Huckleberry on Wilshire Boulevard is one of those places where Santa Monica residents go regularly enough that the staff know their orders. The bakery turns out serious pastries — croissants, morning buns, hand pies — alongside a cafe menu of egg dishes, grain bowls, and sandwiches. Everything is made with the same locally-sourced, seasonal-produce sensibility that the city's better restaurants apply to dinner, at breakfast prices.
Lines form on weekend mornings. The trick is to arrive before 9am or after 11am. The pastry case at the counter is worth assessing carefully before ordering — the daily selection varies and some days there are things worth changing your order for.