Stepping into the new Clark Street, I immediately felt like I had wandered into another land. The front counter staff, who looked like they had waltzed in from the beach, were young, tan and blond. Welcome to Brentwood. Nestled into the spot in Barrington Ct. previously occupied by Le Pain Quotidien, this bakery/cafe offers fresh baked bread, pastries, sandwiches and salads to the local affluent community.

Clark Street started in Zack Hall’s apartment on Clark Street in West Hollywood and expanded to Grand Central Market. Hall’s love of bread is evident in the display of scrumptious-looking pastries and breads. I visited during their opening week, so growing pains were to be expected. My online order wasn’t ready at the designated time, and they were sold out of the chocolate chip cookie that I had ordered.

After waiting for 15 minutes, my order was finally ready. Their Turkey Pesto sandwich featured turkey, giardeniera, aged provolone, arugula, pesto, oil and vinegar on ciabatta. The pickled vegetables helped elevate this sandwich, especially with the oil and vinegar on that bread.

Their Italian Tuna was a bit unusual because it paired albacore tuna with fresh mozzarella, which you don’t see very often. Like the Turkey Pesto, it came on ciabatta with olive oil and balsamic, arugula, heirloom tomatoes, pickled jalapeños and mayo.

Since they were out of chocolate chip cookies, I chose their dark rye brownie as a replacement. Made with organic rye flour and Valrhona chocolate, it was chocolatey, fudgy and not too sweet. It was so good that my family licked the crumbs off their plates.

They do offer curbside pickup – which would be great if your order was ready on time so you didn’t have to struggle to look for parking. However, the businesses in the vicinity get quite busy, and merely idling outside the restaurant isn’t an option because of the continuous traffic, forcing one to continuously circle around their super crowded tiny parking lot in hopes of an open spot. Maybe it’s a blessing for my waistline because the parking situation is the only thing keeping me from quickly returning to indulge in more carb-filled pleasures.

Location – 11702 Barrington Ct., Los Angeles, CA 90049
Website – https://clarkstreetbakery.com
Kid’s Menu – No
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – Yes
Gluten-Free Options – Yes