Civil Coffee — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I write for a music and coffee blog called Crooners In Coffeeshops, in which I interview local musicians at local coffeeshops. My writeup reflects the positive experience that I encountered at Civil Coffee on our interview date.

Every day is a good day to be civil, and Highland Park’s appropriately named Civil Coffee does its best to embody that mantra by providing locals and visitors alike a warm and welcoming spot to enjoy a great cup of joe. In fact, brothers Alan and Alex Morales created Civil Coffee in 2011 to run as a locally based espresso pop up catering service, with their experience with serving many caffeine lovers and an array of events giving them the chance to finally open its glistening wood-paned door in 2015.

While Figueroa Street is known for its booming local business appeal, Civil Coffee has successfully kept customers happy for years. Whether you’re looking for a quick pop-in or to sit or looking to enjoy some of their signature food and drink fare cozied at one of their available indoor benches or outdoor patio bistro tables, it won’t be hard to find something to enjoy about the shop. I will have to say, sitting out on the patio with my cookie-tastic Figueroa specialty espresso drink being serenaded by the smooth sounds of crooners playing through the speakers overhead was a nice bonus to the overall...

To be fair - cold brew here is pretty solid and I’ve visited many times before but just had a hilarious interaction that will make me think twice about returning. Ordered a black cold brew with no ice because I have an early flight and wanted quality am coffee. Person at register told me it wouldn’t be filled to the top. Hm… how weird… but fair warning I guess. Tipped her a buck and moved to the counter. I get my coffee and it’s barely half full… and I’m an optimist! Lol, I thought she meant… maybe an inch of room at the top… but hard line at half full. Asked for clarification and while the baristas were super polite and friendly, even offering to fill it up the rest of the way for an additional $1.75 my flabbers were gasted. Lol? This is $5.50 worth of coffee apparently typically crammed with lots of ice. Here’s the thing, I would have spent way more money over my lifespan there than the 15 cents worth of product they would have lost out on by filling that to the top. What a silly hill to die on. Can’t speak to anything else at Civil but I can tell you that when superior choices like Kindness and Mischief or Jane are available in the neighborhood, there’s no reason to come here...

A bustling, local coffee shop that feels very at home within the overall vibes of the Highland park area.

The coffee itself was good, but nothing particularly special. Priced about as expected - so slightly high but not unreasonably so - I ordered The Figueroa, which was a solid 4-star drink, but didn't really stand out. It was nicely presented, and the cookie is a nice touch. I think I'd recommend this location to someone for the overall 'local coffee shop vibe', but not because the coffee itself was a real standout.

The space inside is generally well-constructed, if perhaps a bit small, but the outdoor patio out back provides enough additional seating that it shouldn't be an issue unless it's a peak time. If it is a busy time, the line will somewhat awkwardly wrap right within the seating area and out the door in a way that could probably be managed somewhat better.

Parking is somewhat limited and may be difficult given the general area depending on...