Maison Nico's Chestnut Croissant

Maison Nico is at 710 Montgomery Street in Jackson Square, right across from the Transamerica Pyramid. Chef Nicolas Delaroque runs it with his wife Andrea. They used to have a Michelin-starred restaurant called Nico in Pacific Heights—seven years of fine dining, then COVID hit. Instead of rebuilding the same model, they pivoted to this: a French bakery, charcuterie, and épicerie all in one.

It’s a small space where you order at the counter. The open kitchen is right there—you watch them laminate dough, shape croissants, assemble pastries. They don’t hide the process.

We got the croissant marron. Chestnut croissant. Buttery, flaky layers—proper lamination, on par with Arsicault in the Richmond. The chestnut paste inside is thick, almost grainy, nutty-sweet. Different texture from almond croissants. You bite through and the paste hits your tongue before the butter does.

[!TIP] Try the croissant marron (chestnut croissant). Different from the usual almond, and the lamination rivals Arsicault.

They do pâtés and terrines too. Delaroque won the Elegance Prize at the 2025 Pâté en Croûte World Championship in Lyon. That’s France. That’s the competition. He’s opening a second location in San Anselmo later this year.