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If you’re craving Levain Bakery-style thick cookies, you can find them at the newly opened Paderia Bakehouse in Santa Monica. This is the third location for the Orange County bakery famed for their giant 6 oz. cookies and Portuguese egg tarts. If you’ve never been to one before, they’ll happily walk you through all the items. The menu is relatively small, with a handful of cookies, banana pudding, ensaymadas and a seasonal cheesecake, along with coffee, horchata and infusions.

I bought four of their cookies ($4 each) – sea salt chocolate, chocolate chip with walnuts, peanut butter chocolate and triple chocolate – and an egg tart ($2.50 each).

The cookies are so rich and large that one only needs to eat half a cookie. I reheated mine in an oven for 5 minutes, so the chocolate was melty and the middle was super soft. Of the four, I liked the triple chocolate and chocolate chip with walnuts the best, though you really can’t go wrong with any of them. Paderia uses Belgian chocolate which makes the cookies pretty exceptional.

In contrast, the egg tart is pretty tiny, easily devoured in a few bites. The crust was nice and flaky and the custard not too sweet. 

Paderia Bakehouse is tucked in back of a new building on Wilshire (so you won’t easily see it from the street), with a free parking lot. You can order online and pick up your order (though you have to allow for 45 minutes prep time) or delivery. After a dismal year, life is looking a lot brighter with Paderia’s arrival.

Location –  3032 Wilshire Blvd, Suite E, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Website – https://www.paderia.com
Kid’s Menu – No
Vegetarian Friendly – Yes
Vegan/Gluten-Free Options – No baked goods, but there’s coffee and tea