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.

The perfect little chocolate shop for gifting! The owner was so nice and friendly and the…read morechocolates were DELICIOUS!! Such high quality.

A tiny little nook and Hermosa Beach there is this chocolate shop, the owner is super friendly and…read moreit's very warm to answer all the questions. There's a limited supply of options in the off-season, but the work is really beautiful and I love the boxes with the octopus that's one of my favorite parts. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area or need a little gift..

I attended a wine & chocolate pairing class and was fortunate enough to taste these exquisite…read morechocolates. Had it not been for this class I would have never discovered this confectionary delight. We sampled four different chocolates: Madagascar 72% (Estate Blend Dark), Hispaniola 74% (Single Origin Dark), Ecuador 77% (Estate Dark), & Trinidad 80% (Single Origin Dark). I immediately could taste the high quality of this chocolate in comparison to cheaper brands. It was also fascinating to discover how the chocolate enhanced the flavor of the wine. We also learned how to appreciate the chocolate by focusing with our senses and to savor it slowly in order to identify flavors and sensations. The way the chocolate feels and melts in your mouth affects the flavor, as well as the aromas you smell as you are savoring it. A superior quality chocolate will leave a smooth, creamy & clean finish in your mouth and not a gritty & sugary after taste that you often get with commercial chocolate. This luxury chocolate is hand crafted at an atelier located in Manhattan Beach. You can't purchase at that location, but you can order it online along with hot chocolate, cake mix, brownie mix, and other goodies at: barauchocolat.com

During the holiday season, that kind of just passed, I could not escape IG reels that romanticized…read morethe power of hot chocolate. Apparently, it can be so rich and thick (European Style) that it is part healing warmth and the other part just wildly delicious. So I decided to go ahead and find a cup of thick, and rich cocoa to hit me with holiday splendor, the kind that can re-assemble Frosty after his final melt. My friend Conrad and I were the duo who ventured to ChocoVivo to try chocolate, on chocolate, on chocolate, with some water on the side. ChocoVivo is in Culver City. The place itself is on Washington Blvd amidst some bars, and eateries. This place lends itself to be a dessert spot, an experience for chocolate lovers and those who are not, and anyone who just wants to experience the taste of chocolate in-depth and in odd luxury. As soon, as I entered, I made a beeline for the counter. I was overwhelmed with all the chocolatey choices: pastries, drinks, squares, with the list continuing exhaustively, it even included a chocolate skull that might serve better as decoration than a treat. I excused myself and went to use the restroom, I dared not ask questions to understand my options, when my bladder was full. I might make rash decisions, due to my inability to focus. And with so many options in front of me, I wanted to sample what was right and balanced for me. I wanted to sample chocolate, I just did not just want to taste chocolate. My trip to the facilities was a small adventure in itself. I passed a room with a man working on his laptop. But the room, seemed to be, like a Sultan's rest-room. It had pillows, hanging lamps, and a cream like colored that reminded me of sun-kissed sand. I clipped the room. There is a Minion (from Illumination fame) chilling in one of the couches. Another picture shows, a fishing net (maybe) with make-shift clouds pouring out of it, also leafs and butterflies. It seemed to be the remains of a shipwreck but it also held decorations that could have made the space more beautiful. I believe, and I could be wrong, of course, that this room used to be functional. A place to lounge, and see beauty, while enjoying chocolate. Now it was a forgotten room, whose purpose never fulfilled, and thus had stuff scattered around. I am sure, everyone can relate to that feeling, of getting stuff for an imagined room that never quite materializes and thus the room becomes storage, more than anything. Kondo deliver us! After, I came to the cashier, I ordered a hot chocolate. Conrad made a point, that the hot chocolate I ordered was not the European sipping hot chocolate that I had talked about on our car ride there. He then. made a point, that I should read a menu and then ask questions. I ask questions, as I read the menu. I eventually, ordered two hot chocolates, (one for him and one for me) and then we sampled 12 chocolate squares--- a sampler. The total was close to 60.00 dollars so this is an experience that is not going to the local mart and buying a Hershey's bar. The 12 chocolate samples were just great and enough, there were bigger samples, which I considered buying, but the price deterred me. The one that I got was super appropriate for both of us, by the end I was enjoying slightly by force, I mustered the strength to finish the half marathon. The full marathon would have tapped me out. The samples came with a card. Conrad was the one who was consulting the card, so we could not what chocolate we ate. It was truly fun, to be with someone who read of the information of the card, and then we tried to identify the taste as the card described. I wish I would have taken a picture of the card, but honestly, I am more of a determine by taste taster than a person who wants to be informed of what he is tasting, to know what he is tasting. I do remember the worst tasting chocolate we tasted--- it had black tea infused into it, I do not remember its cacao percentage, each chocolate had a cacao percentage. The hire the percentage, the sweeter the chocolate. The black tea had this earthy and tea taste that was profound. I guess imagine tasting. a black tea without sugar that is kind of the taste I struggled with. I am glad I tasted this chocolate, however, because it was part of the whole experience. I did not drive to the beach and endure a pothole, I drove to the beach and was both intrigued and jolted by the bounce that the pothole produced. Some chocolates I really enjoyed, the hot chocolate was goodness in a cup. The chocolate sampler also came with an espresso that was split into two cups. I was provided a knife to cut each chocolate. I put the knife in the center with one arm, and use the other hand to pierce the chocolate. My halfs were not perfect. Sometimes Conrad got the bigger half square, sometimes I did. I annotate all this so one knows that when you visit ChocoVivo you will need to work, if you want to split those chocolates, but the work was part of the fun!

At least for the drinks and cookies, ChocoVivo is pretty solid. European hot chocolate and regular…read morehot chocolates have a reasonable set of choices, and the cookies we had were served hot and loaded with chocolate chunks. Service is friendly, at least given how late in the day we arrived, and the decor is best described as homey. They had the windows open at the front, which was both welcoming but a bit chilly in the fall if you were to sit by them-- the actual establishment was quite comfortable, just the window area that was a bit drafty.

Yeah, got some more sweet candies for the trip. Nice and clean plus varies type choices of…read morecandies. Staff is nice and friendly. Overall got what I needed for the trip.

Overall, they have lower prices than the other airport stores. For example, 5oz bags of Haribo…read moregummy bears are $4.89 while they $8-$9 at the others shops I visited nearby. The lady that works here is also really nice. The shop is located towards the end of the terminal though so you may miss it if your gate isn't down there

Nice and friendly staff. Great vibes and clean. But the staff moved at a glacier pace for being a…read morebusy location

Rude!!!! Please remove the man at the window. The skinny one with the durag on. He didn't even say…read morea word, and handed me my drink with the nastiest face on. My drink was wrong, and when I asked him to fix it, he seems so bothered and still didn't say a word.

Random side quest while visiting LA, while driving we stumbled upon Randy's and I couldn't believe…read moremy eyes. We had to get a donut and settled on a classic glazed to see if Tony Stark knew good donuts. It was great! They are freshly made, soft, sweet and delicious. Only complaint is it's a little bit pricey for the donuts but they are fresh. I would love to return if I'm ever in LA

Delicious donuts. Kindest staff. Favorite spot…read more Easy to order at the window or by drive thru. Can't miss the signature big ol' landmark donut from the road. Worth the stop (especially for the classic donut like glazed and the chocolate long John).

I love LUPHIA.. some of the best cookies I've ever had.. I love all 3 flavors! what I love: the…read moreflavor, the texture, the packaging, it's perfection! I've been giving the cookies as gifts to friends and everyone just loves them!

Given to me as a thank you gift. Absolutely delicious!!!!!!!read more

We put a great deal of thought and time into planning our wedding. We hired a wedding planner,…read moredesigner, lighting designer, and we even had a drone take aerial photographs, but the single most impressive feature of our wedding was the WEDDING CAKE. Our guests were astonished; they took more photos with the cake than they did with yours truly. Our guest's jaws literally dropped, and throughout the evening they gushed that our cake was the most amazing wedding cake they had ever seen. It was out of control. When we approached Shakar Bakery we knew there was no guarantee that Shantal would take on our project. Several cake-makers turned us down out of fear of not being able to deliver the cake we envisioned, but Shantal was fearless and delivered beyond our expectations. Skill and talent aside, it was an absolute pleasure working with Shakar Bakery- she will amaze you. If you are looking for something unique and special chose Shakar Bakery.

My wife and I hired Shakar to create a birthday cake for our niece's 9th birthday. Being aware of…read moreShantal's talents in both baking and engineering, the only two requirements that we gave her was that the cake had to incorporate the mad-hatter theme of the party and that it had to be spectacular. We met with her twice and she provided wonderful ideas for creating design elements within the ballroom to compliment the cake. From our initial inquiry through the follow-up that she did after the party, my wife, our guests and the birthday girls were completely in awe. Thank you Shantal for providing our niece with a memory she will cherish for a lifetime.