Sweet Laurel: Cake, Coffee + Tea — Restaurant in Los Angeles

After a full day of medical appointments and treatments, and to celebrate a big anniversary, my family took me to Sweet Laurel. We thought it would be "sweet" to have a healthier treat that better accommodated my food restrictions. And to do/ have something special - something sweet. We were wrong.

Sadly, the staff wasn't sweet. They weren't even friendly. It was difficult to hear them given their soft-spokenness over the music and through their masks (which we appreciated they were wearing, of course!). It seemed to irritate them that we couldn't hear them and they had to repeat themselves. Yet, they didn't seem to raise their voices so we could hear them any better. And being our first time there, we did have questions ugh That seemed to irritate them too. Though no other customers were there or waiting. We were it! At the same time, several staff huddled around chatting amongst themselves. Perhaps we interrupted them. It felt that way, prickly cold - not warm and inviting,, not sweet at all. ...1 was on a cell when we came in for the second time. We were patient and looking at their case again. She walked away on the phone and then nobody came to help us. We left.

The other not-sweet problem was the $8 coffee for what most shops would call a "Small" cup. We were willing to splurge given the difficult day, my poor health, and big anniversary, but, we expected at least medium sizes. Worse was that they weren't even full. In fact, 1 was only 3/4 full if that - making it an extra small, if not mini, cup. Given the experience already, none of us dared to say anything.

Plus, the caramel lattes did not taste like caramel at all. Vanilla didn't have any vanilla flavor either. And, none tasted sweet at all.

We also purchased other goodies - cookies, muffins, and ice cream sandwiches. They were all very expensive too. And, unfortunately, didn't live up to the sweet expectations either - especially for the big expense. We don't know how they can justify calliing whatever it is that they serve as "ice cream."

The poor experience, coffees, and sweets plus the high prices made for an unsweet disappointment :(

1 star vs 0 because we do appreciate their niche, getting the niche out there, and for their eco-friendly practices.

Update: after everything, their response took 2 months and was insincere, inaccurate, unsweet, and in terribly...

My most favorite vegan bakery and Cafe since now. I just have nothing to critique, everything is perfect. Sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan, and most of all very tasty. The only thing that I can regret is that it's not closer to Hollywood 😄. Very attentive staff. I had a pastry stuffed with apple filling (apple pop-tart), then I took a package of cookies with chocolate chips and Snickerdoodle cookies, and the best was the chocolate cake. Omg, how much I enjoyed lol thank you for doing what you do.

Update: watch uber drivers, they tried to take my order from this place in Valentine's day. It's really nicely packed and looking luxurious, so keep track on your order and reach for the order in case it takes too long to deliver or track on map. Fortunately, Uber helped us to get it out of him. It's is definitely good to take care of your order extraordinary, because it is extraordinary place and sweets you get here for yourself or...

I ordered a vegan keto cake from this bakery to celebrate my dad’s 65th birthday. Since he has dietary restrictions and is diabetic, I was excited to find a cake that would suit his needs. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with the quality and packaging. The cake arrived in a flimsy plastic container, which didn’t hold up in transit, leaving the cake damaged with cracks and chunks missing. This made it unpresentable for our celebration. Since we did not want to waste the cake, my family and I still tried it among ourselves. Beyond the appearance, the cake itself was extremely dry and did not meet our expectations in taste. For a cake costing nearly $100, I expected much better quality and care taken for transit. I’ve ordered many other cakes for delivery in the past, and all have arrived in perfect condition, so I know it’s possible. Overall, this experience was very disappointing, and I won’t be returning to...