The best bakeries in Los Angeles

Best for: Baguettes, pastries, cakes, pies
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 we’re sure you’ll find something else to fall in love with.)

Best for: Pies, whole and by the slice
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 our favorite places in Los Angeles for pie. 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 kind of fruit-driven custardy chess pie, a fresh-from-the-oven banana blondie, or a flaky-crusted hand pie bursting with berries. Rucker lets the ingredients shine, especially in the sweets, but you can occasionally find savory pies as well, 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 the city.

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 the entire Village while you sip your coffee. Plus, Proof makes one of our favorite chocolate chip cookies in the city.

Best for: Bread loaves, pies, coffee cake, doughnuts
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. (We 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.

Best for: Sourdough loaves, cardamom buns
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 Clark Street Bread. The versatile bakery has Echo Park, Larchmont and Brentwood locations, as well as Clark Street Diner in Hollywood. All four locations 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. Just skip the doughnuts in the case—we found them rather lacking. If you catch us staring off into space, there’s a good chance we’re thinking about Clark Street’s cardamom buns—or anything else from this team, for that matter.

Best for: Croissants, other laminated pastries
Forget the hype about 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 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 the best croissants in Los Angeles, and believe us, we’ve tried them all.

Best for: Laminated pastries, cinnamon rolls, pies
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.

Best for: Croissants, other laminated pastries, breads
Run by Clémence de Lutz, one of the main pastry masterminds behind the Gourmandise School, and Friends & Family alum Tony Hernandez, this newer gourmet bakery in Santa Monica serves some of the absolute best pastries on the Westside as well as some of the best croissants in Los Angeles. Lines tend to form early, and while the croissants often run out early, there’s always something delicious in one way or another behind the glass (and yes, these pastries are often made with the same exact dough). 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, we can guarantee it’ll be delicious—and quite likely worth the wait.

Best for: Bread loaves, pan dulce, cookies
Down in Long Beach, Arturo Enciso’s artisanal panaderia 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—Gusto Bread’s 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 we 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.

Best for: Bread loaves, croissants, morning buns, cookies, hand pies
Roxana Jullapat and Daniel Mattern’s daytime-only bakery and café makes some of the best baked goods in town, including bread 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. Buckwheat pancakes and olive-oil–fried eggs are worth savoring from the sunny spot in East Hollywood, but we’re also more than content grabbing a quick hand pie and some Danishes. Our words of advice? Order a little of everything, no matter your time limitations, and grab a few pastries for later, too. You’ll be glad you did.

Best for: Bread, doughnuts, pies and variety
The dizzying selection and a handful of menu standouts make this retro-inspired bakery, café and specialty market one of the L.A.’s best destinations for all things carb-related. Stop by earlier in the morning for spectacular doughnuts or pick up some of the phenomenal slices of deep-dish cherry and apple pies. There’s also freshly baked loaves of bread, plus an entire hot and cold deli section that opens up at 11am. If you want to zero in on the bakery section, however, Helms also churns out a rotating selection of desserts, including cake slices and pastries—and while not every item is the absolute pinnacle of its type, the sheer variety and relatively high quality across the board ensure you’ll leave here with your sweet tooth satisfied.

Best for: Bread loaves, croissants, danishes
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. Our tip? Get to either location right as the bakeries open, so you can see whatever the daily specials might be in the case.

Best for: Traditional viennoiserie
Occupying a narrow sliver of time (Fri–Sun 8am–2:30pm) and space (it’s a walk-up counter with a handful of outdoor tables), this tiny French bakery in Burbank is worth going out of the way. Whereas other trendy croissants in L.A. run on the crispier side, with outer layers of dough that shatter upon contact, chef-owner Laurent “Lou” Correa specializes in a buttery, more traditional style of lamination that results in a chewier, softer and, in my humble opinion, far more delicious pastries. The menu here is fairly small, with four croissant options (plain, chocolate, almond and chocolate-almond) plus other classics like financiers, fruit tartelettes and eclairs. Sandwiches and quiches round out Lou’s offerings—but after one trip, you’ll quickly realize why this is one of the best bakeries in the San Fernando Valley.

Best for: Croissants, patisseries, macarons
Since 2017, this modern patisserie along Sawtelle Boulevard has crafted the most beautiful (and delicious) French confections in town. Made with high-quality ingredients like Madagascar vanilla and Gianduja chocolate, these colorful, painstakingly crafted desserts taste as good as they look. Beyond ultra-pretty patisseries, Artelice also makes tarts, eclairs, macarons and croissants, both sweet and savory. Best of all, a newer location in Burbank has brought Artelice’s edible works of art to major swathes of L.A.—and trust us, these works of art are worth the schlep.

Best for: Bread loaves, pita bread, pastries, coffee cake
It feels like there’s nothing that Lodge can’t do. Alexander Phaneuf and Or Amsalam’s trio of bakery-cafés is dedicated to big loaves, but it also churns out pizzas, sandwiches, pastries and toasts that give anywhere in L.A. a run for their money. Their dedication to organically grown, seasonal whole grains put through a naturally leavened process results in a selection of bread that’s drawn rave reviews from chefs and pedestrian gluten-lovers alike. At their counters in Culver City, Pico-Robertson and Woodland Hills, you’ll find goods such as cinnamon rolls, coffee cake and cookies, along with a rotating selection of loaves that can include seeded country, whole wheat, spelt and red quinoa wheat.

Best for: Baguettes, bread loaves, croissants, babka
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.

Best for: Vegan baked goods
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.

Best for: cookies
If you’re a Westside cookie lover, there’s no better place in town than—unexpectedly—the United Oil gas station on National Boulevard, where you’ll find Zooies inside the We Got It! convenience store. There’s a dizzying number of cookies and dessert bars on offer, including at least three different twists on chocolate chip: Chewie, brown butter and Gooie (the most popular, and our recommendation for first-timers). Although you may need to call for a preorder, Zooies even offers paleo, vegan and gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, as well as a sugar-free cookie geared towards diabetics. Elsewhere in the glass display, you’ll also find more whimsical cookies dreamt up by head baker Arezou Appel, including a s’mores cookie topped with burnt marshmallow, fruity delights like strawberry shortcake and even a baklava-inspired cookie topped with dusted pistachios.

Best for: Danish bread and pastries, princess cake
Open Wednesday through Sunday, with plenty of hot coffee in tow, this Westside bakery is a great way to start your morning off right. Everything is light, well-made and affordable, at least relative to the most options on this list. Plus, Copenhagen Pastry is one of the city’s only traditional Danish bakeries, so you know you’re getting the good stuff. On your first visit, you’ll probably want to eat everything in sight: the fruit-filled spandauers (a.k.a. Danishes), the braided cinnamon rolls, the macaroons, the nougat crowns straight out of the oven. The kringle, filled with almond paste and custard, is a must-try, though you really can’t go wrong with anything behind the case. For special occasions, Copenhagen offers a few cakes, including a hard-to-find Swedish princess cake made with housemade raspberry jam, vanilla custard and sponge cake.

Best for: Pan dulce
Since 1952, this Boyle Heights institution has served some of the city’s best pan dulce. While their iconic crunchy-sweet conchas—as well as the tamales—have kept Angelenos coming back for decades, La Mascota also makes great wedding cookies, flan and bolillos (a shorter, savory bread related to the baguette). The extensive pan dulce selection also includes adorable puerquitos (pork-shaped cookies made with piloncillo, or raw cane sugar), sugar-dusted gusanos (sweet bread rolls) and a host of other traditional Mexican goodies worth adding to your pastry box.

Best for: Vegan cakes, cookies, and more

From an Instagram bakery operation to one of L.A.’s favorite vegan bakeries, Just What I Kneaded is now known citywide for its delicious plant-based cakes, cookies and pies. (Plus, many of them are gluten-free!) Self-taught baker Justine Hernandez whips up entirely plant-based scones, cookies, cinnamon rolls and more from a Frogtown brick-and-mortar, with a full coffee program and a sunny, casual outdoor patio. If you get there quick enough, you can usually catch some of the daily savory breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos before they sell out, and they’re positively stuffed with plant-based cheese, eggs and meats—as well as seasonal veggies—to get you through the day.

Best for: Cake
This L.A. institution, best known for its pricey triple berry cake, has been through hell and back. At the end of 2023, Sweet Lady Jane appeared to close for good, but the bakery-café was saved three months later when Julie Ngu, the owner of Pacific French Bakery, decided to purchase and reopen the business. Now, the bakery’s four locations (Encino, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and Santa Monica) are all open again, with the same dozen-plus cake recipes that first put Sweet Lady Jane on the map back in early ’90s. While new management has yet to bring the pastry display back to its full glory, you’ll still find cupcakes, cookies, brownies and other small treats, as well as Sweet Lady Jane’s excellent pear almond tart.