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Category: Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownMon-Wed. 7:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Thu-Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m.
Sun. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
This has been my regular weekend brunch spot for a while, but now I'm a little torn. The paninis here are consistently excellent, with the Mozzarella Chicken being especially satisfying. It's not that cheap but I suppose that goes for most cafes in Downtown.
But I second the comments about the influx of hipsters. In principle this wouldn't be a problem for me, but LA Cafe threatens to become the passive smoking capital of Spring Street. They ALL seem to smoke. Every single one of them. And it can be impossible to get a table sometimes, as these folks tend to order a coffee and sit there smoking for hours at a time. So I'm still searching for my perfect Sunday brunch spot.
**UPDATE***
I may have to break-up with LA Cafe. I love you baby, but I've recently found out you're cheating on me. Please just be honest, because I've seen you with "them". You're whoring yourself out to the enormous douche-bag yuppies that have suddenly invaded Spring St. over the last couple of months.
With SB Lofts opening of their newest building on the corner of Spring and 7th, and with ridiculously cheap rent to boot, LA Cafe has reaped the benefits of the influx of lame, stupid-faced, Hollywood transplants, who, after going to the art-walk once or twice, decided they wanted to stow-away inside downtown's semi-cool community and populate and spoil our echelon with their stupid white-fluffy dogs, Gap khakis, and lame Clark Kent haircuts.
I've been going to LA Cafe every Saturday and Sunday for two years, and this past Sunday, at my normal arrival time, there was not only nary a table available, but an actual line out the door to order. And the wait wasn't due to the usual douche-able FIDIM poser/hipsters-- I'm used to those losers-- it was full of the same awful people you'd find holding court at Toast or Kings Road Cafe in Hollywood.
Where did you vile people come from?! Go back home to your Spanish-style homecomb adobe dwellings!
Am I a class warrior? A social snob? A *bleepin* ass&$%le? Yeah, probably. But I want my downtown back, and I want my LA Cafe back.
You can throw a rock and hit any place with better food and coffee, yet LA Cafe is the consistent… Read more »
My coworkers and I often order from Cafe LA when we are super busy in the office and need something delivered. We tend to go with Cafe LA because they are quick and pretty cheap.
I have had some bad experiences with their food quality, but it is completely dependent on what you order. Stick with the panini's (especially the veggie pesto, caprese or chicken pesto). If you order a salad, BE SURE to order it w/ dressing on the side (they tend to drench everything in dressing, ew)
The staff is ridiculously cheery, almost to the point of sarcasm. Sometimes I can't tell if the guy on the phone is f***ing w/ me or seriously that happy.
All in all, I'd recommend trying it if you live or work around the area, but wouldn't travel downtown just to eat there.
My late-night indulgence. I'm so glad this place is open late; just a few hundred steps from my front door, my lazy ass can waddle over and get one of their amazing paninis' and be back home in no time! These guys are friendly, fast, and the menu has many choices that won't kill your wallet.
I love sidewalk cafes and this one is great because I can bring my dogs. They bring out water and doggie treats for them too. Oh and the coffee, sandwiches and pastries are darn good. I live 2 blocks away and know this place well.
LA Cafe seems to have done it right. In a cozy section of downtown, LA Cafe boasts an interesting logo (which it places everywhere, from its take out boxes to its coffee cups) which reminds me of the Laugh Factory logo for some reason. But who cares about the logo?
LA Cafe sure is tiny. There isn't much room inside and the seating in the patio is cramped. There are crooked art paintings on the walls with price tags beneath. Many spaces are empty, making me wonder weather the art was bought or taken down.
The sandwich I ordered, the chicken salad sandwich, was extremely good. The portions are so generous and filling. I was surprised, actually. And they don't serve it with a boring side salad with no dressing, either (you know what I'm talking about). The sandwich was served with a macaroni salad, which was also delicious and perfectly complemented the chicken salad. I couldn't have asked for anything more. One star off for the lackluster interior design and patio space, but I suppose that's what makes it an old neighborhood cafe and not a pin up "starbucks" type.
I find it a bit odd that people are giving out one-star reviews because a delivery charge was added when they ordered... wait for it... delivery service! That's very standard since they have to pay someone to literally bike your order to your loft, office or business.
Anyway, this is the only place around that's open till 4:00AM Thursday-Saturday, so that reason alone keeps me coming back. That and they make a great latte.
The owner never smiles, but the other workers do, and as long as they're never rude I really don't care if I get a smile or not.
Food is your basic cafe fare: Eggs, salads, sandwiches, parfaits etc. Nothing special there, just decent, dependable and consistent.
Patio seating is available, which is nice to sit out on Spring Street and watch the day go by. Free WiFi available.
It seems to me that no matter what a place serves or how good their food is, people always seem to find a way to talk shit on the taste of things. Like they expect Spago at every $10 diner and deli stop shop in town. And when they don't get it they throw a hissy fit. Well knock it off!
Not only is this place incredibly reasonably priced, but the food is actually pretty good. I had a turkey avocado panini and it was both tasty and filling. Their macaroni salad was a nice light addition to the panini, and my husband's chipotle chicken panini was even better than mine.
The servers were super cool to us (we knew one from Marty, which by the way has gone waaaay down hill in recent times -- where'd the chocolate for the mochas go? It's been two months!). They were friendly and fast, and our food came out right away. They even let us try a taste of one of the desserts to help us choose which one to get.
I really enjoyed my food and my experience here, and this place will definitely be my new late night spot (open until 4am on weekends).
And let me just say how sick I am of yuppy downtown dickbags ragging on every spot within a fifteen mile radius of their new posh loft. I suppose it would be better if it all went back to crack dens and by the week hotels? If you want overpriced and lame, go back to the west side. Otherwise, be thankful these places even exist.
This is the first one star rating I have given to any restaurant or cafe on Yelp, and yet this cafe deserves it. Don't be deceived by its outside look; this place straight up sucks. I work nearby and know more about this place than other Yelpers.
The problem with LA Cafe is a combination of service and food. There's a certain level of hubris and arrogance about its owners and staff that says: "We can serve you whenever we want, whatever we want because we're the coolest place within a 5 block radius." On countless times, they've either forgotten or messed up my order. And the food is, at best, mediocre.
If you want coffee, go a 1/2 block down to Spring for Coffee. Better service, better people, better quality. If you're looking for a good, healthy Panini sandwich, go to Infusion Cafe 2 blocks down. For a real deal and quick lunch, go to the Mexican food joint next to LA Cafe. There are other options.
Please avoid this place (except for snobby people & dog owners).
This is the best discovery I have made since moving downtown just 1 month ago. This place is incredible, and posesses many of the qualities most LA businesses do not: Extremely friendly (and happy) staff, incredible (and organic) food, a friendly atmosphere with great music, open late (Thurs-Sat. till 4am!) and a cozy outdoor patio.
Yes, this place is small. It's not a place to go with more than 3 or 4 people. But good god is the food worth it. My favorite dish is the chicken salad sandwich, which is accompanied by a simple yet delicious macaroni salad. I would also highly advise their strawberry vanilla milkshake, which is quite unlike any that I have ever had before. And if you're there in the morning, have one of their delicious homemade bagels.
Moderately priced, the servings are pretty big. I highly advise it to people looking for a classy yet friendly cafe!
After living downtown three years ago, and deciding it was way too close to living through the zombie apocalypse after dark, I moved to Miracle Mile for some more residential flare. Just recently, I decided I needed a dose of the impending zombie apocalypse to spice up my life and moved back downtown.
The LA Cafe is a stone's throw (as the old folks say) to my new place and is a staple of my day-to-day.
The food is quite delicious with a home-cooked feel, and they offer everything from healthy fare to belly bomb material. So no matter your mood - it's on, people of Earth!
Respect.
Great tuna melt, great service.
At about midnight in the ghetto.
Fabulous, simply wonderful
This place is okay. Mini burgers are great. And their coffee is great too. I also like how you can sit outside and watch the hipsters walk by.
I ordered the Salmon Salad. Let me just say that one of my biggest peeves is getting a piece of Salmon over cheap iceburg lettuce. Did I mention it was doused in dressing to cover the fact that it was begining to turn brown. YUCK! The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because the Salmon was decent.
PS. The owner is rude and snooty, but the staff is actually personable.
Amber Alert to Veggies:
Because of this place's proximity to my office, sometimes we order in from here during lunch time staff meetings. One time, when my Amy's enchiladas had run out, I opted for the Southwest Salad- NO GD CHICKEN PLEASE- and guess what? About 3 bites in I got a piece of damn chicken. My veggie co-worker also got a piece of Chicken in HIS GREEK SALAD, YOU REMEMBER. THE ONE WITHOUT ANY MEAT IN THE FIRST PLACE. This caused me to pause and consider that maybe there's some kind of chicken pushing agenda over at LA Cafe. LIke they might have stock in Perdue or something. Ya think?
LA Cafe and I used to be cool, but they snuck a piece of Chicken in to my Greek salad (I'm veggie)… Read more »
The staff is awesome, the coffee is very good, what more do you need in a neighborhood coffee shop? Reasonable priced and quality eats- I haven't had any food here that wasn't quite tasty. There's only sidewalk seating which suits me just fine- excellent people watching and neighbor meeting potential. All in all recommended. Also cool - they are open until 4 AM Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Nothing better after Djing / drinking till 5 than having a very hot cup of coffee and a Turkey and avo paninni brought to my door. This place would get a four if they didn't deliver because the staff is great and they are open till four ....... but the delivery seals the deal. If it wasn't for LA cafe i would have allot more wasted days. Thanks guys
REALLY disappointed in their catering service. They were more than 20 minutes late (making ME look bad) and I placed an order with someone who was new and who had NO CLUE what he was doing. I ordered for 10, and it came out to so little food for a whole lot of money. The guy should've told me they had catering plates...
The only saving grace is Frank, a nice guy who I'm sure would have taken care of me correctly. Too bad I got a total newb...UGH. Never ordering here again.
LA Cafe is super cute. I tend to go here when I'm at my boyfriend's apartment, because its nearly right downstairs. I've only had the coffee, but it's excellent. The atmosphere is cute and there's always good people sitting at the tables outside.
Sadly though, I have to minus a star, because one of the counter guys is always really cold...on the verge of beinmg a big grump.
I have been back a few times since my review, but still have the same opinion. It just shouldn't take that long to get a cup of coffee, especially when they are not busy. There is absolutely no effort to get the food or coffee out quickly, so I don't even consider grabbing coffee here when I'm in a hurry. I am told every time I order (with attitude) to take a seat and they will bring my order to me, but I insist on waiting there until it's ready, which makes them crazy. If I were to go sit, I may never get my food!
When they do bring it out, there's no salt, pepper or condiments, so you still have to go get that stuff anyway. There is always a dirty ashtray, however, with 2 or 3 cigarette butts on every table.
It's overpriced for food that's consumed on the street with the menagerie of dogs, panhandlers, busses and cars and negligent service.
These guys really need to get their act together.
Food is fine. Greek salad is good, coffee is good,…
Read more »
A fine place for lunch, but not exactly a place I'd visit on a day off. While the offerings are diverse, the food is only so-so. I had the veggie panini and shrugged before/during/and after my meal.
kinda wrong but kinda right.
my gf lives right upstairs from this place and i ended up staying the night at her apt after a long night out. so we went here for breakfast at 1:30 in the afternoon. they serve breakfast all day, kinda right. i got some yummy sounding carne asada breakfast wrap thing. it was quite greasy but if i had been in the mood for junk i would have been all about it. however last nights vodka tummy and my wrap did not get a long so well. needless to say i had to go home to my home toilet. but if i can eat a lucky boy burrito (well not all in one sitting) and be perfectly fine after im sure the home toilet thing had to do more with my vodka tummy.
I was desperate and stuck at work and needed something delivered quick so that I can eat. A co-worker suggested LA Cafe and I decided to give them one more try. I ordered 1 wrap and a small cappacino and was slapped with a $1.50 delivery charge!!! I'm literally 1 block away!!! I didn't find the delivery fee on their site nor was I informed about the charge when I called for delivery. ..sipping the cappacino and it's not as good as the one I get from Marty (my usual coffee spot on the other side of my building). With the combination of my 4 so-so to bad experiences, I will NOT be going back to LA Cafe again!!
after a few times going there, i'm really hoping to find another coffee shop with better service...… Read more »
the food is huge. They make the food for the NBA players. I can't even finish half of the sandwich although it's so so good. They suites our needs for the veggie sandwich. Great service, professional waitress. They deliver to our door with minimum $35 for dinner. Breakfast is alittle pricy. but the paninis and sandwihces are worth the price. Twice of the regular size. They fill up many meat and vegetables, cheess inside.
If i am 6 feet tall i'll go every day. too bad i am short and tiny. So i always have to ask my co-worker to share half with me. TOO BIG.
I found their counter service to be rude and slow. Coffees are too sweet and the barista, yes thats you buddy, should learn open his mouth when he makes coffees. Mr. Barista acts like he's making a souffle - they way he ignores the customers and then subsequently gets the order wrong. I had ordered before the other 3 in my party and I got mine last. Later on in the day they catered a staff working lunch - boring sandwich and BLAND tortilla soup. Take a pass on this place, I won't be back.
When we were apartment hunting, our future landlord told us LA Cafe was really good. We thought it was just a ploy to get us to move in, because it doesn't look like somewhere you would go. It looks like one of those places suits go for a quick lunch. Turns out they do great coffee drinks, fresh squeezed orange juice, nice, cheezy avocado egg wraps and stuff like that.
2 people could split the tuna salad and still have some left over. The bagels w/lox are really good and reasonably priced. I find the food much better than the overrated Angelique down the street. Nothing overly fancy (except the imported sodas) but everything we've had there is really good. Also, getting breakfast delivered when you're hungover is the best.
I love this place. It's less than a block from where I moved to and it's totally what I need sometimes. I love sitting outside at restaurants and people watching...and of course eating fresh food. This place is small but offers some great options to eat and drink.
Their avocado and brie sandwich is so yummy! Their slaw...eh, it's slaw and I've never been a fan of slaw. Brian heads here every weekend and sometimes before work to grab a muffin or coffee. Makes you feel like you live in a real city.
Their desserts are yummy too. I had a triple layer mousse dessert that at the bottom had some cake that must have had some kind of cherry flavored liquor. YUMMY. We need more places like this downtown.
ive avoided this place for years but i recently got a panini... it was decent. i was disturbed i couldn't watched them make it since it looked like only 3 people were working. one cleaning, one at the register, and one doing whatever behind a wall. i guess the point is this place is open til 4 am every night with free coffee after midnight. still, it took a good 15 min for my food to-go with no one else waiting... so for a late-night snack ill choose tacos mexico over this place any day.
mm mm MM! i'm sure (like all restaurants) they have things that aren't so tasty, but so far i haven't been too disappointed by this place.
for breakfast, i recommend the egg pesto mozzarella panini one (forget what it's called). my soy latte, howevs, was a disappointment since there was hardly any soy milk in it, and it didn't taste like espresso. it made me wonder if they just poured a little soy milk into coffee. that's my conspiracy theory, anyway.
for lunch so far i've had the sliders (a little too meaty) but the bread is SO SOFT and the sauce is super yummy. also i've had their tomato basil soup (super delish) and roast beef panini, which was one of the better ones i've had.
also see my fruit tart picture for dessert ideas, i'm still trying not to eat the whole thing before my boyfriend comes home, but we'll see...oh and good iced coffee!
I like this place! They have really good food, it's super close to my apartment and the people there are pretty cool. Plus, it feels like a really neighborhood joint because you always see the usual customers hanging out in front with their dogs and just having casual conversations with their neighbors. The best thing is the Southwest Chicken Salad (I think that's what it's called). The panini's are grilled to order and everything is always fresh. GOTTA LOVE L.A. CAFE!
Ummm, decent. Not DE-CENT. Just decent.
Good solid café eatery with tasty food and attentive staff. Happy to make substitutions too. Only been once, but will be back again soon.
I haven't been to the physical location, but LA Cafe was catering a visit to a local dog store, so I got away with some free food. They staff there was incredibly nice and their panini's were very good! Nice and crispy bread and I got to try a sampling of their tuna panini, and roast turkey avocado panini. I was told that LA Cafe delivers for free to the offices in the area, which makes it very convenient. Also according to their menu I got, they have free wi-fi and have an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, soups, salads, and plates. Would definitely like to go and try it at their location next time I'm in the area.
Pretty good. I had an avocado sammy with brie. it was tasty...i tried the other vegetarian sammy and it was eh...ok. Hey whats up with the weird cole-slaw as a side? Does anyone eat that stuff? I mean really? I think it's a cop-out as a side....I'd prefer a nice fattening bag o chips. My boyfriend is sitting here saying that he thought the other veggie sammy was BOMB....so maybe I am a jerk, or my taste-buds are failing. Anyway the people are nice there...the service is good and again...I can sit with my pup outside. They also deliver...which I haven't found necessary since it is so close to home. But I will continue to go there...and I will get over the weird coleslaw stuff...when chips become an option as a side...they will get 5 stars.
I usually pop in here when I want a bagel in the morning, and they do a pretty good job with it, and they don't skimp on the lox. Some of the breakfast sandwiches had overcooked egg, but other than that I really cant complain. Its a pretty safe bet if you are looking for a simple, but tasty breakfast or lunch, you'll find something that suits you.
I'd eat here everyday if I weren't watching my weight. Their desserts are so delicious! The smoked salmon salad is the best! A little pricey but whatever.
I live just upstairs from this place and can't help but go there all the time. Being a sandwich girl I'll try pretty much anything they offer. The turkey sandwiches have greens, sundried tomato, and a special mustard/mayo mix. The tuna sandwich and salads are really great, the sandwich has arugula :) The best thing is the special they sometimes have: the chicken garlic panini. It has muenster, chicken, and garlic, enough said.
Holiday Party @ Yatai !
West Hollywood, CA
3 for the price of 2
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Desserts
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: American (Traditional)
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