"William Werner's Mission patisserie and the home of The Rebel Within - a savoury muffin with a soft egg inside that is worth the detour."
About Craftsman and Wolves
Craftsman and Wolves is the contemporary patisserie chef William Werner opened in 2012 at 746 Valencia Street, in the Mission district of San Francisco. Werner, a former executive pastry chef at Quince, built the shop's reputation on a single now-famous item - The Rebel Within - and a case of precise, modern pastries and cakes that read more like plated desserts than bakery standards.
This is French-leaning pastry work at a counter price. For more of the Mission's tables, compare the wood-fired Italian at Flour + Water, the pasta room Delfina and the Italian-Californian Che Fico. For an easy meeting over coffee, see our business lunch guide.
The Kitchen
The signature is The Rebel Within: a savoury muffin packed with Boccalone sausage, scallion and Asiago cheese, baked around a whole soft-cooked egg that stays runny in the centre. It has been singled out by Bon Appetit, GQ, Food & Wine and Food Network's 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate', and it remains the reason most first-timers make the trip. Around it, Werner turns out composed cakes, viennoiserie, tarts and chocolates built with restaurant-pastry precision and unusual flavour pairings, plus a tight savoury menu and good coffee. Most items sit under fifteen dollars, which makes the place an unusually high-craft stop for the money. Go early in the day: the Rebel Within is made in limited numbers and sells out.
The Room
The Valencia Street shop is small and design-led - a spare, gallery-like counter space rather than a sit-down cafe, with a handful of seats and a case that does the talking. It sits in the busy Mission stretch of Valencia, one of the densest eating-and-drinking corridors in the city, and is easy to fold into a morning of wandering. Service is counter-style and quick. Because the bakery trades on a few limited-run items, timing matters more than booking: come earlier rather than later for the full case and a shot at the Rebel Within. There is a second, larger location in the city, but Valencia is the original and the one to visit.
Best for a Coffee or Casual Stop
The counter pace, the famous pastry and the low price make Craftsman and Wolves an easy solo morning, a relaxed first-date coffee, or a quick business meeting over the case in the Mission.
Not for
Not for a sit-down dinner or a long, lingering meal - this is a small counter patisserie with limited seating and limited-run items, best treated as a high-craft morning stop rather than a destination dinner.
Frequently Asked
What is Craftsman and Wolves known for?
Craftsman and Wolves is known for The Rebel Within, a savoury muffin of Boccalone sausage, scallion and Asiago cheese baked around a whole soft-cooked egg. The Mission patisserie, open since 2012, is also known for chef William Werner's precise modern cakes and pastries.
Who is the chef at Craftsman and Wolves?
William Werner is the chef and founder of Craftsman and Wolves. A former executive pastry chef at Quince in San Francisco, he opened the patisserie on Valencia Street in 2012 and created The Rebel Within, the savoury egg muffin that made its name.
What is The Rebel Within?
The Rebel Within is Craftsman and Wolves' signature savoury muffin: Boccalone sausage, scallion and Asiago cheese baked around a whole soft-cooked egg that stays runny inside. It has featured in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and Food Network's 'The Best Thing I Ever Ate', and is made in limited numbers daily.
Where is Craftsman and Wolves in San Francisco?
The original Craftsman and Wolves is at 746 Valencia Street in the Mission district, one of the city's densest eating-and-drinking corridors. It is a small, design-led counter space with limited seating, and there is a second, larger location elsewhere in the city.
How much does Craftsman and Wolves cost?
Most items at Craftsman and Wolves are priced under fifteen dollars, including The Rebel Within, pastries, cakes and coffee. It is a counter patisserie rather than a sit-down restaurant, making it an inexpensive, high-craft stop in the Mission.
