East Village · Bakery cafe, Patisserie, Specialty

Relic Bakery & Kitchen

East Village bakery and daytime kitchen pairing creative laminated pastry and bread with seasonal breakfast, lunch, and coffee.

What people go for here

Current East Village feedback emphasizes a technically strong, unusually creative pastry case spanning delicate classics and substantial savory croissants, supported by good bread, breakfast, lunch, and a capable coffee bar.

  • Butter croissants
  • Double pain au chocolat
  • Lemon-blueberry scone
  • Chinese five-spice sausage croissant
  • Pomegranate-pistachio croissant
  • Sourdough

Worth knowing: Pastry execution can vary slightly by batch, with occasional overbaking or heavier seasoning. The rotating case can sell through favorites. At least one customer considered the cold brew small and expensive.

Signature bakes

  1. 01Butter croissant
  2. 02Chinese five-spice sausage croissant
  3. 03Double pain au chocolat
  4. 04Cardamom bun
  5. 05Naturally leavened bread

Bread, pastry, savory, cake

Bread
Naturally leavened loaves draw on owner Samantha Bird's wood-fired bread training in France and rotate with the seasonal bakery case.
Pastry
The case spans classic laminated pastry and playful sweet-savory combinations. Butter croissants, pain au chocolat, Danish-style buns, fruit pastries, and changing filled croissants reflect a deliberately rotating lineup.
Savory
Breakfast and lunch are central rather than incidental, with breakfast sandwiches, savory filled croissants, toasts, sandwiches, and plated daytime dishes built around locally sourced produce.

When to go

Best time: Arrive earlier on Saturday or Sunday for the broadest pastry selection. A weekday morning offers better odds of a shorter line and available seating.

Ordering

Walk in
Walk-in counter ordering is available Wednesday to Sunday during published hours while items remain available.
How it works
Counter-service bakery and coffee bar with indoor and patio seating, breakfast, and lunch.

The room

Inside
The permanent East Village cafe has a bright, high-ceilinged dining room with plentiful seating.
Outside
A large patio provides outdoor seating.
Coffee
A dedicated coffee bar serves espresso drinks and cold coffee. Current customers specifically praise flat whites and balanced espresso, though cold-brew value gets mixed feedback.
Parking
Hourly street parking is available along 15th Street; customers also describe nearby street parking as generally manageable outside peak periods.

Good to know

  • The tradition: Contemporary American bakery informed by French pastry technique, Scandinavian baking, and European bread training.
  • After years as a sellout pop-up, Relic now operates a bright East Village bakery with substantially more room to sit. The draw is range: technically ambitious croissants and breads share the menu with breakfast and lunch from a chef-baker partnership. Expect the case to change with produce and ideas rather than treating any filled pastry as permanent.
  • Rotating: Produce-driven fruit pastries
  • Rotating: Changing sweet and savory filled croissants
  • Rotating: Seasonal breakfast and lunch dishes
  • Customers praise the wide, imaginative mix of sweet and savory pastry
  • The permanent room is described as calm, bright, and comfortable indoors and out

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  • Also on the cafe list

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French-trained Cuban patisserie for guava pastelitos, meat pies, scones, café con leche, and whole cakes in Ocean Beach.

Go for: Guava-and-cheese pastelito, Cheese roll

Best for: Cuban pastries

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  • Custom cakes

The French Oven

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Go for: Plain croissant, Almond croissant

Best for: Traditional French croissants

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  • Order ahead
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North Clairemont · Cakes and desserts

Clairemont French bakery-café for croissants, pâtisserie, full brunch, mousse cakes, and custom celebration cakes.

Go for: Cream puff, Croissant and almond croissant

Best for: French pastries and croissants

See the bakery