September 18, 2021 Update: Zanze's Cheesecake is now being sold at Mollie Stone's Market at 635 Portola Dr, San Francisco, CA 94127. It's located in the aisle #8 frozen section all the way in the back. Limit 1 per customer. Good luck to anyone trying to get one!

Zanze's cheesecake was named one of the best in the USA according to Food and Wine. I can no longer pop in to pick one up and must resort to pre-ordering on the phone days before or risk the cakes selling out before noon. When that happens, they close up shop early. Fame has its burden. Annually, I trek to Zanze's to pick up 2 cakes just 6 days apart for Jr Yelpers' birthdays. One falls near Valentine's Day which means standing in the line out the door and 6 days later, we get a second cake. Although the line maybe gone,the cakes can still sellout on a weekday. Fame has a price. I chatted with the old dude in line behind me and we both have been patrons for over 30 years. We fretted about Mr. Zanze's eventual retirement one day. He said he offered to volunteer to help so he could learn how to make the cakes and Mr. Z merely laughed. Fame causes panic and fear in fans. The first cake we got was a little too soft and was less firm. Mr. Z was likely overworked on V Day. The second cake was perfect and reminded me of his cakes from 30 yrs ago and fluffy like the cheesecakes sold in Japan. When you've dined on the many Zanze cakes we've consumed over the decades, you become a critic on consistency. Don't expect perfection if you buy one during holidays. Fame is a double edged sword. Nevertheless, our family love Mr. Z's traditional cakes and are thrilled that he's become such a rockstar. He has earned a huge cult following after all the years of hard work and we have learned wcope with the lines and pre-order. Long may you reign. After 42 yrs. Sam Zanze's daughter announced on Facebook that the business will not reopen but the cakes will be available at Mollie Stone's. I will now cry myself to sleep. We were at Mollie Stones recently and decided since we were there, to look for Zanzes cheesecake. The staff told us they do not have any in stock and haven't received any of his cheesecake in a long while.

Sad to learn that after 42 years of bringing joy to many homes for special occasions, Zanze's will not be reopening after SIP is lifted. :( Sam's daughter announced on FB a few days ago that her dad will be shuttering his storefront on Ocean Avenue but given the circumstances, I wholeheartedly respect his decision. Health and safety first! Zanze's has always been a huge request amongst my family gatherings and/or potluck with friends. The fact that these cheesecakes are so soft that you must cut with a fish line tells you just how delicate this life's guilty pleasures is. Many times I'll walk into the store thinking that I'll just buy a small but more often than not, I leave with a large cheesecake if one is available. I always dreaded the day Sam decides to retire and I knew there will come a time that this will happen, just never expected it to be so soon and bc of COVID of all things. I seriously cannot tell you how devastated I was after hearing the news, but I totally understand. I've actually called the store a few times during COVID wondering when they will reopen so this news definitely hit hard in our household. While I will miss seeing Sam at the store and his sinfully delicious fluffy cheesecakes, I am happy to hear that he will soon be enjoying retirement life and will still be baking up his cheesecakes at his leisure. I am hoping the news is true that Zanze's cheesecakes will still be found at the Molly Stone's by Twin Peaks (635 Portola Drive aka: the old Tower Market) on occasions. You know I for one will be shopping there more often and stalking for a delivery from Sam. I know I usually don't know if the store is opened unless I call Zanze's and listen to their voicemail but hopefully, they can keep that phone line open or have a website/IG page to let his loyal customers know when there will be a delivery to Mollie Stone's. Zanze's - thanks for all the great memories! I wish Sam and his family all the best!

I was finally able to try zanzes, and it is truly the best cheesecake I have ever tasted . It is more tastier than the uncle tetsu cheesecake, but not as bouncey. I called to pickup a small order for the next day , I think if you don't call to put in an order they will probably be sold out. The majority of their sales seem to be from the call in orders . The cheesecake can be frozen and thawed, so you can always order more for the future . This cheesecake is so light and easy to eat, you could easily eat an entire small cheesecake by yourself . If you want to try, I would suggest you to place an order for the day before .

I am not a fan of traditional cheesecake, but ever since my experience with fluffy Hokkaido style cheesecake (e.g., LeTAO) in Japan, I have been searching in vein for something similar back home. Well the search for the holy grail has ended. Zanze combines the classic flavors of traditional American cheesecake with the fluffy texture of its Japanese cousin. We got there around 11:30 am on Thursday with minimal wait. Our eyes were immediately drawn to the fluffy decadent cakes beneath the display counter. They sold only the traditional flavors in store each day, special flavors/toppings (e.g., sour cherries, blue berries, raspberries) need to be pre-ordered at least 1 day in advance. Same applies to birthday or special celebration requests. We got 2 traditional (medium) to go, the prices for small/medium/large were $16, $26 and $36, respectively. A few dollars extra for other flavors. Each cake was carefully boxed, with a coil of string (fishing line?) attached to the box. We were instructed to cut the cake using the string only, a knife might cause the cake to crumble. Upon reaching home we immediately set to work with the string, gingerly slicing the cake apart. One bite of the cake validated what others have already mentioned, it was simply the best cheesecake I ever had, in the US. Personally I still prefer the flavors of LeTAO (Fromage Double) or similar Japanese cheesecake you find in the basement of large department stores in Tokyo or Hong Kong. Nonetheless their texture are very comparable. The cheesecake can be enjoyed at room temp or cold. You can even freeze it for up to 3 months before thawing at room temp then serving. Overall Zanze serves amazingly rich and fluffy cheesecakes. This guilty pleasure, even with a string attached, gets my full endorsement in 2020.

My first time picking up the hallowed Zanze's cheesecake even though I've lived in SF most of my life. Because it's only open three days a week for three hours a day... As most people have said, you have to get there early. Or reserve in advance. But I'm not exactly sure how you do that if they're hardly ever open. Plus the place is staffed by little old lady fairy cheesecake makers who write everything down by hand with a pen in a spiral notebook. -_- Also they don't take credit card. Repeat - they only take cash or check (?!) Do checks still exist??? I guess for rent payments and cheesecake... Despite all of the hassle, yes it is clearly worth it. The fishing line trick alone makes it worth it. The graham cracker crust that crumbles in your mouth like fairy dust makes it worth it. The light-as-a-fairy-wing texture makes it worth it. Just make sure to bring your checkbook :/

I have been trying to buy their cheesecake for a couple of years now, finally scored today so I feel like I've won the lottery. Obstacles are closed on Sun, sells out on Sat, and closes for long family vacations. They run a successful family business selling a specialty product. Similar to business model of Golden Gate Bakery and Shuei-Do Manju Shop, but unlike those two, Zanze has no competitors. The lady at the counter said these are Europe style cheesecake. Upon eating it, I was surprised to find gramcracker crumbs on top of the cake. New York style uses gramcracker crumbs with butter and sugar as the base crust. It looks like Japanese cheesecake and it has similar characteristics of soft, fluffy and not too sweet but it is certainly NOT Japanese cheesecake. I know this because today, I did a taste test comparison with Uncle Tetsu Japanese cheesecake. Zanze has more cheese with notes of citrus while Tetsu has sponge cake with cheese. Zanze needs the fishing line while Tetsu can use a knife. Both are great but they are different.

I have found the One Cheese Cake to rule them all. If there is a better one, please IM me. It's so light and fluffy you have to cut it with floss. FLOSS!!!! You must try it is all I can say.

My hub's cousin treated us to Zanze's Cheesecake for Easter. I hadn't heard of it, but really looked forward to trying it after I was told about it. It was a completely different texture than I'm use too. Very light and fluffy. No crust, but had a chocolate shaving top. What a treat. It's cut with fishing line that they provide taped to the top of your box. I'm not sure if cuz wanted his 2nd cheesecake sliced, but his sister offered. We couldn't say no to a slice to go!

It's.Like.No.Other. This is the cheesecake to beat all cheesecakes. Zanze's Cheesecake has a light, fluffy texture matched by the perfect sweetness that makes them worth fighting for. And if you are trying to get one during the holidays, you definitely are going to fight for it. Save yourself some bruises and just call to pre-order. I'm bummed that I was too late to order for Thanksgiving, but that didn't stop me from picking up two and sharing for friendsgiving. The pumpkin one is back for the season and is definitely their best. Don't @ me. Get this on your radar and head down when you can. If you miss them this holiday season, you'll just be sad when they close for vacation and you have to wait longer. Don't be that person. Enjoy!