the canyon bakery

I love when I find a cute spot with tasty eats in my neighborhood. Perhaps because there aren’t all that many options here in Topanga? The Canyon Bakery is a local bakery churning out freshly milled whole grain baked goods, naturally leavened breads, pastries & pizzas here in the canyon! They take online orders for Friday pick ups, but currently are only “open” as a weekend pop up, aka Sunday Fundays! After stalking their Instagram for a while, we finally made it over to try out the goods. Their freshly milled Hundo whole grain Sonora cinnamon rolls had caught my eye, so that was a must order, and it did not disappoint! The giant spinach & cheese spelt croissant swirl was flakey and delicious as well. Talk about up my alley!

If you’re a fan of freshly baked breads, definitely grab a loaf or two to take home. The sprouted ancient grain and the chocolate cherry rye loaves were both big hits in our house, whether turned into a sandwich or eaten alone! There are plenty of gluten free things on the menu as well, including bagels, muffins and a millet bread, so don’t feel like you have to miss out if you happen to have a sensitivity to wheat or gluten. I’m also happy to see that on subsequent trips, The Canyon Bakery seems to be expanding their menu a bit, to include exciting things like whole grain focaccias studded with purple potatoes & castelvetrano olives, apricot jam brioche buns with creme fraiche & mint, and roasted shallot & gruyere buns! Next on my list to try are their Hundo spelt pizzas! Yum!

clark street bakery

clark street bakery swedish buns

Some of y’all might not know, but I was actually born in Sweden! Although my family is not technically Swedish (my parents were just living there while my dad was doing his fellowship to become a doctor), I always say we are “wannabe-Swedes”. My parents speak the language, my brother just did a masters program there, and we’ve been back to visit numerous times over the years. Plus, we all tend to thoroughly enjoy Scandinavian cuisine! That’s where Clark Street Bakery comes in- it’s been one of my absolute favorites since coming to Los Angeles, and I love the nod to my “homeland”.

Clark Street was started by Zack Hall back in 2014. After spending the summer at his wife's family's town working in a wood-fired bakery in the Swedish countryside and falling in love with the craft, Hall returned home to become a full-time bread baker. Clark Street has since grown into a full fledged bakery offering plenty of Swedish delights in addition to more traditional French pastries, as well as freshly baked sourdough. I love stopping by for breakfast or lunch, or simply a quick coffee and pastry to-go. Offering everything from kanelbulle (Swedish cinnamon buns) and kouign-amann to seasonal salads and sandwiches, you’re sure to find something up your alley. I personally can’t pass up the perfectly spiced Swedish cardamom bun nor the totally flaky almond croissant (just look at those layers!) whenever I’m there. The dark rye brownie is hard to beat as well- OMG so fudgy! I’m happy to report my toddler is a huge fan as well- can you tell by the photos?!- so visits to Clark Street may just become our new favorite mommy & son activity. PS- Any local, aspiring bread bakers out there? Clark Street offers free sourdough starter with any purchase so you can bake fresh bread at home! Our starter recently died after being neglected during our move (RIP Gustafson), so I plan to pick up a fresh starter soon. I’ve been missing homemade sourdough like woah!

1802 roasters

I love a cute coffee shop, but there aren’t really any in my neighborhood within walking distance. Until now, that is! 1802 Roasters in Cypress Park has been roasting their own beans just down the street from me for a while, but previously had only been available for purchase at farmers markets around LA. They’ve been working to open a brick and mortar spot, even hosting weekend pop ups in their parking lot while construction on the cafe was still underway. The beautiful space is finally ready, thank heavens, and although they’re still only open on weekends (for now!), stopping by for a coffee has quickly become one of my favorite weekend morning activities. 1802 Roasters sources some delicious beans- from Guatemala to Peru to Costa Rica, and roasts them fresh on-site. I highly recommend picking up a bag to take home so you can get your fix during the week as well. My standard order of an Americano with steamed oat milk always hits the spot, and the pastries, sourced from Frog’s Bakery and Farmshop, are fresh and delicious as well. I’m partial to the pistachio morning bun, vegan almond croissant, and pumpkin ginger muffin! Yum! Definitely stop by next time you’re looking for a top notch coffee on the east side.

fiona bakery

Fiona Bakery was a cute little cafe in West Hollywood serving up seasonal dishes and baked goods that truly allow California’s bounty to shine. I say was, because unfortunately I just got word that they closed their doors for good this past Sunday! Such sad news, to be honest. But with crazy high rent costs and never-ending competition, the restaurant industry is a super difficult place to find success. Ever since I first spotted their sesame butter toast on Instagram, I knew I had to check it out. So when I stopped by for lunch with a good friend recently, the aforementioned bread was obviously ordered. I’m pretty much obsessed with anything involving sesame or tahini, and this did not disappoint. I loved the sweet and savory vibes going on- the sea salt honey was the perfect complement to the creamy sesame butters and chewy, yet fluffy brioche! After ogling over the beautifully impressive pastry case (and vowing to return to try more items soon), we decided to balance things out with a couple of their fresh salads. I loved the Vietnamese-meets-Cali-influenced menu- both the shredded cabbage & chicken salad and little gem salad were bright and flavorful. The menu also featured rice noodle salads and savory sweet potato pancakes- not to mention classic banh mi sandwiches that my husband absolutely adores! Those cookies stacked high in the pastry case (and the carrot cake!) continue to call my name to this day as well. Although I’m super bummed Fiona has since closed its doors, I remain hopeful the team will open another spot soon!

go get 'em tiger

My love for casual, but consistently tasty breakfast and lunch spots is no secret. When we started spending more time in Los Angeles, one of my top priorities was to find a few neighborhood spots at which we could become regulars. These places need to be warm and inviting with a nice atmosphere, the food not too fussy, brew great coffee, and even better if they bake delicious pastries in house. I’d heard several people rave about Go Gem ‘Em Tiger, and once my husband and I stopped by one morning, we realized why. After scouring the menu and narrowing down our breakfast choices (no easy feat!), we snagged a table outside in the sun and sipped our coffees (they roast and sell their own beans!). I highly recommend getting yours made with their housemade almond macadamia milk! Yum! You’ll find some classics on the menu, like homemade granola and a breakfast sandwich, but we went for some of GGET’s more unique offerings. My husband loves a hash, and was all about his Spanish chorizo hash with eggs, potato, and aioli (he only wished it was bigger!). I went for the chickpea frittata, served with seasonal veggies and pickled beets! The only thing missing was hot sauce. We also shared a side of the roasted cauliflower salad, which was served cold and visible in their ready-made section, among many other tasty looking sides. Go Get ‘Em Tiger is the perfect spot for an easy, but enjoyable breakfast or lunch with friends, but also works for a quick coffee and pastry to go. I love getting to sit outside, catching the breeze and soaking up the sun. Lucky for me, they recently opened another location in my new neighborhood- I cannot wait to stop by soon!

golda kitchen

Okay, y'all- I'm going to go out on a limb and say I have a new favorite restaurant in Brooklyn. Golda Kitchen is an all-day New American café with the perfect touch of Middle Eastern flavors that serves some seriously tasty breakfast and lunch fare. Local, seasonal ingredients truly shine here, but one of major highlights for me is the beautiful case of freshly baked pastries! There are tons on offer each day, and the flavor combinations are equally unique and delicious. I wanted to try one of each on my recent visit, but managed to narrow it down to a pumpkin olive oil cake with labne frosting and a plum-soaked brioche with pistachios. Glory, were they scrumptious! Our savory dishes didn't disappoint either, and I loved my charred broccoli rabe plate with sweet potato, figs & soft-boiled egg. The sandwiches are pretty impressive as well, as you can see from the photos below. Talk about a mouthful!

Click through the photos to read more about our meal, as I honestly cannot say enough good things about Golda. Really dying to try some of their other goodies as well- how good does hot chocolate with malted tahini marshmallows sound?! Or romanesco & kale moussaka with egg & flax-pinenut streusel?? Or finally, how about persimmon & gingerbread cake with rye flour, whey caramel & labne?! I'm literally obsessed with all these flavor combinations, and cannot wait to go back to Golda again soon!