Parachute

Lamination at the Ferry Building

The case at Parachute opens with croissant, pain au chocolat, almond croissant, Everything Kouign Amann and morning bun, then keeps going into composed pieces: a wagyu pastrami Reuben croissant, a gochujang pimento cheese twist, a Mango and Tapioca Danish, a Peach Melba croissant, and croissant shells filled with grilled asparagus, fennel jam, whipped ricotta and ramp pesto. The bakery and café opened in San Francisco in September 2025 from the team behind the restaurant Sorrel, sharing a pier-side corner with their Arquet project next door. Ingredient detail carries the programme: French cultured butter in the croissant, sixty percent single-origin TCHO chocolate in the pain au chocolat, almond frangipane in the almond croissant.

A bright counter with few seats

The room works as a pastry counter rather than a dining room. Cream colours, well-lit shelves, pier-side sunlight through east-facing windows and vertical ovens visible from the floor, even though most of the production stays out of sight. Seating comes to a small handful of spots, so the rhythm is browsing the case, ordering at the counter, then deciding whether to linger briefly or carry the box onward through the Ferry Building. Retail fills the rest of the space, with coffee, tea, bread and butter pickles, raw honey, cookbooks, greeting cards, candles, candied pecans, granola and Little Bites. The menu rotates hard, and much of what changes comes from the farmers market outside the door.

Start with the Everything Kouign Amann

Start with the Everything Kouign Amann for the savoury-sweet signature: laminated pastry with scallion cream cheese mousse, and the most original thing in the case. For a direct read on the dough, take the butter croissant, the pain au chocolat or the almond croissant; for a richer savoury order, choose the wagyu pastrami Reuben croissant or the gochujang pimento cheese twist. Seasonal pieces are central rather than decorative, running to raspberry, rose and lychee bowties, strawberries and cream croissant cubes, blueberry tarts, a Santa Rosa plum and toasted rice Caramelia cube, Peach Melba made with yellow peaches, and clam chowder served in a croissant bowl. Away from lamination there are canelés, pecan financiers, black sesame and yuzu cookies, chocolate chip and toffee cookies, matcha or vanilla Basque cheesecake and chocolate entremet. Drinks push further still, from matcha and cacao latte to a banana salted caramel Einspanner and jasmine and citrus iced tea made with market citrus.