There are many reasons to be obsessed with Petaluma—rolling hills, a haunted downtown, all the chickens—but my favorites are the ways it makes life better. Which explains why half of this list is edible.
Brutally Addictive Chocolate Croissants
Whenever I tell someone I live in Petaluma, the first thing out of my mouth usually involves croissants. That says a lot more about me than it does about Petaluma, but here we are. And we do have some good ones.
Most notably, from Della Fattoria. Does everyone already know this? Probably. They’re possibly the best chocolate croissants I’ve ever eaten and certainly the only croissants I’ve ever attempted to save for myself by performing experimental mind control on the people in line ahead of me when there’s only one chocolate croissant left. I’ve also heard expressions of dismay behind me when I’ve been the lucky soul to snag the last chocolate croissant on a Saturday morning. 143 Petaluma Blvd. N., dellafattoria.com.
Stellina Pronto also makes a lovely chocolate croissant, only it’s called a nutella cornetto and it’s an altogether different experience. It’s bigger, more dessert-y—one can almost get away with calling the chocolate croissant from Della’s a reasonable breakfast—and decorated with toasted hazelnuts. It was exactly what I needed on the Wednesday after Election Day when Della was closed and my existential dread required soothing. 23 Kentucky St., stellinapronto.com…