Elabrew Coffee — Restaurant in Santa Monica

Cute coffee place with great service. Josh and Michelle are super friendly and run a solid establishment.

I ordered online (Grubhub sucks, lesson learnt) - a pour over and a chai latte. When I arrived, it took a while to find the place. I asked about the pour over only to realize that the PO wasn't my favorite. Not a big deal, it had a good nose. Josh immediately offered to re-do with his favorite, a Costa Rican blend at no charge. It was a good decision to let him swap. The pour over was perfect with a great nose and rich, developed flavors, and a slightly sour aftertaste that I like from anaerobic coffee beans. They use v60 for their pour overs and don't rush the process.

The coffee selection rotates and you can tell they curate well. They typically buy blends from Lightwave coffee, a specialty local LA roaster. Would love it if they could source some single origins.

The chai latte on the other hand wasn't our favorite. It lacked a punch and was a little sweet (probably the non-dairy milk since the brew is technically supposed to be unsweetened).

We also picked up a protein salad that looked fresh.

Location: This shop can be hard to find, it's at the back of a commercial office building, and requires a short walk to locate the garden area. Parking on street is metered.

Tip: Park in the garage, and get 3 hours...

New opinion:Im changing my review, as I went today and clearly are trying to be more consistent and having some options to eat: cookies, coffee cake, little muffins and Tuesday and Wednesday breakfast burritos form “The Rooster” The coffee is so creamy, the Chagaccino w Oat Milk is really nice. Gen Z vibes from the staff is refreshing. (Relaxed and happy)

Old opinion:The coffee is good, but there is no menu or anything to eat, or being sure if will be open or not. The staff...

I went to college in the Portland area and don't know how I would've survived without Stumptown. Sadness set in when I relocated to LA and could not find an espresso bean that compared to the Stumptown standard. Lo and behold- Brew Coffee Bar opened up and the heavens parted and all was well again. Thank you Brew. THANK YOU! Oh, and I love the chocolate croissants they...