Donna T.
Yelp
After reading all about how Maison Benoit won the latest competition for SF's best croissant, I was stoked to try it!
I wanted to ensure that I'd have the best chance at securing the notorious almond croissants that run out early, so I arrived around 7:30 AM on a Tuesday. As a result, they had everything in stock. I picked up an array of croissants including the regular, almond, chocolate almond, and chocolate. I also got the chocolate bread, coffee eclair, and a fruit tart.
Honestly, the pastries were phenomenal. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's almost as if they add some type of "sugar MSG" that really makes them stand out (in the best way). They're all incredibly buttery, rich, and just pack such intense flavors that I didn't know were possible for pastries. Needless to say, I was impressed; especially with the almond croissants. I'd say the least impressive one I had was with their chocolate croissant, as there weren't that many chocolate chips inside and they were all congregated in one area so I thought I was just eating a regular croissant for the first half.
I also ordered an iced latte with almond milk and wasn't expecting too much from it, but it came out really fast and was delicious! I definitely want to come back, try other pastries, grab more of the classics, and wind down at one of their tables either inside/outside with an iced coffee.