What Dessert is LA Known For?

Los Angeles is such a melting pot that it’s almost impossible to assign it a signature dessert. According to the Los Angeles County website, the immigrant story of El Pueblo de la Reyna de Los Angeles begins with families from Mexico and the Gabrielino Indians before that in 1771. By the 1850s, the group expanded to English, French, Basques, Spaniards, former Slaves of African descent, Mexicans, Germans, and Chinese. This was due in part to the gold rush of the late 1840s. By the 1930s, new immigrants from Europe, Asia, and Central and South America, including Japanese, Russians, and East European Jews, had established specific communities around Los Angeles. Does that about cover everyone? So, what dessert is LA known for? This list of 11 should paint a deliciously well-rounded portrait.

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Donut

While this might start a breakfast versus dessert war, it’s a sweet treat nonetheless and essential to Los Angeles due to the car culture of the 1940s. Winchell’s was the first major chain in 1948, and during the 1970s, an influx of Cambodians escaping the ravages of genocide came to dominate the L.A. doughnut scene. Today more than 80% of the independently owned doughnut shops are still owned by Cambodians. You can visit one of the originals, Cristy’s Donuts, in Highland Park. Another personal favorite is DK’s Donuts in Santa Monica. They are famous for the croissant/donut hybrid seen below.

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Egg Custard Tart

Chinese immigrants have made up a significant portion of the Los Angeles population from as far back as the 1860s. The Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown is one of the most classic restaurants in Los Angeles, but today the best Chinese food can be found in the San Gabriel Valley. You can find Egg Tarts and Sesame Seed Balls with red bean paste at any bakery or dim sum Restaurant. Kee Wah Bakery in Arcadia will cure your custard craving.

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La Concha Pan Dulce

The history of La Concha, a type of sweet bread or Pan Dulce, dates back to Spanish Colonization in Mexico in the 16th century and the introduction of wheat. During a brief French occupation in the 19th century, pastry-making became more elaborate. Breads in shapes like mustaches and shells, or conchas, were developed. The tradition continues today, where at La Monarca Bakery, the concha shape is the most popular and has been for 15 years.

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Korean Shaved Ice

There are more Korean Americans in Los Angeles than any other city in America. This follows a significant immigration in the 1960s, where they settled in the area now known as Koreatown.

While there is currently a larger Mexican-American population than Koreans, if you’re looking for Korean Shaved Ice or Bingsoo, then Koreatown is still the place to go.

One of the most popular spots is Sul & Beans, which stands for snow and beans. It’s an addictive combination of shaved ice, red beans, and fruit toppings.

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Baklava

Baklava is a phyllo pastry dessert filled with chopped nuts and soaked in honey. It is attributed to many countries in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions of the world. Head to Theía in West Hollywood for a traditional Pistachio Baklava with housemade pistachio honey crumble filling and topped with black vanilla ice cream if you’d like a decadent take on the Greek version.

You can also venture out to Sarkis Pastry in Glendale for an Armenian Paklava made with simple syrup instead of honey. Glendale has the highest population of Armenians in the United States who began emigrating here in the late 19th century to escape a Turkish genocide.

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Chiffon Cake

Chiffon Cake is a cake made with oil instead of butter that has a sponge cake texture. It was invented by caterer Harry Baker in 1927 and popularized at the famous Old Hollywood restaurant The Brown Derby, where it was frosted with grapefruit. Today you can pick up your own slice of history at Valerie Confections, which makes a Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake with a chiffon base.

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Pastelito

Pastelitos, or puff pastries filled with cheese or fruit, are a sweet with roots in Cuba and other South American countries. In Los Angeles, the best pastelitos can be found at the Cuban bakery Porto’s Bakery, with several locations in Southern California. The population of Cuban-Americans in Los Angeles trails Miami and New Jersey, but has a historical core in Echo Park that was known as “Little Havana” in the 1960s. The Pastelito de Guava below is what keeps the lines at Porto’s going around the block.

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Hot Fudge Sundae

What dessert is LA known for? Well, this technically should be the answer. Clarence Clifton Brown invented the Hot Fudge Sundae when he poured fudge over ice cream in the 1920s at C.C. Brown’s in downtown Los Angeles. Next, he opened a shop on Hollywood Blvd. next to Grauman’s Chinese theater in 1929. You can still find the commemorative sign out front. For a fabulous Hot Fudge Sundae today, head to Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in Pasadena. They’ve been serving sundaes since 1915.

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Butterscotch Budino from Pizzeria Mozza

The Butterscotch Budino from Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza has been dazzling guests since its inception. Pastry chef Dahlia Narvaez created the creamy butterscotch pudding in 2006. Meant to be just a placeholder on the original menu, it stuck around and gained nationwide popularity. Get one for yourself at Mozza2Go if you don’t have time for a sit-down meal at the Pizzeria.

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Chocolate Budino Tarte from Bestia

Pastry Chef Genevieve Gergis of Bestia began making this Chocolate Budino Tarte back in 2017. Much like the Butterscotch Budino at Pizzeria Mozza, it quickly garnered nationwide fame. Made with chocolate from Bar au Chocolat in Manhattan Beach, it is as bittersweet as the city itself.

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Kouign Amann from République

While almost everything on the menu from Pastry Chef Margarita Manzke is extraordinary, these are a must if it’s your first time at République. Reservations are still hard to get at this French hot spot, but luckily pastries can be pre-ordered with Tock for next-day line skipping (If you can wait that long)! Also, keep your eyes out for a return of the famed Vanilla Canelé.

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So, in conclusion: Here is a list of the most famous desserts in Los Angeles