Hollywood’s Brötli Is a Swiss Bakery Hidden in Plain Sight | Eater LA

"Tucked in a white Spanish-style apartment building at the southern edge of Hollywood, Brötli is a pop-up Swiss bakery I watched transform from pandemic hobby into a local favorite. On an unseasonably cold May morning a small crowd gathered at the balcony where a pair hunched over steaming coffee while Jonas Fischer, Nick Langley, and Esmé Jackson worked in unison out of the home’s tight checkered-tiled kitchen, taking orders through a cracked window and filling them with toasts, pastries, pour-over coffee, and espresso drinks. Fischer began baking sourdough during the pandemic, and conversations about missing Berliners led the Zurich-raised baker and Langley (who lived in Germany) to experiment with brioche doughnuts filled with jam; Brötli opened its window to the public in early June 2023. What started with Berliners and sourdough has grown to include croissants, cardamon buns, baguettes, and butterzopf, and the team has built a loyal, neighborhood following—there’s a handwritten menu by the window, a single wooden Ikea bistro table on the balcony, and diners spilling onto the sidewalk. Brötli operates on Saturdays (not every Saturday) with occasional limited Friday service and posts opening updates on Instagram; it operates out of an undisclosed Hollywood location and asks customers to reach out on Instagram when it announces openings. The team has modest growth goals—buying a new mixer rather than a storefront—and no plans to close the window anytime soon: “we’ll do it as long as it’s fun.”" - Rebecca Roland