Grab Your Spoon and Instagram for These Pretty and Delicious Los Angeles Desserts
Written By: Aubrey Freitas
Photography By: Charlie Chipman Best Los Angeles Desserts
We all have weaknesses in this world. Sometimes it’s our families, underwater basket weaving, calculus or, for us Angelenos, road rage on the 405. One common weakness that many of us share, however, is none other than a sweet tooth. Lucky for us, Los Angeles is home to a plethora of sweet, sugary confections. Sometimes the best way to handle this weakness is to just give in, and that’s exactly what we did. We’re highlighting a handful of LA’s best places to get your sugar fix. Who cares about carpe diem where you can carpe dulce?
1 | Say Hi Best Los Angeles Desserts
Must-Try Dessert: The Swirl
CottonHi is the perfect place to visit if you’re looking for a dessert centered around family and love, as owner and operator Jade Kim started her business with family in mind. After learning her son had an allergy to chemicals found in certain foods, she created a dessert shop where people can eat the foods they want safely. This love is seen throughout the shop, from the logo that is a digitized version of her son’s face, to the word “engjoy,” which he adorably mispronounced, painted on the wall. Kim brought a popular sweet treat from Korea to the US which combines two of the most nostalgic sugary delights: ice cream paired with cotton candy. This dessert is every bit as fun, lively and playful as the shop itself, from the colors, cuteness and visible happiness. CottonHi presents a unique dessert experience that allows people to sprinkle a little bit of “special” into their day. Their store is newly remodeled and filled with more love than ever.
CottonHi
3825 W 6th St
Los Angeles, CA 90020
213.263.1905
@cottonhi
2 | After You, M’Lady Best Los Angeles Desserts
Must-Try Dessert: The Mille Crêpe Cake
Lady M originally started as a wholesale cake business before opening its first boutique in New York in 2004. They recently brought their creations to Los Angeles, an important step for owner and CEO Ken Romaniszyn, who grew up in SoCal and went to UCLA—it represents a homecoming of sorts. Lady M offers a special blending of French pastry techniques and Japanese sensibilities, bringing a delicate and refined nature to both of the boutique’s desserts and atmosphere. Lady M’s one-of-a-kind cakes are regal enough to make you feel like you’re attending the tea party of your childhood dreams, and are specially crafted to make the perfect pairing with tea or coffee. Minimalism and elegance shine through Lady M’s all-white interiors accented by their signature colors, and the space is filled with bountiful natural light to make sure that every slice of cake can take center stage. Romaniszyn’s personal favorite part of the boutique is the strawberry shortcake, as it brings back fond memories of his summers in Japan with his grandmother—a great representation of the same type of passion and love that can be found in all of Lady M’s cake creations.
Lady M
8718 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323.825.8888
Best Los Angeles Desserts
3 | Milking It Best Los Angeles Desserts
Must-Try Dessert: Chocolate Birthday Cake
Milk Bar first opened its doors in 2008 in a small shop in New York’s East Village, but their shop has grown into having locations all over the country, including their flagship shop in Los Angeles, and—not to brag—it’s their largest store to date. The atmosphere and dessert creations of the shop are equally as wacky, magical and fun. Where else can you get soft serve ice cream with “cereal milk” flavor? It only takes one second when walking through the doors and seeing the bright pink walls, cookie-shaped piñatas and nearly rainbow-colored cakes to know that Milk Bar is packed with a lightning-in-a-bottle personality, shaking up the dessert world. This specific location, which was transformed from a laundromat and old Baskin Robbins, includes a kitchen, hands-on classroom and R&D flavor lab that are completely visible behind glass walls. They’re culinary scientists, and they are giving LA the best and latest results of their flavor combination findings to bring a little more celebration into people’s lives.
Milk Bar
7150 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
4 | Be My Bae Best Los Angeles Desserts
Must-Try Dessert: Waffle Bowl
Bae was created by the power of friendship, ambition and the intimacy of dessert. The name itself can stand for a number of things, with CEO Christine Long’s favorites being “before anything else” and “beyond any expectations,” two fitting descriptions for a dessert shop designed with love in mind. The business is adding a twist to the ice cream shop world by rocking a trendy and mysterious minimalist environment on the inside, but packing a punch of fun on its dessert menu. The decor serves to highlight the beauty in simple things, but the ice cream creations are here to encourage awe and social bonds. Long hopes Bae brings a smile to everyone’s faces and adds little positive interaction to the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, sharing the spirit that the shop was built upon. Her personal favorite part of the shop is the toppings bar, equipped with everything under the sun, including 24k gold sheets for when you’re feeling a little extra. Grab your bae, get a bae or find a bae and check it out.
Bae
369 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213.266.8899
5 | Chelo and Goodbye
Must-Try Dessert: Rainbow Ice Cream Roll
Founder Jeannette Chang brought Chelo Creamery to life when she discovered her passion for cooking after rejoicing in the feel-good moments and smiles her dessert creations brought to those around her. This desire to spread joy led her to create a place where people get to try unique and exotic frozen desserts from all over the world. From Italian to Thai to Japanese, Chelo Creamery is making the global dessert map a whole lot smaller. Chang designed her shop to be a place of community where people can gather and experience new and exciting flavors, strengthen bonds and create new ones. Chelo Creamery not only started in 2015 on the basis of love and happiness, but also these continue to be aspects that the shop centers around, as Chang loves connecting with her customers, seeing them celebrate life accomplishments and even propose inside of her shop. No matter where we are from on the map, we all smile in the same language, and Chelo Creamery is giving us one more opportunity to do just that with a great frozen treat in our hand.
Chelo Creamery
18558 Gale Ave #158
Industry, CA 91748
626.965.5817
6 | Sari Not Sari
Must-Try Dessert: Halo Halo
Sari Sari was created on a strong basis of carpe diem when a partner had an available space at Grand Central Market and owner Margarita Manzke seized the opportunity to bring a bit of Filipino culture to the market’s diverse clientele. The vision for the shop started with the concept of a traditional Filipino dish called silog and has since expanded to include much more on their simple, down-to-earth menu of Filipino soul food. The shop itself was inspired by the little convenience stores in the Philippines called Sari Sari stores, thus giving way to the shop’s name. Manzke hopes that the shop will give people who don’t have any experience with Filipino food the experience and enjoyment of trying something new that will keep them coming back for more. She loves introducing people to Filipino food and seeing their positive reactions, and she feels a lot of gratitude to be able to share her culture. It brings her joy to see people from all backgrounds coming together in one shop to celebrate so much more than simply food.
Sari Sari
Grand Central Market
317 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
323.320.4020