Bread Lounge — Restaurant in Los Angeles

If you're in a "I just want a really good sandwich" kind of mood or are looking for a truly artisan bread and pastry, hole-in-the-wall lunch place in DTLA's arts district, consider BL on your check list.

The handmade bread here is dreamy. The fresh, morning-of bread and pastries taste superb -- I'm definitely appreciative of the time and energy places like BL take to make their products.

You'll find the bakery cafe at the corner of Sante Fe and 7th. Look for a brick building with a few tables out on the sidewalk. There's more exterior seating on the patio where the rear parking lot is -- entrance at the corner of Sante Fe/7th. Seating is also available inside, although on hot days, it gets a little steamy as there is no A/C in the building. Still, it's worth a visit.

FOOD Plenty of Fish: preserved lemon and dill aïoli, Albacore tuna, North African harissa, sliced tomato and arugula (comes with a side of baby greens), 10.95$. I got it on Olive Stick bread and wouldn't have had it any other way -- thanks Mimi C., for the rec!

Other items that I had my eyes on: Roasted Veggie: eggplant, zucchini, portobello mushroom, fresh Mozzarella, red onion pickle and olive tapenade, 10.95$.

Aegean Quiche: fire roasted bell pepper, Kalamata olives, Feta, Mozzarella and parsley, 10.95$.

Skip the grocery store, preservative-packed breads. These are BL's selections:

Loaves: Country loaf - 4.00 Whole Wheat Loaf - 4.25 Multigrain Loaf - 4.50 Kalamata Olive Loaf - 4.50 Potato Rosemary Loaf - 4.50 Sunflower Poppy Seed Loaf - 4.50 Walnut Loaf - 4.50 Fig and Walnut Loaf - 4.50 Brioche Loaf - 6.50

Other Breads: Baguette - 3.50 Ciabatta - 1.95 Ciabatta with Kalamata Olives - 2.10 Kalamata Olive Stick with Za'atar - 2.75 Grain Stick - 2.75 Brioche Bun - 1.95 Challah (Fridays only) - 5.90

They also have breakfast covered -- croissants and danishes galore. Enjoy!

PARKING A small lot in the back, entrance at...

Even if you haven't been to Bread Lounge's bakery cafe in the Arts District, you probably have seen their packaged baked goods somewhere (cookies, pound cake, etc). At the cafe, they have a whole lot more to offer: pastries, bread loaves, and a large menu of sandwiches.

Let's start with the croissant: it's not that great. While it's definitely better than supermarket croissants, it doesn't meet my standard except for the nice layers. It's soft, neither flaky nor buttery. Unsurprisingly, the same texture goes for the ham & cheese croissant I had. Fortunately the everything seasoning with poppy seeds and white sesame on top elevated the otherwise dull experience. The other pastry that I have tried is the chocolate pistachio twist. I liked it more than the croissants because there is more clarity in both its texture and particular taste.

Bette than their pastries are the delicious house-made sandwiches. I had two so far and I enjoyed them both. The first time I got a "Have A Ball" with tasty, juicy meatballs and fresh tomatoes. Then I came back and had the "Against the Stream" (lox, cream cheese, cucumber) on a Jerusalem Bagel–a soft, oval bagel that is about twice the size of a New York style bagel. The sandwich was refreshing and filling.

I'm not a fan of the cafe's service (not unfriendly, neither warm) or interior (dim and a bit old school), but the shaded backyard patio is a hidden gem, that is, if you are lucky enough to get a...

UNDERWHELMING…

I will start with the positives: •The customer service was great, very personable and detailed and happy to explain the menu. •A truly fantastic vanilla latte. •Quality ingredients. •Nice ambience, clean and quiet space with decent seating. •Portion of lox on bagel sandwich was generous.

What I found disappointing: •The bagels were the texture of a roll or other bread, not the dense texture of any bagel I’ve had before. The cream cheese tasted great but was rather thin and runny and not applied nearly as generously and the price would have implied. This is also the only place I’ve ever ordered a bagel with cream cheese where the bagels came out totally cold and I toasted. If we had ordered sandwiches it wouldn’t have been bad but these bagels left a lot to be desired. •The descriptive menu gave me much higher expectations of the plates than the actual food delivered. Lots of fancy words and ingredients written but the food was very underwhelming. •Much much more expensive for the same type of items I get from Hi Bakery down the street. 1 lox bagel, 1 breakfast sandwich, 1 bagel + sliced turkey and 2 drinks was $61.00 (compared to ~$35 at Hi Bakery) and I was disappointed with everything other than the coffee.

I think if I would have come for a quick coffee and muffin I would have been quite pleased, but unfortunately this felt like another typical trendy over priced yet...