Best Valentine’s Day Sweets in Los Angeles, 2021

As we all know, outdoor dining is back in LA, just in time for Valentine’s Day. But, many are still apprehensive to dine out (rightly so) due to COVID, so I think coffee, baked goods and champagne suffice for a lovely, intimate at-home V-day. 

​Thus, I give you some of the best LA bakeries and patisseries for a 2021 pandemic Valentine’s Day:

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Upscale pastries:
Artelice Patisserie (Sawtelle)

• Haven’t been yet, but… Chocolate passionfruit tart, mango eclair, hazelnut praline sponge cake, raspberry pistachio macarons… Yeah, I get why it has FIVE stars on Yelp. 

Tartine (Hollywood)

• Just next to Tartine is the beautiful Sightglass Coffee with rivaling pastries. The cinnamon roll from Sightglass is TO DIE FOR -- I’m often torn between Sightglass and Tartine for pastries. But the best part is that this is a two for one: coffee and baked goods in one trip.

La Tropezienne (La Brea)

• Don’t miss the raspberry, almond, pistachio croissant!! Everything is good here, but that’s what I get every time. And every time... It delivers. 

Baked goods:
Canter’s Deli (Fairfax)

• Anything here is good, but of course, the Jewish pastries are where it’s at. Another great two in one: Cofax is just across the street. Snag a Canter’s-specific parking spot and then hit up both!

Milk Jar Cookies (Mid-Wilshire)

• IYKYK. All I gotta say is… chocolate chip FTW. You’ve never had a better fuckin cookie. And I’m a connoisseur. Specifically, a chocolate chip cookie connoisseur.

Sycamore Kitchen (La Brea)

• Located next to Neighborhood (serving never-failing Canyon coffee) this place has delicious morning buns (on top of other pastries and delicious brunch).

Porto’s (Multiple Locations)

• If you’re a native and you don’t know Porto’s… Well, that’s insane. Their reputation is well-founded, and the guava pastries are my favorite sweet there. The Burbank location is just down the street from the uber-Instagrammable Palm Coffee Bar and, depending on the time of day, you can find plenty of street parking.

Proof Bakery (Atwater Village)

• Similar to my relationship with Tartine and Sightglass, just across from Proof Bakery is Kaldi -- the epitome of a hidden gem coffee shop with divine pastries (don’t miss the "escargot roll," which is usually sold out by noon). Proof has lots of street cred, too, mainly for their flaky-af croissants. Like Cofax in Fairfax, Kaldi serves Counter Culture but has a wider selection on tap.

Village Bakery and Cafe (Atwater)

• Dog-friendly, not belt-friendly. This place has so many delicious baked goods I don’t know where to start. I’ve yet to have anything I dislike here so, get whatever speaks to your heart.

Magnolia Bakery (Beverly Grove)

• I’m told the cake-based goods here are delish, but I’ve yet to try. The frosting work looks beautiful and they have so many unique cupcake flavors! They also have Valentine’s Day-specific treats.

Frosted Cupcakery (Belmont Shore, Long Beach)

• This place beats Sprinkles every time. First off, the nicest human beings work behind the counter here. Second… NUTELLA CUPCAKES. For me, that’s nuff said. This. Place. Is. Dope.  

Pitchoun! (Multiple Locations)

• Finally tried this place and OMG… The coffee cake. GET. The coffee cake. Heat it up for ~10 seconds. Eat. Die. Go to heaven. If you’re at the Beverly Center location: Eggslut is next door and Coffee Commissary is on level six!

​I’m sure I missed only like… 5,000 other bakeries and pastry shops, and I can’t even start with donuts. Dear god do I love donuts… Anyway -- this is obviously a sliver of what LA has to offer, so drop me some must-have recommendations in the comments!

Cheers and Happy Valentine’s Day ;) ❤

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Me and my valentine in Paso Robles, 2018