Tiny Inner Richmond bakery named top in the nation

Arsicault was named 2016 bakery of the year by Bon Appetit. The tiny Inner Richmond bakery owned by Armando Lacayo is located at 397 Arguello. Arsicault was named 2016 bakery of the year by Bon Appetit. The tiny Inner Richmond bakery owned by Armando Lacayo is located at 397 Arguello. Photo: Courtesy Arsicault Photo: Courtesy Arsicault Image 1 of / 48 Caption Close Tiny Inner Richmond bakery named top in the nation 1 / 48 Back to Gallery

Three years ago Armando Lacayo was at a computer every day managing equity funds.

Now, he's among the best bakers in the country.

Bon Appetit named Lacayo's tiny Inner Richmond bakery Arsicault, opened only a little over a year ago, the top in the nation for 2016.

The reason? Lacayo's croissant, described by the publication as "so preposterously flaky it leaves you covered in crumbs, so impossibly tender and buttery on the inside that it tastes like brioche, and so deeply golden that the underside is nearly caramelized."

Lacayo has baking in his blood. His great-grandparents (The Arsicaults) owned a bakery in France, and his grandfather worked for them in his teen years. After experimenting with baking in his home kitchen, Lacayo opened Arsicault.

"I'm still transitioning from Martha Stewart to an actual baker," says Lacayo, who grew up in Paris. "All I care about is the quality of the croissant and every morning if I taste one, I want to be able to tell myself, 'This is really good.'"

"I still have to work on making my baking more efficient," adds Lacayo, who bakes his croissants in batches of about 40.

You can visit Arsicault at 397 Arguello, between Euclid and Cornwall streets. In addition to croissants, you'll find an array of other baked good such as fruit tarts, quiche, galettes, and what Lacayo calls a "Raisin Kouign," a traditional French raisin roll baked like a kouign amann to get a nice caramelization.