When I was living in the UK, I angered many a people with my opinion about the cakes there. They were always quite dry and sickly sweet. (And they always thought I was full of it as I’m an American.) I mean yes, sometimes cakes here can be that way, but on the whole, I think bakers here just have a better idea about how cakes work. So sometimes, I still just really want cake. Especially when I’m out running a lot of errands and I just need some sort of an afternoon pick me up. One day when this happened, I came across Craftsman and Wolves. Sadly, they were closed, but I did manage to come back and check out the venue another time.
It’s pretty much that standard wooden and sparse vibe that seems to trendy these days, but I try not to let the looks of a place deter me too much (unless it’s obnoxious and/or loud). Plus when I got in to check out the cakes, they looked superb. There are a bunch of single serve cakes that they obviously spend a lot of time on to get them to look amazing and appetizing. However, sometimes looks can be deceiving, so I had to get in there and try one myself.
The first time I came, I got the apple, persimmon and buckwheat cake. It’s vibrant green color really drew me in, and I don’t regret my choice at all. It was a tasty dessert, with a moist cake inside the green exterior. The next time I went in, I tried a layer cake (I think it was almond, but I don’t remember). I do remember it being soft and delicious, so I knew I was going to want to come in again and try some of their pastries because they are always tempting me when I walk in. So I returned and had a really well-baked (and scrumptious) Mexican chocolate croissant. It was three for three so far.
I happened to be in the area again, so I decided that perhaps I’d stop in and bring a couple of desserts home around the holidays. However, I instead opted to go for the grapefruit tart. While it was really well made, I was slightly disappointed by this one as there wasn’t a whole lot of grapefruit flavor as the curd layer ended up being very thin. Underneath it was a great coconut layer, but I was just expecting a tart, citrusy dessert, and sadly, it didn’t reach my expectations. (Still nice, but not as amazing as the others).
Craftsman and Wolves is definitely one of my top places to go to get a sweet treat in San Francisco. While some things are better than others, nothing has been too dry or too sickly sweet for me not to return. Although next time I get something to go, I’m not sure I’d go for one of the big desserts. I’m definitely eager to go back and try some of the more savory breakfast treats.
Score: 4/5
Recommendation: Great for afternoon catch-ups with friends. Or if you really just want cake.
Craftsman and Wolves
746 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Great recommendation! Those desserts are incredibly beautiful; glad we can judge the books by their covers!!
I highly recommend them. I think they’ve got a couple of locations too!
They are SO pretty! And yes, the cake here are either too dry or too sickly sweet.
That’s not saying you’re right though.
You agree, but I’m not right! I love it!