Cookie Chachi

"Cookie Chachi is the only place in SF to find cookies made in South Asian flavors. The tiny Chinatown bakery has a tight lineup of chewy, soft-baked options, but the standout among them is the jalebi, packed with syrup-soaked shards of the crunchy Indian sweet. A fantastic backup is the cardamom and date that you'll smell long before it hits biting distance." - julia chen 1, patrick wong, ricky rodriguez

"Since everything at Cookie Chachi is baked off-site, you won’t get that just-out-of-the-oven scent, but you will find a lineup of fantastic cookies—including flavors you won’t find anywhere else in the city. There’s the jalebi-cookie hybrid that’s flecked with shards of deep-fried and syrup-soaked dough. And the cardamom and date that you can smell a mile away with a bad head cold. With every flavor (there are seven), you’re guaranteed a cookie that’s chewy, not too sweet, and conveniently packaged in its own sleeve. The tiny Chinatown bakery is takeout only, but Portsmouth Square and its many benches are right across the street. photo credit: Patrick Wong" - Patrick Wong