This Adorable ‘bakery Row’ Sprung Up Out Of Nowhere In The Mission District

Christine’s is one of three bakeries that took over a bougie work-live building in the Mission. | Christine’s

Three bakeries moved into one complex. They had no idea they’d be each other’s neighbors.

Three up-and-coming San Francisco bakeries now live in a big complex on Bryant Street. The building debuted in 2020 in the Mission, adding retail tenants slowly to its ranks. Michelin star-holding restaurant Osito is on one side of the block-sized complex. Natural wine and fancy snacks haven Bar Gemini is a few doors down. On another face of the building, and within the outdoor pathways that run through the complex like treats on a wooded pathway, are three BIPOC-owned microbakeries. Wildly enough, all of the business owners live on the premises, too.

Each punch well above their microbakery weight class status, at least as noteworthy as their star-studded neighbors in the restaurant and wine bar scenes.

One is Christine’s, a minimalist cookie outfit where gourmet oatmeal raisin renditions and rectangular espresso cookies gleaming with chunky sea salt sit in neat rows on the counter. Just next door is Florecita Panaderia, a husband-and-wife team making some of the country’s finest cutting-edge conchas. Around the corner, nearest to Osito and Bar Gemini, is Cake Therapy, a bustling team of bakers producing ube pandan puffs and matcha blondies.

None of the three knew there’d be another bakery that’s not just nearby, but mere steps away when they opened. No matter: They’ve leaned into it. They call it “bakery row.”

Paolo Bicchieri Ximena and Jared Williams at their little baking space, just next door to Christine’s and around the corner from Cake Therapy.

Christine’s

Florecita Panaderia

Christine Liu moved into the Madelon, the “work-live” building complex that houses all these accolade-laden operations, in 2024. The cookies here are crisp, firm, snappy. No gooey, cakey affairs are these. She was based in the South Bay for three years since starting her business, and decided it was time to take the plunge and move north. She signed the lease in September before opening Christine’s in June. Not everyone is required to live in the commercial spaces rented at the Madelon — there are literal sleeping lofts above the storefront in each of these three spaces — but operating a business is mandatory.

Florecita Panaderia’s Ximena and Jared Williams lived in their space, but not upon opening. They launched as a cottage business in Oakland in 2023, one of the Bay’s finest representations of modern Mexican American baking. They decided to move into a separate unit within the complex, though. Ximena Williams spotted the neighbor connection first, reaching out to Liu when she learned they’d be neighbors. She noticed Liu posting about her new space on Instagram, and introduced herself at the West Coast Craft Fair where they both held pop-ups. “People who love pastries love all kinds of pastries,” Williams says. “They have a little bakery hop and go from bakery to bakery trying everything.”

Cake Therapy is owner Andrew Tolatino’s love letter to his Filipino and Chinese identity. Lemon cake slices with yuzu buttercream. Vegan chai cakes. The flavors of those heritages came to a head throughout the pandemic. His bake sales to support Black Lives Matter and End Asian Hate movements, for friends and family, sprung into a business. While vying for a Vacant to Vibrant store setup, he found the Madelon. His outpost’s first birthday was in April.

It was Instagram that tipped off Tolatino to his neighbors at first, too. Once their doors were open, he went by and introduced himself. Christine’s is the only one open on Thursdays, and only Florecita is open on Sundays. When it’s nice weather, the bakers put out flowers and tables where customers and locals who live in the complex enjoy all the sweet fare. “We all focus on our own flavors,” Tolatino says. “It doesn’t feel like competition. It’s been great so far.”

Paolo Bicchieri A gluten-free sea salt and espresso cookie.

Paolo Bicchieri

All three agree that their businesses work in concert with each other, not in competition. They had their reservations when considering their similar products, but, at the end of the day, their work is all different, with their own audiences. Cake Therapy expanded into custom cakes, for instance, and Liu has hosted embroidery workshops in her space. The main synergy comes from the fact that their customers now come for the separate three bakeries; the bakery row vibes are strong, like Seattle’s Post Alley or the Ferry Building. The future may not be so conforming — Liu feels she is just about ready to expand to a bigger space, for instance — so customers should enjoy the vibe while they can.

Moreover, these three businesses do provide something novel to the neighborhood with their bakery row. There’s Tartine — “super gentrifiers” as the New Yorker puts it — but the manufactory over in this part of the area is more for pizzas and wine anyway. Trick Dog, True Laurel, Lost Resort, and even Atlas Cafe may all be wonderful, but sweet shops they are not. There’s a pastry case at CoffeeShop further afield, but nothing made with this level of intention or for these audiences. The Mission’s bakery row is just one of its latest secrets, buried in all the newness the neighborhood receives as San Francisco continues to change. “Each baker has their own unique story,” Liu says. “Just come expecting to try different things and look forward to trying that variety.”

Cake Therapy, Christine’s, and Florecita Panaderia are located at 2823 18th Street in San Francisco. Check their sites for business hours.