Your TL;DR Guide to Southern California
TL;DR: Gusto Bread is a Long Beach bakery located in the city’s “Retro Row.” With freshly-baked bread available and specialty lattes, this small business has certainly earned its place as a locally beloved institution. The only potential hiccup for your trip is finding parking – but with a little bit of patience, it’s easy to move past that.
I think one of my favorite past-times is visiting different bakeries and cafes – does that count as a hobby? If not, then I’d like to formally launch my petition to change that.
Recently, I decided to adventure out in Long Beach – a Southern California city filled with some amazing finds. The 4th Street Retro Row neighborhood in particular has that old-neighborhood charm that reminds me of parts of Portland – if you California-ized it. “Retro Row,” as it’s been dubbed, is lined with local businesses, vintage shops, and arts centers – all celebrating the diversity of Long Beach.
One of those beloved institutions is Gusto Bread.
What Makes Gusto Bread Special
Established in 2017 as a part of founder Arturo and Ana’s home, Gusto Bread considers itself a modern panadería. Rooted in Arturo and Ana’s cultural heritage, each item on the menu and every detail of the store is meant to evoke a sense of family, home, and creative self-expression.
Arturo’s family comes from CDMX and Chihuahua, Mexico while Ana was born in Argentina. Combined with their California upbringing, they both seek to find inspiration in their multi-cultural backgrounds while also celebrating the diverse communities of the Americas – and more specifically, Long Beach.
The Logistics
At a Glance
Address: 2710 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814
Hours:
8AM-4PM (Tues-Fri)
8AM-2PM (Sat-Sun)
Closed Mondays
Parking: Limited (Free) street parking only
Website: gusto.com
Parking
My biggest concern with visiting Gusto the first time was parking. However, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I was expecting. While only street parking (free) is available – there are plenty of options around the neighborhood. Just come with a patient attitude in case you need to circle the block a little.
Once you’ve accepted that it might take some time to find a spot, the biggest obstacle will be for folks who may have some mobility restrictions that affect how far they can travel on foot (just in case you need to park and walk a little). If that’s the case, the neighborhood side streets of Molino and Temple Ave are much calmer if you need time to drop someone off to make that mini commute a little more accessible.
Otherwise, parking and walking gives you the opportunity to check out the rest of Retro Row!
Lastly, Gusto has more limited hours than other eateries (which is actually pretty standard for smaller bakeries). Because of that, you shouldn’t run into too much difficulty with high traffic times for the rest of the area.
The Best Time to Visit
Things do sell out throughout the day, especially loaves of bread. The earlier you get there, the more options you’ll have. Parking will also be the trickiest Friday through Sunday and later in the day – so keep that in mind when planning your trip!
Dining Options and Ambiance
Sometimes, trendy bakeries or cafes can be really intimidating for the uninitiated. Have you ever stepped into a place and immediately felt unsure about what to order or where to stand? That was NOT AT ALL the atmosphere here.
Aesthetic without being pretentious, Gusto Bread is such a pleasant experience – it’s both calm, homey, and gorgeously designed. The minute I stepped through the door, I felt welcomed and had an easy time navigating my way around the menu options. Vibe-wise, it was definitely on the quieter-side inside, but not in an overly sterile way – more of a relaxing atmosphere. There is some limited seating indoors, but more seating options (pictured above) are available outside, street-side.
There is a small store section, featuring small businesses and Gusto Bread merch – a must-browse while waiting for your order.
What to Order
I don’t think you can really go wrong here, but if you need some recommendations on where to start, I can certainly give you a few ideas!
I had the Dulce de Leche Latte on my last visit – and as one of their more popular drinks it definitely lived up to the hype. The Horchata Cold Brew also gets some well-deserved love.
For pastries and breads, Gusto Bread should definitely be awarded the “not too sweet” distinction. Their conchas, pastelito de guayaba, and chocopan all get a special highlight.
I also bought a California loaf for myself to take home. It was pretty good, but I’d be interested in checking out one of the other options next time. Their loaf prices are pretty consistent (if not on the cheaper end) for artisanal or farmer’s market bread vendors, so I will definitely be visiting to grab and taste a few more in the future!
In fact, the prices here were very consistent with what is standard for similar cottage or artisanal businesses in Southern California – in fact, I was surprised they weren’t charging more for things. For example, a basic hot latte is $5.50 while an iced specialty latte can go up to $8.00 (like the Atole Latte). The California Loaf is $10 (I paid $16 today for a loaf at a different bakery I’ll be writing about soon!). All of that to say, I am not one to shame a business for pricing an item higher (it’s expense to run a business, ya’ll), but I do have to give Gusto Bread major props for being considerate and conscious of their customers with their pricing while also delivering high quality goods.
Other things to do
Can you believe I haven’t written about a Long Beach destination the entire time I’ve been running TL;DR Travels? That’s practically criminal of me!
Long Beach is both beloved locally but also, somehow underrated for tourism (in my experience). In fact, it’s the second-most populated city in all of Los Angeles County.
While in the area, you should definitely check out the rest of Retro Row, head over to Belmont Shore, shop around the Long Beach Hangar, or visit the Queen Mary. There is so much more to explore, so let me know if you’d be interested in a Long Beach guide in the future!
Gusto Bread is definitely worth a visit. A relaxed atmosphere, great flavors, and good prices, it has quickly risen to one of my favorite bakeries in Southern California.
Have you been to this Long Beach bakery? What are your favorite items?
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