There’s a high concentration of fantastic bakeries in and around East Village, each with its own spin on the craft. The half dozen bakeries featured here were all established within the past five years. They elevate the neighborhood’s rich culinary ecosystem — and often attract long lines. Highlights from the East Village bakery boom include: Izola, Relic Bakery & Kitchen, Asa Bakery & Café, Shoreside Bakery, Hinar Dessert Bar & Café and Knead Artisan Bakery. Put these on your weekend morning radar.
Izola
It started as a hobby bakery that lowered sourdough from a third-floor window during the Covid lockdown. Since then, Izola has moved to Fault Line Park and grown into a popular, award-winning, indoor-outdoor dining spot. The menu boasts everything from traditional sourdough loaves to creative, Korean-inspired bibimbap croissants. Don’t miss Ugly Bits, a monkey-bread style mishmash of leftover croissant dough. Show up on Saturday for live music, but be prepared to wait in line. Or, order ahead of time via the website. Cool note: Izola partners with the Restorative Justice Program to help formerly incarcerated people find steady employment. 1429 Island Avenue, open every day from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., more info.
Relic Bakery & Kitchen
Relic sources ingredients locally and constantly updates its pastry menu to incorporate what’s in season. Examples from this month: Savory carrot Danishes, tangy French toast with jam and crème fraîche, and raspberry sesame seed cookies. Each time you visit, you might see something completely different and innovative. What doesn’t change is the quality service and comforting environment, with just enough indoor seating, and a fire pit outside. Formerly a pop-up shop, Relic opened its full-service restaurant in October. Visit the East Village location or pre-order for pick up at a ghost kitchen in Miramar. 845 15th Street, open Wednesday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (closed Monday & Tuesday), more info.
Asa Bakery & Café
Asa brings Japan’s kissaten (coffee shop) culture to San Diego. You’lll find trendy pastries like matcha or strawberry croissants, and lesser-known pastries like apple tea kouign-amann. There are Japanese comfort foods like omelettes, hayashi rice, and sandos. Baked fresh every morning, each menu item excels in taste and presentation. The colorful display counter looks like a candy shop. Asa offers some indoor seating and some street-facing outdoor seating that’s decorated with colorful flowers for a bit of privacy. Also under the Asa roof: Sushi Gaga (serving Omakase style meals) and Bar Kamon (a 1920s style Japanese speakeasy). 634 14th Street #110, open Wednesday to Monday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., (closed Tuesdays), more info.
Shoreside Bakery
This family-owned, pristine shop is small but inviting. The owners are a married couple who expanded a home kitchen business a few years ago, but the menu retains its homemade feel. Along with a variety of artisanal sourdough loaves, Shoreside explores diverse, underrated cuisines you may not find anywhere else, like Georgian sauce, Ukrainian borscht, and Uzbek plov (a savory rice dish). Their pastries are also unique, with colorful, decorated honey cakes, trendy Dubai chocolate cakes and layered Napoleon cakes (that are not too sweet). 1040 8th Avenue, open Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday & Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., more info.
Hinar Dessert Bar & Café
This wildly popular Kurdish-owned café emanates elegance and style. After enduring the long line outside, the reward is a modern-yet-cozy interior and a strong selection of coffees, teas and small pastries. Along with the classics are some creative originals, like the crème brûlée or Earl Grey macrons, which pair nicely with an orange-blossom latte. Hinar has private seating areas, surrounded by plants and concrete walls, offering a gentle reprieve from outside city noise. Hinar’s Kurdish identity doesn’t just show up in its gentle hospitality. Recently, the cafe donated $12,000 to the Kurdish Red Crescent, a humanitarian organization supporting people in the Middle East. 454 13th Street, open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., more info.
Knead Artisan Bakery
Located on the ground floor of Symphony Towers, this bakery caters to the upstairs University Club and symphony orchestra showgoers on weekends. Guests at the nearby Marriott Vacation Club get a 10% discount. Knead is open to the public on weekdays, when locals stop in for croissants and coffee. Cookies, too—with flavors like peanut butter with chocolate ganache, and chai. Check out the ham & cheese sando: Black Forest ham, garlic aioli, gruyere cheese and grain mustard inside a French baguette. The seating area is limited, but customers can relax and nibble in the lobby of Symphony Towers. Knead is also committed to supporting local businesses by providing wholesale orders to other cafés in the area. 750 B St., Suite 150 in Symphony Towers, open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays, more info. SDSun
