesting dishes, Loquat is worth checking out!

Johnny W.

Summary: Disappointment all around Details: This is my second time visiting Loquat, after a somewhat forgettable experience, and missing out on a number of items the first time around. And while I have some friends who absolutely love the place, their food is just not up to snuff, though I do hear they have some issues with consistency from time to time. The main issue was that everything we tried was a little too much of something or other, in a negative way: the cakes were too sweet, the bourekas and babka were both too salty (which was completely unexpected for the babka), and let's not even begin to talk about how disappointingly acrid the coffee was. Even if their food might have some high notes from time to time, if their quality can swing this much between visits, it's not a place I'd want to chance again. Accessibility: Smaller shop with some narrow spaces, but with a few accessible options. Some of their offerings are a bit higher up or further back, which can make visibility a small issue, but not unmanageable.

delightful little cafe with great baked goods! the chocolate babka is incredibly well-salted and the seasonal galettes are not to miss! also, it's a nice touch that each coffee comes with a bite of halva and the ceramics they use are gorgeous! be prepared that it can get a little loud/crowded, but we were able to get a table on a Monday morning