I stopped here in 2022 on my PCT thru-hike. The kouign-amann – flaky, buttery, soft with a little crunch from the sugar – was the best I’ve ever had in my whole life. I’ve lived all over the country. I think about that kouign-amann years later to this day. Hopefully someday I make it back to Etna just to go to this bakery again. It was the best bakery on the entire PCT, even better than the one in Stehekin.

Grain Street Bakery, in my hometown of Etna, is a wonderland of savory and sweet. I wish I could give them more than 5 stars. They are my favorite bakery hands down. And that is saying a lot seeing as I live in the San Francisco area, land of great sourdough and pastries. The croissants are on par with what you find France. The kouign amann with it’s buttery flakes and caramelized gooey sugar is addictive perfection. The breads are all unique and delicious in their own way. Flavorful, moist and chewy with a perfectly crunchy crust and nice crumb. I’m a huge fan of olive oil cakes and their Torta d’olio d’olira (olive oil cake with orange zest) is moist, not to sweet and has a good amount of orange zest to give it a bright citrus flavor. Perfect in the morning with coffee or tea. People also go crazy for the lemon tarts. So much so that there is a sign on the door they flip daily to say if they are gone or not. All of the fruit crostatas are beautiful works of art with with caramelized fresh fruit and a vanilla bean pastry cream. And last but not least, always get the special sandwich served Wed – Fri, especially Wednesday’s Pastrami. You can always eat it later, in fact I’d get two!