The Only Culver City Bakery That Has It All: French Pastries, Bread, and Café Meals
The Only Culver City Bakery That Has It All: French Pastries, Bread, and Café Meals
Let’s check out Sweet Wheat in Downtown Culver City
I got a behind-the-scenes look at Sweet Wheat, the French bakery and café that just opened in Downtown Culver City.
I had the chance to tour the space and chat with Chef Romain Lecat, which made me even more excited about this spot. This is their second location, they started in Redondo Beach and built a strong local following before expanding into Culver City. It’s locally owned, already loved, and now a lot more accessible for the rest of us.
Chef Lecat in the Culver City bakery
Spacious outdoor seating for people watching and cafe vibes
Window views at Sweet Wheat Culver City
Funny Insight: Chef Lecat noticed that their Redondo Beach location sells more croissants than their Culver City location!
Does this mean more LA city folks are health conscious and try to limit their buttery croissant consumption, whereas beach people walk more and thus eat more croissants??
We’ll never know LOL! But because of this feedback from the local community, Chef Lecat highlighted savory options like their sandwiches (like the egg-ham-and-cheese-croissant sandwich, or their ham-cheese croque sandwich) and loaves of sour dough bread!! I personally tried their veggie quiche, and thought it was the perfect savory treat, prepping me for their sweet baked goods!!
Everything Is Baked Fresh On-Site Using 100% Flour Imported from France
Fancy desserts including the Lemon Meringue Tarts, Raspberry + Vanilla Filled French Macaroons and the Roche Hazelnut Cake
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that everything is baked on site. The Culver City location spans about 3,500 square feet, and the Redondo shop is around 2,800, which gives them the space to proof and bake everything fresh in house. It is fully local, from start to finish.
If you need a reason to support local, this is it. You can taste the difference when it is made fresh right there. (YUM)
Chef Lecat also (very casually) mentioned they use 100% imported flour from France. Sounds fancy, but there’s a reason behind it. When they tried to recreate a traditional French baguette using U.S. flour, the results weren’t consistent.
Chef Lecat explained that most U.S. flour is made from hard wheat, while French flour typically uses softer wheat, or a blend. That softer wheat is what gives French bread its texture and flavor. It’s what he’s used to baking with in France, and it shows in the final product.
Chef Lecat serving up the Veggie Quiche
He also pointed out that France bans more pesticides in its wheat supply, including some that are still used in the U.S. His view is that these differences can impact the taste and overall quality of the bread.
When I think about it , it makes me want to just buy my bread at Sweet Wheat. The idea of fewer pesticides is a real selling point for me. I recently read that higher levels of pesticides can show up in some whole wheat products in the U.S., including bread. And I’ll be honest, I eat a lot of bread (#carblover), so this feels like one small way to be a bit more mindful about what I’m consuming.
How did they decide to open their second location in Culver City?
Initially, they were very close to selecting a location near The Black Cat and Intelligensia in Silver Lake off Sunset Blvd. However, Chef Lecat saw that Shake Shack was shutting down several LA locations, so he immediately started looking at all their locations to find a perfect fit for their second location. He was excited because they were all recent locations, newly renovated (so that when his team moved in, they wouldn’t have to change as much), and several were in core locations with high foot traffic, and on a visible corner.
Chef Lecat said he initially submitted his proposal the Culver City location along with estimated numbers, and a high level business plan. It took about four months before the location owner finally reached out and they began serious talks. Once they were aligned, Chef Lechat said they pulled out of talks from the Sunset Blvd location to instead come to Culver City!
Savory croissant sandwiches including Egg + Ham + Cheese
The interesting thing about the Culver City location, is it gets a lot of office workers during regular business hours, so breakfast, brunch and lunch times tend to be busy. On weekends, breakfast and brunch are their busy times. However, his goal is to get more locals and regulars in during the work week! His theory is since parking and driving through core Downtown Culver can be congested, that many locals stay away.
This is his call out to the locals, come eat at Sweet Wheat in Culver City!! They are locally owned and operated and want to serve the local community, just like they do at their original Redondo Beach location!
Loaves of bread
What are Sweet Wheat’s most popular sweets?
Gosh, when you stand in front of their glass baked goods counter, it’s overwhelming in a good way! As an adult with a huge sweet tooth, I liken it to a kid in a candy store (heaven)! The world is my oyster, and I can eat anything I want lol!
I feel you cannot go wrong, but the most popular sweets include their buttery almond croissant (in the large and mini size!!), the canneles, and French toast. Chef Lecat proceeded to show me even more top tier desserts of theirs, including the plain butter croissant (not sure if you think that’s dessert or a savory snack??) and the kouign amamn!
I kid you not, I ate every single dessert that I just named, and I loved all of them! Not to be typical, but I truly loved their almond croissant.
Their plain croissants did standout for being more buttery than other ones I’ve tried. The exterior was perfectly crispy and the inside considered more doughy than other ones (which come across as airy) but I truly prefer the doughy center (which comes from them baking with more butter, to get down with their French roots).
Huge outdoor seating, patio and overhang!
Why is the bakery named “Sweet Wheat”?
Chef Lecat shared that the name comes from the French phraseblé sucré, which translates to “sweet wheat.” In France, it refers to sweetened wheat used in pastry dough. When brought into English, he liked how it sounded…simple, warm, and fitting for a bakery, so they named it Sweet Wheat! And I have to agree, it’s very memorable :D
Bread loaves including Cranberry Walnut and their Country Sour Dough
More Than a Bakery, It’s a All-Day Hangout Spot
Pretty interiors, cafe-bistro vibes with roomy booths and benches
Y’all, a little insider detail. Sweet Wheat in Culver City is not your typical cramped bakery situation. They have over 10 parking spots in the back, which in LA already feels like a luxury. Then you’ve got an outdoor patio, a front patio, cozy booths inside, and plenty of café tables and window seating if you’re in the mood to people watch.
The space itself is big and easy to settle into. You can host a baby shower, meet a friend for brunch, sneak in a work session on your laptop, or do a casual dessert meet-up after dinner. It flexes depending on what you need. And with their plans to roll out dinner and extended hours, it’s shaping up to be one of those all-day spots you can keep coming back to.
Brunch Menu
All-Day Menu!
Sweet Wheat’s Chocolate Eclair Patisserie and their Raspberry Tartlet
Sweet Wheat in Culver City
9341 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 (website)
About Elle Tran
Here I am with my Sweet Wheat treats (soo good)
Elle (aka L. Tran) thrives on being a tourist in her own city, generously sharing over 10 years of Los Angeles knowledge with fellow enthusiasts!
An enthusiastic bike-to-work cyclist, also known as a commuter, Elle has recently embraced the world of roller skating. If you have any questions about LA, drop her a line, or simply say HELLO! Meeting new people brings her immense joy. Cheers! linhdy@outlook.com
