The best thing I ate this week was a flakey croissant from Lou – The French on the Block in Burbank. I have been eager to check this place out for quite a while. I had seen an Instagram reel stating that the best croissant in LA was here. In the interest of science, this claim needed to be investigated.
Let me save you some disappointment and tell you that this little cafe is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I came face to face with a locked door several weekday mornings before I thought to look up the operating hours before driving over.
Last Sunday morning was my lucky day. As I walked up I was happy to find the line to be relatively short and rows of croissants in the window. The few tables sitting outside on the sidewalk provided a sunny spot for patrons to enjoy their coffee. The shop is small, only big enough for maybe two customers, two workers, and Lou who likes to sit in the window and greet his customers. A simple coffee and sandwich menu is offered for those who don’t think a croissant is a sufficient breakfast (I’m here to tell you that it is) and small pastries are sitting in neat rows beneath the counter. I can’t attest to the taste of any of these options but I can tell you that it was clear other people were enjoying them immensely.
What I can tell you is that the hypothesis may be correct, these may be the best croissants I’ve had in LA. I chose to try the pan au chocolate and the almond croissant because two croissants are also a sufficient breakfast. The pan au chocolate was flakey, buttery, and laced with chocolate while the almond croissant was equally buttery and flakey but instead filled with almond paste and dusted with powdered sugar. The layers in both pastries were thin with small pockets of air in between. The delicate crumbs melted in your mouth and the fillings were exceptionally flavorful while not being too sweet.
There is no doubt that I will be visiting Lou next weekend.
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