Choux — Restaurant in San Francisco

I really want to love Choux. I’ve been a few times over the past few years, but my last two experiences really were a let down. Choux is a small bakery in San Francisco with a single storefront. They specialize in “choux au craquelin”, but also offer other pastries and pâte de fruits.

The cream puffs are unique. The flavors are fairly traditional. They offer a lot of filling. Compared to competitors Choux does not fill to order. My cream puffs tasted great the same day purchased. But the morning after they were soggy and lacked the same depth of flavor. The price is high for what you get. If they were the same price and 50% bigger I’d be happy.

My biggest complaint is the service. Over the past few months during the pandemic I stopped in as their door was open, social media said open, and website said open. When I asked one of the workers if I could order they said they were closed. Mind you it was midday. When I reached out online, they told me they are only open for a few hours on the weekend.

My most recent visit last week the store front looked disheveled and a mess. They are not allowing employees to walk inside. Though mind you going inside would only be a couple feet until you reached a counter. The display looked nothing like the pictures. Cream puffs were tossed on a sheet pan and put into the display case. Looking around the bakery it looked disorganized. Yes, it’s a working bakery, but even working bakeries can be clean.

The service was mediocre. I asked what flavors they had today. And was told “lemon, chocolate, vanilla, pistachio”. No descriptive words, no “with a candied hazelnut garnish”, and no mention of anything they were making that would be out soon. When asked about pate a fruits she pulled down a glass jar that was hidden away and said “oh yeah I guess we have these”. No label, no date, no sticker on the bag, etc. I ended up ordering a couple cream puffs. The cashier seemed out off since I wouldn’t but 4 so they wouldn’t move in the box.

I just don’t think...

This is a small bakery nestled in Lower Haight. So if you don't live in the neighborhood or drive, it's going to be a bit of a journey to get here (walking or public transportation). There is no seating inside and not much place to stand - it's literally an order and go kind of establishment.

A Choux ("shoo") is like the cream puff version of a French macaron. It's dense in flavor and goes great with your morning tea or coffee. It's not like Beard Papas... well maybe the crunchy exterior is similar.

I ordered a box of 4 Choux ($11) - 1 regular and 3 seasonal flavors.

Hazelnut (regular flavor) - tasted like hazelnut and was pretty good.

Candy apple (seasonal) - did taste like the candy apple lollipop. The top part is like a crunchy hard candy which was a pleasant surprise. I was really impressed with the presentation and design.

Peanut butter chocolate cream puff (seasonal) - fell a little short for me. I ate this one a few hours after I left the bakery, and when I tried it, I noticed it was a little sour. I don't know if that's how they make it or if time played a factor. I also didn't like the thickness of the peanut butter cream but that's just a personal preference.

Pumpkin (seasonal) - really good! I usually don't like pumpkin flavored desserts but this is the exception.

I came around 3-4 PM, and most of their flavors were sold out. So I would advise to come earlier in the day. The variety wasn't as colorful as I expected (their Instagram had some blue, green, or purple toppings). So I guess those were just seasonal flavors. Nevertheless, the craftsmanship and design of each Choux is so creative that I think you should at least experience it once! Will be back for the more colorful, seasonal flavors like...

Choux . Mon petit choux! I like me a good creme puff. Ask my Gramma. But Dina, @ChouX turns a creme puff into a work of art-- both for your eyes and your taste buds. The raspberry puff tasted delicious with just enough raspberry to make you want more. I was lucky enough to say that I have enough sass to be a creme puff fanatic so Dina asked me to choose another. I chose the lime and the coconut, albeit a good pun, I refuse to shake it all up. But I will say, this puff was subLIME. (gotcha). I am not a fan of key lime pie, I am a total lemon meringue pie 100pct, but this puff made me me a fan. Dina has got a fan for life. "Hey, Dina! Make me up a sample platter please. Cause you know, I want to try them all. Throw...