Frena Bakery & Cafe

Heard that Frena had a shop in the Outer Richmond so I hot-footed it out there today (Sunday). Got there mid afternoon and the place was mostly cleaned out :(

Aside from packages of hamentaschen and wrapped loaves of bread, they had bagels, savory pockets, pizzas and pita bread and around 6 donuts in the display case. Just one customer before me so I could peruse the offerings at leisure. The service was very friendly. Gotta a sample of pita with zaatar which had a nice chewy texture.

Opted to try one of the Bavarian Cream donuts to eat in the shop. At a cost of approximately $3, I was surprised that although the donut looked good it just didn't appeal to me. Well-rounded and fluffy and not greasy, the dough really had no taste; sort of blah. The custard was what provided the sweetness. The texture of the custard was like pudding, thick and somewhat gummy. It had the oddest taste that made me think that there was no milk/cream in the custard. Oh right it's vegan! Talking to the bakery worker, I learned that they bring the donuts over from the 6th Street bakery so they don't make them at this shop.
Being someone who adores baked goods with no dietary limitations, I think I would prefer full flavored items with dairy. I should have known better. Vegan is just not for me.

But if I had a friend seeking kosher or vegan baked goods, I know I can bring them to Frena. For me though, I'll get my sweet baked goods elsewhere.

Piping hot chocolate croissant! There are moments in your life, where you're in the right place at the right time. Perhaps when you met your lover, or got your job, or even pulled the handle on the right slot machine.

Life gave me a big ol' bakery slot machine, and I pulled the handle not too long ago. The result? Jackpot. Piping. Hot. Chocolate. Croissant.

There I was, when it came out of the oven, and I knew that whatever order I had planned on must be scratched, in favor of the fresh oven hotness. I did, however, still get the halva filled treat, because, you know, halva.

I sat at the window and looked out upon the street. While this is not San Francisco's shiniest quarter, it holds a lot of character. So as I sat at a kosher bakery, letting this buttery, chocolatey, magnificent creation burn the top of my mouth in pure agony of delight, I knew that on this day I was in the right place at the right time.

We were looking for a new place to try and Frena was the new kid on the block.

We ordered two pockets\Sambuskas: A Mushroom and Mozzarella and a Green Olive and Feta. Plus an Egg in a Basket.

First, all the sandwiches were tasty! Yum! My two favorites were the mushroom pocket and the egg in the basket. All items came with two dipping sauces- tahini and pesto and also some spicy pickles.

There is ample seating inside the restaurant with metal table and chairs.

Kosher bakery with a bunch of pastry options to choose from (mostly everything is vegan)! They don't mix milk, cheese, or butter with meat dishes. The lady who helped me out was so nice! Wasn't a huge fan of the spinach bureka but everything else I got was good.
Ordered: bavarian cream donut ($3), cheese puff bureka ($2.25), spinach bureka ($2.25)

We were on a search for a great Babka. Frena reviews looked promising. We were incredibly disappointed. The Babka didn't taste freshly baked - dense, soggy, heavy as if it had been sitting in the plastic wrapping for several days. We were looking for a babka with an exterior crunch and an interior that is soft, light airy with a yeast flavor coming through.

We also got the hummus and Matbucha Dip. The hummus had a nice strong tahini flavor come through but was otherwise bland and flavorless. The ingredient list included cumin, lemon, salt - none of those flavors come through.

We literally threw away the babka and heavily doctored the hummus to make it edible.

The Matbucha Dip was good.

Found this gem in Yelp and am so happy I was able to try some delicious vegan treats this morning! Tried the mushroom and spinach vegan burekas and am absolutely obsessed! I am definitely asking myself "was that really vegan??" But it was clearly labeled so I know I'm good, the recipes are just super delicious. We don't have many spots in SF to get vegan breakfast and I've only seen vegan pastries at grocery stores. Very excited to hear they opened a few months ago and offer so many options for vegans and non-vegans alike. Will be coming back soon!

I'm so grateful Frena is trekking all over the Bay Area to delivery delicious treats to various cities, such as Fremont! I read about them in the paper and so knew I had to stop by and give them my business, if only to say thank you for going from SF into the 'burbs.

I picked up fresh hummus, a sambusak / pizza pocket, and a box of assorted chocolate and cinnamon pastries.

I've just sampled all 3, and... Oh. My. Goodness! 100% amazing. Delicious, creamy, smooth, mouth-watering. Definitely want to make this part of my weekly schedule. I may have gained 10 lbs tonight but IT WAS SO WORTH IT.

Highly recommend. I can see/taste that they use excellent ingredients. And I love that they import many ingredients from Israel. Love!

Move over wise sons! Thrilled to have this new kosher bakery in my neighborhood. The pastries are good, but the highlight for me are the old fashioned bagels!

I hope they keep up the good work. Wise sons was great when it first opened, and then they got comfortable as the only show in town, and now it is pretty lackluster and overpriced. Hopefully frena doesn't get too comfortable and fall into the same category. So far so good!

Come here when you're NOT on a diet! Ok.. ok.. come here even when you're on a diet and just having a cheat day!

This place is delish! My mom and I have been wanting to come by Frena's when doing our weekly Russian store shopping, but have kept putting it off. I'm so glad we finally stopped by here today. It was aout 3:30PM on a Sunday and about 1/3 of the items were already gone. I'll def have to come back here earlier the next time I'm in the area, as I'd love to try the few items that were already gone. We had the pita sandwich (frena style - worth it) and every bite was amazing! We also shared the zaatar pita - loved it too. I'd recommend dipping it in some labneh, so perhaps I'll take the pita to go next time! As soon as my babushka is back, I'll be taking her here for some Israeli yummyness.

Jeremiah - thank you for being so friendly and nice! My mom and I can't wait to stop by Frena's soon! Save those pickle's for us :)

Pretty clean bakery, brand new in the outer Richmond. Thought we'd give it a try on a Sunday (mid morning). I had the onion flatbread and my bf had the pizza pocket. Not too much flavor, in either thing and honestly it's too overpriced.
Their pizza bagels are $10+/- annnnnd unless I'm at a sit down place, I think that's just much.
The people are pretty nice here, and we got some samples of some bread that was tasty. I just don't think the flavor is worth the price honestly.
They do have a special during the weekday mornings, coffee and a pastry for I think $2.99. I would definitely come here for that, that's a pretty great deal.
What's your favorite pastry here?