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34 Washington Blvd"Fresh breads, Boar's Head meats, awesome salads, aaaaaannnnndddd MINI DONUTS??? Yes please! I used to work right off of Pacific, about a 5…" read more »
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Baseball cap guy is back!
I went with a friend during the day on a recent weekend and he was there! It's all just too coincidental how we never ran into him for years, but hey, he's back. I ordered my requisite frozen toffee bar and it was superb in the way I remember it being.
+1 to four stars now!
Look out for the huge cow's behind in the window! You can't miss it!
I've been coming here for…
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Like locals? Wanna be close to the beach? Have laptop, book or other words to read? Need to recharge that cell? Want free internet access? Crave a ton of coffees, juices, wraps and salads? Prefer reasonable prices and pretension-free cliente?
Then how can you not like this place? It has all of the above and it even has some dude with a bird on his shoulder opposite me right now - an authentic "strange-but-true" experience.
Ah, Venice. Ah, Cow's End. All local hang-outs should be like this.
This place has a ton of character and location, location, location!!! My friend and I used to go there every morning after walking our dogs on the pier. Good coffee and great locals. Plus the sandwiches are pretty delish.
My favorite thing is to sit outside and people watch. My dog is pretty cute and gets a ton of attention too :)
I'm writing this while sitting inside enjoying a white chocolate latte and reading "The Art of Seduction". The drink is pretty strong and very hot. I don't like luke warm coffee drinks. The atmosphere is mellow with the exception of a stupid 5 year old running back and forth screaming. The ghetto parents are not even saying anything to him as he runs wild.. They have tranquil music playing in the background. One thing I can't help but notice is how dirty all of the red suede couches are. They are blackened with dirt. I guess that's Venice for you.
Great coffee and great smoothies. The chocolate shake is awesome. There is indoor seating and outdoor seating. It's open late, so it's a good place for relaxing near the water, having a conversation, and people watching, both in the daytime and at night. Starbucks is across the street, but it simply doesn't compete with the flavor and atmosphere of The Cow's End. They even service sandwiches that look delicious, but I never had one.
Nice little cafe in a great location. We often hit this place up for a sandwich on our way to the beach. You can build you own sandwiches for around $8. The sandwiches are big enough to share and they always taste fresh. They use Boar's Head meats which Im a big fan of.
The Cow's end also has a good selections of teas and obviously they brew all the usual coffee drinks too. They have smoothies which I've never had but my girlfriend says they are really good.
In front of the restaurant are a few tables which offer up some great people watching and its at a great location, right near the pier.
I'd give them 5 stars but they don't take debit/rcredit cards which can sometimes be an inconvenience and the sandwiches do take a bit of time for them to make. There's only one person taking orders and one guy making sandwiches so at the busy times there is a line. But for what it is it's a solid 4 stars. Check it out if you are in the area.
This place is so quaint and cute...the chocolate macaroons are as big as BASEBALLS and probably heavier...mmmm, yum! Don't want to even think about how many calories one of those babies pack...but seriously, who cares about calories when eating a dessert!
Huge selection to choose from...if not in the mood for a coffee drink, try the hot white chocolate, YUM!
Minus one star for cash only...at least they have an atm in house though.
Practically beach front, relatively easy parking (street or cheap lot on the weekdays), good food, very nice drinks, PLUS free wi-fi and a willingness to host JellyLA make this place a BIG winner in my book.
Service can get a lil' backed up, and it's not uncommon to have to wait in line for 10 minutes, but I've never had trouble getting a seat once I was ready to settle in to eat and cowork.
Great space. Coffee's not extraordinary, but this is a fun place to sit and relax if you push some of the laptop lizards out of the way.
If I had to be stuck in any animal's ass for several hours, this would be my bovine of choice.
It's close to the beach, it's chill, it's Southern California at its finest. They only take cash (be warned) and for some reason don't have Splenda (hello! welcome to the 21st century!), but otherwise serve a mean iced coffee and have scarlet and grey walls... go Buckeyes!
I like the upper level, the balcony, the random back lounge room and the abundance of mirrors.
Note: The wireless is free, but you'll need a password from the barista. Ask when you order your drink to avoid what I did by going downstairs, waiting in line, and in a paranoid fashion, looking back upstairs every 5 seconds to make sure no surfer hoodlum stole my stuff.
You're at the beach. Complaining about parking is obscene. This isn't McDonald's. Dipping sauces, really? Did I read that? Complaining about the inside space of a coffee/sandwich place, again, at the BEACH?! Have you thought about, you know, going outside? Who are you people? Go back to Iowa, this isn't for you. /rant
The Cow's End makes ridiculously good sandwiches and I love the iced tea with frozen nectarines. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I can't comment to the cow's-endiness of it. The Health Nut sandwich is perfection. Fresh fresh fresh. Yum.
You wont believe what happened to me at this terrible establishment
Last week I went into The Cows End to order a coffee. As I was getting served I felt faint and weak and thought I was going to pass out. Instead of falling to the ground I lowered myself to the floor and held onto the counter, this way if I did faint I wouldn't hit my head too hard on the ground. As I'm on the floor holding onto the counter for support the employee that was taking my order started to serve the man behind me. I couldn't believe I was on the floor and he started serving somebody else. Neither did the man behind me ask me if I needed help but he proceeded to place his order. Not one person came to me and asked if they could help me.
I remained on the floor for a few minutes as I was blacking out and felt really bad at this point. I managed eventually to stand up and walk to the back to the bathroom as at this point not only am I scared at what I'm experiencing but I'm completely embarrassed.
When I got to the back of the restaurant i sat on the floor outside the toilet as I could not stand anymore, I was feeling worse as time went on. Still nobody came to help me.
Eventually a member of staff said to me that they will get the owner. The owner came to me a a few minutes later took one look at me and asked what was wrong. By now I'm crying because I didn't know what was wrong with me and I couldn't move. He then said to me he would either call the paramedics or I had to LEAVE BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAY IN THE RESTAURANT.
UNBELIEVABLE.
I cannot believe how cold the staff and the owner was.
I think you can all draw your own conclusions to my story. I'm so shocked and angry that I can't comment on this terrible experience.
I have been here a few times, but have not ordered food only tea. This is a great place if you want to study or sit outside with a cig and your laptop and sip on tea and people watch. There is a lot of random but cool art pieces hung all over. They have a pretty decent drink menu to choose from and a lot of teas. The one thing I noticed was if you are waiting in line to order and just want to run in and order and grab your stuff and leave, it takes a while.
There are definitely a lot of local yocals who probably live above the touristy shops on the boardwalk. I mean I am a local yocal as well but I am not about to get into a random mumbling racist conversation. There is a bar RIGHT next door so you can get the whiff of booze. All and all a solid place
I want to hate this place, I really do.. it is so kitschy..
But their Iced Chai lattes are literally unbeatable, I love them completely.. I dream about them and obsess until I drive the twenty minutes from my house to this place, *sigh* yes I suppose I am that girl..
This place is great for it's coffee and staff. The food is not bad but it's more the environment that draws the crowd. I enjoy the eclectic feel to it. It's chilled and relaxed. Perhaps that's why film makers often choose this spot. I was there when they filmed something for MTV.
I'm not sure if I could stand to study here but the juice and smoothies are great when you're biking or rollerblading down the beach path and need a break.
The Beautiful People quotient is too high for my tastes, though - where do the real people go in this city? Lowercase-b beautiful is more my scene.
The only two things I don't like about this place is that it can be kinda dirty inside and all the crazy local yokels who congregate outside and talk about inane topics at deafening levels. (PS: If you hang outside this spot regularly and chain smoke and talk to the locals, consider yourself part of this group.) I actually heard one lady today skewer a guy for telling a joke using the "n-word" then five minutes later go on to tell another person that not ALL Jews are bad.
Anyway, on to the good points. Cow's End has great coffee (Organic Mexico), decent food when you need it, free wi-fi and a great and friendly staff. I often spend hours here doing work on my computer.
Worth checking out. Best parking is Pacific North of Washington.
3.5 stars.
Decent chai tea latte near the Westside. Not true Indian chai. But solid cinnamon tea that is satisfying enough for a cold night with some madeleines. I hear their food is good, but I've always been there so late that the kitchen was closed already.
The upstairs seating area with the red velvet upholstery and mirrors is a great place to read, sit or chat. The area is divided a bit between a back room and a front room. The back room is far quieter with people seriously getting their study and work on, so I suggest you sit out in the front room if you're going to be talking on occasion. The tables and chairs downstairs and outside are better for a conversation too.
I second the comment in another review that people-watching is good here. There are some kooky people that come and sit up there. Seems like a frequent kooky people post-date spot.
The coffee shop is also walking distance from the beach and across the street from C & O's Trattoria. High five!
This place totally rocks! I'm glad my friend introduced me to it because you will probably see me there more and more often! The atmosphere inside the locating is so comfortable and welcoming. The awesome part is, if you go upstairs, not only are there more seats, but there's even a room where you can study and do homework! In addition to that, there's free WiFi! You can't get any better than that! The chairs in the room are so comfortable and you have to keep reminding yourself that you are in a place of business and not someone's house, lol! I remember my friend was practically sleeping on me because it was so comfortble!
Now, this place has the best chocolate shakes EVER! By far!!! I mean, it's totally worth the $4.05! It is so hearty and delicious that I will never forget a place like that again!
Once you enter, you see all these cow statues and pictures and it kind of reminds you of like a bardn or something, hahah! It's really creative. The dude at the counter is really nice and you can see that he enjoys having conversations with his customers. It's not like someone who is miserable and can't wait to get the hell out of the place. He really interacts with others and it's awesome. The only downside I would have to say, is that when he goes to interact with other customers upstairs, the people waiting in line begin to get a little impacient and wonder where he is so they can order. I guess, on that part I can't really blame them.
Now, let me get into the reason why I didn't give this place five well-deserving stars. The television has Fox News and that is a big turn off for me. Now, that's not to say I won't go there again. Fuck no! You will probably see me a lot there, as I said earlier. But, I think the whole Fox News thing kind of kills it a little. On that note, I plan on going there again and trying new things!
This place is a blend of great and ostentatious. That really is the only way I can put it.
Great because of their amazing (and generous) fruit & yogurt smoothies, fresh wraps, decent coffee, and loaded oatmeal (fruit, almonds, granola).
The prices are just about the same as Jamba Juice but you get way more fruity bang for your buck.
Now the cons...
I only give it three stars because I never quite feel "homey" there, it's really tall ceilings kind of make it un-intimate, and the seating is not really laid out for being social, which is really my favorite thing about going out.
I also kind of feel that a lot of their sandwich creations are kind of uninspired for being almost exclusively a sandwich shop. Maybe if they incorporated some flavorful dipping sauces, it would give the dry/blandness of the food a much needed lift.
Cow's End is directly across from C&O's. Enough said.
I've been coming here the past 5 years and I always get the Chai Latte. In my opinion, it used to be A LOT better (like a 5 star quality) back in the day with the other barista. I'm super bummed. Now it's these two other guys running the place. It's just not the same anymore when you don't see the usual guy making your drinks. I think they took out the pool table too. :(
Parking can be tricky here on Washington Blvd. My friends have good karma and are always able to find us a good spot in the front of the store. If you seriously can't find parking, you'll just have to drive around the adjacent streets for street parking. Our usual routine is going to C&O's for dinner then walking across to Cow's for nice a cold/hot beverage and just chit chatting there til they close.
In conclusion, I want the old guy back!! I'm not ready for change!!
I just recently moved to LA so I was looking for a cool coffee shop, by the beach with free wifi and good people watching. It was a blindingly sunny day to my delight and Cow's End is literally doors down from the beach. I was excited. This looked promising.
There was quite a line of people and the food was described well enough to make my mouth water. I orders a "top banana" shake, a combo of banana's and Ghirardelli chocolate and yes, it was yummy.
HOWEVER, the ambiance of this place was pretty close to shit. As soon as you walk in, it's like a dark, dingy, barn with rooms split up and old carpet everywhere. It looked like the staff were cooking in candle light, I don't know how they could see what they were doing. After you get your food you can walk up a set of stairs to relax and you are met with two dirty, carpeted rooms that are pretty big but with only four or five tables and sofas pushed against the wall.
On such a beautiful day, in such a beautiful place, why oh why would you want to sit in a dirty barn. The picture listed below shows some type of roof deck which you would imagine want to have views to the beach and type away in sunny blissfulness but I saw no way to get up there. It's a shame really. You're better off getting it to go or forgoing it all the same.
I'm now addicted to their Acai Bowls (you can opt to substitute apple juice with soy milk.)
What you want and expect from a laid-back Venice coffee house that hasn't succumbed to… Read more »
This is a cool placeto study its quiet and the environment is very chill.
Hard to sit here and smoke with most people eating here instead of drinking just coffee. The coffee is as weak as a bad day of Starbucks coffee.
Even with their slow unorganized service still THE place to hang as a local in Venice (although it is actually in MdR)
I've been coming to Cow's End every day for about a week now while I wait for my home office to arrive in a moving truck. I have to say this place is pretty much THE perfect coffeeshop.
They have plenty of places to sit with plugs everywhere and FREE wifi. They have an insane selection of coffee, tea and smoothies, I have tried at least one drink from all of these categories and they have all been awesome. They also have a great bakery selection and a full deli with sandwiches. Basically there is no reason you would ever need to leave!
I had a really watery soy latte here a few weeks ago so I don't recommend that. Others in my party ordered smoothies and juice and were pleased with their purchases. It's not quite the right scene for me to want to bring my computer down and hang out. It's pretty busy and full of folks coming off the beach.
This place is legit. It's open past midnight, when every other chill place in LA rolls up the sidewalks at 8 pm. Free wifi, great shakes and coffee, and always room for one more. Upstairs can get hot, but they are here to give and take care of you, not advantage. This is a real local gem. Treasure it.
Liabilities - drunks stumbling back from bars and crowded parking.
Most people bring their dog in the morning and stop in for a coffee and to read the paper. Park in the lot by the Whaler or on Pacific. There's free (and very fast) wifi so its a nice place to stop in and get some work done in the early evening. There's also an abundance of comfy places to sit, just the bathroom is tucked away and hard to find.
Coffee: 2-3 star
Atmosphere: 4 star
Location: 5 star
What I Ordered: White Mocha
I was really looking forward to tasting the coffee at Cow's End. From its appearance, it has great potential. Plus, the line was out the door (while Starbucks was empty!!). But, alas, the coffee at Cow's End did not live up to the awesomeness of its location and atmosphere. My white mocha had a really funny taste. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing... ? My boyfriend, on the other hand, had a smoothie, which was pretty good. It tasted really fresh and natural.
The atmosphere and location do make Cow's End worth trying. It's a block from the beach, and definitely a great place to people-watch. I suggest getting there early, grabbing a coffee or smoothie, and taking a nice relaxing stroll along the beach.
Coffee, sandwiches, fresh fruit smoothies, magazine stand, with couches and tv upstairs that shows interesting movies in the early evening. Cozy, great location, people watching, unpretentious. The staff totally leaves you alone even if you're there for hours with one smoothie. Fun place to hang out with the Venice locals and visitors after a day of blading on the strand. I use to practically live here and I always had a great time.
5-06-07 Update
Downgraded from five to four stars due to the bad parking and traffic situation, especially in the mid-afternoon. Also, upstairs is now two rooms divided by a metallic looking wall. TV is gone and the space was really much better before.
Wow! I have seen everything. A butt of a cow can be the name of a coffee house and no one objects!
Too hippie if you ask me.
I was skeptical of coming here for a board game that Nancy Y. set up a few months back because I thought there was only a few counter seats in the first floor. It was only when I realized that there are plenty of seats upstairs with a few sofa, coffee tables, and chairs do I get the hint it's a cool place.
In many ways, the upstairs was like a bohemian gathering hole for all the readers, wannabe screenplay writers, to amateur coffee aficionados to all hang out and discuss about life.
Yeah, that's what I thought they were doing.
There is no waiter service at this place. You will need to order your coffee or blended drinks downstairs. The menu listed many concoctions of different type of coffee, juice, smoothie, and other rich flavor drinks. There is a also nice deli sections right next to the coffee counter and plenty of pastries to be found.
I ordered the Banana Cow Thunder (the same drink Jenn L.'s bf also ordered). It mixed the coffee with a few fruity additives like banana and some cream to it. Very refreshing on a hot day.
Coolest thing in the world... FREE WIFI !!
There are a couple of drawbacks. One, the line can formed like a snake as there is really only one register or one guy taking orders at the counter. The bottlenecks of ordering and waiting for your drinks can be as bad as getting stuck on the 405 freeway going to Hollywood. The second is that the space to wait is small. It's not as big of a space as upstairs. If they can solve the problems, it will be smooth sailing.
The restroom is around the corner behind the deli counter. It's a cash only place with an ATM machine close by.
It's really a cool place to stop by to get a drink or just hang out on the top floor section. A lot of patrons seemed to enjoy bringing their laptops and camp out upstairs. It's not a bad place to go on a weekday, but avoid hanging out on a weekend if you can.
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Unofficial Yelp note:
Event took place at 5/6/07
Pictures can be found here at: http://www.flickr.com/...
Funky coffee stop. Good, fresh food (full deli; build-your-own sandwich and such.) Good coffee. Big selection of coffee drinks and smoothies. Cool staff and fast service (counter service, not table service.) Fun people watching. Free GOOD wi-fi.
They don't take credit cards, though - what is this, 1970?
Overall a good stop though.
Great coffee, snacks, sandwiches freshly made in their tiny deli, and no Starbucks HELLO HI HOW ARE YOU WOULD YOU LIKE TO PRE-ORDER A $3,000 BARISTA MACHINE IT COMES WITH A FREE COOKIE WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE? type attitude.
However, I'm sitting upstairs writing this, and the room is filled with pretentious writer types. I am wearing my "smart" glases and trying to look pretentious too. I think I'm succeeding because I'm pounding on my keyboard like I'm writing the next great American novel. Instead, I'm just Yelping.
Bonus incident: there were no meters outside, so I paid the extravagant five bucks to park on the beach. The stoner older guy taking the money stops me for a chat:
Stoner toll booth dude: "Whoa, hey dude, did you used to be in the movies?"
Me: "Er, no. Don't I wish!" *good natured chuckle*
Stoner toll booth dude: "Man, you look just like Kurt Russell!"
Me: "Ha, well thanks!" *me drives off*
Me, parking, comes to sudden realization. "Hey, what the HELL!?! Kurt Russell is like 55 years old! YOU BASTARD!"
And ... scene.
Since I was displaced from my apartment for maintenance today, I'm at the Venice pier at the Cow's End. So here I am, just sipping my smoothie, using the free wifi for some yelping, and looking at the huge cow in front of me. It's a cute place (lots of cow stuff), and the red sofas are nice and comfy. My smoothie was alright; I regret not getting the red tea shake (the tea is from Elixir).
There's also a huge selection of sandwiches with Boar's Head meat (ugh, that sounds so gross!), but I wasn't about to have one of those. The LOUD ASS teenyboppers sitting next to me right now (who all smell like Aquolina Pink Sugar perfume) said that the sandwiches are good. The one guy in the group--whose name is John from what I gather--said, "the ciabatta is softer than I thought!" One of the girls (I think her name is Cheyenne) said the turkey is good. (Note to teenyboppers: STFU!!!)
Oh and cash only, pimps.
Great place to pick up something on the run... it's not the kind of coffee shop you're gonna write your next script in, but if you wanna hang and be social then you're in the right place. Just about everything is good, fantastic variety of drinks, great staff. CASH ONLY! So for those of us who live in the present, you'll need your wayback machine to get some of that quaint 20th century currency known as paper money.
This is definitely one of my favorite coffee shops on the west side. They really do make one of the best chai tea lattes I've ever had. I have spent numerous nights here with friends sipping drinks and playing scrabble. There are a lot of crazies walking by this place, which makes it a prime location for people watching.
The upstairs areas are often inhabited by students with laptops, textbooks, and highlighters a plenty, so if you're there to socialize, I suggest the downstairs/outside seating.
Parking can be an issue, but keep searching, it's worth it! Oh, and tip the coffee man, he works hard!
If you're looking to find a chill place to hang with a friend, read, or write your script, this place is great!
Good coffee and smoothie menu, and they serve food (although, I've never eaten here). I think what makes this place unique is the people watching. All types frequent this place.
Their coffee is great! My favorite munchy is their cinnamon crumb muffin. Ask them to heat it up and throw a pat of butter on. Yummm! I never feel too guilty because I usually walk to and from my home.
As Joan and Kris already wrote, great spot for coffee and people watching. Lots of doggies tied up in front. Steps to the ocean.
Just another reason that I live in Paradise.... :)
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Category: Coffee & Tea
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