Artisanal Goods by CAR
Bakery · West Central ·
Artisanal goods, bean-to-bar chocolate, and acclaimed croissants
Artisanal goods, bean-to-bar chocolate, and acclaimed croissants
"The smell of Normandy butter hits first, followed by the heady, inviting scent of melting chocolate, at this intimate Pasadena bakery that opened in 2021 as a chocolate shop; once founder Haris Car deciphered laminated dough, he began using his own confections to make the best chocolate croissants in Los Angeles. Naturally, the chocolate croissant demands attention—cut it in half to reveal flawless lamination and three generous blocks of richly tempered chocolate rectangles, with molten morsels in every bite because they’re served only warm. The almond croissant is liberally filled with marzipan and topped with slivered almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar (there’s a chocolate version, too), and while Kougin-amann isn’t always on the menu, get it if it is: the knotted dough is gloriously rich and syrupy, and the Normandy butter punches through. Beyond croissants, there’s a rotating selection of seasonal pastries, divinely warm, chewy, thin chocolate chip cookies crowned with flaky salt that highlight the bittersweetness of Car’s chocolate, and a robust coffee menu. To drink, lean into what Car does best with rich, hot drinking chocolate; there’s also a choco-espresso and choco-latte if caffeine feels like the move. Lines remain long on weekends, so visit on a weekday or arrive early (before 10 a.m.) for the best selection." - Kat Thompson
"I know the weekend will be a good one when I start my Saturday morning here with a croissant and an iced vanilla latte. My former colleague Cathy Chaplin boasted about the chocolate croissants before, even going so far as to name it the “ultimate chocolate croissant,” and while they truly are exceptional (the bakery specializes in chocolate, after all), I love picking up whatever new specialty is on offer that day. Last weekend, a jammy berry danish and a syrupy sweet kouign amann glistened in the pastry case, beckoning me; other favorites include the marzipan-packed almond croissant and the herbaceous spinach and feta croissant. Whatever type of croissant is on the menu, the laminated dough is always perfectly flaky and buttery — an ideal accompaniment to coffee and a slower-paced weekend morning." - Eater Staff
"The name may be deceiving, but Pasadena-based chocolatier Haris Car makes what might be the best chocolate croissant in the city. Car took close to a year to meticulously develop the pastry, which is served warm, with a glossy, shatteringly crisp exterior. Inside each baked wonder is a trio of chocolate batons, sourced thoughtfully and ethically by Car himself. While the shop is best known for the chocolate croissant, make sure to try some of the other laminated treats like kouign-amann and a berry-filled Danish." - Rebecca Roland
"Chef Haris Car spent 10 months testing and refining the recipe to create his pain au chocolat and, arguably, LA’s ultimate chocolate croissant. Each ingredient in the croissant is specially chosen, from the high-gluten Central Milling flour to the Normandy butter and the 60-percent dark milk chocolate from Nicaragua. CAR’s best seller is served warm and has the perfect dough-to-chocolate ratio." - Rebecca Roland
"CAR in Old Town Pasadena is best known for chocolate croissants, but the butter croissants are worth refilling your statin prescription, too. Here they’ve mastered the art of visually stimulating, lighter-than-air pastries that don’t make you feel like butter is seeping out your pores. The golden-brown shell offers 1/100th of a second of crunchy resistance, then gives way with a shower of crumbs. The wispy white innards look like a Fibonacci spiral and have a slight tang that’s delicious on its own, and even better set against their housemade dark chocolate." - sylvio martins, garrett snyder, brant cox
