Inner Sunset Neighborhood Artisan Bakery Trail: Ninth Avenue

Arizmendi Bakery has filled the Inner Sunset with the smell of scones and sourdough on Ninth Avenue since October 2000, and it anchors a short Inner Sunset neighborhood artisan bakery trail that ends with a picnic in Golden Gate Park. The plan is simple: buy savory and sweet at the worker-owned co-op between Irving and Judah, walk two blocks north into the park, eat near the Music Concourse, and, if you have the energy, cross the park to Arsicault on Arguello Boulevard for a croissant. Allow about two and a half hours.

Arizmendi on Ninth Avenue opened with help from the Cheese Board Collective in Berkeley, and it marked its 25th anniversary in October 2025. Like the other Arizmendi bakeries, it is owned by the people who work there. The counter is known for scones whose flavors change daily, morning buns, sourdough loaves, and a single vegetarian pizza made each day. Buy a slice of that pizza and a scone, because together they make a complete picnic lunch that survives a walk through the park without falling apart.

The bakery is a neighborhood fixture rather than a destination scene. In the line you will see UCSF staff from the hospital up the hill, students heading to class, and families picking up a loaf for dinner. The process is efficient: check the chalkboard, order at the register, and step to the side. A small rule regulars follow is to grab the pizza when it first appears, because by early afternoon the trays thin out and the person behind you may take the last corner piece.

Before heading north, walk a block along Irving Street, the Inner Sunset's commercial strip. It is a mix of noodle shops, cafes, bookstores and grocery stores that serve residents more than visitors, and its pace is slower than the downtown streets. The N Judah light-rail line runs along Irving and then turns down Ninth Avenue, so you will hear the streetcar bell as you walk. This short loop is optional, but it shows you the everyday neighborhood that has kept the bakery busy for a quarter century.

Walk north on Ninth Avenue to Lincoln Way and enter Golden Gate Park. Within a few minutes you reach the Music Concourse, the sunken plaza of trees and fountains between the de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences. Benches line the concourse, and the lawns nearby work well for a blanket. Unpack the pizza and scone here. On a grey day the eucalyptus and cypress trees hold the fog, so dress warmly. Inner Sunset summers are famously cool, and fall afternoons are often the sunniest of the year.

The park also gives you nearby detours that turn a bakery trail into a full day. The Japanese Tea Garden sits next to the de Young, and the San Francisco Botanical Garden lies close to the Ninth Avenue entrance. An honest suggestion: do not try to add a museum in the middle of the walk. You will end up rushing both, and museum cafes do not allow outside food. Save the de Young or the Academy for another visit and keep this route focused on bread, pastry and an outdoor meal.

If you want a second bakery, follow the paths north through the park to the Arguello Boulevard exit near Fulton Street and walk a few blocks into the Inner Richmond. Arsicault Bakery opened at 397 Arguello Boulevard in 2015, founded by Armando Lacayo, who left a career in finance to bake. In 2016 Bon Appetit named it the best new bakery in America. The croissant is the reason to come, with a dark, crackling shell and buttery layers, and the almond and chocolate versions draw their own followers.

Arsicault's original shop is tiny, and its line often stretches down the sidewalk on weekend mornings. Because you reach it late in the day on this trail, the case may be thinner, which is the trade-off of starting at Arizmendi. If the line looks long or the croissants are gone, do not wait. Head back into the park and enjoy the walk itself. If this croissant matters most to you, reverse the trail on another day: start at Arsicault at opening and end with a pizza slice on Ninth Avenue.

The contrast between the two counters is the real lesson of this walk. Arizmendi bakes for its neighbors, with hearty scones, sturdy loaves and a pizza meant to feed someone on a lunch break, while Arsicault is devoted to the precise lamination of French viennoiserie. Tasting them a mile apart, with a stretch of park in between, makes the difference obvious: one is about generosity and routine, the other about technique. Neither is better, and the trail works because it lets you enjoy both on the same afternoon.

Karpo APP can help you set the route around your own constraints, such as whether you start from the N Judah stop on Ninth Avenue or from the Richmond side, how long you want to spend in the park, and whether you want the Arsicault leg at all. It gives you a suggested order and a backup plan. It does not monitor lines, hold baked goods, or reserve tickets for the museums, so check those things in person or on official sites once you are there.

The N Judah stops at Ninth Avenue and Irving Street, a few steps from Arizmendi, and the 44 O'Shaughnessy runs through the park toward the Music Concourse. For the Arsicault return, the 33 and 1 lines run near Arguello. Bring a blanket or tote for the picnic, a warm layer, and a bag for any extra loaf. The route through the park is mostly flat, but the paths can be muddy after rain, so wear shoes you do not mind getting dirty.

For two people, a plan that works is one pizza slice and one scone each from Arizmendi, a shared morning bun for dessert in the park, and a single croissant each at Arsicault if it is still available. That keeps the day generous without becoming overwhelming. Weekday mornings are calmer at both bakeries, and weekday afternoons in the park are quieter too. On weekends, especially when museums host events, the concourse fills up, so pick a lawn a little away from the main plaza.