My husband, our puppy, and I ventured to Bread + Butter this morning for what we claimed would be a “light breakfast.” Lies. All lies. The moment we saw the line trailing down Main Street—every person accompanied by a dog who somehow looked hungrier than their human—we knew we were in for a religious butter experience.

The line moved fast (bless), and soon we were inside this bakery that is roughly the size of a well-appointed shoebox but somehow manages to display pastries like they’re crown jewels. There’s a menu posted outside, but don’t even try to decide early. You’ll abandon your plan the moment you see the pastry case glowing like a carbohydrate halo.

First up: the Morning Bun with cinnamon and cardamom. If a hug from a pastry is what you seek, this is your destiny. Perfectly baked, deeply flavored… our puppy may or may not have sampled a microscopic crumb and immediately tried to file adoption papers with the bun.

Then came the Ham + Cheese Croissant—so light, so flaky, so buttery I’m convinced it was forged in a French monastery by monks who only speak in pats of butter. Gruyere + Fra’ Mani smoked ham = a breakfast romance I fully support.

We also managed to snag the last Sausage Roll (Saturdays and Sundays only), which felt like winning the carb lottery. It’s a Peads & Barnetts pork sausage wrapped in house-made puff pastry so flaky it should probably come with a warning label. The sesame seeds? A tiny, crunchy standing ovation.

We drank hot chocolate to warm up on this bitterly cold LA morning (a bone-chilling 68 degrees). The staff was incredibly friendly, the street parking was plentiful, and the patio was basically a dog social club.

We will absolutely be back—and next time we’re bringing all of our friends. They deserve to join us in our buttery awakening.

Bread + Butter
2645 Main Street, Santa Monica
Closed Monday & Tuesday