Gjusta Miso date cookie: Gjusta, the sister bakery of Gjelina in Venice, LA, is apparently popular enough to not need any signage. It’s unlabeled storefront conceals a narrow counter and dining area, where patrons wait for a variety of pastries (cakes, cookies, croissants) and hot and cold prepared items (pizza, salads, pâtés). Luckily, their express line was relatively short, which meant purchasing this miso date cookie took just a few minutes. The sizable cookie contains a single date at its center. Its texture is... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended pastry sweets la losangeles venice gjusta miso date cookie 4.0 dessert
Donut Hut Coffee donut: Donut Hut is a brightly colored red and yellow striped to-go shop that on first glance looks like a local hot dog stand. They specialize in no-fuss donuts in a variety of flavors, made old school and at friendly, old school prices (cash only, about a dollar each). This cinnamon donut, glazed with crumbles of cinnamon reminiscent of ground coffee cake, was perfectly fluffy and risen, sweet but just the right amount of sweet. Definitely worth a visit if you find yourself in Burbank. 4.0/5.0
recommended losangeles la donut donuthut coffee 4.0
The Base Co Strawberry Shiso Match + Oatly: Purchased at Holy Basil in Downtown LA, this canned beverage is one of many house-made drinks available including Hibiscus Oolong Tea and Thyme Orange Meyer Lemonade. The selection made it hard to choose, but given that I expected the Thai dishes at Holy Basil to have a bit of heat, I opted for a milk tea option. I really enjoyed the fruity, herbal combination of this strawberry matcha drink, which had a creamy finish that was distinctly oat milk (but not overly thick). It gave me nostalg... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended losangeles drinks thebaseco strawberry shiso match + oatly 4.0
Awan Coffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream: Awan is a vegan ice cream shop with a small "window" in West Hollywood where you can take scoops / pints to go. I'm not normally one to get coffee or chocolate ice cream, but after sampling a few flavors, the coffee chocolate chip was the clear winner to me. The texture is remarkably smooth and creamy for vegan ice cream, and the coffee flavor was toasty and rich, with chips of chocolate chip that had a quality snap in texture. Kiddie size was perfect even for sharing. 4.0/5.0
recommended icecream losangeles vegan awan coffee chocolate chip ice cream 4.0
JJ Bakery Strawberry Shortcake Mochi: From the Taiwanese sweets shop JJ Bakery in LA, this plump ball of strawberry shortbread is about twice the size of a normal piece of mochi and contains a whole strawberry nested in rich cream and moist cake. The mochi skin is impressively thin and elastic, and as a result, plays a supporting role to the western cake on the inside. Ripe, deep red strawberry is sweet and fresh. Cream is not for the faint of heart (there's a lot of it), so this snack may be best shared among friends. (I at... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended losangeles cake jjbakery strawberry shortcake mochi 3.5
Ring Baked Tofu Donuts Matcha Donut: A second flavor I tried from specialty donut shop Ring Donuts is their traditional matcha donut. Made with rice flour and soy milk, this small donut cost $2.50 and has a subtle green tea flavor. What makes it stand out is its moist yet light texture. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a try. 3.5/5.0
recommended losangeles la ringbakedtofudonuts matcha donut 3.5