Bakeries all over town are once again going into overdrive to help the Los Angeles Jewish community to celebrate the Festival of Lights with sufganiyot. There are many options all over town, but when the Journal asked around, there were a few particular bakery names that kept coming up. So the Journal visited these bakeries to put their donut deliciousness to the test.
(In no particular order…)
LA City
Bibi’s Bakery & Cafe
Bibi’s is finishing their 20th year on Pico by baking over 2,000 donuts per day throughout Hanukkah. Known as one of the best kosher bakeries in all of Los Angeles, Bibi’s has possibly the densest sufganiyot we tasted. One is probably enough to fill you up, but you’ll want to buy at least a dozen to share with the family. If you’re looking for that burst of air and powdered sugar with your sufganiyot, Bibi’s isn’t where to look.
Stick around for their delicious kosher pizza. And try the sambousek—it’s like a calzone but better.
https://www.bibisbakerycafe.com/
8928 West Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, California 90035, 310-246-1788
Mensch Bakery and Kitchen
Cut these sufganiyot in half and you’ll see a volcano of filling—whether it’s chocolate, vanilla, custard, peanut butter or raspberry. And for the texture fans, there’s plenty of crunch on several of their flavors (you’ll know which ones when you see them). Mensch’s sufganiyot feel like the bakers crossed the basic recipes of sufganiyot with the most memorable cupcake shop specials you’ve ever tasted.
If you love eggs, come here for breakfast—plenty of options. Also be sure to try the quiches.
If you’re into beautiful photos of decadent dishes and desserts, follow Mensch on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/menschbakery/
7122 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90036, 323-954-1250
The Fashion Bistro
Come for the sufganiyot, come back for the cookies. Although the boxes can’t be customized, they sell 10 assorted dairy sufganiyot in a box, with flavors including banana pudding, crème brûlée, red velvet, cookies and cream, blue glaze, sprinkles, Nutella, strawberry jam and birthday cake.
The Fashion Bistro has been in business since 2003. Owner Severine Chriki runs the place with an everlasting batch of gratitude to have grown up with a mother who went all out on making every Hanukkah special. In an Instagram post this week, Severine shared a message that should accompany the first bite of their sufganiyot.
“Hanukkah is the story of miracles,” Severine wrote. “Miracles is (sic) what happened in my kitchen since the moment I started this home business three years ago. I’m so thankful for all of you and…a thankful heart is a magnet for miracles.”
The Fashion Bistro has a great Instagram account to dazzle your eyes and tease your appetite on the other 357 non-Hanukkah days of the year: https://www.instagram.com/thefashionbistro
The Fashion Bistro is pickup and delivery only at this time, with pick up at Robertson and Burton Way.
https://www.thefashionbistrola.com/
Delice Bakery
Some of Delice Bakery’s sufganiyot are near impossible to bite into. The cookies & cream sufganiyot can be up to 4 inches tall. Other sufganiyot with a special party on top include supreme pistachio, piña colada, supreme choco, pralino, red heart and caramelo. Plenty of traditional sufganiyot options are available if you’re not into the ones that will make you say, “Those are some busy toppings!”
Opened in 2001, Delice Bakery is the first French kosher bakery in Los Angeles. Their specialty cakes are works of art, and if anything like their sufganiyot, delicious. From 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, Delice is a taste of Paris on Pico Boulevard. They also have gluten free options—try the French macarons. Orders can be made online.
https://www.delicebakery.com/hanukah
8583 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035, 310-289 6556
LA Valley
Roladin Restaurant and Café
If you see Roladin owner Haim Gweta this week, be kind, he won’t be sleeping much. He began working on fresh orders of sufganiyot for night one at 3:00 am on Sunday morning.
Unlike a lot of sufganiyot around town, Roladin’s are made with a dairy dough. They have some of the widest arrays of flavors too. We recommend the Nutella and crème brûlée. Last year, Gal Gadot commended Roladin’s sufganiyot as her favorite (video).
There are 78 Roladin locations around the world (it’s Israel’s largest bakery chain), but one step inside the Reseda location and you’ll see a culinary community pillar. There’s a family feel to Roladin, including amongst the staff. One server has worked there since the week after its grand opening 14 years ago.
There is ample sitdown space inside and outside. When the Journal visited, their corkboard was packed with pre-order slips.
Be sure to try the shakshuka sandwich, sabich sandwich and the sfenj (Moroccan donuts).
https://roladinrestaurant.com/
19365 Victory Blvd, Reseda, CA 91335, 818-345-3443
Continental Kosher Bakery
Nestled on the border of Valley Village and North Hollywood, Continental Kosher Bakery comes with the airiest dough. So for those of you who crave the burst of air and powdered sugar at the first bite of a raspberry sufganiyot, Continental is your go-to spot.
They are happy to customize the sufganiyot orders, as long as you’re good with the three-dozen minimum. You can mix and match the flavors of the dozen but can’t mix and match within the dozen. It’s not a sit-down spot, but one minute inside Continental and you’ll see the demand is way too high to pre-order just a few. Specialty options include sugar-free, no filling and mini sufganiyot. The original bakery started in Harlem about 100 years ago, and the family business is still strong today.
https://www.continentalbakery.net/
12419 Burbank Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 91607, 818-762-5005
Unique Pastry
There is so much filling in Unique’s sufganiyot. But don’t use any napkins, you’ll want to savor every drop of the filling. Be sure to try the Boston cream pie flavor. When entering, you know the place is going to be great when half of their tables are temporary queuing space for (in our observation) at least 100 sufganiyot pre-orders. Also, try the potato bourekas.
Unique originally opened in Northridge in 1989, and is now located in Tarzana square. One customer, artist Paulette de Le’Herbe, told the Journal that she has been coming to Unique for over 30 years—for the food, the ambiance and as a peaceful place to do her paintings. She added that owner Irit Stein is “extremely humble and always ready to help others.” The name is Unique, but it will leave you wishing that every cafe were like this friendly spot in Tarzana.
https://www.uniquepastrycafe.com/
18381 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana, CA 91356, 818-757-3100
Beck’s Cafe and Bakery
Beck’s is much more than a bakery. And their sufganiyot are much more than what you’re used to. Their array of sufganiyot flavors includes chocolate M&M, Oreo-topped, strawberry and sprinkles-topped, pistachio raspberry, lemon meringue, lotus biscuit, refaello white chocolate, lotus biscoff, and their best-seller, malabi (a Middle Eastern staple: milk pudding made with rice-flour and sugar).
Beck’s is family friendly—even for the young folks who are picky eaters. Their kids menu is vast. Beck’s also takes pride in their impressive 16-ounce smoothie menu.
Beck’s has locations in Encino and Woodland Hills, but be sure to contact the Encino location to place an orders. Their Instagram is pretty amazing too: https://www.instagram.com/becks_cafe/
https://beckscafeandbakery.com/
6101 Ventura Blvd Encino, CA, 818-616-4088
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