La La Land — Restaurant in Glendale

This location is relatively new, it’s probably been a couple weeks since its opening and it’s quite popular. We came here on a Saturday around noon to grab some coffee and a quick bite, AKA an avocado toast. First off there was a 20 person line, it’s definitely moving so don’t get discouraged by it if that’s what you see but you’re also waiting like 10 mins… to our surprise, after putting in our orders we only waited like 5 mins for everything to be ready and our names to be called, which was great!

Regarding seating, there is seating indoor and outdoor, it is self service so you’ll have to find your own tables. Even while it was as crowded as it was when we went, the tables were definitely rotating indoors so I’d imagine if you waited then something would open up. Otherwise, the outdoor seating immediately outside of the place had available seats so if you wanted to sit right outside then you’re walking out and sitting down without hunting for a seat. Curveball, this is at The Americana so there is other seating as well, we were thinking we’d go to the grassy area near the fountain and sit there but on our way we saw “general americana seating” which was calling our names so we pivoted and sat there to have our respective toasts.

So this place is absolutely a very corporate business but very interestingly disguised as a mom and pop artisanal cafe which I found so interesting! This is one of a handful’s of locations which I’m aware of, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are many more which I am not aware of.

The avocado toasts were so so good! I can’t wait to have them again soon. The toast was so well done, when I was cutting it with my utensils it was cutting perfectly. On top of that it was perfectly toasted so you still got the crunch even with the toppings you’d get with an avocado toast, so so good I’ll probably have hot dreams about it tonight. The coffees were decent, can’t complain or rave about them. Best part about this was that nothing was overpriced whatsoever so you don’t have to decide between this or your mortgage for the month.

Regarding service it’s pretty much fast casual, you’re putting in your order at a counter then picking it up on the other side of the counter… and for atmosphere, there were definitely some groups of people who seemed to be making a day of it, kind of felt like they were at a mini-brunch or something, I found that very interesting.

The location is facing the street, I believe it was Brand ave… don’t quote me on that. It looks like they took over the coffee bean which was there prior, but I didn’t confirm that with anyone.

The parking is the typical Americana parking situation, either you’re parking in the structure and paying up for it or you’re finding some street parking (very hard to find) and paying slightly less. There is usually valet parking at Americana but I didn’t see it at this time of the day… didn’t look for it either though.

Overall, I am very much looking forward to coming here again for some yummy avocado...

I've always passed by this business and wondered why this place had their line out the door. Was it because their food and drink was superb? Ha! That is further from the truth. It's because they are slow! They spend more time talking to each other than actually making their drinks and food.

PRICE:

Let's talk about their prices. Just four items... FOUR! Two drinks, a pastry, and an avocado toast came out to $32.00. Do you know what I can do with $32 at Protos? Let's put this to perspective. For $20 more you can eat at Foxxys which you have access to unlimited coffee which you can also take a cup to go at no additional cost. You can get two plates at Panda with drinks and it would stell be cheaper. $28 bucks to be exact. You're charging more than Starbucks when you dont have their quality product.

CLEANLINESS:

Don't be fooled with how clean their lobby is. Look at the top of their espresso machine, their pastry display case, their microwave, and counters. Those things are disgusting. The top of their espresso machine looked like they haven't wiped it for weeks. You can see finger markings where they swipped their fingers through. Their microwave is so caked up with pastry residue as if it hasn't been cleaned since they've open and their display case looks like they just through everything in there with no thought not realizing that that can cause a major allergic reaction to a customer. I don't even wanna know how their back room looks like.

Is your bar that low that you guys will just eat any where? Just nasty. First and last time I'll go to this place. You guys are truly...

We were excited to try La La Land Cafe for the first time and drove from Monrovia to the Glendale location with high expectations. Upon arrival, the cashier was friendly and took our order without issue. However, the experience took a turn when we received our drinks.

We had ordered one Banana Coffee Latte and one Banana Matcha Latte. Unfortunately, both drinks were made with coffee, despite one clearly being labeled as matcha on the sticker. When I returned to the counter to address the mistake, no one acknowledged me at first. After finally getting the attention of a staff member female short wearing a dark grey hoodie, I explained the issue. Without saying a word, she removed the sticker from the drink, sighed audibly, and gave off a clear attitude—no apology or explanation, just visible frustration.

Still hoping to resolve the issue, I approached the register to speak with two other employees. When I asked to speak with a manager, they looked confused and simply told me the manager was sitting outside.

While the drinks themselves were enjoyable, the lack of professionalism and poor customer service left a lasting negative impression. Unfortunately, we won’t be returning to this location. The visit was...