SF bakery bargains: low-cost deals for foodies on a budget

July 8, 2:38 AMSF Bakery ExaminerLindsey Danis

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the SF Bakery Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Inside Philz: by It's Holly

For foodies on a budget, there are still plenty of bakery deals to be had in San Francisco. Take a break from your job search, bring home doughnuts for your roommate or bring a date for ice cream at these bakery steals. Times are *still* tough and we want to support our local businesses. These five make it pretty easy by offering closing deals and half-price day olds.

This post is intended as part of an ongoing series, so readers, if you know of any great bargains, please do share!

1. Philz day-olds / see website for locations
All locations of Philz coffee sell day-old pastries at reduced prices. Philz carries doughnuts from Pepple's and Dee's Organic Minis as well as muffins, scones and other pastries. Philz coffee is flavorful without Blue Bottle prices, and the extra attention always makes my day. Every time I go to Philz I try a different flavor of coffee. Current favorites? Jacob's Wonderbar and the iced coffee.

2. Frog Hollow Farms / 1 Ferry Building Marketplace
The Frog Hollow Farms store in the Ferry Building sometimes sells their pastries half-off toward the end of a workday, or 2 for $6 as of June 2009. My favorite Frog Hollow pastries are the vegetarian empanadas--asparagus and cheese, or ricotta-summer squash, especially if you can scrounge up some hot sauce--and, for sweet pastries, the cherry turnovers, strawberry rhubarb crostatas, apricot fruit pocket and pear frangipane galettes, although the risotto galette--arborio rice flecked with vanilla bean, currant and candied citrus--has a cultish following of its own.

3. Maggie Mudd Dollar Wednesdays / 903 Cortland Ave
This Bernal Heights specialty ice cream shop sells vegan and lactose-free ice creams and confections in fun flavors. With so many cute restaurants on that stretch of Cortland, Maggie Mudd is a natural dessert stop to extend any date, or a great place to meet a friend. On Wednesdays, Maggie Mud offers kids' cones for $1.00. Maggie Mudd ice cream comes in dairy, soy or coconut milk base; I like the dairy base all right but prefer the coconut.

4. Specialty's day-old cookies / see website for locations
Financial District workers, treat your coworkers to some day-old cookies from Speciality's. At half price, Specialty's cookies come in pretty basic flavors including peanut butter, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin. Ex-New Yorkers, take note: Specialty's sells black and white cookies.

5. TC Pastry / 2222 Irving St
After 6 pm, TC Pastry offers dim sum and bakery treats at the hardcore bargain price of 3/$1.00. That's the best bargain I've heard of! TC sells dim sum favorites like shu mai, gyoza and steamed buns, TC has yummy custard tarts and other sweets.