A surprise newcomer, Maison Benoit, claimed top honors at the 2025 Best Croissant San Francisco competition on Sunday, edging out 349 contenders and clinching the Grand Prize in a tightly judged field of buttery, flaky rivals.
The annual event, hosted at the Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel and organized by French Morning, Frenchly and French-American Hospitality & Gastronomy Association, drew hundreds of pastry lovers and a waitlist over a thousand names long.
Notably absent from the finalists this year was Arsicault, among the bakeries often credited with putting San Francisco on the national croissant map and whose croissant Chronicle critic Cesar Hernandez named No. 1 last year.
The 10 finalists considered at the event were chosen through public voting, with fans nominating their favorite bakeries in an open call leading up to the competition…