Russian Hill is about to get a lot sweeter. Two of San Francisco’s most respected pastry talents are turning their hit pop-up into a full-time neighborhood fixture on Polk Street.
Chef-owner Melissa Perello of Frances and Octavia has teamed up with pastry chef Melissa Loar to launch Lorella, a brick-and-mortar spin on Octavia’s sellout Saturbake pop-ups. The new shop is slated to feature a full pastry counter with sourdough loaves, croissants and more rolling out ahead of the holiday rush.
According to The San Francisco Standard, Lorella is moving into the former bagel storefront at 2139 Polk Street and will double as the pastry commissary for both Octavia and Frances. The outlet notes that the name is a mashup of Perello and Loar, and that the duo aims to open before the holidays.
County filings show the business name was registered in May under Polk Street Bakeshop Partners, LLC, with Perello listed as manager.
From Saturbake Pop-Up To Everyday Habit
Octavia’s weekend Saturbake events were not exactly low-key. Lines snaked down the block, the trays of laminated pastries and sourdough often vanished early and the operation routinely moved hundreds of pastries on busy weekends, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
That run on kouign-amann and loaves helped convince the team it was time to commit to a permanent bakery. Octavia’s team page shows that Loar joined the restaurant’s pastry program in 2021, setting the stage for the Saturbake pop-ups and, now, for Lorella’s brick-and-mortar leap.
What Will Be Coming Out Of The Oven
As outlined by The San Francisco Standard, Lorella’s menu is expected to lean into classic bakery comforts, with country levain loaves, focaccia, pizza and a rotating mix of sweet and savory croissants. Frances’s signature lumberjack cake will make the jump too, available by the slice or as a whole cake.
The team is also considering an ice-cream cart that would pull from dessert recipes at Octavia and Frances, plus a lineup of deep-fried doughnuts, including a blueberry-and-ricotta version finished with an ultraviolet glaze. They plan to draw on seasonal produce and heritage grains from the Tehachapi Heritage Grain Project for select breads and pastries.
Kids Upstairs, Croissants Below On Polk
The bakery is landing on a particularly lively stretch of Polk Street, directly across from Bi-Rite’s Russian Hill market, which opened in 2024 and helped reanimate the block. To reshape the former bagel shop, the team brought in architect Seth Boor for a full gut renovation; his portfolio includes multiple restaurant interiors and remodels.
Plans call for a second-floor play area for kids and a handful of sidewalk seats, a setup that signals Lorella’s dual role as both neighborhood hangout and production kitchen for Perello’s restaurants.
If the timeline holds, Lorella will join a small but growing group of bakeries that give Russian Hill a true daily pastry option while also supporting Perello’s fine-dining projects. For now, the duo is reportedly in tile-and-paint mode and still targeting an opening before the holidays.
