Le Marais Bakery

The best quiche I have ever had in my life.
Try it! Flaky crust, creamy eggs, bacon. Yum.

I finally checked out Le Marais Bakery in Ghiradelli Square, the old Kara’s Cupcake spot. Not much selection around 3pm but there was still some stuff I wanted to get.
Kouign Amann $ 4 — I got one. Heated it at home the next day, it was a tiny bit sweet on the top and probably some sugar on the bottom, but it stuck to the foil I used. It was soft and flaky inside. I still like B Patisserie and Starter Bakery better.
Lemon Meringue Tart $ 5.50 — it was pretty yummy. I made it home and it was still in good shape except the meringue moved a bit. Inside was a little bit of jam to cut the tart I guess. I liked it and would recommend.
I would try to go earlier in the day for more selections.
Charged it!

Great service and quality drinks. Our barista was very personable and friendly. It is a small cute place with outside seating. The pastry was fresh and well presented. It is not a bakery and they don’t back on site, but the quality was of a top notch bakery. One word of advise, have a selection of sugars and sweeteners. Bulk sugar out of a cheap dispenser is cheap. The owner was setting with friends while the barista was getting slammed. It did not look good.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to have a quality bakery just steps from home! Thank you Kara’s for vacating, and thank you Le Marais for jumping right in at Ghirardelli Square. Le Marais is a great place to stop in the morning for a cup of Stumptown coffee and a pastry, or an afternoon dessert. They also had a few savory items (ham and cheese filled croissants), baguettes, macarons, cookies. Their menu is not as extensive as their Chestnut St location, but maybe this will change in time. And hopefully they won’t have the customer service issues that their other location has been plagued with either. So far so good.

Time: 12:17pm/57°F light showers
Purpose: Made it my first destination before heading out for the day. Miss the invitation event due to work load. Been busy lately for no apparent reason. Better economy?
Ambiance: Located in the Ghirardelli Square concourse level Le Marais replaces Kara Cupcakes. Glass pane window top to bottom with couple of tables out front. Inside feels vibrant and bright exactly what a French pastry shop should be. Inside seating is limited to four tables, but other seating outside can be easily had. L-​shape counter with closed encased display area and cold fridge for pastries. LaMarzocco two chamber extractor pave the way for Stumptown beans. Rest of the place couple of frame pictures, utensil station, shelf with novelties/​bag beans, Stumptown very own fridge. Small less than 500 sq feet, but has all the space it needs to function. Not a place for groups rather than a break from work for snack. During my time there only tourist were in/​out of place.
Staff: Guy and girl about mid 20s seem new hire. The girl pretty engaging, but the guy kept to himself. I ask a series of questions, but I know the answer already. Just trying to get a honest answer. Workers were definitely trained on saying things just to get a sale. She basically told me everything was made fresh daily. Come on now! Being a trade expert in the past, I know my ways around pastries especially European. Ok, what ever since they weren’t that talkative, I just went about my way.
Cleanliness: Grade A, immaculate. Pastry cold case had condensation making it hard to see item clearly. Not their fault, its rain and interior temperature that did display case in. The bagless baguette in basket worries me. With flu season in high gear all it takes is one sneeze. Just saying…
Eats/​Drinks: Almond croissant $ 4.25 flaky and light with slight exterior crunch dusted with powder sugar and almond slices. I accidentally had my work bag lean over while driving and smash it a little. Later on, I toss in toaster and slightly burnt it, but edible. Folding layers was the best part of croissant peeling off slowy. Top looks burnt, but it was perfect. Small cappuccino $ 3.75 a smooth palatable coffee free from harshness. Just medium body with a subtle flavor. Later, I was told its Hair Bender blend. Now, I’m wondering if there are bottle cold brew available too.
Main Features: Ham and gruyère cheese croissant, kouing amann.
Products/​Services: Croissant/​amande, kouing amann, cookie, baguette, eclairs, cream puffs, macarons, napoleans, premade sandwich, quiche, brioche, truffles, almond cake, buchon, novelties, tea set/​pot. Coffee by Stumptown, tea by Smith Tea. Takes plastic (no minimum), merchant discount.
Punch Lines: Better than average, close-​together table, pleasing flavors, modest cost, drool-​worthy, seats are minimal, laid back, calm vibe, well-​prepared, light bites, itty-​bitty, lively atmosphere, can’t go wrong, casual and delicious, kept its standards, tucked away in Ghirardelli Square, upscale feel, satisfaction.
Tradeoffs: Most goods are deliver from their marina location with a slight price mark up.
Final Thoughts: I’ve try their pastries when they first open in Marina, but didn’t really wow me. This new location is more for nearby tourist than locals. Not saying no locals, its just the environment and parking situation. Le Marais will succeed because hotels usually serve those out of package pastries. Who would want to pay three times the price for out of package? You can get locally made goods for a modest reasonable price. Not a bad place very close to the real thing.

Earlier this week, I had the honor of attending Le Marais Bakery’s private blogger tasting event located at the famous Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. In other words, I got to share a positive experience with Le Marais Bakery before its grand opening!
First off, the exterior and interior of the building is both gorgeous and modern. As my friend and I entered Le Marais Bakery, we were greeted by a very friendly and cheerful female employee. She allowed us to sample various treats, which include the Valrhona Chocolate Chip Cookie, Ham & Gruyère Baguette, Pain Au Chocolat Crossaint, Madeline, Macaron, and more. I was so excited to dig into these delicious looking pastries, but first, lemme take a #bloggerlayout (haha)! After taking pictures of these treats from every angle (the blogger life sure is real), I took a bite into the Valrhona Chocolate Chip Cookie and it was absolutely DELICIOUS! The employee accurately described it as 50% cookie and 50% chocolate because apparently, the chocolate chips are that huge. Also, there is sea salt sprinkled on top of the cookie, which brings out a sweet yet salty taste that leaves your taste buds wanting more.
If you ever make a trip to Ghirardelli Square, be sure to drop by the newly renovated Le Marais Bakery for some fresh sea salt chocolate chip cookies and more!