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Categories: Coffee & Tea, Breakfast & Brunch, Burgers
Neighborhood: VeniceHello Fans! After many requests, we are now on Facebook! View over 100 photos of our food, customers and so much more! See you soon:)
Mon-Sun. 6:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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Pretty good coffee. They use the popular drip filter brewing method using reverse-osmosis filtered water. I don't think I would go back unless I was in the area. Did not try the food, maybe I'll update the rating after trying the food.
Also, with so many other specialty roasters in the city, this is one of the last places I would buy my coffee. Not that it's not good, it's just lacking in its selection of single origin beans.
BEFORE YOU GO HERE YOU MUST READ!!
WHERE DO I BEGIN? I wanted to try something different so we drove down the road to this place and I gotta say this place is awful! Here are the reasons why.
#1 No Orange Juice!
#2 No Maple Syrup ( The options were Colored Corn Syrup & 19 ingredient Sugar Free crap)
#3 When I decided to try their coffee nobody took my order! I walked up to the counter and nobody came over to the register. I caught a few deer in the headlight cooks but that was it. I went to Noah's next store to get coffee and OJ WTF!?
#4 Server gave a different table our food and when they complained they finally figured out it was ours. Needless to say the food got a little cooler in temperature from this debacle.
#5 Botoxed owner started yelling to the cooks about not getting more Orange Juice in front of her customers.
#6 This place is a grab your own silverware from the front kind of place. Whatever no big deal right? EXCEPT WHEN THEY ARE OUT OF KNIFES! Server had to bring me a knife still wet from being washed LOL
#7 My side of egg whites came 5 minutes after my pancakes came to me. NIIIIIIIIIIIICEEEEEEEEE
#8 I like big antique looking machinery that still works (coffee roaster) However, when they cranked that thing up while I was finishing it was sooooooo loud and irritating that it reminded me how awful everything was and I had to Yelp about it.
NEVER AGAIN NEVER AGAIN!
I've heard great things about Joni's coffee, so I assumed the food would be good, too.
Uh....how do you screw up a grilled cheese sandwich?
I needed a quick bite yesterday, so I ordered the half sandwich & soup combo......for 9 bucks. I figured the bowl of soup would be huge, for that price.
It wasn't. http://www.yelp.com/bi...
I was told the broccoli soup is made on site, and I gotta say.....what there was of it was damn good. It wasn't cream of broc, but more like the pureed broccoli soup I had at Organic Pacificio, nearby on Admiralty. Must be the new thing these days & it works for me.
The grilled cheese sandwich was another story, however. A hunk of dry white bread enclosed the cheese. When I make grilled cheese, I fry the sandwich in melted butter, it's as easy as a horny ho. I couldn't even figure out what they did, or didn't do, to that grilled cheese yesterday to make it as lousy as it was.
It defied analysis, after a point.
And the crust on my half sandwich was tough & chewy, wth.
Nine bucks before tip.
Next time, if there is a next time, I'll be having just coffee.
I've always enjoyed Joni's. Nice selection of food, good coffee (baristas!) friendly staff.
I always get the breakfast quesadilla and I'm not a quesadilla kind of person- there's TONS of filling- grilled peppers, onions, eggs, sausage..you basically eat it like a scramble.
Plenty of seating and lots of bang for the buck. Good for groups? Yes. If for some reason you cant find parking in front, there are some sneaky spots in back.
The food was good, the coffee was excellent, however, it was a little pricey for Breakfast.
The service was slow as well. It took us at least 30 minutes to get our food. Probably won't go back, due to the fact their are just far too many other little cafe's in the city.
Sorry you lost me.
Watery coffee, half-cooked potatoes, fruit a little past it's prime. The eggs were OK but eggs a-la-carte leaves one with hunger very shortly after. I was also looking for real syrup in the area where are all corn syrup based artificial stuff was being kept. No such luck.
Sorry Joni's, you lost me too. I have dozens of other options in the area. This is no longer one of them.
Very enjoyable breakfast, lots of selection for all different tastes. My husband had corned beef hash and eggs and a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice; I had the tofu scramble and a cup of carrot juice. My friend had huevos rancheros and a cup of the finest and most expensive coffee on the menu, Jamaican Blue Mountain.
Then she proceeded to pour lots of cream and sugar in it.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
Sorry, I was traumatized. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, the food and beverages were really great and Joni said to come back to San Francisco and tell all my friends, so I am.
Just don't ruin your coffee, okay?
Great little hang-out with a nice vibe. Delicious South Beach Diet pancakes, and plenty of other breakfasts looked terrific too. Staff has been very outgoing and service-oriented.
Parking's a little tight around there, but it's a terrific beachy-informal place to catch a bite once you're there. I believe they close by late afternoon.
My boyfriend and I headed over to Joni's for breakfast after reading reviews on Yelp and looking for a place that serves great french toast.
When we got to there the menu was plastered up on the wall and they had a million choices to choose from. I settled on the Banana pancakes with a side of bacon and my boyfriend got the '222'. He wished the 222 came with potatoes, too..and I wish I didn't have to order the side of bacon.
Overall the food was good, but I felt it was overpriced for what you got. The food was brought out to you and the food was yummy (although nothing special) but you had to get your own silverware and condiments and the ordering was slightly confusing.
I would come back only if I was in that area.
I live up the road (in Venice) and don't drink coffee as much as I used to when I lived across the road from Peets - but if I want a killer custom brewed cup o' joe Joni's is where I go.
More expensive than the coffee chains but worth the experience of getting a coffee made to order using beans which were roasted on site.
As far as the food goes. . . I guess it's OK but I have had better for the money (see my Hal's review). The pancakes are good but they serve that "sysco foodservice" artificial maple syrup . . . bleh ! Now that's just wrong . . . kinda like serving beluga caviar on hard tack instead of home made blini or toast points. If Joni's is gonna go through trouble of making great banana pancakes - why not serve them with REAL maple syrup ? I then realized after I ate my flapjacks that they were selling little containers of maple syrup for 50 cents. Come on Joni's Coffee people - if you're going to charge me 3 bucks for a cup of coffee and 11 bucks for pancakes then at least serve them with free maple syrup - geez o' peet's (pun intended).
FYI : 2 cups of coffee & 1 Small Bowl of Fresh Fruit cost me $12.22
Pros: Great Coffee
Cons: Long lines, $$$ food, pigeons EVERYWHERE (even inside)
Alternate choices: Ground Works, Peets, Hal's Brunch
I was an ambitious girl on Saturday. My peeps and I planned a 26 mile bike ride. You need to seriously grub down for a 26 mile bike ride. I might continuously keep typing 26 mile bike ride b/c I feel kick-ass for doing it! Joni's Coffee Roaster Cafe was on our bike route. My friend called them up the day before and asked for outdoor tables to be reserved for 30 people. They said, "no problem, come one, come all." Suh-weet Stuff!
My friend and I show up with our bikes. Many tables had been reserved for us. The rest of our posse rode up on their bikes. We created a congestion issue with our bikes but no one complained. The menu is very extensive. They're supposed to be famous for their granola. I figured going on a 26 mile bike ride I needed some protein as well. It's like the menu knew I wanted eggs and granola. The granola special = 1/2 granola + 2 or 3 eggs. Perfect. I swear, this menu had every possible combination of items you could dream of eating. They even had little hearts near the heart-healthy items. I appreciate a restaurant looking out for my heart's well-being.
The restaurant is very large with indoor and outdoor seating. You order cafeteria style, at the register. The food gets brought out to your table. The restaurant was quite busy and I was impressed with their efficiency. I ordered egg whites. The food was out fast. The eggs were perfectly fluffy and I had doctor them up with some hot sauce. Mamma likes it HOT! The granola was divine -- not too sweet, perfect amount of almonds, crunchy and delicious without being too heavy. My friend ordered the breakfast burrito. It was larger than my forearm. I think she may have split up her burrito into 2 or 3 meals. She said it was lick smacking good and it certainly looked yummy.
The manager came to our table at the end our our meal with a cookie for my friend. He thanked us for being patrons. He gave us a cookie for giving his restaurant business. Such love.
Cool spot. Good food.
This is a great place to discover. My friend Nadia turned me onto this place when she was back in LA last.
This is a great independent coffee shop that roasts their own coffee.
The french roast is great, so is the cafe au lait.
The menu is quite large and the food is very good. A little pricey but not ridiculous by any means. They have nice outdoor seating.
Its a great place to stop for brunch when showing out of towners Venice Beach or while riding on the beach bike path down to Hermosa or Marina del Rey. Its on the route that connects you to the bike path in Marina Del Rey from the one that ends at Washington Blvd.
Seriously, some of the best espresso I've had - all the beans are freshly roasted on site every other day. Beats the hell out of anything we have up here in Seattle.
Also grabbed a $1 blueberry muffin. It was fresh baked and HUGE!
Highly recommended!!
3 stars for the fact that they serve breakfast all day, because it's my favorite meal of the day. I knocked down two stars for price. $5 for a 12 oz cup of Kona.
Sure it's pretty good, but $5 for a small cup? geezus.
My lunch special of half a chicken salad sandwich+green salad ($9), 1 chicken sausage ($3), one 12oz kona coffee ($5) wasnt worth the $17 i spent on it. I'd rather go to the Brickhouse or even Panera and get the same quality menu food items with slightly bigger portions that are more flavorful and save $5.
If im desperate for some coffee, i'll go there for the occasional cup of Kona, but it sure as hell wont be my daily coffee joint.
Been eating here since 1999. It's a walk from the house so there are some bonus points for that. Coffee is the #1 reason to go here. It's the best you'll get anywhere in town. So smooth.
I love the ABC (Avocado Bacon Cheddar) omeletes but I do find their meals to be a bit pricey. Not cheap to rent in Marina del Rey so I can understand that.
Can be very busy Sat and Sun morning, take some time, relax, and enjoy.
Joni's Coffee Roasting Cafe is simply the best place in town for a coffee. Great food as well, but the coffee is what invites most customers to the restaurant. However, the owner could work on her rude attitude .
Delicious food, friendly, patient service, slightly discombobulated decor -- Joni's was a wonderful discovery. (Thank you, Daryll, for the review that sent me there!)
Comfortable seating indoor and out, and the coffee is Serious. You can (for a price) get a freshly brewed cup of pure Kona. Bliss.
Also, when I was there, Joni was bustling about, making sure that the guy who was entranced with whatever was on CNN would not fall off his chair (which he'd perched rather precariously on the edge of the stage.) All was handled in a slightly motherly but not bossy fashion, which said volumes to me about Joni and her cafe.
I'd seen it from the outside and written it off -- but don't let the stripmall exterior deter you! Go! Go!
You know, I don't even like coffee, but I like Joni's single-brewed Kona, and that says a lot. I used to live right across the street from this place so I would stop in there for breakfast often.
If you go early when they open (around 5:30 AM) you'll see celebrities and Hollywood bigwigs making deals over coffee and smothered potatoes. After 7 AM, the clientele is mostly bodybuilders and wealthy Marina residents. Good people watching.
Joni's is only open for breakfast and lunch. Their menu has bodybuilders in mind; lots of low fat and high-protien/high-carb items such as egg white omelettes, whole wheat bread French toast, and home fries smothered with sauteed peppers & portabella mushrooms.
It's a bit on the pricey side and it can be a madhouse on the weekends. Most people bring their dogs and sit outside on one of the sidewalk tables.
You may even see Joni herself working the crowd.
I've been going to Joni's for about a year now and I try and make it a regular Sunday thing. Ride the bike over, read the paper and have a nice, long relaxing breakfast.
I can understand some of the complaints people have, the pigeons (most of which are gone now, at least until spring) but I keep coming back because it's such a great experience.
The food is very good and I love the coffee, especially the Cowboy (Coffee with what looks like 2 shots of espresso). Service is generally very fast, even when it's busy.
Overall, I have a great meal when I'm there and it's in a great spot.
JONI, YOU SERIOUS?! I'll try to be fair and start by saying that food, service and ambiance wise, this place is not bad. If Joni had not come in when we were eating there, my review would probably be a lot different.
However, there is ALOT to be said for the way you treat other people (especially the people who run your establishment and make it the success or failure that it is). The crazy thing is that other Yelpers mentioned this about the owner Joni but I came anyway thinking they must be overly judgemental (getting the red squiggly underline so this may not be a word but you know what I mean). Anyway, on my one and only visit here I had a first-hand experience of Joni being very condescending to one of her employees. It's just not right. I know we're supposed to review food, service ambiance and those things but with bad owners comes bad vibes and this ingredient doesn't belong in anything!
Oh yeah, not to take away from what I wrote above because that's really the point I wanted to get across but what's so great about the $5 coffee? I really didn't think it was better than any cup I've had at groundworks or anywhere else ($2) but then I remembered I payed $5 for it and WOW .. tasty. (oh, ok, I see ...).
We've been customers since the 90's, which is kinda scary. The coffee is excessively good. The Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona are shockingly expensive. That doesn't mean they're not good it, but damn! Joni roasts the beans in house and it shows (in a good way). The food is sustenance-level stuff. It's good enough to eat and it won't come back to haunt you. My hubs loves the flapjacks, but I'm not a pancake gal, so I can't comment. The cleanliness is a little iffy, but I'm a neat-nick, so take that with a grain of Bon Ami.
(BTW: Why is this "Venice"? It's in MDR, quit poaching our stuff. First Beechwood, now this! It's about to be on!)
This used to be a good place years ago - the coffee was stronger and the place had a more vibrant feel about it (there were actually customers there on a weekday). You get the feeling they are cutting costs in many ways - the muffins/pastries look disgusting, the place looks run-down, etc.
I went in a few weeks ago and the guy who runs the place now started complaining to me about using a check card to pay for my coffee, how he has to pay such and such fees and that I was getting a two dollar cup of coffee for 15 cents. As I was walking out (for the last time) he was still ranting like a lunatic to the next customer about how he basically had to pay me for the cup of coffee.
I try to stay away from failing businesses like these because you never know what they're doing in the kitchen to cut costs. Anyway, there are better coffee shops down the road.
Joni's is awesome. The coffee food are equally amazing. Check out the giant coffee crushinator in the back of the place - it's larger than life.
Joni herself is there to mingle on weekends. Friendliest woman ever!
Joni's is probably going to be the best pancakes in Marina del Rey. Sadly I'm not a big pancake fan, but if I was, I'd be coming here more regularly than I do other places. I do enjoy their coffee here because it is nice dark roast, and I'm always tripped up that they serve it tall glass cups.
Also, if your a big chorizo fan, their chorizo scrambler is quite the kick in the gut, but in a good way!
We liked Joni's so much we went back there twice during a quick trip to West L.A. It has a nice laid back ambiance and the clientele is your typical beach crowd. The coffee is excellent - we tried the 100% Kona and the French Roast. The Kona is expensive so I would not order that again. The French Roast is just as good and half the price. For breakfast we had their home made granola with strawberries and bananas. A full bowl cost $ 10.00 but it was worth it. The next day we tried the Eggs Benedict with lox and the regular benedict. Both were good, and came with potato's. This place is not cheap but the quality is above average - one of those places where you get a good breakfast and good coffee. It's amazing how many breakfast places have lousy coffee or good coffee places with lousy breakfasts. The only negative is the standing in line to order and on weekends they are fairly busy, and they are not inexpensive.
right across the street
have been eating there for years
great cup of coffee
This is a great little hole in the wall to discovery. The menu is ridiculously large and very creative. There isn't anything you won't find there. Their Kona Coffee is very recommendable and my favorite breakfast dish is the half waffle with eggs and ham.
I was hoping the coffee would be worth $5 a cup, or heck even half the price for the standard roast, but being a serious coffee connoisseur, I was sorely disappointed. Neither the Jamaica Blue Mountain, custom-brewed, nor the French Roast, were any good. Drinkable, but not full-bodied and rather bitter. I ordered food once, a breakfast burrito, and it was missing some of the promised sides of salsa & guac, and otherwise was still very bland and not worth the calories. I live very close by, so wish I could like this place more, but I will have to look elsewhere for my good coffee fix. Although they claim to roast their coffee fresh, the coffee I've had here doesn't merit me giving up my Intelligentsia mail order habit, even though the latter costs twice as much.
way too expensive for quality of food. i asked for a bagel with egg n cheese. waited a really long time for it. when it came it was just cheese on a bagel. sent it back. eggs were microwaved. eeeww. ill give it another chance. and re do the review.
I found this by accident this morning. Relatives were staying at a nearby hotel and I was in need of some coffee. How could I avoid the big, green sign, yellow tables and umbrellas on an overcast Sunday morning? I couldn't. I ordered a cup of coffee to go. While standing in the long line, I couldn't help but notice the crowds and extensive menu. Tempted to try something, kicking myself for not knowing about this place sooner. But, oh well, future dining opportunities await. Actual food review to follow shortly.
You will never go back to chain coffee again
correction....marina del rey is not venice...tho' they look more alike every year!
I come here once in awhile after a bike ride...fast and healthy if you order properly. decent coffee in actual real live cups!...refreshing in our throw-away culture. as i remember, the wholewheat banana pancakes with nuts (pecans, walnuts?) was particularily tasty.
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