Pull into the We Got It station on National Blvd. in Cheviot Hills, and the plan is gas, maybe a Gatorade. Then you notice the cookie counter. Not a grab-and-go rack of cellophane bags — a serious operation offering roughly 65 varieties, with names like Billionaire’s Shortbread and Apple Tarte Tatin. Zooies has built a devoted neighborhood following here and quietly made the case that a practical family decision can become a bakery’s defining identity.
From the Family Kitchen to the Pump
A self-taught baker, a husband’s gas station, and a smart sidestep around the cost of a conventional storefront.
Founder Arezou Appel is self-taught. She learned through cookbooks and cooking programs while raising her kids, according to the Zooies website. The company says Zooies launched in 2013; reporting from the Los Angeles Times places the current National Boulevard operation’s start in 2017, after Appel previously sold cookies from a gas station in San Diego. However the timeline is parsed, the logic was straightforward: her husband Jeff owned the gas station, the space was available, and the overhead was manageable. The Appel family used what they had, kept prices accessible, and built from there.
A few practical details before you go:
- Location: 9815 National Blvd., Cheviot Hills (near Culver City and West LA)
- Menu: approximately 65 varieties, per NY Post reporting; selection varies by day
- Price: around $4 per cookie on average, according to the NY Post
- Dietary options: vegan, gluten-free, paleo, and refined-sugar-free categories available — confirm preparation details directly if you have allergies
- Access: walk-in; online ordering and delivery also available
The menu reads like someone gave a talented home baker unlimited shelf space and zero obligation to play it safe. As of 2019, LA Times reporting noted more than 30 kinds baked fresh daily — a figure that illustrates the operation’s scale, even if current production may differ. The range runs from a Truffle Brownie and 9-Layer Bar to a Paleo Chocolate Chip and Vegan Chocolate Chip — serious dietary range for a gas station counter. Levain Bakery offers another point of comparison for those who love exploring dedicated cookie destinations.
The two cookies most cited by food guides and repeat customers are the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip and the Gooie. According to NY Post reporting, Appel describes the Brown Butter Chocolate Chip as combining chocolate chips with pieces cut from larger chocolate blocks, with a crisp exterior and soft, gooey center. The Gooie — a milk-and-dark chocolate combination flagged by The Infatuation as a best seller — rounds out the shortlist. The Walnut Gooie reportedly draws some customers back roughly once a week, per NY Post accounts.
The Regulars Make It Real
Loyal customers and a family-run operation have turned a convenience-store counter into a genuine neighborhood fixture.
The Appel children now work across the business — social media, logistics, catering, and partnerships — according to NY Post reporting. Customers, reportedly, treat the place in kind. Some visitors return weekly. One customer, quoted in the NY Post, described the cookies as “next-level elite” — that’s one customer’s verdict, attributed to the publication’s reporting, not an independently verified critical judgment. Still, it tracks with a shop that has held the same address for years without needing a rebrand. It’s the kind of beloved neighborhood following that speaks for itself.
Appel has described her customer base as an extended community of friends and family, according to the Zooies website. For a cookie counter inside a working convenience store, that kind of loyalty is its own endorsement.
If you’re passing through Cheviot Hills and your tank needs topping off, there’s now a compelling reason to go inside. Fill up both.
