A bear claw is a sweet pastry originating in the United States during the mid-1910s. The name bear claw as used for a pastry is first attested on March 13, 1914 by the Geibel German Bakery, located at 915 K Street in downtown Sacramento. By the next year, bear claws were on the breakfast menu at German-owned Hamburger's Los Angeles, which was then the largest department store west of Chicago.