Beard Papa's

Who is Beard Papa? In short, he is the world's only baker emeritus with distinction in the field of creamery. To find out more about the Beard Papa story, click here. The buzz about Beard Papa finally made it's way to me a couple of months ago when J. informed me about the craze. Beard Papa dubs its creation as "the world's best cream puff". I just had to check it out for myself. The franchise has made its way around the world with locations in Asia, Australia and the United States (I wonder if they are planning to call the store in Mexico 'Papa's & Beard'?).

Our first taste was at the San Gabriel location. When we entered the shop I couldn't help but notice the smell of scrambled eggs permeating throughout the store. I figured that the eggy aroma came from the French choux mixture baking in the oven. The baked puffs are taken out to let cool a bit, before a machine fills the airy pastries with a masterful blend of whipped cream and custard. Afterwards, the baker lightly showers the cream puff with powdered sugar. Be careful of the first bite since the powdered sugar can cause a knee-jerk cough (sorta like ingesting too much tabasco when sucking on an oyster).

Hollywood location.

I haven't had that many cream puffs in my life, so I can honestly say that the cream puff at Beard Papa's was the best I've ever tasted...not to mention the most expensive. At a buck fiddy a pop, this little pastry the size of half a baseball will be leaving your wallet feeling lighter than the puff itself. Chocolate and green tea filling are also available, but on certain days (to keep the addicts coming back).

Hollywood location.

The filling of the cream puff was cool and matched well with its shell, but at nearly 18 dollars a dozen, I'll stick to bringing donuts in for the office mates. ;-)


Hollywood & Highland Shopping Center
6801 Hollywood Blvd.No.1.5.-153
Hollywood, CA 90028
(323) 462-6100
Beard Papa's website
store locations