Believe it or not Los Angeles has a very sweet side. Yes you read that right, Los Angeles is a sweet city when it comes to the many bakeries around town that are offering innovative and tasty menus that cover the gamut from traditional bread loaves to fruity concoctions to decadent desserts.
So if you have a sweet tooth, here are 10 Los Angeles area bakeries worth checking out.
Badash Bakes
247 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; badashbakes.com
Don’t be surprised if you see a long line here because this bakery has its social media game down with about 600,000 followers on TikTok. But Badash Bakes also has its bakery game down with a menu that offers matcha cinnamon rolls, rich red velvet cake, banana bread, blueberry muffins and all sorts of cookies including s’mores, brown sugar, toffee and cornbread flavors.
Baker’s Bench
1021 Alpine St., Los Angeles; bakersbenchla.com
This is the place to go for croissants and fruit Danishes for vegans since they make nondairy and egg-free items. Must-tries include the Furikake Croissant, the flaky Double Baked Croissant, the gooey Cinnamon Twist, the sweet and fruity Maple Pear Danish and the Black Sesame Cookie.
Kristin Colazas Rodriguez and Executive Chef Jeff Paletz opened Colossus cafe and bakery in San Pedro. (Photo by Danielle G. Adams)
Colossus Bakery
2311 S. Alma St., San Pedro; 511 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro; 4716 2nd Street, Long Beach;.and Sundays at Long Beach Marina Farmers Market, 6602 E Marina Drive, Long Beach; colossusbread.com
Long Beach-born pastry chef Kristin Colazas Rodriguez and her husband Nicholas Rodriguez gained an enthusiastic following after opening their bakery in a narrow, 700-square foot space a few years ago. They regularly sold out of their traditional and seasonal fruit-driven croissants, Country Loaf bread and the OG Cookie.
The bakery’s popularity has grown and now there are locations in San Pedro and Long Beach thanks to their focus on classic French and rustic Italian pastry. They’re all very fruit driven and many of these fruits, herbs and vegetables come directly from Rodriguez’s own garden. The menu changes constantly but must haves are the croissants and baguettes.
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Furn Saj Bakery Restaurant
11146 Balboa Blvd,, Granada Hills; 26791 Agoura Road, Calabasas; furnsaj.com
When you walk into Furn Saj, it’s not going to feel like a bakery at all. Instead it’s going to feel like a casual dining spot with counter service. While it is a restaurant with a full Mediterranean menu, it’s also a bakery that specializes in making Mediterranean sweets in-house daily.
Some of the stars on the bakery menu include the Saj Choco Bas, made of a crispy saj bread base topped with a rich and creamy chocolate ganache and banana slices. Another popular dessert here is Labneh with Honey. A labneh is a thick and creamy Middle Eastern strained yogurt cheese that’s spread on a house-baked bread and then drizzled with honey. It’s simple, not too sweet and savory.
Guevara’s Bakery
23415 Main St, Carson; www.instagram.com/guevaras_bakery
This bakery was started by father and son duo Adolfo and Jessie Guevara, who sold baked goods on the street before opening a brick and mortar location in 2021. They don’t have a set menu and pretty much bake whatever they want when inspiration hits them. But they do focus on traditional Mexican pastries inspired by their hometown of San Simón, Coatepec in Mexico.
And they do have regular items on their menu such as the Pan de Fiesta, a pillowy bread with a history that goes back to Aztec times, the Pan de Burro, another sweet bread and for the more health conscious the Pan de Trigo, which is made out of whole wheat bread. The bakery also offers cookies, fruit-flavored pan dulce and bolillos.
Arturo Enciso and Ana Salatino serve up fresh baked bread and other treats at Gusto Bread in Long Beach. (Photo by Tracey Roman, Contributing Photographer)
Gusto Bread
2710 E 4th Street, Long Beach; gustobread.com
This two-time James Beard nominated Outstanding Bakery finalist is recognized for its incredibly flavorful conchas, seasonal pastries and multigrain breads that are inspired by Mexican and indigenous traditions like masa madre, which is a wild fermented sourdough, and in-house nixtamal, a fresh fresh corn masa. Some of the most popular items include the Nixtamal Queen, a sweet, chewy and sticky pastry with layers of sourdough and house made corn masa.
For a slightly less sweet treat try the Doña. It’s a twice-baked rich and nutty concha that’s layered with seasonal fruit jam plus the house-made almond cream and sliced almonds. And for something really unique the Chori Bun is the way to go. This sweet and savory bun is made with maple habanero chorizo provided by San Pedro’s beloved Chori-Man. Then it’s topped with sesame and poppy seeds for a sweet treat that’s petty much a lunch dish.
Chinese-born bakery Hi Bake opened its first U.S. location in Beverly Hills July 17. (Image courtesy Hi Bake)
Hi Bake
235 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills; hibakebakery.com
The popular Hong Kong-born Hi Bake Bakery has about 60 locations in China and opened its first U.S. store in Beverly Hills this year, offering its signature savory and sweet items that look like artwork and taste just as good. Hi Bake’s best known dishes include the Tokyo Banana Roll Tiger Skin edition, which is a fluffy, banana-shaped sponge cake wrapped around a creamy banana custard. The outside of the sponge cake is made in a way that it resembles tiger stripes.
The bakery also serves flaky croissants and the caramel mochi tart, which has torched caramel on top, chewy mochi in the middle and a velvety custard core.
Pastries at the Porto’s Bakery & Cafe. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Porto’s Bakery and Cafe
19467 Nordhoff St., Northridge; 3614 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank; 8233 Firestone Blvd., Downey; 315 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; 584 S. Sunset Ave., West Covina; 7640 Beach Blvd., Buena Park; portosbakery.com
There’s a reason why the lines are always long at Porto’s, and that’s because this family-run bakery has pretty much become a local icon with a massive following of devoted fans who stock up on their delicious Cuban pastries. Everything at the bakery is worth trying, but if you’ve never been there before start with the Fresh Fruit Tart. It’s a sponge cake with vanilla custard and locally grown strawberries, blueberries and imported mangos. Or go for a classic Tres Leches cake, or just point randomly at the menu and wherever your finger lands it’s going to be something good.
Mike Ashworth recently opened Yellow Jersey Patisserie in Hermosa Beach. (photo by Michael Hixon/SCNG)
Yellow Jersey Patisserie
133 Hermosa Ave., Hermosa Beach; yellowjerseyla.com
This recently opened bakery is owned and operated by Mike Ashworth, an avid cyclist, cook and baker, hence the name Yellow Jersey (it’s a cycling thing). He’s probably wearing a yellow jersey when he bakes too because his menu is filled with internationally inspired sweets that include cinnamon roles, cookies, muffins and sourdough bread.
Ashworth’s cinnamon rolls are hand-rolled with organic bread flour and served warn and gooey, while his Tomato Basil Pastry is a puff pastry with shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan and sliced Roma tomatoes and basil from the bakery garden.
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85 Degrees Bakery Cafe
Several locations in the Los Angeles area; 85cbakerycafe.com
This large Taiwanese chain first opened in Taipei in 2004 and has been rapidly growing since then thanks to signature baked goods like the Choco Bun, a small bun made of chocolate dough filled with chocolate chips and the Coconut Milk Bun, a soft, and fluffy bun made with coconut milk and topped with crunchy coconut flakes.