La Monarca Bakery

If a trip to Boyle Heights’ La Mascota isn’t in the cards, this local bakery and café chain serves delicious Mexican pan dulce from 12 convenient locations, including outposts in Santa Monica and Hollywood. The signature seashell pattern conchas, fruit-filled sugary taquitos and flaky, buttery orejas (also known as palmiers) are worth grabbing for an afternoon pick-me-up. Don’t miss out on their housemade champurrado—a masa-thickened hot chocolate—or, if you need a jolt of caffeine, La Monarca’s signature café de olla, which uses organic coffee beans, Mexican cinnamon and brown sugar.