Bakers & Baristas
Cafe · Artesia
11700 South St, Artesia, CA 90701
Highlights
Lattes, pastries, American plates, and Filipino brunch.
Lattes, pastries, American plates, and Filipino brunch.
"At the very literally named Baker and Barista, you will be served by a baker and a barista, who are both very good at their jobs. The coffee here—Italian drinks like cappuccino and shakerato—is great. And the baked goods are excellent too. Options rotate often, but if you see the sourdough cinnamon roll, point to it like you just found Waldo on a particularly difficult page. Come early for sweet pastries like apple galette, or closer to noon when the sourdough sandwiches and Roman-style pizza occupy the counter. Just don’t plan on working at the small cafe. There’s no wifi, and the food’s too good to concentrate on anything else anyway." - ryan pfeffer, mariana trabanino, virginia otazo
"As anyone who’s ever eaten a mortadella sandwich on the steps of a 2,000-year-old building in Italy knows, bakeries are an essential part of the Italian restaurant landscape. And Baker & Barista makes the best Italian baked goods in town, as well as delicious coffee drinks like cappuccino and shakerato. Come early for breakfast and you may find maritozzi in the display case. But our favorite time to be here is closer to noon, when the schiacciata sandwiches, savory focaccia, and thick slices of pizza emerge from the ovens. We've yet to meet a baked product here that didn't make us want to kiss the Colosseum." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo, mariana trabanino
"The Miami pizza universe branched out into such chaotic plotlines this year (see: Vice City’s Big Mac pizza; Tom Brady and David Beckham eating at Miami Slice together) that a return to simplicity feels inevitable. Enter Baker & Barista. We love everything at this Italian bakery, but every day between noon and 3:30pm, get consumed by thoughts of their perfect pizza. It’s a thick yet airy square slice of dough with some crushed tomatoes, puddles of fior di latte mozzarella, and a few basil sprigs. One slice is enough to fill you up. Eat it at the blissfully wifi-free cafe while staring at the white wall and thinking of absolutely nothing but the pizza in front of you." - ryan pfeffer, virginia otazo
"We have a rule for this cinnamon roll. You’ve got to let them warm it up for you and eat it there. You can bring it home and try yourself, but you won’t do as good a job. Trust us. The magic of this sweet and tangy pastry is revealed while it’s in its fresh-from-the-oven state. It is like everything else at this Buena Vista spot: simple and baked to perfection. The icing finds its way into every crack—but isn’t so heavy that it distracts from the sourdough flavor. And, yes, a cinnamon roll is dessert. Just because you eat it before noon doesn’t change that. Embrace the concept of breakfast dessert." - virginia otazo, ryan pfeffer
"Opened in 2015 by brothers Eric and Joseph Quan on the border of Artesia and Cerritos, I know Bakers & Baristas as a popular daytime spot best known for its flavored lattes and laminated pastries — the classic croissants and a buckwheat kouign amann are highlights — and for a boisterous, high-energy daytime scene on South Street. The Quans briefly experimented with a gastropub dinner years ago, but the café’s identity remains rooted in its baking and coffee program as it continues to evolve with the neighborhood." - Cathy Chaplin
