With the pandemic and quarantine still in full effect throughout the country, this summer of 2020 definitely feels different. No travel plans, no gatherings, no summer picnics with friends. It’s a bit of a Haute Mess. What I miss the most right now? Wandering the streets of a foreign city, greeting a stranger in another language, and tasting the cultural delicacies of that particular neighborhood. While Los Angeles will always be home to me, I love a good escape overseas. I planned to visit a few European cities this summer and thought I’d be sitting down at a cute European market and cafe right about now. Plans have certainly changed, haven’t they?
Imagine my excitement when someone introduced me to Haute Mess, a gourmet European inspired market and cafe right in the heart of Los Angeles! Located in the Fairfax district, this cute little market gives off some homey, chic European vibes. The bright open space, high ceilings, colorful tiled floors, cheese and meat displays, wine racks, fresh pastries and espressos all take me back to my previous vacations in Europe. Markets, meat, cheese, sandwiches, and wine are aplenty in many of the major European cities.
The Market Side of Haute Mess
While waiting for my food, I perused the Haute Mess small market offerings. The market sells items like pasta, chocolate, wine, olive oils, and other European cuisine products. The market offers a pretty impressive selection, particularly the extensive wine rack. Their team of epicurean virtuosos curates these wine bottles and items for sale.
The Cafe Side of Haute Mess
Although Haute Mess itself is a relatively small store on Beverly Blvd, it offers quite a bit of food options! Although indoor dining is prohibited, Haute Mess offers a few tables for patio dining.
The Sandwich Bar
The sandwich bar offers fresh made-to-order European-style sandwiches. These types of sandwiches are a pretty typical staple of the European culture. While eating an authentic Italian sandwich seems like such a treat to me, I remember easily finding these types of sandwiches everywhere in Europe. The Haute Mess sandwiches are cutely named after classic drinks. I ordered the Cosmopolitan e Rosati, which is made with proscuitto di Parma, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, arugula, and pesto vinaigrette. It did not disappoint!
Charcuterie Counter
The charcuterie counter stands right by the entrance and is the first thing you see. However, the owner is in the process of redesigning Haute Mess to add an area for gelato (my fave!!), so the layout will change. The cheese display shows all the different cheeses they curate. The cured meat display is located towards the back. Haute Mess offers charcuterie boards for both individual orders and catering. I tried a board with several meat and cheese pairings based on the recommendations of the staff there. I really liked the Fromager D’affinois (truffle) cheese and the Honey Bee goat cheese, both which I tried for the first time!
Café
The counter in the back is where you order your cup of morning coffee. The selection includes espresso, mocha, and other Italian coffees. You can also order ice blended drinks, as well as loose leaf tea.
Bakery
While they didn’t have too much of a selection when I went, the bakery offers handcrafted buns, sourdough, challah, french country and baked baguettes. I didn’t order any of the fresh baked goods, but I did order a sandwich which used a fresh baguette. The baguette was delicious!
L’patisserie
No meal is complete without dessert! The L’patisserie at Haute Mess crafts beautiful pastries that all look so delicious. Of course I tried the classic Italian dessert, the tiramisu. It tasted creamy, light and delicious. I also tried the cute strawberry shortcake since I LOVE strawberries. I liked that the strawberries added just a hint of tart to the sweetness of the cake.
If you miss a taste of European street markets, check out this beautiful Haute Mess market and cafe! (And with a Yelp check-in, you get $1 off your in-store purchase!)
Haute Mess
7673 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036