quirky coffeehouses

[greengelato]

does anybody know of any fun and bohemian-esque coffeehouses in the westside? or even LA? ever since anastasia's asylum closed, i've been hard-pressed to find something similar. i went to lost souls cafe today in downtown and it reminded me of the many hours of good conversation i've spent at anastasia's. or even lulu's blue plate. where art thou westside artsy coffeehouse?

here are other coffeehouses i can think of:

1) groundwork
2) insomnia
3) rumor mill
4) synergy cafe
5) zona rosa
6) novel cafe

[rlic80]

Has anyone ever been to Velocity Cafe in Santa Monica? It's on Lincoln, just south of Pico. I remember a few years ago it used to be run by an awesome bohemian-ish biker couple and had a great staff (with a really cute manager!).

I remember it being quite off-the-wall with life-sized wooden animal sculptures and tons of unique artwork. It had to have been a bar at some point because of the vintage long wooden bar they served you from.

Don't know what happened to it recently, but it was FAR from what I remembered.

[kikidelosfeliz]

Casbah Cafe at 3900 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029-2242 - chai tea from handmade tea bags instead of powder. Also Susina baked goods. Across Sunset from Silverlake Gelato, which has the seriously best ice cream this side of Florence.

Banquette on Main & 4th downtown (near Lost Souls). Not really a coffee shop, but that quirky non-corporate vibe you seek.

Too bad the Bishop on 8th and Grand closed! It was my daily morning stop. Now I go up to Organic to Go on 5th and Grand. No funky vibe at all, but decent organic coffee and baked goods.

[maxzook]

linking

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Pete's Cafe & Bar
400 S Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Casbah Cafe
3900 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029

Organic To Go
350 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071

[holleygolitely]

18th Street Coffehouse on 18th and Broadway gets my vote.

[jessisthebest11]

Just curious does synergy have wifi or free access computers? That's why I go over to Rumor Mill....as I don't have my own computer.

[CulverJack]

Yes (and no) - synergy has wifi, but I believe you need your own machine. I don't recall seeing a PC for public use.

[gaylenwaydelich]

Sacred Grounds in San Pedro. Order the Sacred Cow. Very boho vibe. Live music, poetry readings, art gallery, the real deal. Been in business for at least 12 years. It is located next to the Warner Grand Theatre. A restored Art Deco Movie Palace that shows old flicks on the weekends and ocasional live shows. I remember going to this same location when it was a tobacconist to buy cigars for my visiting Uncle. You will recognize the theatre and store fronts from film and TV.

[maxzook]

Wow, I haven't been to Sacred Grounds for years! Very glad to hear it's still there ... just down the street from Papadakis Taverna, making it one of the coolest blocks in southern California!

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Sacred Grounds
468 W 6th St, San Pedro, CA 90731

Jones Coffee Roasters
537 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

[altadenafoodguy]

Jones Coffee Roasters on S. Raymond in Pasadena. It is sort of a warehouse style place with some comfy furniture and the big old roasting machines all going kuh-swoosh-a-swoosh around you, with the smell of roasting coffee permeating EVERYTHING. Awesome.

[yinyangdi]

I just remembered the name of a quirky westside (Santa Monica) coffeehouse:

Un-Urban Coffeehouse
310-315-0056

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UnUrban
3301 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405

[J.L.]

My vote for quirky goes to...

Cacao Coffee House
11609 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025

[maxzook]

Link

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Cacao Coffee House
11609 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[yinyangdi]

Not on the westside, but in Los Angeles (Echo Park):

Tribal Cafe
Phone: [phone]
URL: http://www.tribalcafe.com

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Tribal Cafe
1651 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026

[LL1]

Don't forget Stir Crazy
6917 Melrose Ave

I haven't been since they moved, but I used to smile everytime I went because of my midwestern childhood memories of some aunt or grandmother yelling, "Don't slam the screen door." Honestly, I don't remember if any patron at Stir Crazy slammed the authentic screen door and disturbed all the aspiring writers with their laptops. But I loved to ponder the temptation over a nice coffee.

[onebite]

Add the following:

Zephyr Coffeehouse and Art Gallery in Pasadena
Coffee Gallery on Lake Ave. in Altadena
Culture Cafe in Altadena (did I get that name right?)
Beantown, in Sierra Madre
Java Man in Hermosa Beach

[maxzook]

z

[maxzook]

Done.

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Bean Town
45 N Baldwin Ave, Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Zephyr
2419 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

A Coffee Gallery
2029 Lake Ave, Altadena, CA 91001

Cafe Culture
1359 N Altadena Dr, Pasadena, CA 91107

Java Man
157 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Stir Crazy Coffee Shop
6903 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

18th Street Coffee House
1725 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90404

[Mando]

Add a few more in the Pasadena Area. Kaldi and Busters both In the Mission Area right by the Gold Line.

[maxzook]

Done and done.

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Kaldi Coffee & Tea
1019 El Centro St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Buster's Ice Cream Stop
1006 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

[maxzook]

Can't believe I forgot the Bourgeois Pig on Franklin!

Also a few others that slipped past

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Bourgeois Pig
5931 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Lost Souls Cafe
124 W 4th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Bliss Art House Cafe
1249 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Sabor Y Cultura
5625 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

[running pig]

Yep, Bourgeois Pig is definitely funky! Good sandwiches, too! A little loud for my tastes, but fun for the hipper crowd

[greengelato]

oh wow! thanks for doing that! :)

[limaboy]

Ramon at Sabor is a terrific guy and long-time patron of the arts, as well...
they make strong and delicious coffee drinks...worth the trip!!

LB

[maxzook]

The following aren't on the Westside, but my favorites of those not already mentioned are Psychobabble on Vermont in Los Feliz, Aroma on Tujunga in Studio City and Lulu's Beehive in Sherman Oaks. And best of all, the Equator in Old Town Pasadena.

I'm going to do links to everything mentioned so far ... this is a great subject!

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Brū Coffee Bar
1866 N Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027

Groundwork Coffee - Traction Ave CLOSED
811 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013

Insomnia Cafe
7286 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Rumor Mill
11739 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Synergy Cafe
4437 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230

Zona Rosa Caffe
15 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101

Talking Stick
1630 Ocean Park Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405

Cows End
34 Washington Blvd, Marina del Rey, CA 90292

Cafe Balcony
12431 Rochester Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Catalina Coffee Co
126 N Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Lulu's Bee Hive
13203 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

Equator
22 Mills Pl, Pasadena, CA 91105

Aroma Coffee and Tea
4360 Tujunga Ave, Studio City, CA 91604

[nick_r]

I'm partial to the 18th Street Coffee House in Santa Monica, on Broadway and (drumroll) 18th. Cool retro design with a nice outdoor patio. The only downsides: no credit cards, spotty Wifi.

[westsidegal]

it's really pretty inside.
the food, though, imho, is not up to snuff.
anastasia's assylum, R.I.P. , would NEVER have served turkey roll.

[westsidegal]

your post reminded me of how much i really miss anastasia's assylum.
not just for the coffee, but for the food and for the place itself.
it was really special.

[greengelato]

my friend and i still mourn over its closing- especially for their carrot cake. seriously the best carrot cake EVER.

[mollyomormon]

Balcony Cafe at Santa Monica and Centinela.

[Foodandwine]

Catalina Coffee in Redondo Beach

[a_and_w]

Second the Balcony Cafe. There's also Cacao next to Le Saigon on Santa Monica Blvd., but I prefer Balcony...

[tigercactus]

talking stick on ocean park between 17th and 16th
is the cow's end still open on washington between pacific and speedway?

[SauceSupreme]

There's a pretty quirky coffeehouse across the street from Caffe Latte in Hollywood, in the same minimall as Big Wangs and the Russian restaurant. I've walked back from bar-hopping to find live music being played there late at night also.

[maxzook]

Are you talking about the Karma Coffeehouse on Cahuenga? The only Caffe Latte I know is a restaurant on Wilshire near Crescent Heights ...

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Karma Coffeehouse
1544 N Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90028

[SauceSupreme]

That's it. In the Cahuenga Corridor, there's Karma, Groundwork and Caffe Latte, all with their own quirkiness.

[wutzizname]

That's Caffe Etc. in the Cahuenga Corridor.

Caffe Latte, as mentioned, is a restaurant over on Wilshire and Crescent Heights.