Bakers Bench

After the success of her mostly-vegan pastry kiosk in Chinatown’s Far East Plaza, French Laundry and Konbi alum Jen Yee has finally gone brick-and-mortar inside a shared space within the trendy Victor Heights dining complex at 1027 Alpine Street. (It’s the same set of converted bungalows that currently house Perilla LA and Heavy Water.) Her wonderfully flaky croissants, including a standout savory furikake variety, chewy cookies and delicious coffee cakes topped with seasonal fruit are some of the best plant-based baked goods in town—but they easily hold their own against other bakeries that use milk, butter and eggs. Thanks to Yee’s skill and tireless experimentation, even the biggest butter lovers would have difficulty telling the difference upon first bite. Be sure to show up early—as in right-when-it-opens early—because these treats do go quickly.