Reviewing Okayama Kobo: A Japanese bakery with quality eats and delicious drinks in Los Angeles.

As a matcha enthusiast, I am constantly looking for new places to try. When I was researching the best matcha in downtown Los Angeles, I came across Okayama Kobo. I invited a fellow foodie to go on the adventure with me. This bakery is in a hotel lobby, which made parking a little difficult because we were not hotel guests. The bakery itself is easy to spot in the lobby and was extremely busy with both hotel guests and non-hotel guests. While waiting in line, we enjoyed looking at the pastries in the case and examined the posted drink menu. All the baked goods were so intricately designed, and the drinks coming out all looked so refreshing and delicious. After we ordered at the counter, we sat at a table near the window to enjoy the view of the street in Little Tokyo and people-watch the arriving hotel guests.

I ordered the classic iced matcha latte with non-fat milk. It was the perfect sweetness even without anything added, which is exactly how I like it! I then ordered the Kobo Kuma pastry, a fluffy bread with vanilla custard inside. Kuma means bear, which is fitting given the shape of the pastry and the decorative chocolate on top. The bread was perfectly fluffy and had a natural sweet taste to it. The vanilla custard was also an excellent addition. My two items were on the sweeter side, which I appreciated and would recommend to others who have similar taste preferences to mine, but there are definitely other options on the menu for those who prefer things that are not as sweet.

My friend ordered an iced matcha rose latte and the Strawberry Coppe pastry. She really enjoyed her latte and said it was refreshing and unique; however, she is not sure she would order it again. Despite her pastry being extremely photogenic and visually appetizing, it was not too tasty. The breading was different from the Koba Kuma and was on the dryer side. The filling and strawberries were yummy, but they did not salvage the dryness of the bread to bring it all together. My friend also preferred the Kobo Kuma pastry.

For first-timers, I recommend getting the Kobo Kuma or the Chocolate Emoji pastry since the breading is the same for both and the only difference is the filling, which is vanilla custard in the Kobo Kuma and chocolate in the Chocolate Emoji.

According to Okayama Kobo’s website and Instagram, their dough is free of preservatives and additives, which is an added bonus! The flour they use is imported from Japan, revealing how traditional their pastries truly are, and their pastries are baked fresh daily, as evidenced by the fresh taste. Their seasonal pastries on their Instagram look super cute and might be a reason to go back since they are so special.

The staff at the bakery were attentive and quick to make the orders. The ambiance of this place is adorable, from the mural on the wall to the colored portions of the window, and the food and drinks are obviously quite aesthetically pleasing and photogenic. While I would recommend people try this place out for the experience, I am not sure if I will return for a second try.