SF’s Only German Bakery Sets Up Shop in NoPa

For anyone desperately seeking butterkuchen, at long last, San Francisco is getting a dedicated Germany bakery. Hahdough, a small operation currently serving a couple of farmers’ markets, is moving into a little shop on Fell Street, just off Divisadero. Opening this fall, pastry fans will be able to enjoy slices of Black Forest cake or Berliner donuts filled with jam.

The menu will include the same items currently at Hahdough’s farmers’ market appearances, but expand to include up to 10 cakes, including traditional options, like Black Forest cake with sour cherries and gentleman’s torte with dark chocolate and marzipan, along with more modern creations, such as a strawberry-mango mousse. Cakes will be available by the slice for $7.50, and whole cakes will be available to order, starting at $52.

In addition to sweets, there are also pretzels, and eventually, the owner hopes to add ham sandwiches for lunch. The coffee is courtesy of Linea in the Mission, roasted locally in Oakland, and specifically picked because it pairs well with pastry. A German-style iced coffee comes with a scoop of ice cream on top.

Hahdough

The space is a former guitar store at 1221 Fell Street, located between Divis and the DMV. So for anyone who has suffered through those long lines, a jammy donut could be a well deserved pick-me-up. The little shop is only a small retail front at 600 square feet, with two or three small tables, as well as a slim bar for European-style leaning, and a petite bench out front.

Chef and owner Ha Do — hence the bakery name — lives just down the street, so it’s a short walk to work. Originally from Vietnam, she grew up in Germany, and when she moved to San Francisco in her thirties, she found herself craving the cakes from back home. Formerly a graphic designer, she changed careers and enrolled in the baking program at City College, interned for a large bakery back in Germany, and returned ready to bring German cakes to the Bay. Hahdough, she specifies, is a konditorei or patisserie, as opposed to a bread bakery or boulangerie.

There aren’t many options for German baked goods in San Francisco. Schubert’s in the Richmond has some traditional options, but alongside French, Swedish, and other European cakes. Gerard Michler in the Dogpatch is an Austrian pastry chef, doing wholesale and wedding cakes. But Hahdough will be the only dedicated German bakery in the city.

Hahdough

“People are very excited to see us at the farmers’ markets, particularly our German customers, who love the pastries they can’t normally find,” says Do. “We wanted a space where you can meet a friend in the afternoon, and sit down with a slice of cake and cup of coffee. That’s an important tradition in German culture, and we want to introduce that to San Francisco.”

The bakery is currently under construction and slated to open this November. It’ll be open Tuesday through Sunday, with hours to be determined.

• German Bakery Hahdough Coming to NoPa This Fall [Hoodline]
• A German Bakery, Hahdough, Is Coming to the Panhandle [Hoodline]