Proof Bakery

All hype. The food/​pastries just tasted okay for me. I got the brioche toast with, I believe, homemade raspberry jam. It just tasted plain and simple, nothing extraordinary about it. The jam was good, but not enough to make it amazing. I also had to try the chocolate chip cookie that everyone seems to be raving about, but it was just okay as well. A little bit too hard and a tad salty in my opinion. Cute little shop but be careful when you stand in line — the door may swing open and hit your back. I probably won’t come back, but if someone really wanted to go, I wouldn’t be opposed to it.

Solid bakery for a quick bite and coffee. The croissants are the best here! My favorite is the ham and cheese, but honestly the OG one is just as good. Parking can be found on the street or in the back.
Recs from what I’ve tried:
–All croissants
–Chocolate chip cookie
–Quiche

Sandwiches and baked goods and drinks are always to my satisfaction. They keep me coming back. I love their drinks and service very much. It’s near some cute shoes in a cool neighborhood, so parking isn’t easy. The line moves fast but getting a table is close to impossible. Only 5 small tables indoors and 2 outside.

Great baked goods and coffee. Worth a stop by if you are close by.
/​/​PARKING /​/​Street.
/​/​SERVICE /​/​Quick, sans smile.
/​/​FOOD /​/​
+ Coffee: They serve a variety of quality beans and brew a good cup
+ Flour-​less chocolate cake: Decadent and perfect for sharing
+ Honey Tart: The crust was perfectly flaky
+ Chocolate chip cookie: A delicious classic! Melt-​y chocolate

1. «What can I get you?» «A small coffee.» «A regular coffee?» «Yeah, black.» Two dollars and fifty cents later I’m presented a cup of coffee.
2. The coffee is a perfect $ 2.50 coffee. It’s flavorful, bright, and not as acidic and fruity as a $ 5 pour over that takes five minutes. This is half the price and a fraction of the wait.
3. When coffee tastes good, why do people add milk and sugar to it? Milk and sugar should be reserved for making something awful into something bearable. The sooner you start drinking black coffee, the sooner you’ll start appreciating coffee.
4. You know what? People add ranch dressing to pizza. So I guess it’s not weird that people add half and half to coffee. Please ignore #3 from this point forward.
5. Okay, I’m rereading #4, which made me reread #3 and I realize the tone might come off as snarky and condescending. I was hoping for more of a helpful vibe. So continue reading through that type of lens. I’m your friend. Please let me into your heart.
5. Most cafes get their pastries via distribution from a central bakery. Proof BAKERY on the other hand, makes their own, savory and sweet treats, on site. The recently added corn bread with jalapeño is my favorite. Sometimes when I eat food this good I just want to chew and never swallow. The Greeks used to make themselves vomit so they could eat more. Makes sense when you’re eating pastries at Proof. The Proof is in the vomited pudding :-) (Proof has exceptional panna cotta pudding.)
6. One of my top twenty five favorite baristas of all time, Matt, was not working. Every time I’m in Atwater I walk by Proof in hopes of seeing him steaming milk. A cloud of hot air fogging up his glasses, while his blond hair twists and twirls in the bustle of a line pouring out the door. If Proof ever put Matt on the menu, you’ll find me first in line licking my lips and grinding my beans.
7. Friends, Andrew and Zack, joined me. Andrew had a dog so we sat outside. We chatted about David Bowie’s death. We were all against it. Sometimes it’s nice catching up with friends over a comfy cup of coffee. But some lady tied up her dogs outside. They were tiny and barked for years. This made me think, «You can spank a child but not a dog?» and, «You can spank your child but not someone else’s child?» I kept these thoughts to myself. It was at that moment, during my second thought, that the lady came out, untied her dogs, one of which that was wearing a sweater, and walked away from us. I didn’t mention a single word about my desire to spank her dogs. And I never will.
8. I would like to address user «Reece T.» and their review of Proof. He writes, «The noise is so great that it is difficult to hear when your name is called to pick up your drink/​food. NO TABLE SERVICE.» For those who haven’t been to Proof, keep in mind that there are no more than ten chairs indoors and it is TINY. What seems more likely? That «Reece T.» couldn’t hear his name being called OR he wasn’t paying attention and instead of faulting himself would rather blame others? Also, how is not having table service a criticism and worthy of all caps? I would wager MOST cafes in Los Angeles don’t have table service. I would also wager that the «T.» in «Reece T.» stands for Terrible!
9. At this point, I had to leave Proof for other matters. I look back on my time with my friends, Andrew and Zack, and cherish them. Just like David Bowie, we’re all destined to die one day. So until then, let’s get some memorable coffee with some memorable friends.
10. Thank you for letting me into your heart. Now, let Proof into your stomach :-)

I really enjoyed the croissant I had at Proof, perfectly crisp and fluffy inside, very tasty.
Great selection of desserts, everything looked and smelled amazing!
Service is great, they have a few tables for dining in as well.
Cozy little café with sandwich and light meal options available as well.
I will have to be back to try more next time!

I love, love, love proof. Decided to stop by with my sister this morning and I’m finally writing a Unilocal review after many years of visits. I have yet to have had a bad experience here in regards to the food, coffee, or staff.
My only real complaint is that the space is pretty small so it can get crowded and loud pretty quickly. They also tend to run out of stuff so I suggest getting there sooner than later.
Had the meat quiche and lemon pistachio loaf today and both were very pleasant.

I drove about 30 minutes from Beverly Hills because I heard they have amazing pastries and coffee. I was so impressed with Proof that I came back twice more that same week. This place is incredible. I have been all over the place and tried parties everywhere I go including Paris. The croissants here are probably the best I have ever had. I tried the chocolate almond and the ham and cheese croissants all of which were unreal. They basically shatter in your mouth when you take a bite because they are so flakey. you can tell they are made with love and very high quality ingredients. They have chocolate chip cookies with sea salt which are also some of the best in the city. Orange juice is great, fresh squeezed. And the latte was one of the best I’ve had.

The perfect croissant.. .
It’s like the samurai dude in the Tom Cruise movie as he looks up at the cherry blossoms. I bit into a Proof croissant and mumbled «perfect» as flaky bits tumbled off my lips. It was textbook perfect! Perfectly flaky, with the right number of rolls (five, according to my home baking wife), and a honeycombed interior that was light, airy, and bounced back after every bite. Tartine in SF doesn’t hold a candle to this one. Much better than Amandine in West LA. Better than many that the wife and I have had in Paris. Samurai guy had it right.
The coffee was also on the money, as long as you don’t get decaf. I had a perfectly pulled macchiato that was a perfect (there’s that word again) accompaniment to the croissant. The wife’s decaf cortado tasted like musty beans, though. We’ll consider that a one-​off.
If it weren’t so far from our digs in SM, we’d be downing croissants and coffee here like it was going out of style!

I’ve only had a croissant and coffee here. It was one of the best croissants I’ve had. Light, flakey, and sold out pretty quickly. Get here early to ensure you get one. IF YOU’RE READING THIS IN THE AFTERNOON ITS TOO LATE.
Shop is kinda small, but it’s what I’d expect for a small local bakery. Not a place I’d go to study or try to get work done at. Come here to start your morning and relax, not write your next screenplay.

Wow this place completely exceeded my expectations.
First impressions:
This place has that typical hipster cliché vibe to it that I didn’t care for. It’s not a typical place I would go to but since I live near by I decided why not?
They didn’t have much selection and nothing stood out to me as looking extremely tasty or anything.
The employees were extremely friendly and welcoming.
The prices are up there so I for sure won’t be coming on a daily basis or anything.
The food:
Since nothing stood out to me I decided to just pick some random stuff that I came across.
I got the chive biscuit, mini quiche, chocolate scone, and apple turnover.
As soon as I left I took a bite of the chive biscuit and turned right around and bought 4 more. I can’t even describe how delicious and moist this biscuit was. It’s so amazing! I literally had to forcefully stop myself from finishing them in one sitting. They’re so good. I would definitely come back for those biscuits.
The quiche was okay. I may have stuffed myself too much with biscuits to truly enjoy the taste of the other stuff I bought. Oh well!
I was pleasantly surprised with how good the food was despite some of my first impressions.

I like Proof Bakery. These are the crispiest croissants ever. My fave is the chocolate croissant (3.75). I’ve tried the almond and didn’t like it as much. Just go for the chocolate or plain.
Ham sandwich 8 — tiny and pricy! It’s worth trying and is extremely delicious but 8?! The bread has big chunks of sea salt on top. It’s more pretzel than baguette. Really chewy and salted. It’s so good! But so expensive!
Rugelach 1.5 — this is a tiny crispy croissant with nuts and sugar inside. Kinda like a french baklava. Two bites and it’s gone. Kinda pricy but interesting.
Ginger molasses cookies 2 — kinda dry. Not as chewy as I wanted it to be. Crisp on the edges. Shortening cookie so it scares me a little bit.
Chocolate chip 2 — prob the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had. Crisp edges, chewy center. Chocolate throughout the cookie. Flat and wide. Not too sweet but sprinkled with sea salt anyway to make it even tastier. Dear god my mouth is watering as I write this. I’ve got to get one tomorrow. Do not leave without buying a chocolate chip cookie. It’s the iconic chocolate chip cookie done well.
Gougeres 2 — gooood. These are cream puffs mixed with cheese and black pepper. So gooood. Crisp on the outside, eggy and soft in the center. Soooooo gooooood. Get 2 cuz I bought one then went back for another because gluttony.
Street metered parking but if pull into the neighborhood parking is free.

Today’s the day, you got the fifth star. Years later, once east coast move away and one west coast move back, I now declare that I have eaten the famed Proof sandwiches. Well-​deserved fame. Special shout outs on the Salami, Chive Butter, Manchego, Arugula sammie and the Heirloom Tomato one. The bread is perfect. Truly. Just the right crunch. Just the right amount of buttery goodness. Just the right size sandwich too.
Love you, Proof.

I don’t get too riled up about bakeries in general, but this place Proof is the shit. We’ve only been a few times in our tenure in Los Feliz, but whenever we go, I think how stupid it is that we don’t come more often.
The space is cute, bright and well decorated on a bustling stretch of Atwater Village. It gets pretty busy, especially on weekends, and I have yet to dine in as a result. Taking out is much more manageable. The lines aren’t insane and service is friendly.
The pastries are some of the best in the city. The croissants are excellent, buttery with delicate, shattering layers – I can’t think of a better one around. I’ve had a lovely currant scone that was pleasantly crumbly, almost like coffee cake. I’ve also enjoyed the sticky, dense, caramelized caneles. For a straight-​up dessert pastry, I’d highly recommend the pomegranate pear tart if it happens to be in the case. I had this once and it was an incredible tart, with a nice packed crust and a beautiful fruit and custard filling. (I would imagine all the fruit tarts are good. This is just the one I’ve tried.)
The savory stuff is also delicious. In fact, of all the wonderful offerings at Proof, I think the farmer’s market quiche is probably the most wonderful. I’ve only had this once, and apparently the ingredients vary day by day. Mine had ham and spinach, but I’m guessing the important parts don’t really change. The quiche was sublime, the best I’ve ever had, with custardy egg and a sturdy, flaky, buttery crust. Each bite was deeply savory and perfectly textured – this is the only quiche I’ve ever thought about after it was gone, and I think about it kind of often. If you’re in more of a lunch mood, there are some ready-​made sandwiches available after noon. I’ve had one with prosciutto, camembert, and fig spread, and one with radishes, greens, and anchovy butter. Both great sandwiches, with fresh, tasty ingredients on crusty baguettes.
We live just far enough away from Proof that we can’t roll out and come home with a take-​out breakfast without effort or forethought. This is the only reason we’ve been to our corner bakery about 200x more than Proof – we are lazy, horrible people who probably don’t deserve to eat amazing food on a regular basis. The quiche, though, is a recent discovery, and it just might get me into a car on a Saturday morning. I’ll leave the house for some good savory food, and I can always pick up a few tarts and caneles as long as I’m out.

Ugh, I love Proof. so much. Everything from it’s charming Atwater quaintness to the best chocolate chip cookie EVER. I am a self-​proclaimed cookie monster so, when I say this cookie is game-​changing, I’m not lying! The chocolate chip is almost toffee-​esque and it’s salted so there’s a delicious balance. However, it’s the texture that I LOVE. It’s crispy on the edges but ooey gooey towards the middle. I want one, right now.
I haven’t tried their other pastries/​sandwiches but everything looks delightful. But, their coffee is pretty tasty. On par with the Blue Bottles/​Stumptowns of the world!
This place is always packed though! One morning, they opened late and there was a hugeeee line outside!

I am a believer. Wow wow wow. The best cookies I’ve had. My fave thing here is their chocolate chip cookie. I actually took it home and ate it two days later. It was surprisingly good. Each bite was orgasmic.
At the sit-​down, I had their skinny bite sized sandwich, the quiche, and a salted caramel cookie. Everything was very good. I loved that the sandwich was small-​portioned and skinny. Their coffee could be served at a higher temperature but overall, impressive baking skills in the house!
Will definitely be a regular for the cookies!

Their Ham Quiche ($ 6) is to die for! It was my first time trying a quiche (yes, I know, shocking) so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I couldn’t stop eating after the first bite! But… due to time/​work constriction, I was only able to only chow down half of the quiche. Almost a whole day later, it still tasted really good. I’m so glad that I finally got the chance to try this bakery shop. It made going to work worth it!
I would skip the iced coffee though — a bit sour and watered down.
There’s free parking in the back. Also, expect to be in a long time, especially if you’re going in the morning.

I came here with my friend and her baby. Got an almond milk cappuccino– yum! ($ 1 for almond milk– that’s a lot)
she got a decaf latte and a seasonal pumpkin puff pastry thing. love that place, they bake a lot of things right in house. French charm — sweet!

5 stars for the best chocolate cookie I’ve had in my life. That’s a pretty huge statement and I stand behind it. If you’re not going to read any further, please be advised that Proof Bakery is home to the world’s best chocolate cookie (unverified).
Proof is located in a charming area in Atwater Village and telling from the massive line inside the relatively small storefront, its reputation precedes itself — for good reason. Walking down past the pastry displays and truly before I knew it, I amassed an order that included a Salami Sandwich, Ham Sandwich, a Croissant, a Mini Quiche, a Savory Brioche Bun, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. When faced with the total cost (Proof will cost you a pretty penny), I tried justifying my order by planning to take the quiche, brioche bun, and croissant to-​go…
…No such thing happened. AGAIN, before I knew it, I had polished off every single item. And I would do it again. And again, and again, and again, because the food at Proof is ridiculously good.
Starting with the sandwiches: The Salami sandwich comes with manchego cheese, arugula, and a truly delectable chive butter while the Ham sandwich came with butter and a pickle. How simple and how freaking delicious. First of all, the bread used is magical — it’s brushed with coarse salt and everything from the flavor to texture is memorable. Ingredients are fresh and both sandwiches re elevated by the most basic elements of bread and butter. Doesn’t get much better!
Only after I had finished in my buttery, ultra-​flaky croissant did I decide that it was a good idea to «sample» the quiche and brioche bun. If you lack self control, I advise against this kind of decision-​making because you will eat everything — I mean, all of it. The quiche, with its caramelized onions, asparagus, and beautifully flaky crust, is divine. All of it is buttery, creamy, and sinfully indulgent. The brioche bun is baked with goat cheese and fresh baby tomatoes and is a sweet and savory dream.
I am no coffee connoisseur, but I know my carbs — and the bread at Proof is next level amazing, you guys. Each rendition I had, from sweet flaky puff pastry to soft brioche to the perfect sandwich bread was executed with a masterful hand. And don’t get me started on the chocolate chip cookie… go try it today. Actually, go now. Go right now.

So we made a bit of a long drive out here just to try their chocolate chip cookie. I’ve always had a bit of an excessive sweet tooth, and hearing rave reviews about the one here had me eager to try it out!
We ended up getting just 2 baked goods when we went (the stomach can only hold so much!).
+CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE.
It was pretty fantastic. I wouldn’t say that it was the best in LA, and it’s too much of a drive for me to seek out again, but it’s definitely worth trying out. Buttery, crispy with a soft center, and giant pools of chocolate are all good in my book!
~CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TART.
I couldn’t not order this after seeing it in the bakery case. It’s an extremely decant chocolate caramel tart, and one bite will have caramel oozing everywhere. It’s good, but definitely requires a glass of milk, and was wayyyy too rich to even share with the boy. I’m not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing, really.
Overall, though, a fantastic, small local bakery!