Some preliminary advice before visiting République: Should the phrase “Hold the bread, please” cross your mind, hold your tongue instead. The La Brea restaurant’s pastry chef and co-owner, Margarita Manzke, serves freshly baked breads and pastries morning, noon and night, so you can order one of her incredible croissants for breakfast, the quiche of the day for lunch or a baguette to sop up those pan drippings from the dinner menu. The only catch? They don’t replenish the pastry stock throughout the day, so once an item is gone, it’s gone. (Don’t worry, they stock about 50 varieties of items daily, so we’re sure you’ll find something else to fall in love with.)
For all the talk about Los Angeles being a gluten-free, low-carb town, you’d never know it judging by the caliber of bakeries here. From the San Gabriel Valley to the South Bay, we’re lucky enough to lay claim to flaky croissants, pillowy loaves of bread, decadent cookies and perfectly crusted pies. Whether you’re looking for a breakfast treat or a sweet dessert, these amazing L.A. bakeries more than show that L.A. is a carb town.