Famished Girl
Beard Papa, Downtown
The much-anticipated Beard Papa — the first location in San Francisco — finally opened its doors this past weekend. Although the opening day saw a bit of a line and a wait for store’s signature cream puffs, when I stopped by yesterday, there were just a handful of people in front of me.
A little history on the company: The full name is Beard Papa Sweets Cafe. It is a Japanese chain that boasts about 250 stores worldwide. A second San Francisco location will open in the new Westfield shopping center in September (yes, just a few blocks from the current Beard Papa).
The cream puffs are served straight from the oven, so they’re still warm. The pastry actually consists of two layers: the outside pie-crust-like pastry is nice and crunchy, while the inside choux pastry is light and airy. (Most cream puffs are made from only choux pastry.) The coolness of the filling is a good contrast to the pastry shell. The little black specks in the whipped cream custard confirm that Beard Papa does indeed use real vanilla beans in the puffs. (Madagascar beans to be exact.)
In addition to the vanilla cream puffs — which were basically the only thing available during my visit yesterday — Beard Papa will eventually offer rotating flavors such as green tea, chocolate, strawberry, royal milk tea, caramel and coffee. I’m also looking forward to sampling the chocolate-covered eclairs.
Oh, and it’s no coincidence that the mascot resembles Santa Claus. As one company spokesman said, “When people think of Santa Claus, it makes them happy, and so Beard Papa makes people happy.”
Indeed, who knew a $1.75 pastry could bring so much joy?
Beard Papa
99 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 978-9972
