California’s pastry scene is a golden treasure chest of buttery, flaky delights that can make even the most disciplined eater weak at the knees.
Over the years, I’ve crisscrossed the state—from San Francisco’s fog-kissed mornings to the palm-lined, sun-drenched streets of Los Angeles—on a mission to uncover the perfect croissant, the most luscious danish, and the kind of fresh-baked bread that can stop you in your tracks.
Each of these nine bakeries crafts pastries so extraordinary, so artfully layered and impossibly fragrant, they’re worth building an entire road trip itinerary around. Prepare yourself for a journey through pure, oven-baked bliss.
1. Tartine Bakery – San Francisco
Morning bread pilgrimages are my ritual whenever I’m in San Francisco. The scent of Tartine’s country loaf has literally pulled me out of bed at dawn, compelling me to join the inevitable line that forms outside this Mission District institution…