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Categories: Sandwiches, Coffee & Tea, Bakeries [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownMon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
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The last time I went to Groundwork I was just having one of those days where everything felt like an uphill battle. But even before the caffeine from my absolutely perfect iced tea kicked in I felt like a new person. The beyond friendly service (the guy who took my order was so kind), the unpretentious, arty atmosphere and did I mention the perfect iced tea were just what I needed to turn things around.
Bad day or no, this is a wonderful spot. Groundwork is an oasis in a city that is overrun with formulaic coffee chains serving insipid coffee/tea. It's a place with character, where you can hang out/read/work/people watch/recharge. Their tea and coffee are great, and I have very high standards for both. Their sandwiches, salads, etc. are good, although I agree with other reviewers that the food's not something to drive across town for. It's definitely worth a stop when you're in the area.
Whoa, is this place closed?! O.O
I came here last month with a few friends and enjoyed it. It's cute, the employees are very friendly, and the ambiance is nice and relaxed. It's one of those places where you could stay a long time and be comfy. I don't remember what sandwich or drink I ordered, but I do remember that I enjoyed my food, and my friends did too :)
What a great find for the day. I was in the area during lunch, saw people outside and thought the name sounded familiar so I thought Id check it out. To my surprise it is a great little shop with a nice vibe. People were hanging out on their laptops, eating and drinking coffee. I can see you thinking "gee, isn't that what people do at a coffee shop?" Well, yes but this place just has a better ambiance than most. I almost felt bad to not set up shop and stay longer and read a book or something after I finished my sandwich.
I only had a turkey sandwich so my 4 star rating is more for the overall feel and potential this place seems to have. It wasnt a "Oh my god you have to order the turkey sandwich" sandwich but good nonetheless.
If you're in the area you should stop by for sure. Next time Ill have to get some coffee.
I like this place. Or rather, I like the entire feel of this place. I never know where it is, but I can always find it. It's in the Artist District near downtown and I often get the craving to go down there and enjoy the contrast between Just Plain Shitty and Trying To Be Cool. The coffee is pretty good, the atmosphere is fun and there is always local art up on the walls, which makes me appreciate the experience even more.
I also like the space a lot. It is a refreshing change from the cookie-cutterness of Starbucks, but it doesn't feel like they just threw a bunch of shit together and unlocked the door for business. If you've been to your share of independent coffee places, you know what I mean. Overall worth a stop in if you're in the area.
This place isn't closed, they just changed their name to "Novel Cafe". Everything is the same. Including the metalhead baristas and overpriced sandwiches.
The all-organic coffee is great. It's a lot more smooth than Starbucks, which has probably the worse coffee next to McDonalds out there en masse. They have plenty of baked goodies and fruits to couple with your latte. The place itself is a true coffeehouse, with a community bulletin board posting everything from gallery openings to rants about illegal immigration. It has an old as dirt typewriter that still works! So bring some scrap paper and write out your manifesto, everyone else attempts this. Great for couples or for a large group. Parking can be tough on Traction ave. Don't be afraid to go into adjacent streets, as deserted as they may seem.
The downside to this place: they close at 8:30PM. That's simply too early.
One of my favorite cafes. Their coffee is excellent. There is always a variety of brews to choose. Now that I don't live nearby, I stock up on their loose tea when I'm in LA. It's terrific.
The food is good--better than many coffee shops. It's never that crowded, so I don't feel guilty about hanging out and lingering over my coffee, either alone, with a book, or with a friend. It was always my place to go to get away for a bit. Now, it's a go-to meeting place when I'm visiting the city. My friend swears by their iced chai.
I go here from time to time with my fiancee since she goes to school across the street at Sci-Arc. It''s OK - lots of hipster crap service, feels like a coffee shop in Brooklyn or Echo Park, ie decent product but employees are too into their asymmetrical hair and bullcrap to make you feel important.
The mochas are awful, burnt, never properly blended (bitter milk on the front end, way too Hersheys sweet on the finish), but their regular coffees are fine. Their sandwiches are decent, but even in a neighborhood where things are changing, this isn't a good sign of things to come if it's representative of what's happening down here.
Boooooo!!!!!!!!! I love this place for late night tea and chats outside on the smoke patio. :(
I came here late one night with a friend and had a cup of their vanilla herbal tea. I haven't tried… Read more »
My friend Kelsey took me to this lil hole-in the wall coffee shop. It was giving off hard-care New York City Vibe. I fell in love with it instantly. People are always nice. Coffee is really good. Check it out!
Eat Local +Think Global
Groundworks coffee is to Los Angeles what Pete's is to Baa-zerckly/SF.
Hands down the best brew in town!
This story is 100% true, I swear. One time my girlfriend was in line for her morning fix at a local Starbucks, when out of nowhere a crazy homeless woman sidled up next to her and started sniffing. Before she could sort out what was going on the homeless woman yelled out, "Ma'am, you smell like a vagina!" (of course, she did not). Almost at once the barista boys quickly and efficiently escorted the homeless woman out of the store with a resounding "and don't come back" slam of the door. Later that evening, after telling me her outrageous tale of embarrassment she said, "and you know what the worst part was?" I replied, "no, what?" "For a nanosecond I thought to myself...do I really?"
Right about now you might be wondering what this has to do with a review Groundwork coffee, but bear with me. I try my darndest to steer clear of the giant megacoffee(TM) chains (SB and CB&TL that's you I'm talkin' bout). But when I find myself stuck in the 'burbs or somewhere equally devoid of choice, I, like many of you acquiesce and order up a Grande Soy Latte and go about my business. But every time I do I am left with nagging guilt and doubt. Did I just support an "evil" chain with a stated business objective to put any and all competition out of business? Do I know what sort of fair-trade practices they have in place and have I unwittingly supported a company that serves milk with genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone? Do I, in fact, smell like a vagina?
See, that's the wonderful thing about Groundwork. Not only do you get a fantastic-tasting cup of freshly brewed coffee, but you can also rest assured in the knowledge that you're supporting a local establishment that serves environmentally friendly, fair-trade organic coffees and teas in a charming and unique atmosphere. And as for your smell, well I'm sure it's as fresh as a spring rain.
Good cup of Joe, I just wish they had cushioned seats and some parking. My butt is too boney to sit on those wooden stools for more then 20 minutes........... yet maybe thats the point.
I come to this groundworks mainly to see all the hot Sci Arc boys.. & bikers.. lol
but its cheap.. chill.. nice people, sandwiches.. soups.. teas, coffee!
Groundwork loves:
1. Iced Lattes.
2. Prosciutto melt on olive ciabatta.
3. Turkey melt on sourdough ciabatta.
4. Jalapeno bagel, schmear and tomato.
5. Potato and corn chowder. (when its available..)
6. BLT on white
7. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. lol
When I found this place I nearly did a cartwheel. No more Little Tokyo cluster-F Starbucks for me!!!!
This place has a decent selection of pastries, a nice array of breakfast items, tasty sandwiches and decent soups of the day. I like them because they actually know what vegan means, which for this neighborhood is no small blessing.
I'm giving it three stars because lately (I've been frequenting for a 1.5 yrs) their espresso has been really bitter, which says to me that they haven't flushed their system in a while or their beans aren't fresh. They used to have really sweet espresso pulls, but no more. And though I've brought it to the attention of corporate, it's still tastes the same.
In any case the coffee is still better than SBX, so I'll keep coming back until a Swork opens downtown.
The hummus plate here is pretty tasty and light.
I went here at 10AM on a Saturday and they were closed.
Sign says, "Open Saturdays 8AM - 7PM."
Maybe they should change the sign to, "Closed" or "Hey, we aren't open at 10AM" or "Open 8AM -7PM but closed at 10AM" or "Fuck you, dickhead, go to Starbucks."
Oh well, no worries... I just went to Starbucks.
Ahh Groundworks, you remind me of when coffeeshops were a place to meet and hang rather than just caffinate. You're coffee is just as good as any of the big chains and don't let anyone tell you any different.
I was hanging in your little den of urban hipsterness when one of my loft dwelling co-workers mentioned to that downtown now has a higher median income than beverly hills (I'm assuming that's not counting crack heads). As we looked at the parade young urbanites mixing dreads and couture clothing I found you exemplify this phenomenon.
Does it make sense that I can drive through 10 blocks of drug addicts and prostitutes to walk in your doors and find 3 Guess models sipping a latte? Does it have to?
This out-of-the-way coffee joint in the heart of the artist district is a perfect substitute to your corner chain coffee spot. It's welcoming wood and brick interior begs you to slow down, grab a seat and open up your laptop connecting to their free wireless. I'm a coffee girl, but I have to treat myself to the best cup of Tiger Chai latte I have ever had. The perfect spicy, creamy concoction. Go ahead, order anything and just try to say it's not the best tasting brew you've had. To accompany your warm cup, grab a perfectly crispy on the outside, flaky on the inside bagel from the bread cabinet and ask for a quick toast with cream cheese.
So take yourself down a notch and enjoy your morning.
Neat place located in the Arts District, near Little Tokyo.
Plenty of seating (inside and outside).
Friendly people.
Good sandwich (Roasted Turkey)-- although, $6.44 (including tax) seems a little pricey since the sandwich was pretty simple.
Didn't get to try the coffee, but apparently this is what the place is known for.
Ample parking, especially if you know how to parallel park. ;)
Cool ambiance.
3 stars for the food, and another star for the ambiance.
My neighborhood coffee shop.
Good coffee. 5 stars worthy. However...
The worst pastries ever. They always taste like they have been sitting out for days.
When you are having to walk with Groundworks coffee in hand up the street for a pastry at Starbucks (yes, Starbucks pastries are better than this place) there is a problem.
Groundworks is the best! I'm totally into this place... I work downtown in Little Tokyo and before that I worked under the 10 freeway selling carnations (kidding) but seriously i did work in a warehouse under the 10 and sometimes (by sometimes i mean every other day) the internet would go out and my fav coworker and I would make the pilgrimage to Groundworks for some free internet and hot tea! It's just like in Cheers where everyone knows your name... except instead of being greeted by some drunk postal worker on a bar stool you have a cracked out homeless dude offering up compliments for change just outside the door. Upon entering feel free to make yourself at home bc the ppl that work there are great and happy to let you overstay your welcome as long as you leave a dollar in the tip jar.
O.k. It's across the street from Crazy Gideons and Bloom's smoke shop- R.I.P Joel bloom.
If you like the art school cafeterias ambiances, this down town G.W. is for you. They have great outside sitting where you can sip your Joe and injoy life unfold. This Hell-L.A. down town block has it all budding architect's, savage real-state developers, old school artist that remember when they shot Repo Man in the neighborhood , New artist
that have just moved in and can't believe how big their studio space is and wow their new fashionista roommates are hot.
if you ever lived in S.F. , Brooklyn, or even Long Beach your are bound to run into some one you know in the creative fields...
So- for a coffee joint this place has it all- but good service, in the 3 years that I lived less then twohunderd steps from this place my flatmates and I never once have gotten a sandwich order right.
Not a coffee drinker, but the hot chocolate's delicious and the food's decent. It has a very laid back, grad student ambience coupled with the character of lofted seating and brick walls.
I just wish it was open later and it was bigger.
There's always fresh artwork on the grungy brick walls. There are stacks of local papers (LA Weekly to Arts District Citizen) and postcards for local events, people selling their couches, and random shit. A couple people on staff are in a sweet band (Blood on The Stereo). Then there's that curious manual typewriter sitting on the bar in floor overlooking the restaurant. What's it about? The music selection depends on the people on staff, but it's usually good. All seven minutes of Velvet Underground's "Heroin" was a good break from the usual Seacrest top 40 poop. The coffee is strong as fuck (the macchiato doesn't go down without a fight), so I recommend a latte for the lightweights (you know who you are - j/k). An unsweetened iced coffee is good for a refreshing buzz, and is reminiscent of a Vietnamese coffee.
As for food, lox and a bagel or the prosciutto panino with pesto are a good bet.
(Oh, and it's "Groundwork." There's no "S.")
Groundworks was once a friendly neighborhood hang, with the same sweet employees and decent coffee & half-way decent food.
Things have REALLY changed. The service is horrible, the staff rude, the espresso nearly undrinkable, and the portions laughable. Plus the rumors about the way the ownership (management?) change has been handled make them look less then great.
it's really sad, i miss the way it used to be!
Looks like it's time to find a new downtown spot....
Oh Groundwork. I tried, I really tried to like you. You can't seem to work out all the kinks. Coffee will taste completely different from one day to the next depending on who is making it. Today I had the most disgusting vanilla latte. My first sip was all vanilla syrup. Apparently they didn't stir before I got my latte. Yuck...it was sooo sweet, and now I can't seem to get the taste off my tongue, kind of like cough syrup. Gross. I'm still keeping you at two stars though because the food is decent.
The best coffee in this part of town, but it only gets three stars because of the inconsistent… Read more »
Groundwork supports fair trade and environmental sustainability, and they have excellent coffee and tea! The iced chai lattes are just how I like 'em--sweet, and not overly spicy or creamy. And I love the large selection of organic coffees! The cookies are also yummy. There's a relaxed feel about this place and the staff is supercool.
This place is awesome. A little gem in the Artists' District, that could easily contend for best coffeeshop in L.A.
Groundworks is what I think a coffee shop should be like. The atmosphere is chill and the people there are cool. The drinks are all great. If you like chai you need to try the iced vanilla chai it's the best I have ever had. The coffee and the lattes are also very good.
Free wifi, best coffee in LA, organic roasts, wide selection of teas. Did I mention great food, and melts? Yeah this place is a Traction Ave establishment, frequented by all the locals. Check it out...most do.
Service was good. Saw some cool Shepard Fairey prints there once. Coffee was good. It's hard for me to distinguish excellent coffee from just a couple times.
BEST lattes!!! I always get a green tea chai with soy and it's consistently yummy - including when made by various people. The other drink offerings are tempting including organic brews.
They used to have tofu muffins - and the choc. chip banana was particularly good but last time I was there they were not. oh well.
Lots of interesting seating, an elevated area with old school benches or something like that. There's always lots of hot sauce bottles scattered across the tables, which I find odd - but I usually get coffee/ pastry.
Vibe here can be pretentious, but if you go with it, it's all good. They also sell imported candies and chocolates - well, there was definitely some Canadian chocolate once.
But main point: COME HERE FOR A LATTE!
I absolutely can not resist their ciabatta melts. The rest of the menu is great as well.
due to the serve yourself coffee station, i usually look like a douche bag, standing there, pouring small amounts of coffee into my cup and smelling them as if i was some coffee sommelier. i do this because i like easily identifiable coffee blends, which they don't have at groundwork. i'm unsure what "bitches brew" or "angel city" tastes like... but i've gotten over my little snobby maneuver, and go happily about smelling my coffee.
the counter people range from way-too-friendly to passively active, with most falling into a happy, and friendly, medium.
their tuna melt (i order mine unmelted) and veg melt (also unmelted) are both great sandwiches on olive or plain ciabatta. the pesto on the turkey is spicy and works well with the other flavors. the veg melt is amazingly good and contains grilled eggplant. i hate eggplant unless it's baba ganouj, but the smokiness of the eggplant on this sandwich only makes the entire thing better.
the mediterranean combo, i think that's what it's called, is good--warm pita, an ice-cream scoop full of humus, olives, tomatoes, feta, bitter lettuces and balsamic vinaigrette is a great salad.
BUT
the most spectacular thing, the most amazing item on their menu:
the avocado breakfast burrito.
oh man.
once, the avocado wasn't ripe, so they weren't serving them, and it was one sad day. the best part about the burrito is that i have no idea why it's so good. it's only a torilla with salsa, egg, cheese, avocado and salsa in it. they put it in the panini press, maybe that's the secret, the crisped, slightly golden tortilla might be the single most wonderful part of this--but i doubt this to be true. the balance and proportions of flavors is a great way to start off a hungry day, especially after i've been sniffing coffees.
and for those of you who are the most strict vegans looking for sweetened coffee in the arts district, they serve florida crystals, which i haven't seen in very many cafes.
Among the many other reasons established in previous reviews of what makes this place special is that it's probably the only coffee shop i know of that isn't busy on a weekday before the 9:00am hour. I was on my way out to Koreatown and decided to stop in and grab a gunpowder tea and granola and soy milk at around 8:25am on a Friday. I don't know of any other coffee shop that doesn't have a line at this time, but good ol groundworks frequenters! they know how to sleep in.
Great coffee. Great environment. Fair trade or shade grown or organic or something. It's at least two out of those three. This is a great member of the Arts District.
Seems like everyone loves this place, but I've had a completely different experience with Groundworks. I find the staff to be always rude, the coffee OK, and the food terrible! Granted, I've only tried their sandwiches, but everything else seems like generic grocery food (ie, yogurt, fruit, etc.) The vibe is cool and free wi-fi is a plus. If you have to fight the man, go for it. If not, go to Starbucks instead.
The hidden treasure on Traction. Hells yes. Grood, grood sandwiches. And I don't know my coffee, but everyone I go there with is amped about it. It's just a very chill place if Starfucks isn't your kind of place.
love love love this place now!!
great location reminds me of the summers I spent at art school in NYC and also very close to something you would find in SF, with the exposed brick
wood, granite counters and artsy vibe. Seems that the crowd ranges from the uber hipster to the office joe smoe...coffee/food excellent for the price range, not the best but for what ya pay overall great..the staff was helpful
and quick, which is also good. will for sure come again
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