Groundwork Coffee Co. — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I was in LA on business and was staying at an Airbnb not far away from here. When you're staying in Hollywood and you Google "wifi restaurants near me" a TON of options come up! After much scrolling and reading, I chose Groundwork because I wanted actual FOOD (not just pastries and pre-made wraps, as you often get at a coffee shop).

The menu is surprisingly robust. They offer a few toasts (including avocado for you-know-who), house-made ricotta and jam (YUM!) and smoked trout. They also offer several plated full breakfast / brunch dishes and the prices are reasonable, especially for LA. (Seriously I've had WAY more expensive -- and not as good -- breakfasts in LA before. (LAMILL in Silver Lake, I'm lookin' at you...)

Aaaaanyway, I chose the Bitches Brew Hash, which is a play on eggs bene. Two poached eggs on a bed of wilted spinach, grass-fed short rib, potatoes with harissa Hollandaise and a toasted English muffin on the side. I asked for the harissa Hollandaise on the side because I can't do spicy food and the sweet young man assured me "it isn't spicy" -- LOL YOUNG MAN... I SAY LOL TO YOU. (Spoiler alert: The decision to side the sauce was a good one because I'm a big baby when it comes to heat and harissa is hot.)

After several minutes, they called my name and I went up to get my food. (They serve on these charming pewter plates, which is smart from a breakage standpoint. I found that although the short rib and the other elements were excellent, the eggs were cooked too long, and the yolks were hard. Drat. I asked for new eggs and they graciously poached me two more, which were perfectly soft and runny as they should be. Yay! Thank you for fixing it! The dish is really delicious. I don't usually eat much bread, but that English muffin was worth it.

I stayed a while to work and enjoyed the atmosphere. Overall it's a great spot, so much so that I came back the next day and ordered exactly the same thing. To my dismay, both poached eggs were again hard cooked. I didn't say anything this time, because I really didn't want to be that high maintenance customer who complains two days in a row about the eggs. So I ate them, and of course it was GOOD but a poached egg is supposed to be soft and gloriously runny when you pierce it, to mix with all that delicious spinach and short ribs.

Would I go back? Of course! Front of the house is friendly, and without the LA attitude that you sometimes find here, which is lovely. I'd probably choose something else from the...

All joking aside, I tend to judge a coffee shop by it's barista. Specifically, how hipster do they look dictates how tasty their coffee shots are pulled. When I arrived I was kinda sad to see that they looked just like normal people. I don't mean that in a mean way at all... they were actually all beautiful people, but not what I pictured in my mind.

We ordered our typical drink: vanilla latte with almond milk. To be honest, my wife and I ordered just one to try before we laid down the $ for two incase the drink wasn't up to par.

To cut to the chase, we were very pleased with the drink, so much that we did order a 2nd one and also began to peruse the food menu. We ended up ordering the avocado toast. Now, the menu gives the feeling that these are small bites and that is what they are. Don't expect a full meal, but the bites are tasty for sure!

The actual location is spacious but was crowded... I guess another good sign for a coffee shop! It's location near Hollywood makes it a perfect place to stop and grab a...

I will likely give Groundwork a couple more tries, but as of now, it falls short of impressive for me. This review is very heavily based on two factors: the taste of the coffee and a particular service experience.

Typically, I prefer Americanos over drip/brewed coffee. I like their taste and concentration. I've tried Groundwork's Americano and their Venice coffee; both were way more acidic than I would like, leaning more toward sour than bright. Disappointing and dissatisfying.

The last time I went, they were brewing a fresh batch of coffee. I decided to wait it out; maybe the taste would be different. Not only was that cup just as sour, but I had to wait more than 10 minutes because the cashiers forgot to tell me once the coffee was done brewing. And it's not like I walked out of sight.

I hope that next time I decide to give this coffee shop a chance, I'll have a redeeming experience with my coffee. Maybe I'll get one of their salads; they...