Dogtown Coffee - North — Restaurant in Santa Monica

August 2025 update VEGAN POKE BOWL It’s gone downhill again. They dump the soy sauce dressing from the overly saturated tofu cubes into the minuscule bed of lettuce, which pools at the bottom and makes slimy gross lettuce The purple onions are tumbled in which makes it hell to pick t em out for those who cant eat them. PLEASE STOP RUINING THE SALAD and at least put rice in the bottom to soak up the moisture from the SLIMEY WILTED MACERATED lettuce

Here’s another review due to my coworkers making me the official lunch club reviewer. Last post was the issue about purple tiny chopped onions polluting the Korean wrap. Maybe they saw the comments as a recent purchase had them back to being sliced so my coworker could easily pull them out.

The other comment made was that the VEGAN POKE BOWL is almost a scam as there’s barely any lettuce and I was instructed to note it used to contain sticky rice under the lettuce which made it far more substantial for the price. Maybe they like to punish vegans?😜 👌But they did say the horrid overly salty tofu is no longer ruined. Good job chef team.

👎‼️🥵I haven’t had it but a few of the lunch crowd chose the turkey wrap which they thought would be an easy no brainer. But there was a huuuge problem. They have some chili aioli sauce they smear inside the wrap. I was told it’s 8/10 hot and comes with a side of the same sauce. I did taste a tiny dot as I don’t really favor spicey. It’s fair to say 7+/8.

One of the ladies is a mom and bought one to give to her kid for an after practice snack. She knew there was no way her kid could eat it. Again? It’s a matter of lack of consideration on the chefs part. No warning of being super spicey and they can easily just have it plain as there’s a side of sauce. They said it was wrapped poorly and so loose thing started to fall out. I dunno why they’d wrap it so loosely other than to play the boringly common trick of trying to make it look bigger than it isn’t.

I do recommend the CHICKEN SAUSAGE breakfast sandwich. That’s way better than the breakfast croissant.

I’ve only had one cookie since the last post. It had white chocolate and cherries and was really good. Gave up on the oatmeal cookies as they were always underbaked.

😋The coffee drinks have always been solid. We like you. Let’s go...

It’s unfortunate to give 1 star, because the food and coffee were genuinely good. This review is more a reflection of the faults in how the Fairmont Hotel handled the situation rather than Dogtown Coffee itself.

About two weeks ago, I stopped by Dogtown Coffee with my mom on a Sunday, hoping for a relaxing visit. Unfortunately, our experience was cut short due to an unannounced photoshoot. We noticed people coming in and out, setting up equipment and staging the space, which quickly turned into a full-blown shoot—with models, a dog, and constant flashing from the photographer’s gear.

While I completely understand that businesses sometimes rent out spaces for shoots, the issue here was the complete lack of communication. There were no signs, no heads-up from staff, and we had just received our drinks and food when the commotion began. Eventually, a woman—who I believe was a manager—came over to apologize and told us we had to move because the area we were sitting in was needed for the shoot. She asked for my number to send a comped drink or meal, which I appreciated, but it’s now been two weeks and I’ve yet to hear back.

Even the Dogtown staff seemed surprised and caught off guard. As someone who works in photography, especially with hotels and restuarants, I understand the logistics behind a production like this. But the timing, planning, and communication with both staff and customers were clearly lacking. It would have made much more sense to schedule the shoot on a quieter day, or at the very least, to section off the area and provide advance notice.

I’m also a runner with LA Road Runners (LARR), and I’ve truly enjoyed the hospitality and atmosphere at the Fairmont Hotel during those visits. That’s why this experience was especially disappointing, it felt like a misstep in what’s normally a welcoming space.

I was considering trying Fig soon, but now I’m second-guessing it, especially if there’s a chance I could be asked to move mid-meal due to another...

DO NOT ORDER ONLINE. I love the coffee and smoothies, but they have signs to “skip the line” that actually slow you down. If you order ahead, they will serve everyone in the line before actually tending to your order. This includes anyone new that enters the line after you place the order. I’m not sure if everyone that work here operates this way, but I’ve had it happen to us twice since staying...