Arsicault Bakery Civic Center

The line was extending out the door, but I was able to order within about 15 minutes. There were a lot of flies swarming outside to the left of the entrance, but the inside was nice and clean. The pastries all looked so good and I only left with three. My favorite was the chocolate chip cookie; it was one of the best I've had!
It's a pleasant bakeshop to visit for delicious pastries.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bakery, Freshly Baked Pastries and Croissants

Best croissants in the city. Morning buns are great too.

Highly recommend the quiche and chocolate almond croissant! You'll have to wait in line, but it moved efficiently when we went on a Sunday morning. Got an iced latte, only flavors were vanilla and mocha. Tasty! Be prepared to encounter plenty of homeless people surrounding this area. Unfortunately, that makes it a bit uncomfortable, but I can't blame the bakery for that.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 5

Service: 5

Arsicault Bakery is an absolute golden find, especially if you're a fan of croissants. It’s a casual, cozy spot that serves what might be the best croissants I've ever had.
I was in the mood to explore and tried the chocolate, ham & cheese, and plain croissants - every single one was delicious. I was genuinely surprised by how good the ham & cheese croissant was, and I'm so glad I ordered it. The quality here is truly unexpected and top-tier.
A good heads-up: you'll likely see a medium-sized line when you arrive, but don't let that deter you. It moves at a decent pace since most people are getting takeout. They do have some indoor and outdoor seating if you want to stay.
For an unbelievably good croissant, this place is a definite must-try. I can't recommend it enough.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent coffee and the best croissant I’ve had in a very long time. The only thing is the location due to the neighborhood it’s in.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended by a local, and for very good reason! The bakery offers a decent selection of pastries, both savory and sweet, as well as coffee for those who need their caffeine kick.

The pastries were absolutely incredible. The croissants, for which they are known, were beautifully laminated. Flaky and crispy on the outside, the inner layers were moist and buttery, yielding a delicious treat with excellent mouth feel. The kouign-amann was also amazing, sporting the same care to baking and offering a delicious sweet counterpoint to the ham and cheese croissant. The wait times and lines ebbs and flows (we arrived to none, it got busy for a moment, went back to manageable for the newcomers) but no matter which end of the spectrum you find yourself, it's absolutely worth it!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

7/10 Ham and cheese croissant from somewhat famous spot that everyone says is better than Crumble.
Base croissant is good enough like definitely in the S-tier category.

Lack of ham -2
Took me four empty bites to start finding the ham.

Uneventful cheese -1
I don’t know what cheese they use, but it didn’t add anything to the flavor

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Freshly Baked Pastries and Croissants

If you encounter a line, and it is likely, WAIT in it. You will be rewarded with some of the best pastries I have tasted. Standouts include the blackberry almond croissant which is BEYOND delicious and laminated with blackberries throughout, the apricot bostock, the sourdough baguette, the mushroom quiche, the Mediterranean lunch bread and don’t forget the coffee. The service is friendly and the line moves quickly.

I will definitely return to this bakery each time I visit San Francisco!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Bakery, Freshly Baked Pastries and Croissants, Blackberry Almond Hazelnut Croissant, Vegetarian Gallete, Drip Coffee

DELICIOUS baked good; worth the wait in the long but fast moving line; just fresh and very well done

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I doubt this review will introduce any new information to the discourse about Arsicault but I will reaffirm what is already widely known. I have had croissants everywhere. As a child I would eat croissants all day. I have perhaps never had a better croissant than at Arsicault. Both the plain and the chocolate almond are splendid. Great espresso as well.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

Their almond chocolate croissant is to die for and the coffee is also really good. There are usually lines to get in so be prepared for a small wait. There are a few homeless sitting outside and roaming around this store which felt a bit uncomfortable.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

The croissant was, of course, immaculate. Very flaky, light. I wish they'd improve the look of the shop cause it looks a bit unkempt.

Perfect!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

My favorites were the hazelnut blackberry almond croissant (absolutely delicious) and the kouig amman! i wouldn’t say the drip coffee was very good. however, i will definitely come back to try some other menu items! service was great too.

Edit: finally tried their famous almond croissant and it was to die for!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Blackberry Almond Hazelnut Croissant

(Warning) Worth the wait in line, pastries are out of this world just a shame such a fine place like this is surrounded by chaos. Lots of really gross people loitering outside the place and as I was leaving with my bag of goods one of those fine specimens walked straight up to me, leans back and spits in my face with as much force as he could stir up, completely unprovoked. Was in shock and dry heaving the whole walk back. Took about an hour before I could even get my appetite back to try the pastries. Not their fault but just be cautious entering/leaving this place it was pure chaos around the building.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 3

Recommended dishes: Bakery, Freshly Baked Pastries and Croissants