The Hunt for LA’s Best Kosher Challah

By Jonas Holdaway, Jacob Pearl, and Alex Rubel

“Let them eat Challah” — a French princess once famously opined. For us, the real question is: which one? To find out, our team took to the Jewish neighborhoods of Los Angeles in search of the most mouth-watering and delicious kosher challahs that the city has to offer. We visited ten of the most popular bakeries and grocery stores in the LA area, and, after much sampling and deliberation, are ready to present our top picks to our readers.

Because there are so many factors that fuse together to create the ultimate challah, our grading process uses various categories to rank each loaf. Then, at the end of our review, our team will reveal our top overall picks based on our individual evaluations.

Now, let us begin! As they say in Hebrew — b’tayavon!

List of bakeries we visited: La Brea Bagel, La Palais , Got Kosher , Beverly Hills Bagel Shop, Mensch Bakery, Continental Bakery, Sam’s Bakery , Bibi’s, Schwartz, Schwartz (Ralphs)

Best Taste:

Got Kosher (9.7/10)

8758 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Dubbed by one of our team’s columnists as the “Barry Bonds of Challah Shops,” Got Kosher, a small storefront bakery situated on West Pico Boulevard, was the clear champion with its one-of-a-kind pretzel challah. Its rich, savory, and uniquely “pretzel” flavor gave this challah an immense boost over the other somewhat nondescript taste profiles we had tasted. Be warned: once you start noshing, it is hard to stop eating. Dieter discretion is advised!

Since Got Kosher’s challah is essentially in a league of its own due to its phenomenal pretzel “flavor,” we will include additional honorable mentions of more traditional versions. La Brea Bagel, on the “other side of town” boasts an egg challah that tastes great. Pico-Robertson’s Bagel Co. was not too far behind either, with its amazingly buttery and muffin-shaped challahs. Who knew bagel shops are capable of making exceptional challot?

Best Texture:

Schwartz Bakery (9/10)

8622 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Some might argue that the texture of a challah is even more critical than its taste. The seasoned consumer knows that the stretchy pull of challah separates it from the standard crumb of humbler bread. A hearty crumb also ensures structurally sound French toast or sandwiches made from any Shabbat challah leftovers.

Entering the Pico Boulevard institution, Schwartz Bakery, patrons are greeted by a bright glass display case of alluring culinary goods. The rest of the large room is mostly empty and dimly lit during off-hours in LA’s oldest Kosher bakery, but don’t be fooled: their challot remain at the top of the game. Schwartz demonstrated a textbook pull with a perfectly structured inner crumb, alongside a uniquely crisp bottom crust speckled with semolina flour. We’ve all seen challot at synagogue with the center gouged out, nothing but crust remaining — Schwartz is the rare bakery that has developed a crust that’s possibly more worthwhile than the crumb. Their flawless fundamentals and exceptional exterior earned Schwartz a strong 9 in texture.
Just 0.3 points behind was Got Kosher, thanks to their remarkably soft crumb and delicate crust. Meanwhile, one of the freshest challot, Beverly Hills Bagel Company scored nearly as well, presenting a fluffy interior that shone in spite of the small size challah that we selected.

Best Service:

Le Palais (9.3/10)

8670 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

In the hustle and bustle of preparing for Shabbat, finding the perfect challah should be quick and stress-free. This is especially true during the winter months, when the sun may set as early as 4:43 p.m. on Friday afternoons.

Le Palais, a family-owned French bakery in the heart of Pico Robertson, was at the top of our list of bakeries that offered convenience and top-notch customer service. At Le Palais, we were entranced by their perimeter walls of challah of different sizes, braids, and colors. Even though it was a counter-service bakery, we quickly wrapped up our visit after one of the many staff members rang us up for a small loaf. We even chatted with the affable Frenchmen and women about our project and snapped a few photos of their captivating display.

Best Value:

Costco Wholesale (Renaissance Bakery) (10/10)

6100 Sepulveda Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91411

When it comes to finding the best value challah, the evaluation is rather objective: what gives you the best bang for your buck? Based on our findings, the clear victor is Costco Wholesale’s Renaissance Challah, which offers a large challah – 24 ounces, for those numerically inclined – for just $5.99. The behemoth wholesale store comes in clutch, as it usually does with its prices, offering challah that may not be the best we’ve tried, but definitely worthy of a spot on the Shabbat dinner table. It is worth noting that not every home is located near a Costco store, so it is not always practical to visit Costco “just” for a challah loaf. However, this deal is hard to beat and makes Costco a compelling destination not just for household goods and bulk orders.

Wild Card:

Trader Joe’s Challah

Trader Joe’s is like a Joe of all trades. You can buy fresh produce, ready-to-eat food, gourmet items, and more, all under one roof. It is therefore not surprising for us to discover that they sell some pretty decent challot as well. Despite some folks assuming the worst from a store-bought challah, we were surprised at the freshness and sweetness of the Trader Joe’s challah. The loaf, with its smaller size, fits the bill nicely for most Shabbat functions without breaking the bank. If you find yourself shopping at Trader Joe’s, which many Angelenos do anyway regularly, ring up a challah at their register and give it a chance. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Writers’ Picks:

An overall rating of any challah loaf takes into account all the individual categories we rated. Still, at the end of the day, the ultimate challah boils down to the preference of the consumer. For our top pick, we have chosen our personal favorites, independent of the collective ratings they received.

Jacob’s pick: Got Kosher
As much as my challah purist colleagues may disagree, Got Kosher took the cake as the best overall challah destination (pun intended). Their signature pretzel challah blew us away as a well-needed revival of our beloved, somewhat homogenous, baked good. It combined the softness and pillowy texture of challah with the rich, slightly chewy crust and savory, almost malty notes of a classic pretzel. While we did venture into flavored challah territory, the bakery’s freshness, flavor, and wide selection set it apart from others in the rankings. The quaint storefront awning, adorned with a neon sign proudly staking their claim as the inventors of the pretzel challah, housed a homey interior that felt like the perfect place to stop after a long day at work and pick up a pair of loaves for seudah. Got Kosher offered a contemporary challah experience and an old-timey bakery feel that put it over the top of more traditional challah stores.

Jonas’ pick: Schwartz Bakery
Despite my initial skepticism, LA’s oldest Kosher bakery won me over bite by bite, and I am proud to say I am now a full Schwartz convert. While their old-school in-store experience may appear dated to some, there’s a reason that the Schwartz challah is ubiquitous in LA’s Jewish world. Schwartz produces a quintessential loaf that truly shines when eaten fresh. Of course, the challah is perfectly soft and hits the stretchy hallmark of texture that can only be achieved with years of challah experience. They even salt the dough perfectly (a surprisingly common blunder for other bakeries). But it was the distinct, slight crunch of the bottom crust that kept me coming back for more. Truly, the rarity of such a crust cannot be understated. Schwartz meets all the standards of a textbook challah and then pushes even further.

Alex’s pick: La Brea Bagel

In my opinion, La Brea Bagel offers the flagship challah in the entire Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. Frankly, I’m surprised that my fellow columnist did not exactly share these same sentiments. This is one of those challahs that undisciplined consumers (like me) will open, snack on, and finish well before Friday night dinner.

Parking at this Beverly Boulevard storefront bakery is less than ideal, so make sure your car is equipped with the latest backup camera. Upon entry to the store, look to your left and behold the awesome display of freshly baked challot.

This golden-brown challah has a taste that can be best described as a trifecta of sweetness, saltiness, and egginess. One very interesting feature of the “LBB” challah is that it does not require any dips – you can leave the hummus and techina in the fridge. It just tastes so great on its own. Look no further than La Brea Bagel when you do your Friday morning trip to the bakery; you will not be disappointed!