You could say the stars were aligned. Across the street, we had just finished eating lunch, some…read moredarn good Venezuelan food. We should have allowed that to be our indiscretion for the day. But nooooo. Mr. B can smell sinfully yummy calories, even with a bag over his head, a mile away. Their specialty... chocolate croissants. Thus, we let Artisanal Goods lure us in. No parking, way too busy, way too full to seat us, a line bursting out the door, the tiny bakery cafe still seduced us. That is, Mr B circled the block in the car but pushed me out to get in line. It was the idea of a flaky, buttery, chocolate croissant crumbling all over his shirt that made him do it. And I had no intention of saying no. The line went quickly. The last Kouign Amann had just escaped my clutches to the guy in front of me, darn it. But there were still trays upon trays of freshly baked, massive chocolate croissants displayed in their custom, wood display case right next to the register. Sorry about no pictures, but you know how things get out of hand sometimes. However if you want to experience an orgasm in pastry form, I suggest you high tail it here.

I honestly don't understand the hype. My experience here was disappointing from start to finish…read more The staff came across as cold, dismissive, and completely uninterested in providing good customer service. Instead of feeling welcomed, I felt like I was inconveniencing them just by ordering. A friendly attitude goes a long way, and that was completely missing. The coffee was even more disappointing. It had almost no flavor and tasted watered down, especially for the price. I expected a quality drink, but it was bland and absolutely not worth what I paid. To make matters worse, we were told to leave the patio an hour before the shop was even closing. If the patio has different hours, that should be clearly communicated instead of asking paying customers to leave early. Overall, this was a frustrating experience. Between the unfriendly service, flavorless coffee, and being asked to leave well before closing, I won't be coming back. There are plenty of other cafés in Pasadena that offer much better coffee and treat their customers with respect.

Stumbled upon this hidden gem behind downtown Culver on Venice -- and what a find! Milla Chocolates…read moreis a beautiful little shop offering artisanal bonbons, chocolate drinks, and other sweet treats. I ordered a black sesame chocolate drink with two bonbons: pistachio and yuzu caramel. My kid devoured the pistachio in one bite, but the yuzu caramel was absolutely divine -- rich dark chocolate balanced perfectly with fragrant, real yuzu flavor. The drink was definitely too sweet for my taste though. Needed to take home and add milk into it and actually turned it into two drinks. They also have gorgeous gift boxes, customizable assortments, and prepackaged goodies -- perfect for gifting or indulging yourself. Service was amazing. The barista was super friendly. My paper bag with my take away lunch ripped in their store and she offered a beautiful bag without me even asking. She was patient in explaining their menu and helped me picked out Chocolates that my kids would love. Warm, welcoming, and refined -- this spot is a must-visit for anyone with a sweet tooth in Culver City.

My husband searched far and wide for high quality chocolates here in LA and so far, this is the…read morebest chocolatier we've encountered in LA. Why is there so few options?? Seriously! Now, each time we travel to NYC or internationally, I'm buying boxes of quality chocolate. I wish Milla were closer. If so I would buy there more often.

Amazing service, extremely sweet and accommodating. I came here with a friend and we tried the…read moredubai chocolate strawberry cup. Everything is made in house which is so cool and the flavor itself was amazing, literally the perfect sweet treat: Crunchy, sweet, tart, yall need to come get yourself some of this. They also offer a variety of other sweets, would love to try next time!

I have a guilty feeling of pity while writing this, but I'm a huge chocolate lover - meaning I've…read morepretty much gone to all the chocolatiers where I live (there are a lot) and usually try to go to a popular chocolate place whenever I take a trip. TAWDI appeared highly rated, but it was also basically the only choice. Walking in to Mickey Mouse greeting you, it's a very homely, organized, and oddly empty shop with some Middle Eastern influence. They are big on marketing for their Dubai chocolate offerings, which I did try. The lady who helped was very kind, offering us each a sample by the chocolate type we liked. As she explained how they make chocolate in the back daily, I had to inquire about popular selections and what some flavors were. Basically, they seem to focus on Dubai chocolates and have some imported goods from Lebanon. While I trust that they make chocolates daily, I have to question how much, what flavors, and what is being turned over, because the sample I ate and the chocolates I opened up later certainly had obvious chocolate bloom, and yes they were stored at an appropriate temperature and eaten on the same day. At the price these pieces were, they certainly shouldn't have chocolate bloom nor taste like old chocolate. The filling of their Dubai bar was nice, crunchy, and moist, but the exterior chocolate shell didn't really have a taste. I am fine with paying a premium for premium-tasting chocolate and often do it, but I would have preferred eating grocery store chocolate, honestly. I'm not sure what others are tasting or whether people reviewing TAWDI are actually into chocolate, but I was disappointed when I didn't enjoy these.

Laderach Chocolatier Shop not only looks delicious but also smells delicious. We stopped by on a…read moreThursday afternoon. We were a few stores down from Laderach and we can smell the sweet scent of chocolates from a far. We decided to stop by and check out this fancy and yummy chocolate shop. As soon as we came in Laderach, the sales people were welcoming and greeted us. They also offered some samples and any sample of our choosing. We tried the strawberry chocolate and milk chocolate. They were both delicious. The chocolate was perfect. It was quality chocolate and semi sweet and not too rich. The combination with the dried strawberries were a perfect blend and balance. We left the store and purchased a couple of the pre packed milk chocolate and the strawberry chocolate. We can't wait to comeback to try other types of chocolates on Laderach's menu.

I m not a big fan of chocolate, but I do love me some good chocolate here and there. Once in a…read morewhile, I will get some from here for my special humans and for myself hehhe I gotta admit, the chocolate here is good. I esp enjoy the hazelnut w/almonds. They tend to give that one out as samples. The other chocolates are good as well. So I usually get a mixtures from the display case and some packaged ones. I do have to say the staffs could be judgy, which sukz. Sometimes, they will offer me some samples and sometimes, I do just ask for it. I feel it would be better if they just ask all the customers. That way customers will not feel left out or having the feeling of being treated differently.

I confess I am fascinated by - and extremely behind on - the "faux" fruit dessert trend, the trompe…read morel'oeil that, for a minute, dominated all of my social media pages. It's incredibly compelling, isn't it? The crack of the outer shell when you first bite into it, juicy fruit and cake and cream on the inside... I couldn't help myself. I had to know. Artelice has the great distinction of being THE recommended shop in my area, so I was pleasantly surprised to find they still had some stock when I went in the early afternoon. Their pastries look as good in person as they do online, colorful and shiny with an excruciating amount of attention to detail. I got two and they generously threw in a couple of macarons, which were great by themselves, but... wow. A little decadent dessert for $10? I have to admit I expected it to be more expensive than that, but I was pleasantly surprised! I've tried the peach and raspberry, both very flavorful without being overly sweet. In my heart of hearts, I know I'll return for the tiramisu someday, and I hope it'll be soon.

Amazing array of pastries and strong coffee! Staff is very friendly and attentive…read more However, if you're just stopping by to work on your laptop while enjoying a pastry and coffee they do not have WiFi.

Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious. Staff was super friendly and answered any questions…read morewe had. Would highly recommend taking your little ones here.

Love it here we always come here and its never been a disappointment. Everything is so delicious, a…read morebit pricy but it's definitely worth it. Service is very fast and kind, all the worker are quick and friendly. The place is very clean and put together and the music and lighting are always a vibe! Love it!

Wow! Where do I begin? These rare Brazilian delicacies are delicious and adorable. They make for…read moregreat gifts to friends and family. I purchased two boxes last week, one as a gift and the other I kept for myself. I'm so glad I did! I definitely will be buying in bulk this Christmas season.

The most beautiful chocolate box I have ever purchased! My valentine couldn't stop obsessing over…read morehow cute this gift was! Not only are these chocolates a good gift, but they are also for charity. Every chocolate that is sold, feeds a meal for a homeless person in Sao Paulo. The prices are unreal, for a box of 29 of these handmade sweets costs only $32. I would have expected anywhere from double to triple the cost here in LA. Also, the young lady operating Brigadier Sweets was very sweet(no pun intended) and informative. She described in detail over the phone every item they sold and updated me on when the chocolates would be ready for pick up. I do recommend these chocolates and will be buying many more in the future!