bread lounge

you know, the kind of place you just want to lounge at, with bread

Some places, many places in LA, are flashy, trend chasing and overhyped, drawing crazy crowds — sometimes sustained, but often crash and burn. Other places are more humble, low key, reliable mainstays that you can count on for quality products. The ambience may be forgettable but the food certainly not. Bread Lounge falls squarely in the latter group. The vibes feel slightly more artisanal than a mom & pop version of Panera or Corner Bakery, but the bread is on point, the pastries well worth the calories. The modestly designed space lets the true stars shine, and who needs vibes when you have carbs?

A longtime occupant of a busy car intersection in what used to be a pretty sleepy part of Arts District, Bread Lounge has been around for as long as Bestia just a few steps away, but easy to miss if you don’t know what you’re looking for. What started off as a wholesale operation became a brick and mortar bakery and cafe in 2012. Since then, it’s steadily grown a loyal consumer base happily going out of their way to turn into the inconspicuous driveway and pick up a sandwich, pastries and of course the bread. It’s like a celebrated bakery in disguise as your local neighborhood cafe. Whether you’re looking for a handsome loaf, or Israeli bagels, or viennoiseries, Bread Lounge has it all and it does it all so well. Do yourself a favor and don’t get a salad (or at least get yourself a side of bread with that salad).

the details

Address700 S Santa Fe Ave, Los Angeles
Websitehttps://breadlounge.com/
Yelphttps://www.yelp.com/biz/bread-lounge-los-angeles
Instagram@breadlounge
Hours7am – 5pm every day
Price$$ – pretty standard bakery and cafe lunch prices $3-5 for pastries, $10-15 for sandwiches 
Aestheticpretty basic rustic bakery vibes

good to know

Go here for: solid pastry case, also a lunch worth looking forward to (and driving to)

Order this: bread by the loaf; kouign amanns, can’t go wrong with any of their sandwiches, jerusalem bagels

Amount of time to spend: great for a grab and go situation, but they do also have some tables inside and a little patio out back

When to come: in the morning or for lunch (there’s probably a rush so order ahead), just don’t come too late

Parking: they have a little lot in the back if you’re lucky (there’s decent turnover!), otherwise best bet is to street park on Santa Fe, it’s usually not too crazy.

Other things to note: 

  • If you’re in a hurry (or worried you won’t get there in time for your favorite pastry), order and pick up ahead via their website (Square-powered).
  • They also do catering if you’re ordering for a big group (for that matter if you’re going all out they take wholesale orders too)

Last visited: October 2021

Last updated: December 2021

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