The Baked Bear is bringing its build-your-own ice cream sandwiches to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf, adding a sweet new stop to a waterfront district trying hard to win back local crowds. The shop would mark another expansion for the chain, which has been steadily building a presence across the city.
According to the San Francisco Business Times, The Baked Bear plans to open a store at the Wharf, with the news arriving as San Francisco gets ready to host a new waterfront ice rink in the same area. The chain is known for its made-to-order ice cream sandwiches, letting customers pick two cookies or brownies and a scoop of ice cream to go between them, per WhatNow.
The Baked Bear's own site lists more than a dozen scratch-baked, original-recipe cookies and ice cream flavors, and the company says its cookies are baked from scratch daily. The lineup includes chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, funfetti, cookies and cream, and Nutella chocolate chunk cookies, along with rotating monthly selections, according to WhatNow's rundown of the brand. Ice cream flavors span cookies and cream, mint chip, cookie dough, strawberry shortcake, dark chocolate and bear batter, and the chain also offers a vegan, gluten-free oat-milk vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips for customers avoiding dairy, per The Baked Bear.
A Wharf That's Working to Win Back Locals
The new store would be the chain's latest foothold in San Francisco. The station's report notes that owner Henry Halloum recently opened The Baked Bear's third San Francisco location in the Thrive City neighborhood near Chase Center, per ABC7 News.
The Wharf expansion lands at a moment when the historic tourist district is actively courting Bay Area residents rather than relying solely on out-of-town visitors. The Port of San Francisco has been recruiting new restaurants and businesses to attract locals as international tourism remains weak, according to the Business Times. The outlet reports that visitor spending at the Wharf is still down nearly 30% from 2019, pushing the district to update its mix of tenants for changing audiences and tastes.
New Neighbors Joining the Waterfront
The Baked Bear won't be the only new name on the block. Everett and Jones BBQ and Raising Cane's are also expected to open soon at Fisherman's Wharf, ABC7 News reports. Port of San Francisco officials told the station that about 1 million visitors, not counting international guests, came to the Wharf in March, and that a new public space there was set to open this summer.
Port representatives also said they were working to repair the fuel dock and ice machine by spring 2027, according to the same ABC7 account. Customers can order Baked Bear sandwiches online for pickup or delivery where available, the company notes, a convenience that could serve both tourists wandering the Wharf and locals ordering ahead.
