Enigma Coffee — Restaurant in Los Angeles

The location I went to is on Sepulveda near Victory inside the street level floor of a corporate/medical building. You can park in the building parking lot easily, and Enigma Coffee offered me a 15min validation.

There's also street parking, and a large parking lot next-door. *They are open to the public, unlike what another review post on Google reported.

I was looking for good coffee in the area while staying at friends during the evacuation of the great fires of 2025. I was (still am) evacuated from Topanga Canyon for more than 10days at this point (grateful to have a home and neighborhood to return to!!!), and this became my every morning spot after trying several other espresso places in the area during the first half of my evacuation experience.

They even offered a free latte my first visit because I was evacuated. As did a few other places I tried. That was a great help!

They have their own small roast coffee and sell their coffee beans in the shop as well.

It's good coffee made well. Their espresso machines were clean and well calibrated. The coffee was smooth and rich. Their milk froth was velvety and perfect.

I did get an extra shot in my whole milk latte to make it extra rich, and I asked if they could do a blend of a latte and a wet cappuccino to get a little bit more foam froth on the top, to which they accommodated easily.

It was perfect; Not bitter, not sour, and not too caramelly. Just a rich, full flavored, and creamy satisfying hot coffee latte.

They make other types of coffee based drinks and have alternative milks as well. All of them looked delicious, and there was a steady stream of patrons each time I went there. My favorite part was that there was never much of a line and I didn't have to wait.

The first day I went there, the owners themselves happened to be there making coffee and food for their customers. They are a very friendly young professional couple and I ended up staying and chatting with them for a while in between other customers popping in.

The next mornings I met different barista's who are clearly well trained as they all made an excellent latte, pretty much exactly as the owners had made for me on that first visit.

They offer sandwiches and some baked goods that looked delicious, but as I have celiac disease, I was unable to sample their food because they do not yet carry gluten-free items other than one cookie type.

They mentioned they have another location in Tarzana that I will visit as soon as I'm back...

[Updated Review May 2023 2-stars] It's Saturday, I called to check what time they're open till and the girl talking to me just said, "What?" And after a pause, hung up. She sounds like the same person that did that to me some weeks back. I don't understand where this kind of poor customer service comes from. The coffee is great. But customer service can sway a brand's reputation.

[Original Review Nov. 2022 3-stars] I called a number of times this morning to ask a question about their cafe to no answer. I was hesitant to just travel to a cafe I didn't know was open or not and the last review looks like a couple of months ago. But I had heard some great things about their coffee and I drove over anyhow.

The three stars I'm giving are really because the coffee is amazing. This location is located on the groundfloor of an office building. It's a bit lackluster but if you come here, you come because the coffee is amazing 👌🏼 C'est magnifique! The cafe is quaint, simple, and clean. There are a few tables in the lobby of the office building for you to sit and enjoy your order.

The entire time I was there I think only one person came in to order. A curly haired girl assisted me with mine and I ordered The Sam (their signature drink), a small oatmilk latte, and a grilled cheese sandwich. The oatmilk they use, by the way, is a great tasting Oatmilk. I finished The Sam before I left the parking lot - so you only get two photos of the remainder of my order I'm consuming while waiting for my vehicle to be worked on.

I cannot say enough good about their coffee! Definitely try The Sam too! Hopefully they can relocate this location elsewhere that is much more inviting and worthy of their brand. Even an Enigma drive-thru coffee stand nearby would be a viable replacement option for this location. The girl helping me wasn't the most welcoming but she wasn't unkind either and I understand people need a job or something to do. The location and employee simply didn't provide a desirable experience inspiring you to revisit. And this grilled cheese sandwich should've been on the kids menu. I've never seen one for adults, so small. It wasn't anything to write home about and perhaps I just like mine grilled in butter so it's more flavorful.

Will I come back, for the coffee, yes! And you should definitely stop by, try them out, and maybe your experience will be different or even better....

Honestly, this location is depressing and just not worth it.

Ownership already knows that their tiny shop in an industrial building is challenging to navigate, given you need to pull a ticket then remember to get it validated just to pick up coffee … and THEN hand it over to an attendant and wait online for several other cars in front of you on the exit. Worse, because there was one person ahead of me, and the one employee moves at a snails pace, unfortunately I still had to pay just to pick up my coffee order. They didn’t care that it was only three minutes over. I still had to handover cash. Not OK.

And they know that the atmosphere is zero. There’s literally zero decor or anything warm and welcoming; it’s just a bare-bones space, with nothing appealing or welcoming.

The little pastry case was completely empty, and it was only 11 in the morning. It’s been empty the last few times I’ve visited over the last few months, no matter what time I enter- so I’m guessing they’re just not really ordering food

The gentleman they have hired lacks any personality or warmth, and seems completely bored.

Even though there already is a small serving in the small size, he didn’t even bother to fill the cup to the top with milk, and left about half an inch empty – I had to ask three times for him to please fill up each cup – I’m guessing this is an order from corporate, to save money. Or just laziness.

The coffee is good, but at 8 bucks + for a small latte, in a space that 12 months later is still barebones and a pain to park in- I won’t be returning.

If they ever move to a real store in the Sherman Oaks or Van Nuys area, and decide to actually spend the effort to make it warm and welcoming, I’ll be happy to go.

Guessing for now they just sell to the office workers in the office building it’s hidden inside...