Embrace the Cruffin at LA's Most Ambitious New Bakery

Farley Elliott is the Senior Editor at Eater LA and the author of Los Angeles Street Food: A History From Tamaleros to Taco Trucks. He covers restaurants in every form, from breaking news to the culture, people, and history that surrounds LA's dining landscape.

Come Saturday, Los Angeles will have a prime new bakery to contend with. The name is Mr. Holmes Bakehouse, an instant San Francisco classic with big plans to make Los Angeles their new home.

Fans of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse know the company well, from their neon-tinted Instagram page to the long lines that often plague their popular San Francisco storefront. They’re also rather famous for creating the Cruffin, a croissant-muffin hybrid that comes filled with cream — but that’s not even close to the whole story of how the company came to land in Highland Park, with an opening scheduled for Saturday.

The beautiful new space, complete with a massive (and partially open) prep and bake area in the back, speaks volumes to the way owner Aaron Caddel thinks about bakeries, pastries, and customer experience. A long poured cement bar leads customers from the glass pastry cases filled with everything from straight croissants to doughnuts, bacon and onion danishes, and strawberry jalapeño bear claws.

From there it’s all about the coffee, with an espresso machine turning out simple Americanos, with options for a green tea to boot. A quick stop at the iconic neon sign that’s sure to show up on everyone’s social media feed shortly:

And it’s back outside, or to snag some of the built-in bench seating along the glass wall at front. A small, clean space with colorful touches; it’s the Mr. Holmes Bakehouse way, and allows for all the innovation to stay within the pastries, not the surroundings.

The long-awaited company isn’t done expanding across Los Angeles yet, either. All that room in the back means there’s the option for wholesale baking (so your next Cruffin might be found at your favorite neighborhood coffee shop), and even possible expansion into other retail locations. After all, Caddel and company are certainly no strangers to opening up surprise new outlets — they’ve even got one in Korea.

For now, anyone wanting to get an early taste of Mr. Holmes Bakehouse can RSVP to the bakery’s R&D pre-opening night tomorrow evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The party, called Carbs Gone Wild, is free to enjoy but does require an RSVP from the company’s website. Otherwise, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse will open for real on Saturday, keeping weekend hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and weekday hours from 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mr. Holmes Bakehouse
111 S. Avenue 59
Los Angeles, CA