Le Pain Quotidien

the pastry situation here is worth knowing about before you commit to just a coffee. le pain quotidien on south santa monica boulevard in beverly hills runs a full bakery program alongside its drinks, which means you're not choosing between a decent latte and a sad cellophane muffin. the tartines, the grain bowls, the bread, it all sits in a register that's more european-leaning than most of what lines this stretch of 90210. locals have settled into it the way people settle into places that don't require explanation. you can come in for a flat white and leave forty minutes later having eaten an actual meal. if you're in the neighborhood mid-morning, that's probably the window, when the bread is fresh and south santa monica is still moving at a reasonable pace.