Golden Gate Forture Cookie Co. in San Francisco

The Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company is located in the heart of Chinatown in San Francisco. The factory has been in business since 1962, supplying the world with tasty cookies and life guidance. I didn’t ask where the actual fortunes came from during my visit, which was quite an oversight on my part. Do they have someone who sits in a back room and makes them up? Golden Gate Fortune Cookie is located on Ross Alley, between Jackson and Washington. The Alley, it seems, has quite a history as the oldest alley in the city. It was known in the past for brothels and gambling.

You can smell the cookies as you approach the factory at any time of day. I was surprised that such a small place could make THAT many fortune cookies. The factory consists of what looks like a basement store room and the cramped upstairs where the cookies are made. There are actually machines that are specifically made for fortune cookie production. The cookies come out in disks. The operator then removes the cookies from the machine with a stick-like tool. The cookies are then folded with the fortune inside. If you visit the factory, they are sure to give you a taste of the warm cookies. They’re quite good.

It was certainly an interesting place to see. The coolest part is that they have CHOCOLATE fortune cookies. I’ve never seen such a thing and it was quite exciting. I bought a big bag of mixed chocolate and regular for $4.00. A friend told me a SMALL container of the chocolate cookies retails for about $6.00 in nearby Union Square.

The fortune cookie was invented in California, although there is some debate whether it originated in San Francisco or Los Angeles. I vote for San Francisco.