As San Franciscans, we excel in elevating even the most mundane of activities–especially all those early morning rituals that keep our days centered. From steaming mugs of artisan coffee, to cold glasses of fresh-squeezed juice, to perfectly assembled pieces of toast, we find a way to make everything become a "trending" food item. Thanks to an abundance of expert bread bakers in our very own city, "hipster toast," cut thick, slathered with an array of ingredients from avocado to butter to jam to powdered sugar can convert even the most stubborn of skeptics. Try them for yourself:
The Mill(pictured above)
Divisadero’s newest gem, The Mill, proudly serves up Four Barrel and some of the best toast in town. Josey Baker Bread, recently named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef All-Stars,” has been peddling his bread around San Francisco for years. Lucky for us, he’s found a permanent home at The Mill, where he sells full loaves and serves a rotating menu of thick-cut toasts. Highlights include whole wheat toast with butter and almond butter, cinnamon raisin bread with McCelland’s butter and sea salt, country bread with butter and apricot preserves, and dark mountain rye with cream cheese.
photo by Yelp user Olivia V.
Blue Bottle has numerous locations throughout the city, all of which brew many San Franciscan’s favorite cup of joe. Their Mint Plaza location, in addition to their trademark coffee, offers a small menu of breakfast items, including Acme Bakery thick toast, served with Spring Hill Creamery whipped butter and jam by Mountain Fruit. Unlike our other toast contenders, Blue Bottle serves the butter and jam on the side for you to apply as you please (but we prefer the mouthwatering, pre-buttered, oozing toasts).
photo by Instragram user Ophelia912.
The original creator of this trend, Trouble Coffee, has been serving up their classic “Build Your Own Damn House” combination for years. It involves their famous cinnamon toast served with a coffee and coconut juice in a real coconut for $8. Slathered in butter, cinnamon, and sugar, this treat is sinfully decadent.
photo by Foodspotting user Chemie.
A few doors down, Outerlands serves equally mouth-watering toast of their own. Their house-baked levain bread is crisped and served with stonefruit jam and butter. If you’re interested in a heartier breakfast, their thick-sliced bread is also used in an open-faced sandwich topped with fried egg, much like the “toad in a hole” from our childhoods.
photo by Yelp user Lolia S.
Opened just a couple weeks ago by way of Kickstarter, Café St. Jorge offers a variety of Portuguese baked goods–a rarity in this town. A menu of various toasts include butter, cream cheese, almond butter with banana and honey, hummus, or avocado spread, lemon juice, chili flakes, and sea salt. They also offer cinnamon raisin thick-cut toast and gluten-free toast for carb-challenged individuals. Toast for all!
