Viktor Benes Bakery — Restaurant in Los Angeles

This bakery is located inside of Gelson's. The last time I went, the staff seemed really inefficient. Three people working, the line wasn't long, yet it felt like forever because they were all focusing on one customer at a time, or watching the other person do their job instead of moving on to the next customer... -_-

HOWEVER! I really really really like their pastries. At least what I have had so far.

I wanted a breakfast croissant one morning, but they had ran out so I opted for the ham and Swiss croissant (the other savory croissant they had was spinach and feta). It was $3.50 or $3.95. Kind of expensive, I thought... but when I bit into it... o_o it was really good. The croissant was crispy, flaky and buttery, and the flavor of the Swiss cheese makes it stand out from any regular cheaper ham and cheese croissant you would get in a donut shop. It is smaller, but if you value quality over quantity, get it!

The other pastry I have tried is the almond croissant. Pretty good, pretty good... a little too much almond paste inside for me, but still pretty good. I think it was $2.25.

There is a table area with a TV in Gelson's (on the left when you enter), so I think you can sit there and enjoy your pastries and coffee if that's what you are looking for.

ohh ham and cheese croissant... I look forward to eating you again :9 Breakfast croissant, you still don't sound...

This bakery is in Gelson's-- the people that work behind the counter are pleasant-- just doing their job--but the bakery is overpriced for mediocre quality at best. Who's doing the work??? Who's in charge of quality control? Who's taking pride in the product? Things are so uneven-- like the muffins-- one time it's a plump muffin and another time it looks like it was the scrapings from the pan and there was quite enough left to make a whole muffin-- or like somebody sat on it. Some things(probably most) are delivered from a central bakery. But the stuff that was their best-- like the blueberry racetracks you have to either order in advance or hope you get one of the two they delivered on the mystery day. Believe me, bakeries should accommodate impulse buying-- They have a captive audience because it's in the grocery store. I've been shopping in this store since 1981. At first (mid-80's) the bakery was quite good-- then somebody sold it or took over the operation. The quality went down and stayed down. It's just very disappointing. Silverlake needs a real quality bakery. (Somebody would make a killing!) But...

Every year for the holidays, I stop by Viktor Benes in Silver Lake to get a Yule log cake. They have been good... until this year... What we got is a terribly bad cake and very expensive for what it was! The traditional rolled, light cake was chocolate flavored (it shouldn't be chocolate inside, the icing is chocolate, but not the cake inside). AND it was filled with FUDGE! Gross and sticky, heavy, not even good. Not at all the cake that we used to purchase. And lightyears away from the traditional cake recipe. It was also impossible to cut it neatly as the fudge was sticking to the knife, destroying the cake in the process. We didn't eat it all. Half of it went to the trash (and when you know the price of that log, it's really, really disappointing). Decorations were not only minimal but plastic! No little meringue mushrooms or sugar leaves. No figurines. Just two little fake pine branches. I'll have to find another bakery for next year, or bake it myself. Unless they change back to the quality cake they used to have....