A new German bakery is coming to Nopa, in the former Panhandle Guitars store on Fell. It will be the first brick-and-mortar location for HAHDOUGH, from baker Ha Do, known for her stand at the Inner Sunset and San Mateo farmers’ markets. She has many fans of her vanilla cream or seasonal (and organic) fruit jam-filled Berliners (they run out early!), pretzel croissants, and German cakes and tortes.
She is thrilled to create a space where people can gather for a slice of cake and coffee or tea, like a slice of her black forest cake, bee sting (bienenstich) cake, mousse cakes, and traditional German cheesecake (made with quark), which is lighter and less sweet. (There will also be the opportunity to order an entire cake in advance.) You’ll additionally find almond cookies, fruit pies, and hazelnut twists. There won’t be German breads (for now)—her production kitchen is limited.
Do grew up in Koblenz, Germany—her father (a refugee) left Vietnam after the war, and was picked up by a German boat. She studied astronomy and graphic design, and came to SF in 2008. In 2015, she made a career change when she realized there wasn’t a German bakery in the city and wanted to fix that. She went home for an internship for three months in a German bakery, and went through the baking science and baking program at City College (for free, what an amazing thing, thank you City College). She also worked for an Austrian owner at CIP (Creative International Pastries), who makes wholesale pastries in Dogpatch, and then started her farmers’ market stand.
She’s hoping to open in time for Oktoberfest so she can serve her pretzels! In the meantime, visit her stand at the San Mateo (on Saturdays) and Inner Sunset (on Sundays) farmers’ markets.
Hours will start at Tue-Sun 7:30am-4:30pm, and until 8pm on the weekend. I’ll keep you posted. 1221 Fell St. at Divisadero.
Get excited for a slice of bee sting (bienenstich) cake! Photo courtesy of Hahdough.
