VIBE: Big local bakery WHY: Best pies in town! Or maybe…read moreever! Whenever I travel "home" for the holidays, you best believe I'm traveling with a freshly made pie from Three Babes! Not only that, whenever we have birthdays at my office, this is what I order. You can't go wrong with any of their flavors, it really depends on what you enjoy. However some of my favorites are the Plum & Raspberry, Peanut Butter Chocolate Cream and the Nectarine Raspberry. If you want to bring a pie home for Thanksgiving, make sure you order EARLY. And don't order a cream pie if you're traveling, those are better chilled, so go with a fruit pie. Your family will thank you!

Was craving key lime pie and the slice from Three Babes really hit the spot! The key lime filling…read morewas just the right amount of sweetness, tang, and silkiness. I wish the quality of the crust were more consistent. We got two slices about a week apart; there was barely any crust on the bottom of the first slice (and it was soggy), and the second slice had a thicker layer of crust that was baked better. I think the ratio of crust to filling is a bit off, i.e. I'd prefer slightly thicker crust to balance out the custard-y filling. We also had a butter pecan slice and neither of us really enjoyed that one. Similar issue with crust to filling ratio: crust was paper thin on the bottom, so it just felt like you were straight up eating sticky goo. Filling was way too sweet for our preference also. The slices are pretty pricey at $8/slice and aren't particularly large; a whole pie is an eye-watering $50, which is expensive even for the Bay. All that said, there aren't many good pie places in SF so Three Babes stands out in that sense and is a nice way to treat yourself after a hard week.

We love NOE VALLEY BAKERY on 24th Street in San Francisco. We have been a customer since they open…read morewhen my wife moved to San Francisco in 1988 and lived about Martha & Brothers Coffee a few blocks away on 24th Street. We know that whatever is going to be baked at NVB is beautiful, delicious and creative! From their seasonal tarts, festive cakes for Halloween, Christmas, Hanukkah, Mardi Gras King Cake, Easter, Memorial, Pride or Fourth of July it THE place to pick up your favorites. I always get an oatmeal raisins cookies which is huge, fresh, yummy and chewy! We great an assortment of challah (plain, Poppyseed ot sesame) and scones! Some of the most beautiful and tasty confectionery creations on the planet! Ok at least San Francisco! Make sure to make the journey, you will happy you did!

Pleasant surprise. My experiences with bakeries named after a place they don't actually reside in…read morehave usually been pretty lackluster, so I came in with modest expectations. I'm happy to say this one completely exceeded them. BB

Pinky is THE woman!! I was blown away with her perfect homemade lemon bar. It wasn't too sweet,…read moreyou can taste the fresh Meyer lemon in the custard, and that thick buttery crust did me in. I was close to ordering a few more to-go. A treat that everyone initially refused because they were "too full" was instantly devoured by said persons because I couldn't stop raving about it. Pinky was the sweetest and offered to cut my lemon bar to share with fam and she gave a pink napkin to go with her name/shop theme. Adorable. Pinky's dessert shop is located in Emeryville's public market and the display showcases cupcakes, cookies, brownies, macarons, lemon bars, and the cutest cake pops you've ever seen. I was too late but you get a free macaron upon check-in so don't sleep on it! Next time, I need to make sure I leave more tummy room to try the rest of Pinky's offerings! Also, she makes custom cakes and does catering!

Love all these home cooking kind of sweets. Sometimes you just crave simple comfort ingredients…read moreinstead of pastry ingredients like cardamom and beet juice! Brownies are a definite must here. Brownies: These are exactly how brownies should be. Rich and gooey on the bottom with a light crust on top. Came in a package of four, but I could only eat one in a given sitting since they're so filling. Not fancy schmancy or anything, just a classic done very well. Oreo Mini Cake: A long oval of cake that feels like more cake than a cupcake and you can eat it with a fork. The Oreo taste was rather subtle with a few bits mixed into the yellow cake, so it was hard to notice. The frosting had more bits and kinda reminded me of cookies & cream ice cream. A fun way to say you ate a whole cake by yourself! Cake Pop: Looked like a mini ice cream cone. Tasted just ok though, with cake underneath the chocolate shell tasting more pasty than cakey. I'd recommend the mini cake instead. Red Velvet Mini Cake: Seeing how Red Velvet is one of my favorite cakes, it was hard to pass on this on. Definitely did not disappoint with the rich red cake base and the creamy thick frosting. I like the mini cake design since it's a lot more portable than a cake slice. Carrot Cake Jar: Ok, if you like frosting then this is for you! It looks like one of those healthy jar salads, until you get a closer look to see that the layers are just cake chunks of frosting. Much better in my opinion. And the frosting layers seem a lot more generous than on a normal cake, so get ready for that. Lemon Bars: Huge curd-to-crust ratio, just the way I like it. So much so that it might fall apart in your hands, so better to eat with a fork. Strong lemony taste without getting that curd funk aroma that sometimes happens, so really well executed.

We did multiple tastings when selecting our wedding cake, and Kathryn was by far the best. In both…read moretaste and style, her cakes are in a league of their own. Her tasting box is beautifully presented with a handwritten note and 3 full size cupcakes in your choice of flavors/buttercreams. We also had a tasting in her studio where she offered sparkling water or champagne and spent a delightful hour looking at pictures of cakes we had saved and discussing what elements we liked, while she sketched cake designs. Her cakes are moist with excellent flavor and a superb crumb. I cannot recommend her cake highly enough!

Custom-made cookies for your special one? Yes, please/) I…read moreknew it was good when my guests who stay away from gluten and sweets started going for seconds:) they looked really beautiful as well.

I was hesitant to get a cake delivered because of the reviews. I decided to order a mans cake for…read moremy fiancé's birthday during COVID. I gave driving directions like I would for any DoorDash driver just in case, my unit is hard to find. I ordered the snickers flavor and was hoping it wasn't too sweet. A young lady cake and delivered it to my door right before the delivery time. It's sooo pretty! And the flavor is spot on. The caramel is a tad too sweet but it balance out if you eat it with everything else around it. It's pretty delicious and it's worth getting a gorgeous cake. Would definitely order more cakes from them! They are super responsive too!

Love this bakery. Order was delivered in time. Cakes are…read moreamazing. Definitely recommended!

Assigned cake duty for one of my very bestie's baby shower, I was determined to find something…read morereally special. I found Badam Babe here on Yelp. Via the website chat feature, Adhiti helped me make my choices and place my order. Payment and pickup at her micro bakery in the Sunset District were easy to coordinate. I wanted a sheet cake with an ocean theme and chose the shrikhand flavor. Adhiti created a completely custom ocean-inspired design with frosting waves and shells, and saffron sugar for sand. She even made little signs. It was completely unique! I worried whether the flavors -- cardamom, saffron, and nutmeg -- might be a bit unusual for the children, but everyone loved it. I also got the strawberry rose and haldi doodh cupcakes. DELICIOUS. The haldi doodh was my personal favorite of the three items -- delicious and beautiful, striking just the right balance of sweet, savory, salty, dense, fluffy, crispy, smooth. SO good! If you're looking for a way to make a special occasion even more special, I highly recommend Badam Babe.

I have now ordered desserts from Adhiti of Badam Babe on 3 different occasions, and have been very…read moreimpressed each time! Adhiti's cakes and cookies are delicious, she's very flexible and easy to work with, and she delivers on-time and at a reasonable fee. Most recently, I ordered 2 sheet cakes from Badam Babe to serve about 100 guests at my Dad's 80th birthday party. I ordered one Masala Chai cake and one Haldi-Doodh (tumeric cardamom) cake, and they were a hit! Our party guests were amazed by the unique flavors and multiple people asked for Adhiti's contact info. My favorite was the Masala Chai cake! Previously, I ordered a Shrikand cake from Adhiti to bring to a holiday potluck, and it was incredible - both incredibly flavorful and stunning! My first order from Adhiti was last fall, when I ordered her Rangoli cookies for a Diwali party I hosted - the cookies were truly remarkable. I am so glad to have discovered Badam Babe and can't recommend her highly enough!

What a let down. I bake these myself at home and with all…read morethe different layers find them very time consuming, not to mention only having 2 people in my household a whole tray is just too much for us to consume so I was a little excited when I found these as not only were they the right quantity but the creator is also from Ireland, not far from my homeland (and where these treats originated). What I would love to say was a delectable treat was actually in fact a huge let down. I had similar experience to Adrienne G and agree that the Shortbread was way too crumbly and the Chocolate waxy / chalky. It didn't taste at all like the Buttery biscuit, Sweet Caramel bar topped with Silky Chocolate treat I know and love them to be. The worse part was that I paid $8.49 for 3 squares. A fair price for any consumer but knowing just how many I could make myself for that price was hard to accept. Aside the Caramel Shortbread (or Millionaire's Shortbread as we call it in England) Clariressquares also makes other items including Flapjacks, Oat Bars and Brandy Butter. Maybe some of those are better....

I'm a professional food photographer and Claire and I have worked together so I must warn you, I am…read morea bit prejudiced. There is something terribly dangerous about working with Claire. She's a wonderfully pleasant young woman with a delightful personality but she has a dark side. When we finish photographing her products, that dark side comes out and she plies me with ClaireSquares, insisting that I take some home with me. How, you ask, could that be something negative, something sinister? When I was a boy, a potato chip company advertised "Bet you can't eat just one..." and that is from where the danger comes with Claire's products. She has sent me home with stacks and stacks of ClaireSquares and each and every time I swear I will only eat one. So far I have yet to keep my promise to myself. Why can't I just savor one and save the rest for tomorrow and the week after? What spell has this woman put on her products that forces me to dream about them night after night? And the nightmares...the nightmares are horrible. There I am surrounded by millions of ClaireSquares and I can't quite reach them. They are calling my name and are just out of my grasp. Pure torture!!! After so many sessions with Claire, she sprang on me her evilest plot yet. Recently, she sent me home with her Plum Pudding. If you find yourself home alone with one of her puddings, please immediately call 911 and ask for help or you might devour the entire thing by yourself and then where would you be? Jonesing for MORE!!! People have been known to kick their families and friends to the curb over ClaireSquares and Claire's Plum Pudding. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

Choux is a hidden gem in the Height neighborhood in SF. It is a tiny shop with and even tinier…read morestore front, but they sell the most amazing French desserts and treats. They specialize of course in choux pastries, but they also make meringues and canelés which happen to be my favorite. This time I got two matcha canelés, two original and 4 choux: mango ginger (oh my god, what a wonderful pairing this is), pistachio, raspberry and lemon meringue. The choux is light and fluffy. Topped with crackling and beautifully decorated, these choux are filed to the top on the inside with delicious mouse/cream making the perfect bite. The canelés were also delicious. Caramelized (yet not burned) on the outside and fluffy and custardy in the inside. Highly recommend to anyone fan of good pastries. You can place your order online or pick up at their store front. Do not miss it if you are in the area! You will not regret it.

Stopped by this place for a little snack to bring to Alamo Square park. I got the hazelnut choux…read moreand really liked it - it did kinda explode when I bit into it, so be prepared for a messy snack. My mom got the lemon one, and a meringue and was raving about both. Overall cute little shop for a fun little sweet treat!