Marla Bakery

This place has great food and most of all great staff. I just want to give a big thank you to the manager Katherine/​Catherine. There was a problem with me leaving without my full order to go and she really did a great job taking care of me. Very awesome! Every time I’ve been here the food has been excellent.

best croissant even and I’ve been looking for one for a long time! I’m french and I’m so happy I’ve discovered this hidden gem! And don’t hesitate to go outside and enjoy their beautiful backyard!

I usually try to write funny stuff for less than desirable reviews, but not today.
Super rude service, they were sloppy, unkempt, and not awake. We asked about breakfast/​brunch and they told us that we could stay in until 10:30 when it starts. They didn’t even ask if we wanted to make a reservation. They reminded us, not once, not twice, but three times during the hour that we had to move for brunch service. We came in for an hour for coffee. They flashed the lights at 10:20 to make sure we left our table as we were getting up. No one was even waiting. The other people at the table next to us thought it was rude too. I couldn’t believe the level of pretension that went into making us feel unwelcome. We are paying for a service, we tipped, and we weren’t rude. I had friends in from out of town with me and was completely embarrassed by my normal neighborhood spot. If I were the owner I’d be embarrassed too. This system needs to be re-​thought. Never Again.

Discovered this bakery one Saturday morn while waiting for the Balboa Theatre to open, and have been a devotee ever since. They have fabulous breads, pastries, and desserts, and serve great Wrecking Ball coffee. Haven’t yet made it to a formal brunch or Sunday dinner, but hope to soon. Def worth the trip, or check out their new Ferry Market Building locale!

Came down here to grab some bagels because I wanted to try them instead of Safeway. Are the bagels supposed to be hard as rocks at 8am? Had their croissants a different time and are delicious. Service okay. Decore nice obviously.

There seems to be a lot of hate going on here… but I really like this place!
As someone who was born and raised in the very outer Outer Richmond District (The «boondocks» as my friends called it), this place is a lot better than many other options and a great addition to the neighborhood.
Really good homemade pastries/​bread made here! Bagel w/​smoked trout, croissanta, and whatever the pecan pastry thing is — all delicious. I also snagged a bite of the french toast — super yummy! And the farro salad was fresh and had great flavor.
It’s tiny so yes there are some qualms that come with that in regards to seating options. ((Example — The very first time I ever came, I arrived at 10 am to meet a friend for coffee. They told me I could gladly get coffee and something to eat but would have to leave by 10:30 since all the tables were reserved for brunch at that time. (Thankfully the host didn’t ask us to move until it was absolutely necessary — i. e she sat all the brunch goers at every other table first before resorting to ours. That was nice!))
Our waitress was super smiley and bubbly when I came a 2^nd time for brunch, but I will say some of the employees don’t look all that thrilled to be there. Perhaps they’d rather be doing something else with their life at 10:30 am on a Saturday (SLEEP? ok, I forgive you).

While the brownie we got to-​go was fine, the customer service here is NON-​EXISTENT. Clearly, the proprietors at Marla Bakery don’t read these reviews or they would have changed their staff’s attitude by now.
We just popped in on a Sunday morning to grab a brownie for later. The girl behind the counter, looking surly in her green sweater, didn’t even look up at us when we approached the counter, didn’t say ‘hello’, ‘good morning’, or ‘welcome’, didn’t ask us what we wanted. Very passive, like its my job to do her job. We paid for the brownie and promptly left. If the hipsters manning the registers don’t get an attitude adjustment I don’t see us coming back here EVER.

5 stars for delicious baked goods and brunch, 4 stars for price of some of those said baked goods ($ 2.50 for a bagel, come on people!)…2 stars for service.
We’ve been to Marla twice for brunch and enjoyed the food immensely both times. The cinnamon roll was HUGE (four people split it easily) and left us scraping the plates. We also enjoyed the bagel plate with smoked salmon (though my dad had to ask for extra cream cheese/​cream fraiche), the quiche and the baked egg dish.
However…and this is a big however for a place that feels so special… the service is really atrocious. The last time we went we showed up around ten (prior to brunch service even starting) hoping to get one of those small number of tables left open for walk-​ins. When I asked to put our name on the list the hostess with scrolled through her iPad and said «okay, our next table will be available in… hmmm…quite a long time» and then spun around and walked away (!!!) without allowing us to ask any follow up questions. Huh? Do they even reserve tables for walk-​ins anymore? My friend then attempted to buy a bag of coffee beans and it became clear when asking the woman at the register if she had any recommendations that the woman did not know that the bakery sells a wide variety of Wrecking Ball coffee varieties (she said we could choose between the Espresso roast and the regular coffee). Okay.
The times we were actually able to be seated for brunch we had to spend at least part of our meal every time trying to flag someone down to refill coffee cups, provide utensils, etc.
Short story is that I still recommend this place because I think it is delicious, but come with appropriate expectations and make a reservation if you want to eat brunch.

Popped in for a quick pastry, got the kouign amann with some honey sauce type topping, amazing, it wasn’t even fresh, and it was amazing. Also had a scone that was a bit on the dense and not so buttery side, minus a star for that. The place is contemporary and I’m giving them stars just for being out in the Richmond, it’s nice seeing more modern places in a community a bit over saturated with out dated Chinese restaurants.

Oh how I love love love you.
I feel in love with there pastries and breads before they opened and we’re doing pop ups all over town.
They did a great job catering my baby shower. Everyone loved the food and I had left overs for days, the portions were very generous.
Now that I have a baby I don’t always have time to eat in so when the oatmeal molasses bread is not sold out at rainbow I grab a loaf cuz it’s the tastiest.
If I’m able to make it over there for a loaf or their amazing English muffins I also pick up a grab and go sammich. I am a total meat eater but do not discriminate on these sammies. The last two times I’ve gone in they only had veggie but the bread and flavors going on up in there made me miss nothing.
Their sufganyot is the best I’ve ever had, the only problem is that it’s only available for Hanukkah.
I am looking forward to my next need for catering so I have an excuse to have your tasty treats for days!

The dark chocolate brownie was not as amazing as they listed on the Big Eat list. Kinda disappointed. Wasn’t very brownie like but was more like flourless cake. Eh.

Nice brunch place, make reservations ahead.. We had lemon poppy seed scone, 2 almond milk latte, the slow roasted pork, fried bread and grits and a big pecan bun.
My favorite was the scone, light and crispy.
I would come back and try them again.

I just ended my love affair with Marla Bakery today… I go here for for the mocha and macaroons as well as occasional brunch. The place is small and understood they’d save the indoor spaces for brunch diners for bigger checks.
I’ve always sat down to enjoy my mocha and cookie at the patio, today I was asked to vacate my seat by the hostess in the most condescending and dismissive manner. I was about to say something since the place wasn’t packed today but she completely walked out on me. To give her credit, her tone was mild mannered but having someone walkout on you while you’re talking is simply unacceptably rude.
I’ve supported Marla since I read about the place on SF Chronicle when they first opened, generally was ok that they reserve seats inside for full meal diners since they do have a small space. But for your hostess to be totally rude on a not so busy day is not ok.
Sorry Marla, you just lost me today…

Great service, incredible local ingredients and traditional recipes presented in amazing ways. This bakery is actually not very expensive because they use local and organic ingredients and do everything totally from scratch. Their margins are not that high when they employ this much labor to keep everything running.
Everything is executed perfectly. Even our earl gray pot of tea is brewed just right for us. We’ve eaten pretty much the whole menu and these Nopa grads have taken it next level for flavor and distinction. So classic that they even serve Clafoutis! I’m so grateful they exist near my home.
The baked eggs are $ 12 and filling, their savory menu of baked goods is expensive and I love their galletes that taste like crusty, warm pastries filled with aromatic mashed potato, bagels are so spot on that I’m rethinking my obsession with NYC bagels only. Their quiche is creamy and full of flavored vegetables that will make you say «ahhhh.» Food that helps you have an out of body experience. They make their own cream cheese people! Coffee is $&@* awesome for a bakery restaurant.
People complaining about Marla just don’t understand how to take it easy. The staff at this restaurant go above and beyond to make everyone happy and the set up is lovely with a garden full of edible plants. They have a tailored baking oven built especially for them and it’s wood fired. Takes me back to Italy every time. Keep up the good work, Marla! Can’t wait for you to cater my life.

I couldn’t be more pleased after our Sunday brunch here. It’s first and foremost a bakery, and the menu for the dining service reflects this; items are designed to enhance the flavors of their different breads. The creamy sauce of the baked egg dish soaked up in their toasted bread is still haunting me. But the thing I suppose I like most about Marla Bakery is that they have heart! They love bread, which is obvious is their knowledge and passion for it. From me, they deserve the highest possible rating on Unilocal!
Parking: ⁴⁄₅ (Marla Bakery is in the quieter area of San Francisco. Hope for the best and find street parking nearby.)
Service: ⁵⁄₅ (Quick, attentive service. I really enjoy eating in smaller places with fewer tables because I think it helps the overall experience. Ours was for Sunday brunch; don’t forget to book in advance.)
Food: ⁵⁄₅ (Everything was executed perfectly. I appreciate the carefully constructed menu and decision to specialize in only a few items that compliment the fresh breads from the bakery. I was most impressed with the brioche french toast for the soft flavors and texture, as well as the mushroom and seeds sauce in the baked eggs dish that paired perfectly with the toasted bread. Excellent job and well done!)
Pricing: ⁵⁄₅ (It’s more than I’d usually pay for a weekend brunch. That being said, it’s absolutely worth every penny.)
Ambiance: ⁵⁄₅ (It’s a simple space. Small spaces tend to feel crowded, but I feel that they’ve done their best with what they’ve got. Kind attention has been paid to even the littlest details, especially with the beautiful garden space in the back.)

Marla was pretty good, not outrageously overpriced (but still overpriced) and the food was fresh and light. I felt clean after eating it.
We had initially ordered the farro salad and smoked trout. Right before we attacked the salad, a little brown spider came crawling out of our food. GROSS. What made it worse is that the spider was the same color as the farro. I mean I could have eaten the spider of it weren’t for it crawling out of my food. they said they would replace the dish and reimburse my friend… they did replace the dish with the avocado toast but I don’t know if they reimbursed. I REALLY HOPE SO, cause incognito spiders in food is scary!
The smoked trout was really good! The right amount of saltiness. The fish tasted really fresh too– no weird fishy smell. The avocado toast was heavenly– on some very fresh and unique walnut bread.
While the food was really great, the portions were a bit too small for my liking. I mean seriously, two pieces of toast for $ 10?! oh San Francisco.

RUDE, RUDE, RUDE & POOR customer service
Ok, No more shopping at Marla Bakery.
Girls at Marla Bakery’s booth at Ferry Building are always unhappy. NO smiling, NO greeting and NO «thank» nothing! NO communication & no customer service skills, or are these young hipsters just a bunch of Racists? BOTH Ferry Building Booth and Richmond Location are disappointing every time i go.
Also, my Gateaux Basque was under baked again. Not a broken piece this time but under baked, again.
Good bye Marla Bakery. There are many «better» bakeries in this city without attitude.

I’m a fan of local neighborhood bakeries, but please don’t hang up on me. I had called to see if they have any of their brownies. It’s on the 7×7 list and decided I needed to try it. The lady who answered first couldn’t hear me and then hung up on me and didn’t amswer my question.
I went in the first time and they didn’t have the brownies. Makes me a little sad that I had tried to get it but couldn’t. Instead I got some cheese danishes. They were good but not super amazing.
Recently though I was able to go back and finally grab a brownie. There were two types: chocolate and peanut butter. I ended up getting the chocolate one and honestly, it was slightly underdone. I like a fudgey brownie but it’s still a bit too much. I had to share one small brownie with 2 other friends. I also got a queen amon or something like that. It was like a LARGE cinnamon bun topped with pecans or something.
Overall it wasn’t a bad experience but since it’s quite far from where I live, I doubt I’ll be heading back anytime soon.
Protip: it gets packed for brunch if that’s what you’re going for.

Rarely coming to the Saturday farmer’s market until summer, I happened to stumble upon this stand on the driveway leading to the rear parking lot on a recent morning.
I did not know about their location in the Richmond District so this was a bit eye opening for me. After studying their table’s offerings, I picked up their salted caramel chocolate tart (
).
Bringing it home, I tried it later that afternoon and found it different from most other bakeries. The crust was nicely thin so the toppings’ flavors shined. The unexpected aspect for me was that the chocolate was more mousse like than dense which is a welcome change.
Not sure how long they’ve been at this market, but hope to come back and try more of their menu next trip down there.

We walked pass it once. Someone on Unilocal wrote to me about his dining expedition there with his wife. We needed to get to a hiking destination as quickly as possible. This was on the way. It took brunch reservation for two. At least when I booked it a week ago. All of that meant we ended up here deliberately. Every table had a reservation sign on top. «Does that place actually take reservations?» Asked the girlfriend who lived near him in Inner Richmond in an email. «Yes.» I replied. What has the world come to? A simple bakery in the burbs now serves brunches and requires reservation. «Jealous.» She wrote back.
It suits me just fine. A small plate of goodies: sable fish, smoked. green olive tapenade, soft cream cheese, flavored, Belgium endive, shaved fennel, editable flowers, four pieces of rye bread. Pretty. Light. Scandinavian. Smoked bagel is a sesame bagel. Smoked saber fish. other yummies on the other place. My dining partner was a bit fished out. I had the saber fish to taste and it was quite lovely.
Neighbors, however, were pro at this. They ordered baked egg dish that looked like a fancy French onion soup. Everyone was getting that but us, I should have too I suppose.
Sent the photos to GF who was probably taking care of her young kids in her flat in Inner Richmond and she emailed me right back, «it looks like you’re going back to your Scandinavian roots with that breakfast choice! :)». I pictured her feeding and playing with her 6 year old and 4 year old in that flat of hers, being a mom and all, while I’m pigging out like a carefree singleton while contemplating the Northerner’s food secret: when did the Icelandic people decide to ferment the otherwise poisonous shark and make it a national delicacy?
Yes, this restaurant reminded me something I’d see all around downtown Reykjavik, Iceland. And if there is one reason that you should try this place out, it’s that it feels every bit of Icelandic, starting from the blue décor. No Bjorn sighting, sadly.
My dish, is more of a weird combo of French, German, Scandinavian and Californian if you ask me. Belgium endive is mostly French, the smoked fish bit is more German or Dutch, where the display to me a bit more Scandinavian, yet the flower, the editable flower, is decidedly more Californian. One I liked quite a lot. Again, something like this existed in Iceland.
The more highfalutin the food it is, the better it should look. One can overlook the lack of substantialness as long as it has an artful display.
Marla is pretty. I like the look of food. It is tasty. It’s worth the trekking out to the outer lands that is known as the outer Richmond, or in my definition of the city vs. the burbs, the burbs, with the Pacific Ocean nearby. I swear there was nothing out here twenty some odd years ago. This is another era. I’m getting old and I’m liking what the food scene has brought to this part of town.
Will try baked egg dish next before I am another year older, hopefully before I head back to Iceland.