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Candy Crush: Sweet Shops Around San Francisco

San Francisco has more than its share of gourmet chocolates and bonbons these days, but sometimes one gets a hankering for some true candy: licorice, lollipops, jellybeans, candy bars. The wonderful thing about San Francisco is that it has places to satisfy every kind of sweet tooth, from old fashioned retro shops selling the nostalgic candy of childhood to gorgeous little boutiques carrying handpicked sweeties from around the world. Below are some of the best ways to indulge your inner Willy Wonka in the city. Shaw’s Candy Store | 122 West Portal Ave Opened in 1931, Shaw’s is the oldest candy store in San Francisco. It’s not trendily retro; it’s an authentically old timey slice of Americana with its red and white color scheme and jars of jelly beans, gummy bears, and taffy. Be sure to try their famous homemade fudge, which comes in classic flavors like peanut butter chocolate, maple walnut, and rocky road. As a bonus, they also serve Mitchell’s ice cream, another local San Francisco favorite. Fiona’s Sweetshoppe | 214 Sutter St This tiny shop tucked away in the Union Square district is the closest thing San Francisco has to Honeyduke’s, the famous candy shop of the Harry Potter books. Fiona’s specializes in candies from the UK and Scotland and the interior of the store looks like a classic English sweet shop, from the silver trays full of hard candy to the walls lined with jars of toffees and licorice. For a true English candy experience, try the chewy bonbons (not the chocolate kind), rich molasses treacle toffee, and the licorice allsorts. The Candy Store | 1507 Vallejo St For those looking to learn more about the world of candy, this little gem in Russian Hill is the place to go. Owners Diane and Brian are true candy aficionados who travel the world tracking down old favorites and new discoveries. Both they and their staff enjoy sharing their extensive knowledge with customers – so tell them what you like and they will pick out a candy for you from the multitude of jars on the walls. The malted milk balls and Swedish gummies are a delight, as well as the selection of nostalgic American candy bars, like Abba-Zabas and Valomilks. Miette | 449 Octavia St Miette takes the prize for most whimsical candy store in the city. The interior is gorgeously decorated like a child’s imaginative dream of a vintage sweet shop, all fanciful lights, floral wallpaper, and candy-bright colors everywhere. The carefully curated selection of candies range from Italian chocolates to British candy bars to Dutch licorice. As a bonus, they also carry Miette’s own line of pastries, from cupcakes to princess cakes to macarons. There’s a sweet for everyone in this store. Z Ciccolato | 474 Columbus Ave This old fashioned sweets emporium captures the eclectic, colorful nature of the North Beach district. The windows and walls are covered in offbeat decorations, but most visitors’ eyes will go immediately to the barrels scattered around the room, filled with saltwater taffy. Besides taffy in virtually every color and flavor, Z Ciccolato is famous for its homemade fudge in flavors like chocolate cheesecake and cookies and cream. The store also makes fresh caramel corn and serves gelato – truly a sweets lover dream-come-true.

San Francisco's Top Salted Caramel Treats

Ooey-gooey salty goodness. Salted caramel, like bacon, will not die as a food trend. This buttery confection keeps chefs, bakers and dessert makers inspired to try new creations. If this is good news to you, then here are a few spots to get your salted caramel fix in San Francisco. Salted caramel bread pudding from Schulzies Bread pudding served like ice cream? That's Schulzies. Located in Hayes Valley this unique shop opened by fourth generation San Francisco native Sarah Shulz, serves bread pudding in a cone. It fits since she serves it cold, an interesting twist on the classic. And while all her flavors are delicious (there are 108 of them, although only about a dozen served daily), if you are a salted caramel fan you'll love the salted caramel sutra. Milk chocolate pot de creme from RN74 So you might be asking where is the salted caramel? Trust me, its there. If you order the milk chocolate pot de creme on Michael Mina's RN74 menu it comes with cocoa nibs, salted toffee, and salted caramel whipped cream. The combination is so delectable that you'll wonder why they don't just change the name. The crunch and saltiness of the toffee mixed with the caramel whip cream is perfect with the chocolate pudding; it doesn't come off as cloyingly sweet. Perfect with a glass of red wine. Salted caramel ice cream from Bi-Rite We rarely see heat waves in San Francisco, so we've just gotten use to eating ice cream even when its chilly. The biggest decision to make is where. Bi-Rite Creamery? Mitchell's? Or Humphry Slocombe? When it comes to salted caramel, it's easy. Bi-Rite is the only one that carries it. In fact this spot is often attributed to creating the salted caramel craze in the first place. You have plenty of time to dream about their sweet cream and smoky caramel while you wait in the really long line to get in! Caramel de Sel Donut from Dynamo Donut The sweet of the fluffy dough combined with the slightly chewy of the caramel glaze by itself would be sufficient, but then you get a hint of a citrus zing from fresh orange zest and nutmeg. That's pretty complex for a donut. BONUS: It's worth seeking out these next two food truck treats. Find them at Off the Grid or SOMA Streat Food Park or any of their other regular haunts around the city. Salted caramel creme brulee from The Crème Brûlée Cart These tasty little custard treats already have caramelized sugar on top, but when you add a little sea salt, wowza, that makes all the difference! Salted caramel mochi from Simply Mochi Sweet and salty goodness wrapped in a glutinous rice rice cake. Unless you are eating a truffle, this is the purest form of eating salted caramel. The mochi casing is the perfect wrap, its taste so subtle that you get the full salted caramel experience. It looks like salted caramel is here to stay and San Franciscan are the ones that benefit from the craftiness and experimentation of the city's best kitchens.

Asian Desserts in SF: Where to Find Unique Treats in the City

San Francisco loves its sweets – from croissants to cupcakes to ice cream to macarons, there’s a shop to satisfy any sweet tooth. However, there’s a whole series of cafes and bakeries out in the Richmond and Sunset districts, on the west end of the city, that serve a variety of Asian desserts unfamiliar to much of the San Francisco population. Many of these desserts are popular in their countries of origin, and have been brought over by immigrants hungry for a taste of home. For your next dessert try something a little different – you might find a new favorite! Bubble tea: This Taiwanese drink goes by several names, including pearl tea, boba tea and tapioca tea; they all refer to the chewy tapioca balls, or “pearls”, that float in a sweet milk tea. Drinking and chewing simultaneously is an interesting experience, one that can quickly become addictive. The classic version of bubble tea is black tea mixed with milk or creamer, served cold and over ice, but it also comes in enough varieties, from fruit flavors to icier “slushies”, to warrant return trips in order to try everything. The customization options are endless: different teas, different tapioca pearl sizes and flavors, even different level of sweetness and ice. It’s Starbucks taken to the next level. Similar to coffeehouses, bubble tea shops can be found all around San Francisco. Try the Boba Guys in the Mission District; they are using local sources and quality ingredients to create the next level of bubble tea. The Boba Guys 3491 19th St. San Francisco, CA 94110 Eggettes: These cute little pastries are called daan jai, or “little eggs” in Hong Kong where they come from, so eggettes is a perfectly literal translation. They are also often called egg puffs or egg waffles. Taste and texture wise, they’re a cross between waffle and pancake, a golden bubbly sheet of sweet, soft puffiness. Eggettes are a classic street food in Hong Kong, and as such they are best eaten very fresh and hot. Each individual eggette is meant to be torn from the whole sheet, making them a perfect snack for sharing. Originally they were made plain, with the sweet flavor coming from the eggs, sugar, and evaporated milk, but today eggettes come in flavors ranging from chocolate to green tea, and are often offered with toppings like ice cream and fresh fruit as well. Still, the best way to experience them is plain and simple. Many Chinese dessert cafes offer eggettes, but the best I’ve found so far are at a shop very appropriately called Eggettes. Their plain and coconut versions are especially good. Eggettes 3136 Noriega St San Francisco, CA 94122 Honey Toast: Toast is the latest food to get the artisan treatment in food-crazy San Francisco, but the Japanese have been doing gourmet toast their way for quite a while. Called “honey toast” or “honey brick toast”, this dish is gloriously over the top, visually impressive, and best enjoyed with a group. It consists of a loaf of bread (soft, thick, and fluffy white is preferred) which is hollowed out and drizzled with melted butter and honey. Often the center piece of bread that was taken out is cut into cubes, toasted, and then put back in the middle. The entire affair is then topped with ice cream, fruit, whipped cream, and almost any other topping you can imagine. Honeyberry offers several tempting versions of honey toast; give their famous sweet roti buns a try as well. Honeyberry 1915 Irving St San Francisco, CA 94122 Snow Ice: Shaved ice desserts are popular all over Asia, but snow ice is a Taiwanese iteration that’s made its way over to the US. The shaved ice that most people know is like a snow cone – ice crystals mixed with flavored syrups. Taiwanese snow ice is totally different: the water is mixed with milk or cream and sugar, frozen into a solid block, and then shaved into long ribbons, instead of little crystals, using a special machine. The piled-up ribbons of snow ice look like art, but they have an astonishingly light and fluffy texture, almost like eating snow. Snow ice comes in several flavors and numerous topping options, just like ice cream. One of the best places to try this frozen treat in the city is Dessert Papa, a sweet little café in the Outer Sunset with a wide menu of Asian desserts. Dessert Papa 2255 Judah St San Francisco, CA 94122 Sweet Dessert Soup: Most people think of hot soup as a savory appetizer or main course, but sweet hot soups, called tong sui or “sugar water”, are a Chinese dessert staple. They are typically made from nuts and sweet beans like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and red (adzuki) beans. These soups are thick and smooth in consistency, and sometimes mixed with clear pearl tapioca or whole beans. Warm, rich, not overly sugary, and a comforting end to a chilly night. For first-timers, sweet almond or sweet peanut soup are classic favorites. Golden Island Café has an extensive selection of sweet dessert soups, along with other traditional Chinese desserts. Golden Island Café 1300 Noriega St San Francisco, CA 94122

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Candy Crush: Sweet Shops Around San Francisco

San Francisco's Top Salted Caramel Treats

Asian Desserts in SF: Where to Find Unique Treats in the City

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