Cinderella Bakery & Cafe

436 Balboa St./5th Ave., Inner Richmond, 2 blks. south of Geary St., (415) 751-9690. Daily 7am-7pm.

interior of Cinderella Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco

This compact Russian cafe dispenses housemade pastries, sandwiches, and hot dishes. Everything is made fresh in their bakery facility next door. Simple boiled Pelmeni dumplings stuffed with ground meat and served with sour cream are a must at Cinderella Bakery & Cafe; they can also be ordered with broth as a soup.

festive cakes at Cinderella Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco

pelmeni dumplings at Cinderella Bakery & Cafe in San Francisco

Similar potato, cheese, or sour cheery Vareniki are also available. Piroshki are available deep-fried or baked and have a variety of fillings--the beef and Gorgonzola is a personal favorite (ask for it heated)--as are Siberian-style pies made with puff pastry. A selection of soups includes my hand-down favorites—hot beet-cabbage Borscht, and barley-mushroom. Dinner entrees include beef Stroganoff, chicken cutlet a la Kiev, and Golubtsy cabbage rolls. Blinchiki crepes and French toast are popular at breakfast. Service is generally efficient and usually without a smile. A vast and inviting selection of dessert pastries await your decision—mine was an unassuming but totally scrumptious cherry croissant—and breads are also available by the loaf to take home (the Russian dark rye is delicious).