The best bakeries in Los Angeles

What is it? An all-day Cali-French café, bakery and dinnertime spot where it is nigh on impossible to leave dissatisfied, where old meets new in L.A. dining history, and where the buzz of thrilled diners is electric from morning to night. More recently, it’s been the subject of controversy after its married owners expressed support for Elon Musk’s recently opened Tesla diner.

Why we love it: 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 James Beard award-winning 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 dozens of items daily, so I’m sure you’ll find something else to fall in love with.)

Time Out tip: Arrive early on weekends to snag the first pick of the pastry case.

Address: 624 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Opening hours: Tue–Thu 8am–2pm, 5:30–10pm; Fri 8am–2pm, 5–10pm; Sat 8am–2pm, 5:30–10pm; Sun 8am–2pm

What is it? An award-winning bakery in Culver City and Downtown run by bestselling cookbook author and Gjelina alum Nicole Rucker. 

Why we love it: After years as one of L.A.’s most acclaimed pop-up bakers, Nicole Rucker’s stall inside of Grand Central Market and her newer Culver City café have become two of my favorite places in Los Angeles for slices of pie and whatever else her all-star team is baking that day. The light-as-air key lime pie is a must-order if it’s your first visit, as is any sort of treat that spotlights the season’s sweetest, freshest produce in the region—be it a seasonal buttermilk apple butter pie or a fresh-from-the-oven brownie. Rucker lets the ingredients shine, and the cookies are killer as well, with the sort of addicting mix of chewy and snappy you’d be hard-pressed to find almost anywhere else in the city.

Time Out tip: The sandwiches made with sourdough baguettes from Santa Monica’s Jyan Isaac Bread are great as well.

Address: Downtown: 317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013; Culver City: 11739 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Opening hours:  Downtown: Mon–Thu 11am–5pm, Fri 11am–8pm; Sat 10am–8pm; Sun 10am–5pm; Culver City: Wed–Sun 9am–5pm

What is it? A tiny but mighty gourmet bakery in Santa Monica run by Clémence de Lutz, previously of the Gourmandise School, and Friends & Family alum Tony Hernandez.

Why we love it: Petitgrain serves some of the absolute best pastries anywhere in Los Angeles without needing to resort to gimmicky flavors or Instagram bait. Lines tend to form early, and while those golden, perfectly flaky croissants often run out early, there’s always something delicious in one way or another behind the glass. Lutz and Hernandez pride themselves on using locally sourced flour varieties, milk from Straus Family Creamery, fruit from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, imported French butter and more ethically sourced chocolate, for higher quality you can taste. Savories like ham and cheese croissants and seasonal fruit danishes round out the tiny pastry case here, and while we can’t guarantee everything will be available when you come in, I can guarantee it’ll be delicious—and quite likely worth the wait. The scones and cookies are at the top of their game, and I can’t recommend the croissants here enough. Buttery, flaky and decadent, they offer just the right amount of crisp-to-softness ratio.

Time Out tip: On Mondays and Tuesdays, Petitgrain often hosts up-and-coming bakeries like San Gabriel’s Crumbs & Flakes; to find out who’s popping up next, follow Petitgrain on Instagram. 

Address: 1209 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Opening hours: Wed–Sat 8am–2pm; Sun 8am–3pm

What is it? A worker-owned bakery in Atwater Village renowned across Los Angeles for its loaves of bread, croissants and cookies. 

Why we love it: On weekend mornings, this worker-owned bakery in Atwater Village seems to be the hottest place to be in Northeast L.A. Locals drop in for morning coffee and baked goods like buttery croissants and brioche toast slathered with local jam. The caffeine is tops here, don’t get us wrong, but lines out the door mostly appear around noon, when the bakery brings out its famous sandwiches and tartines. Options include the likes of marinated beets, herb pesto and goat cheese; or salami, manchego and chive butter (plus some vegetarian options) on lightly salted, still-warm-from-the-oven mini baguettes. Grab one—they go fast!—and snag one of the few seats on the sidewalk patio, where you’ll get a vista of pretty much all of Atwater while you sip your coffee. Plus, Proof makes one of my favorite chocolate chip cookies in the city.

Time Out tip: The whole cakes, whose exact flavors rotate on a seasonal basis, are ideal for birthdays and other special occasions. Recent options include chocolate passion fruit, pistachio blackberry and Basque cheesecake.  

Address: 3156 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Opening hours: Mon–Fri 8am–4pm; Sat, Sun 8am–3pm

What is it? A perpetually busy sandwich shop and bakery in Glassell Park.

Why we love it: Since 2015, Bub and Grandma’s amazing bread has captured the hearts (and stomachs) of diners at some of L.A.’s finest restaurants, but baker Andy Kadin’s plan all along was a sandwich shop inspired by NYC tristate delis. His dream is now realized at this sunny daytime-only spot in Glassell Park serving all the manner of heavenly sandwiches and pastries. The passion fruit doughnut is a dream, as is the banana cream pie, but you shouldn’t leave here without trying at least one of the sandwiches. (I like the vegan-friendly Rainbow, which mixes curried tofu, pickled vegetables, avocado and tahini spread.) Just be sure to prepare yourself for the wait, which stretches out even on the weekdays.

Time Out tip: On Sunday and Monday evenings, Bub and Grandma’s hosts jazz nights with special dinner items and a rotating line-up of local musicians.

Address: 3507 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90065

Opening hours: Mon 8am–3pm, 5–10pm; Tue–Sat 8am–3pm; Sun 8am–3pm, 5–10pm

What is it? A local bakery chain beloved by restaurants across the city for its wholesale baguette and a worthwhile destination for cardamom buns, monkey bread and so much more.

Why we love it: Some of the flakiest croissants, some of the most consistently delicious loaves, Swedish-style fika treats and an expanded café menu: all hallmarks of Zack Hall’s artisanal bakery, which first got its start inside Downtown’s Grand Central Market. These days, Clark Street has locations in Echo Park, Larchmont, Brentwood and Beverly Hills, as well as Clark Street Diner in Hollywood. All four bakeries sling freshly baked loaves such as whole wheat, Danish rye and French baguettes, and stock plain and chocolate-studded croissants, artful avocado toasts and baked goods like hearty banana bread. If you catch me staring off into space, there’s a good chance I’m thinking about Clark Street’s cardamom buns—or anything else from this team, for that matter.

Time Out tip: Skip the doughnuts in the case; I found them rather lacking.

Address: Multiple venues, incl. Brentwood, Larchmont and Echo Park

Opening hours: Varies by location

What is it? A Pasadena chocolatier with some of the city’s best croissants—and the best pain au chocolat, of course. 

Why we love it: Forget the endless lines at Fondry—this Pasadena chocolatier’s laminated pastries are the ones to beat. Most days of the week, the cozy space is packed with folks sipping coffee and biting into some of the lightest, flakiest croissants in all of Los Angeles. The signature pain au chocolat is CAR’s most popular pastry, and while we’ve yet to find a better almond variety, the plain croissant is no slouch either. A handful of fruit and savory danishes and a turkey-Gruyere croissant round out the pastry menu here, but don’t be put off by the limited selection; these are some of the best croissants in Los Angeles, and believe us, I’ve tried every notable option in town. 

Time Out tip: CAR’s retail chocolate bars are also great for gifting and snacking on at home. 

Address: 1009 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

Opening hours: Tue–Thu 8am–4pm, Fri–Sun 8am–5pm

What is it? A James Beard-nominated artisanal panadería in Long Beach.

Why we love it: Down in Long Beach, Arturo Enciso’s Gusto Bread integrates heirloom grains into the art of traditional Mexican pastry-making. Alongside rustic loaves studded with seeds, Gusto Bread serves an array of new-school pan dulce, including conchas, orejas and nixtamal queens—a masa-based twist on French kouign-amann. The pan de maiz, made with freshly milled heirloom corn and wildflower honey, will make you rethink your love of American-style cornbread, and I think the guava-marmalade-stuffed pastelitos is the ideal way to start a weekend morning. For a twist on tres leches cake, order the atole cake, which sits on a bed of cream flavored with the traditional Mexican corn drink and comes topped with whipped cream flavored with Andean corn white ganache. Just know that everything is meant to be consumed the same day or the next, with the loaves of bread having the longest shelf life (three to four days, tops). 

Time Out tip: If you’re in Central L.A., this is a place worth driving down to Long Beach for.

Address: 2710 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814

Opening hours: Wed–Fri 8am–4pm; Sat, Sun 8am–2pm

What is it? An award-winning, critically acclaimed bakery in Thai Town with a full café menu.

Why we love it: Roxana Jullapat and Daniel Mattern’s bakery and café makes some of the best baked goods in town, including bread loaves made with locally sourced heirloom grain. The rustic loaves have even made Jullapat—the pastry chef half of the duo—famous nationwide via her cookbook, Mother Grains. Beyond bread, Friends & Family also makes pastries, quiche and cookies, and the brunch menu is no slouch, either. It’s fun to peruse the bounty of the morning pastry case, rivaled only by République in terms of sheer variety. If you have the time to spare, I recommend stopping in for a meal of buckwheat pancakes and fried eggs in olive oil, but you can also leave more than content with a quick seasonal fruit  hand pie and some Danishes.

Time Out tip: Order a little of everything, no matter your time limitations, and grab a few pastries for later, too. Your future self will thank you.

Address: 5150 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Opening hours: Daily 8am–3pm

What is it? An upscale pie-oriented bakery and wine bar in Beverly Hills.

Why we love it: Although best known for its Australian-style meat pies and sausage rolls, Curtis Stone’s pandemic pop-up is now a full brick-and-mortar in Beverly Hills serving all manner of baked goods. Taking over the former Maude space, the Pie Room also churns out some of the city’s best croissants, sweet pastries and sandwiches (made with housemade bread!) during the day and doubles as a wine bar at night. I particularly enjoy the standout cinnamon roll and the individual-sized apple pie that’s large enough to feed two. After dark, the Pie Room serves cheese and charcuterie boards using housemade cured meats from Gwen, Stone’s Michelin-starred restaurant in Hollywood, plus daily specials like loup de mer and duck ragu gnocchi.

Time Out tip: Looking to fill a box of pastries for a crowd? The citrus monkey bread and Wagyu pastrami croissant are must-orders. 

Address: 212 S Beverly Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90212

Opening hours: Tue, Wed 10:30am–8pm; Thu–Sati 10:30am–9pm; Sun 10:30am–8pm

What is it? An award-winning bakery in San Pedro with a newer all-day restaurant serving salads, pizza and wine in the evenings. 

Why we love it: Ever since her farmers’ market days, chef-owner Kristin Colazas Rodriguez has spearheaded a spread of truly arresting pastries and some of the fluffiest-yet-sturdiest naturally leavened loaves of bread in the greater South Bay. Now, she and her husband—coffee roaster/aficionado Nick Rodriguez—run Colossus in two brick-and-mortar locations (San Pedro and Long Beach). Both spots keep lines out the door, but it’s understandable: Their delectable pastries and hearty loaves of bread are well worth the wait, but can also be pre-ordered, with a few days of advance notice and planning.

Time Out tip: Get to Colossus on the earlier side, so you can see whatever the daily specials might be in the case.

Address: San Pedro (Alma): 2311 S. Alma St., San Pedro, CA 90731; San Pedro (Harbor): 511 S. Harbor Blvd., San Pedro, CA 90731; Long Beach: 4716 2nd Street, Long Beach, CA 90803

Opening hours: San Pedro (Alma): Wed–Fri 7am–2pm; Sat, Sun 8am–2pm; San Pedro (Harbor): Mon–Fri 7am–8pm; Sat, Sun 8am–8pm; Long Beach: Mon–Thu 6am–2am, Fri 6am–8pm, Sat 7am–8pm, Sun 7am–2pm

What is it? A bakery and brunch spot known for high-quality pastries, smoked fish and its sky high prices.

Why we love it: Tantalizingly located across the way from Gold’s Gym, you can usually spot this upscale Venice deli and bakery from the line snaking out the door on weekends. Unlike Gjelina Group’s eponymous original on nearby Abbot Kinney, this sister spot offers plenty of take-home baked goods, including a standout loaf studded with olives and gluten-free loaves. On the sweet side, slices of fruit are folded into sugar-glazed dough for a morning indulgence; pistachio dust tops gloriously flaky croissants; and there’s farmers’ market fruit woven into anything you can imagine. The bread, while pricey, is some of the best in town, and with sliced fish, jarred goods and other accoutrements, you’ll have a spread for days. Note: There’s also a mandatory 20% service charge for dining in, as well as 15% for takeout orders, though you don’t need to tip on top of that.

Time Out tip: When available, order the baklava croissant and the tahini brownie. 

Address: 320 Sunset Ave, Venice, CA 90291

Opening hours: Daily 7am–4pm