Gateway Croissant - San Andreas

Gateway Croissant is a coffee/pastry/sandwich shop that provides 24/7 service from a dainty lil ' storefront at the intersection of Golden Gate Avenue Larkin Street (the NE corner, to be exact on the Southern edge of the infamous Tenderloin District. While being known to many as just another of myriad corners used by SF 's 'open air market ' drug dealers, the hyperlocal community has a special place in their hearts (and stomachs for the only 24 hour made to order joint left in the TL. From the wire variety of pastries (ask for a blueberry scone or donut thank me later to the sandwiches of American and Vietnamese origin, Gateway Croissant is a one stop shop for the late night foodie in all of us. Early morning construction workers and federal employees frequently begin their days here, and the local residents have a habit of showing up after the usual 10pm closing time of most restaurants in the area for a quick meal. The quality can be hit or miss, depending on the item itself and who happens to be working at the time. Always remember to ask which donuts are the freshest and examine the employees answer thru the glass showcases to verify their answer. The highlights on this 30yr old TL mainstay 's menu are easily chosen: the breakfast sandwich (any kind, the blueberry pastries, a banana smoothie and the BLT add avocado. The area in which Gateway Croissant resides can be a difficult place to venture into, especially with so many good restaurants in a half mile 's radius that AREN 'T well known corners for drug dealing. However, if you find yourself with an empty stomach and it 's too late for your regular spot give these guys a try. It 's a local family run business, too, so you 're supporting a good cause with your purchase. Just keep your wits about you, and for God 's sake, put your freakin ' phone away for a few minutes! 4/5 Enjoi, Zach G.

Favorite place to get donuts. They're old school, no frills, delicious donuts for an amazing price. You really cannot go wrong.

In a nutshell: fastest, most affordable, good donuts, coffee, and sandwiches any time of the day. I give the place 5 stars for being amazing at being what it is. It is in no way a 5 star luxury experience. In luxury scale, it is a 3 star coffee and donut shop. But for a casual simple neighborhood joint they do a great job which deserves each one of the 5 stats available. Here is why OPEN 24/7. You can always rely on this place to get a coffee and a sandwich or a pastry, which they have a vast selection of. FAST SERVICE. That's really fast unless there is a long line. Then it's just plain fast because the line moves fast. They handle it well and put another person on taking orders. Coffee is self serve and food comes out super fast. VALUE. The prices are great. Probably the best deals in the city. FLAVOR. the food is great but this is about history. This place has been around for quite a while now and offers a good portion of local flavor. What I mean by that is you can get a sneak peak of the Tenderloin without being immersed in all of its splendor. Occasionally you may become an (un)fortunate witness of local drama or comedy performed by some less than ordinary looking characters. LOCATION is also great: steps away from UN plaza with its playgrounds, SF Public Library, Asian Art Museum, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, City Hall, and many more. In one word downtown. Easily accessible by public transportation Civic Center BART and Market street with all the busses and tram lines are just a few blocks away

The only reason why I'm giving this place for stars instead of five is the location you're constantly having to deal with BS that comes along with this drug addled neighborhood aside from that the staff works very hard and has a lot of patience and they make every effort to get your order right and the apple turnovers are phenomenal. Before the pandemic hit you could get Kona coffee there from about 6:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. but they said they had to cut costs and it's no longer available.

Good donuts but if you're not ready for a rough environment of homeless people I suggest you find somewhere else to go.