CAFÉ TRISTE — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Came here with a friend & we found Café Triste to be a nice and friendly atmosphere. It was a pretty dim and cozy with a good amount of light from their lamps or candles on every table which I like. The staff were nice and helpful. We ordered some glasses of red & white wine. We weren’t here for food so we didn’t try the food here, but I’ll have to come back to try the food. We spent quite a while chatting & later ordered a bottle of Domaine Carterole Esta Fête which was really nice. The interior of the shop was nice. When we arrived a little past 7pm the entrance of the space was softly illuminated by the natural light peering through their glass windows as the rest of the space is engulfed in the shadow with bits of candle light here and there. The space was dim enough where you can barely see faces off in the distance and only the faces at your table or beside your table (or it may also be because my vision is terrible). I also found that the chatter amongst others wasn’t too loud here which was great. When the sky turned dark I also liked how the red neon lights from the royal pagoda motel appeared brighter through the glass windows and gave the space a nice contrast between motel’s red light and the dimness of the bar. Loved the painting and the glass block window at the back of the bar. I think the music could be played a tad louder (I like hearing music at the bar). It’s also because with their entrance door was left opened I would hear traffic roll by and it would occasionally break my immersion with the space. Parking is pretty easy in this area with an abundance of street parking just outside the bar or the parking lots/structure close by. Great place to dine casually with a date or just to hang out and chill...

I was excited to try this place. A lot of friends love it, and it looked like it was a place for good wine and good food in a well designed space that didn’t take itself too seriously. We stopped in on the earlier side when few other customers were there. We waited at the bar to order. Someone told us if we were dining inside we could take a seat and they’d take our order at our table. We sat down. The server came to the table and told us that we needed to go to the bar if we wanted to see the menu. We went to the bar to see the menu. After a couple of back and forths, we were able to order some small plates. We asked what bottles they had. He told us they didn’t have a menu for bottles but he’d recommend something. Every point of interaction involved an eye roll from the people working there. We ordered what ended up being a $75 bottle plus some small plates. It seems like a fine place if you hate yourself, but there are plenty of other good places nearby that seem like they want to be in...

Cafe Triste is a perfect spot for a wine night! There's lots of street parking after 6 PM, plus a paid structure right next door, making parking easy. The vibe is trendy and minimal, and the staff is super friendly and knowledgeable about natural wines--they recommended the perfect wine for us. Definitely try the olives! We also loved the Carolina gold rice with shrimp and the pork shoulder with passion fruit sauce--the pork was so tender, and the rice was perfectly cooked. Can't wait...