Marla SR Bakery and Cafe

"Though this bakery-café’s departure from San Francisco’s Outer Richmond neighborhood was much mourned, Marla’s new home in Santa Rosa’s Railroad Square neighborhood brings owners Amy Brown and Joe Wolf’s Crebble (a croissant-muffin hybrid) to the North Bay. Here’s your reminder of the flaky loft achieved by pastry chef Brown’s croissant dough, the chewy crumb of the bagels, and the lusciousness of the much-written-about sticky buns, plus all the coffee and fresh bread you can handle. Wolf handles the savory side, which at lunch means chicories and pickled persimmons in a seasonal salad, grilled cheese with garlic confit and roast mushrooms, and a baguette sandwich with Marla ham and marinated peppers on Pugliese." - Christina Mueller

"Once you’re at Arsicault, you’re notthatfar fromMarla Bakery, which serves breakfast and lunch (and brunch on the weekends) and sells pastries, bagels, English muffins, cookies, and buns. I admit that I went for the thing called the “crebble”—and came away with a lemon tart with piped meringue that spoke to me. There’s a garden out back if the weather is nice, but once you’re at Marla, which is in Outer Richmond, you’re already set up for an outdoorsy activity: Walk through Golden Gate Park (there are actualbisonin there), journey west to Ocean Beach, or wander over to Lands End Lookout for a beautiful view of the bridge.Doesn’t it feel good to get some fresh air after all that butter and sugar?" - BySarah Jampel