Every Sandwich at Bear Buns Starts With a B, and Your Dog Gets a $1 Pup Cup

Overview

Bear Buns Bakery is on Greyling Drive in Serra Mesa, and every single sandwich on the menu starts with the letter B.

The Basic. The Bennie. The Bella. The Birdie. The Betsy. B-Friendly. B-Healthy.

It's a small, committed bit, and it tells you what kind of place this is before you've ordered anything. So does the next thing: there is a Pup Cup for a dollar, and a plate of meatballs for your dog for $2.50.

Here's the detail that will save you a wasted trip, because it isn't obvious.

Monday through Thursday they close at 2 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday they stay open until 6.

Same 7 a.m. open every day of the week — but the back half of the week runs four hours longer. If you want an afternoon pastry, that's a Friday-to-Sunday errand.

The Sandwiches

All on house bread, all built on eggs except the last one:

• Betsy — $9.50. Spring mix, prosciutto, burrata and pesto on house-made focaccia. The one that isn't a breakfast sandwich, and the best thing on the list
• Bella — $8.75. Egg, provolone, bacon, sundried tomatoes, spinach, pesto
• Birdie — $8.75. Egg white, pepper jack, turkey, spinach, mayo
• B-Healthy — $8.75. Egg white, trio of sweet peppers, pepper jack, spinach, hollandaise
• B-Friendly — $8.75
• Bennie — $7.95. Egg, cheddar, ham, hollandaise
• Basic — $7.50. Egg and cheddar, exactly as advertised
• Bagel and cream cheese — $4.25. Plain, everything, or jalapeño with cheddar

Burrata and prosciutto on house-made focaccia for $9.50 is the order. Hollandaise on two of the breakfast sandwiches is also a sign of effort — most places that size wouldn't bother making it.

The Bakery Case

• Sticky bun — $6.05 · cinnamon roll — $5.85
• Bread pudding — $4.50, in regular, mango coconut cream or banana coconut cream
• Cheesecake — $4.50 · pie — from $4.35
• Cookies, croissants, muffins and bars, priced in the shop
• Acai bowl — $10.15

And the one to know about for a holiday morning:

• Take-and-bake cinnamon rolls — $34.50, ordered 24 hours in advance

That's a tray of rolls you bake in your own oven on Christmas morning or a birthday, and it's the sort of thing people don't realise their neighbourhood bakery will do.

The Coffee

The hot list is long and the entry prices are genuinely low:

• House coffee — from $3.00 · espresso — from $3.00 · decaf — from $3.25
• Cafe au lait — from $3.40 · cortado — $3.55 · steamer — from $3.60
• Flat white — $4.10 · americano — from $4.15 · tea — from $4.15
• Hot chocolate — from $4.50 · London Fog — from $4.75
• Breve and cappuccino — from $5.00 · red eye — from $5.50
• Latte and matcha — from $5.75 · mocha and chai latte — from $6.00
• Flavoured latte, Mexican mocha and white mocha — from $6.15
• Caramel macchiato, specialty latte and Vietnamese — from $6.75
• Coffee refill — from $1.50

A $3 house coffee and a $1.50 refill is a sit-and-stay price.

Iced, a few worth naming: iced coffee from $4.15 · cold brew from $6.15 · Pink Bear $6.50 · brown sugar milk tea $6.50 · espresso bomb $6.75 · Vietnamese iced $7.50 · passion fruit tea with cream $6.25 · Arnold Palmer from $3.95 · lemonade from $3.60

Blended, if you want dessert in a cup: blended coffee from $6.30 · matcha from $6.85 · frozen hot chocolate $6.95 · taro slushy, piña colada, pumpkin spice and fruit smoothies all from $7.75 · green protein smoothie from $7.85 · blended mocha and white mocha from $7.85

And for a crowd: Box Coffee, 96 ounces, $38.99. That's the office-meeting or team-breakfast order, and it's cheaper than buying a dozen cups individually.

Soft drinks are cheap too — water $1.20, soda $1.55, milk and chocolate milk $2.25, sparkling water $2.35, juice $2.55–$2.99, turmeric shot $3.50.

For the Dog

• Pup Cup — $1.00
• Dog meatballs — $2.50

Two items, both under three dollars, both explicitly for your dog. That's a bakery expecting you to walk there, which in Serra Mesa is exactly right.

How to Visit

• Address: 3251 Greyling Dr, San Diego, CA 92123 — Serra Mesa
• Phone: (858) 573-2327
• Hours: Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–2 p.m. · Friday–Sunday 7 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Order online for pickup or delivery through their ordering page
• Take-and-bake cinnamon rolls need 24 hours
• Dog menu — Pup Cup $1, meatballs $2.50

Good to Know

• The weekend is four hours longer. Monday to Thursday it's over at 2.
• Get the Betsy. Burrata, prosciutto and pesto on house-made focaccia, $9.50.
• House coffee is $3 and refills are $1.50. Bring a book.
• $34.50 of take-and-bake cinnamon rolls is the move for a holiday morning. Order the day before.
• Box Coffee at $38.99 covers a meeting, and it's 96 ounces.
• Bring the dog. There's a menu for them.
• Order ahead if you're on a tight morning — they take scheduled orders online.

The Takeaway

Walk over on a Saturday, order the Betsy and a $3 house coffee, and get the dog a Pup Cup.

What makes Bear Buns worth the detour isn't the alliteration, charming as it is — it's that a small Serra Mesa bakery makes its own focaccia, makes its own hollandaise, sells a $3 cup of coffee with a $1.50 refill, and will bake you a tray of cinnamon rolls to finish at home. That's a neighbourhood bakery doing the whole job.

For more spots worth knowing, browse our Local Picks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Bear Buns Bakery? At 3251 Greyling Dr, San Diego, CA 92123, in Serra Mesa.

What are the hours? 7 a.m. every day. Closing is 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

What should I order? The Betsy — spring mix, prosciutto, burrata and pesto on house-made focaccia, $9.50. Breakfast sandwiches start at $7.50 for the Basic.

Why does everything start with B? Every sandwich on the menu does — the Basic, Bennie, Bella, Birdie, Betsy, B-Friendly and B-Healthy.

Is it dog-friendly? They sell a $1 Pup Cup and $2.50 dog meatballs, so they're clearly expecting dogs.

How much is coffee? House coffee and espresso start at $3, with refills from $1.50. Lattes start at $5.75 and specialty drinks at $6.75.

Can I order cinnamon rolls to bake at home? Yes — take-and-bake cinnamon rolls are $34.50 with 24 hours' notice.

Do they cater a group? There's a 96-ounce Box Coffee at $38.99, which works out cheaper than buying cups individually.

Can I order online? Yes, for pickup or delivery through their online ordering page.