The Iconic San Francisco Cafe Bakery Martha Stewart Calls 'Worth The Wait'

You might expect domestic diva Martha Stewart to make all of her own baked goods as she has a wealth of recipes, including a mile-high lemon pie that's said to be her favorite dessert, extra-chewy brownies made with both oil and butter, and banana bread baked with the "magic" (although hardly unusual) ingredient of sour cream. She has a recipe for homemade croissants, too, but it appears this item is something she's occasionally willing to outsource. Back in 2024, she tweeted a photo with the following caption: "Ham and cheese croissant at Tartine San Francisco worth the wait."

Tartine isn't San Francisco's most venerable bakery by a long shot — it was established back in the Y2K days (2002, to be exact), whereas Boudin Bakery, home of the original bakery sourdough, has been around since 1849. It is, however, among the more famous ones, and currently holds the distinction of being one of the most-reviewed Bay Area bakeries on TripAdvisor (over 1,300, with the majority being positive overall). Although the bakery, true to its name, does carry a few tartines (a fancy name for open-faced sandwiches), the specialties it touts are those Stewart-approved croissants along with morning buns. The latter is a cinnamon roll-croissant cross that originated in Madison, Wisconsin. If Martha has yet to try them, either at Tartine or just about any Midwestern mom-and-pop bakery, she's really missing out on a treat.

Knowing the busy lifestyle Martha Stewart leads, it's not hard to imagine her dropping by Tartine for a quick pick-up order before jetting off to do whatever domestic divas did in the 20-teens. Those with more time on their hands, however, can enjoy a leisurely dine-in experience at a restaurant called Tartine Manufactory that's about a mile away from the bakery's San Francisco flagship. (The bakery also has offshoots in the Bay Area, along with outposts in Los Angeles and Seoul, South Korea, although the restaurant is one of a kind.)

Tartine Manufactory serves three meals a day. In the morning, there are omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and banana-caramel bread pudding. Among the lunch options are soups, salads, and sandwiches, including the aforementioned tartines in avocado or smoked salmon. Dinner entrées include roast chicken and gnocchi with Dungeness crab, but the real emphasis (because of the bakery connection) is house-made pizzas. These include standard toppings like margherita, pepperoni, and sausage and onion, along with more gourmet options like a white pizza made with seasonal mushrooms.

Overall, patrons seem to prefer the Tartine bakery to the restaurant — the former has 4.4 stars on TripAdvisor, while the latter drops to 4.2. On Yelp, the bakery rates 4.2 stars while the restaurant only has 3.7. People do seem to enjoy the restaurant's food and the ambiance, although not everyone agrees with Stewart's assessment that the wait times are worthwhile. (This is an issue at both establishments.) Customers also complain of high prices, which are more apparent at the restaurant than the bakery, since a full meal costs a lot more than single-serve baked goods.