Amai coffee — Restaurant in Santa Monica

The espresso actually tasted good, but this place needs a manager on duty. I ordered a Cafe cortado which is just a shot of espresso with a little steamed milk on top, nothing complicated, and had to wait 20 minutes for it while costumers who came 10 minutes after me were all getting their drinks, including matcha lattes and more time-consuming drinks. The girl at the register (who was also making the matcha drinks) was nice and reassured me my drink was coming. However the girl who was supposed to be making it, is literally on her phone, FaceTiming a friend and giggling, going to the back, disappearing and coming back still on the phone. The wait got so ridiculous that I was about to walk out. I told her I had to get back to work, and all people who ordered after me got their their drinks, so she finally made it after I said I had to go. Girl! Please, have some respect for people’s times (and I had left a tip to, which I greatly...

I'm a regular customer, I come multiple times a month and today's experience was really unfortunate compared to previous experiences. I went in the afternoon and when I came in I saw that there were fruit flies in the pastry case so I didn't feel comfortable ordering a croissant like I usually do. When I grabbed napkins and the lid for my coffee I noticed the trash was overflowing. My coffee tasted sour and I had to ask for a new drink because I was worried the plant based milk was spoiled. The worker tried to tell me the milk should taste different and that it is new, and after asking her if it should taste sour she begrudgingly made me a new one. She made me feel bad for telling her the milk tasted sour. This has been the least clean I have seen it. I am hesitant to go back because I cannot afford to get sick from sour milk and though Amai has become a special place for me to get my coffee, I do not think I can...

TLDR: Better than chain's such as Starbucks, but essentially catering to SMC college kids looking for a caffeine fix with a sugary treat.

Minimalistic. Mostly take away, with 3-4 tables. Menu was outdated, as I went looking for pour overs. They no longer serve that.

What's on offer is very sweet caffeinated creations that look unique and appeal to college kids. This is not a spot for serious coffee connoisseurs who are looking for Good Boy Bob, Boy and the Bear, Ondo, Endorffeine Coffee, Kumquat or Loquat coffee - who are pioneering the super specialty coffee scene in LA.

I decided to opt in for the Americano, which was over extracted and on the bitter side. I believe they use Sightglass beans.

Would I go again? Probably not, unless I am in the mood for a super sweet sugary caffeinated drink.

Great service and cheery ambience, along with parking, earns it 3 stars, while the coffee...